JBL’s 7 MK2 Soundbars: 2 Have Up-Firing Speakers

jbl.com’s US store sells seven soundbars in MK2 form, and two of them list up-firing speakers: the Bar 1000MK2 (7.1.4) and Bar 1300XMK2 (11.1.4). Five list Dolby Atmos; the Bar 300MK2, 500MK2 and 700MK2 do it without height drivers, and three models have surround speakers that detach from the bar and run on batteries.

The two cheapest, the Bar 2.0 All-in-One MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) and Bar 2.1 Deep Bass MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), list neither Atmos nor eARC; they connect over HDMI ARC. All seven list an optical input. There is no Bar 800MK2 or Bar 1300MK2 on the US store, though JBL’s support FAQ names both. JBL’s portable Bluetooth speakers are in our separate JBL speaker explainer.

The seven MK2 soundbars side by side

From each model’s specification table and title on jbl.com, read 2 November 2026. Up-firing drivers are JBL’s counts from its transducer lines for the bar and the surround speakers.

Model	Channels	Subwoofer	Surrounds	Up-firing drivers	Atmos	TV connection
Bar 1300XMK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	11.1.4	Wireless, 12-inch	2 detachable, battery	4 in bar, 1 in surround line	Dolby Atmos, DTS:X	eARC, 3 HDMI inputs
Bar 1000MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	7.1.4	Wireless, 10-inch	2 detachable, battery	2 in bar, 2 in surround line	Dolby Atmos, DTS:X	eARC, 3 HDMI inputs
Bar 700MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	7.1	Wireless, 10-inch	2 detachable, battery	None listed	Dolby Atmos, DTS Virtual:X	eARC, 1 HDMI input
Bar 500MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	5.1	Wireless, 10-inch	None	None listed	Dolby Atmos, DTS Virtual:X	eARC, 1 HDMI input
Bar 300MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	5.0	None; bass ports in the bar	None	None listed	Dolby Atmos, DTS Virtual:X	eARC, 1 HDMI input
Bar 2.1 Deep Bass MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	2.1	Wireless, 6.5-inch	None	None listed	Not listed	ARC, 1 HDMI input
Bar 2.0 All-in-One MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	2.0	None	None	None listed	Not listed (Dolby Digital)	ARC, no HDMI input

For Atmos, the split is in the up-firing column: the 300MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), 500MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) and 700MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) list Atmos with no height driver, which Dolby counts as Atmos too, as our up-firing explainer sets out. JBL’s own titles split the same way: the two with up-firing drivers list “DTS:X”, the three without list “DTS Virtual:X”.

Detachable surrounds: three models

The Bar 700MK2, 1000MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) and 1300XMK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) each come with two wireless surround speakers that dock on the ends of the bar and lift off to sit behind the seats. JBL rates their batteries at up to 10 hours, and its FAQ says they recharge by docking or over USB-C. On the 1300XMK2, JBL says one or both surrounds can also pair with a phone as Bluetooth speakers.

The Bar 700MK2 and 1000MK2 share an 854 mm bar and a 10-inch sub; the difference is height. The 1000MK2 adds up-firing drivers, a 7.1.4 label in place of 7.1, and two more HDMI inputs. Against the 1000MK2, the 1300XMK2 lists a wider bar (1,030 mm against 854 mm), a 12-inch sub against a 10-inch one, and 1,570W against 960W; JBL rates both to 33Hz.

Size, bass and power

JBL’s own figures. Width with surrounds is the bar with both surrounds docked. JBL rates the 300MK2 and up at −6dB and gives no tolerance for the 2.0 and 2.1, so compare those two groups with care.

Model	Bar width	With surrounds docked	Rated range	Max output	Bluetooth
Bar 1300XMK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	1,030 mm	1,404 mm	33Hz–20kHz	1,570W	5.3 (surrounds 5.4)
Bar 1000MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	854 mm	1,203 mm	33Hz–20kHz	960W	5.3
Bar 700MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	854 mm	1,163 mm	35Hz–20kHz	780W	5.3
Bar 500MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	940 mm	—	40Hz–20kHz	750W	5.3
Bar 300MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	940 mm	—	50Hz–20kHz	450W	5.3
Bar 2.1 Deep Bass MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	965 mm	—	40Hz–20kHz	300W	4.2
Bar 2.0 All-in-One MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	614 mm	—	70Hz–20kHz	80W	4.2

The Bar 300MK2 and 500MK2 list the same bar drivers; the 500MK2 adds the sub, and what that buys in bass is the subject of our subwoofer explainer. Lossless Atmos from a TV needs eARC at both ends, which our ARC and eARC explainer covers; the 2.0 and 2.1 MK2 list ARC.

Prices on jbl.com

Read 2 November 2026. List is the struck-through price; six of the seven were on sale that day.

Model	List price	Price shown, 2 Nov
Bar 1300XMK2	$1,699.95	$1,399.95
Bar 1000MK2	$1,199.95	$999.95
Bar 700MK2	$899.95	$749.95
Bar 500MK2	$649.95	$499.95
Bar 300MK2	$449.95	$449.95
Bar 2.1 Deep Bass MK2	$379.95	$229.95
Bar 2.0 All-in-One MK2	$219.95	$149.95

Older models still on the list

jbl.com’s soundbar listing also carries first-generation models. On 2 November the Bar 300, Bar 1300X and Bar 800 (5.1.2, with detachable surrounds) showed a price and were not marked sold out; the Bar 500, Bar 700 and Bar 1000 were marked sold out. The first-generation Bar 1300X listed at $1,699.95 and showed $999.95, below the Bar 1300XMK2’s sale price.

Who each one suits, by the specs

• Up-firing height drivers and detachable surrounds: the Bar 1000MK2 or Bar 1300XMK2; the 1300XMK2 has the larger bar and a 12-inch sub.
• Detachable surrounds without height drivers: the Bar 700MK2.
• A bar and a sub, no surrounds: the Bar 500MK2 (eARC, Atmos) or the Bar 2.1 Deep Bass MK2 (ARC, no Atmos listed).
• One box, no sub: the Bar 300MK2 (940 mm, Atmos) or the Bar 2.0 All-in-One MK2 (614 mm).
• More than one HDMI source into the bar: the Bar 1000MK2 and 1300XMK2 list three HDMI inputs.

Questions people ask

Which JBL soundbars have up-firing speakers?

Of the seven MK2 models on jbl.com, the Bar 1000MK2 and Bar 1300XMK2. Their spec tables list up-firing drivers in the bar and in the surround speakers. The Bar 300MK2, 500MK2 and 700MK2 list Dolby Atmos without any up-firing driver in their transducer lists.

What is the difference between the JBL Bar 700MK2 and 1000MK2?

Both have a 10-inch wireless sub and two detachable battery surrounds. The 1000MK2 adds up-firing drivers (7.1.4 against 7.1), lists DTS:X rather than DTS Virtual:X, and has three HDMI inputs against one.

What is the difference between the JBL Bar 300MK2 and 500MK2?

The subwoofer. JBL lists the same bar drivers for both, five racetrack drivers and four tweeters in a 940 mm bar. The 500MK2 adds a 10-inch wireless sub and is rated to 40Hz against the 300MK2’s 50Hz.

Is there a JBL Bar 800MK2 or Bar 1300MK2 in the US?

Not on jbl.com’s US soundbar listing on 2 November 2026. JBL’s reset FAQ names both models, but the US store sells the Bar 1300XMK2 and the first-generation Bar 800, not an 800MK2 or a 1300MK2.

Do JBL soundbars have HDMI eARC?

Five of the seven MK2 models do: the Bar 300MK2, 500MK2, 700MK2, 1000MK2 and 1300XMK2. The Bar 2.0 All-in-One MK2 and Bar 2.1 Deep Bass MK2 list HDMI with audio return channel (ARC), not eARC.

Do JBL soundbars have an optical input?

All seven MK2 models list an optical input, along with Bluetooth and a USB port that JBL says plays music files in the US version.

Can the JBL Bar 1300XMK2 surround speakers be used as Bluetooth speakers?

Yes, by JBL’s description: one or both detachable speakers can pair with any Bluetooth device. JBL lists Bluetooth 5.4 for the surrounds and 5.3 for the bar.