JBL’s Bar 5.0 Multibeam is an all-in-one sound bar with Dolby Atmos Virtual

JBL’s Bar 5.0 Multibeam is a new sound bar that is the first to offer Dolby Atmos Virtual thanks to its Multibeam technology. It will be available for $ 399.95 (£ 349.99) starting this spring.

The JBL Bar 5.0 announcement comes a year after the company announced its first Dolby Atmos sound bar, the JBL Bar 9.1. The previous Atmos sound bar used upward firing drivers to bounce the sound from the ceiling and give the impression that it came from above. In contrast, the new JBL Bar 5.0, which costs less than half the price of its predecessor, uses virtualization to achieve what JBL claims to be a similar effect. It is unlikely to sound so convincing, but the result is a much more affordable sound bar.

Image: JBL

The JBL Bar 5.0 uses five drivers (three facing forward and two facing sideways) and four passive radiators to create your sound. It supports streaming via Bluetooth, Alexa (including multiroom audio), Apple AirPlay 2 and has built-in Chromecast support.

JBL Bar 5.0 is not the only new device the company is announcing today. There is also the JBL Charge 5, which is a new Bluetooth speaker that costs $ 179.95 (£ 159.99) and will be available from March. It offers 20 hours of playback and contains a 7,500mAh battery that can be used to charge external devices.

Image: JBL

Finally, JBL also has a collection of headphones to announce. There are the noise-canceling JBL Live 460NC headsets for $ 129.95 (£ 119.99), which have up to 50 hours of battery life and will be available from March. The real JBL Reflect Mini NC wireless headphones will also launch in the US this spring, where they will cost $ 149.95. The real JBL Live Pro Plus noise-canceling wireless headphones cost $ 179.95 (£ 169.99) and will go on sale in April.

Image: JBL

Image: JBL

Following are the JBL Live 660NC noise-canceling headphones that offer up to 50 hours of battery life and will cost $ 199.95 (£ 159.99) when they go on sale in March. The noise-canceling JBL Tour Pro Plus and true wireless headphones will also cost $ 199.95 (or £ 179.99 in the UK) and will be released in May. JBL also announced the price in the U.S. and a March 14 release date for four Tune series headphones.

Image: JBL

Image: JBL

Finally, the most expensive new headphones being announced today are the JBL Tour One noise canceling headphones and noise canceling for up to 50 hours of playback. They will go on sale in May.

Update on January 7, 11:09 am Eastern Time: Updated with additional headphones announced by JBL today.