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We tested: JBL LinkBar - Sound bar with Android TV
The LinkBar is JBL's sound bar, which includes an Android TV streamer as well as a smart speaker with Google Assistant, in one product that connects to the TV and can allow you to give up the need to purchase a streamer and enjoy higher quality audio.
Is he doing the job?
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JBL
Tzachi Hoffman, The gadget reviews
Wednesday, 30 September 2020, 09:51
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NEWS
The LinkBar is a smart sound bar from JBL (from Herman that belongs to Samsung), as it includes the Android TV operating system, which means that it is used as both a streamer and a smart speaker for running Google Assistant.
This is not a bad solution, for those who are looking for an all-in-one product that has them sitting in the living room.
The LinkBar was recently launched in Israel by the official importer Newpan and is currently sold in Partner's sales centers, because it integrates the company's TV app - Partner TV.
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To the full article
The LinkBar has a grayish appearance, which allows it to be swallowed up in the living room under the TV.
The top of the sound bar is made of plastic and its height is 60 mm. Which means that if you place your TV on the sideboard and do not hang it on the wall, the sound bar will not hide the bottom of the screen.
"A gray look, which allows him to be swallowed up in the living room under the TV" (Photo: Tzachi Hoffman)
JBL LinkBar: A solution for most streaming services
As soon as you activate the LinkBar, the initial installation page of Android TV (version 9.0) appears.
This is the operating system that exists in Shiomi's streamers and smart TVs such as those of Sony and Philips.
This means that you can download many applications here in addition to those of Partner TV (which, by the way, responds slowly), such as Cellcom TV, Netflix, Sting TV, Next TV, Spotify, Deezer, YouTube and many more.
By the way, anyone who loves Amazon Prime Video will not find it available for download here for some reason.
The Android TV interface is simple to use, for those who want to enjoy the capabilities of the voice assistant Google Assistant, so that it can transfer the sound bar interface to English.
From that moment, one can enjoy many additional capabilities.
First of all, LinkBar has microphones on the speaker and also in the remote control.
This way you can start the assistant with a voice command, when the sound bar is off (standby mode when the TV is closed) or at the touch of a button on the remote control.
I must note that the microphone in the sound bar is less sensitive than those found in smart speakers like the Nest Mini or Nest Hub, so many times I had to speak loudly and even repeat myself while giving the command "Okay Google" in order for it to wake up.
Also, the response time of the speaker is a bit slow.
"Solution for most streaming services" (Photo: Tzachi Hoffman)
You can use the assistant to control the smart products you have at home, turn the TV on or off with a voice command, increase / decrease the volume played on the console without touching the remote or playing music from Spotify in this way.
Anyone accustomed to working with the assistant will greatly appreciate this combination here.
Anyone who is less interested in the assistant listening to it can turn off the microphone using its existing physical paw on the LinkBar.
JBL LinkBar: Arc connection and a dedicated button for Netflix on the remote
The LinkBar has a compact remote that comes with a slightly cheap and plastic look and feel.
In my case, the sound bar was connected to the TV with an HDMI Arc connection, when the on / off button also turned on and turned off the TV.
From the moment the Arc is set in the TV settings, the sound moves to that in the LinkBar and the volume control is done through it.
The Arc connection also easily transmits the sound of the other devices connected to the TV, so if you have streamers / consoles or any other product, you can hear them on LinKBar without bothering with additional settings.
The remote includes a dedicated button for Netflix, alongside a dedicated button for the assistant, and of course home buttons, volume, navigation and switching between viewing sources.
Apart from the HDMI Arc connection, there are 3 other HDMI connections here.
"Compact sign that comes with a slightly cheap and plastic look and feel" (Photo: Tzachi Hoffman)
The most important part: How about audio quality?
The LinkBar includes lots of options for listening to music through it: streaming music from Spotify via WiFi and the Spotify Connect service, using Chromecast for Deezer and other supporting services or connecting a direct Bluetooth (4.2) to your smartphone.
The sound that LinkBar provides when listening to music does the job: the sound is natural, pleasant, balanced, loud and even a little rich.
This sound bar will be used successfully for listening to music in the living room and the combination with Google Assistant for playing the songs, makes it even more successful.
We got to the most important part in the end and that is the sound that emanates from the sound bar while watching movies.
There is no Dolby Atmos support here, but Dolby Audio.
The sound sounds fine, anyone who has been content with the TV speakers to this day will suddenly feel that the sound from his TV has opened.
This is a relatively wide sound, which can be felt in the opening scene of the movie Old Guard on Netflix, while riding the motorcycle in the alleys, also, dialogues sound clear.
On the other hand, there is no bass strong enough (JBL allows the purchase of a subwoofer separately), the maximum volume of the sound bar is not enough for my taste, it is indeed strong but I would like a little more.
By the way, when I played the movie Old Guard directly from the Netflix app on TV (LG CX), the sound sounded sharper and even a little richer than the one that came from the Streamer of the Sound Bar.
"The sound sounds fine, anyone who has been content with TV speakers to this day will suddenly feel that the sound from his TV has opened" (Photo: Tzachi Hoffman)
The bottom line
Price: NIS 1,650 (sold in partner stores)
Bottom line, the LinkBar is a smart sound bar, which allows you to upgrade the sound quality of your TV and give a solution of Android TV streamer.
He does this successfully.
I was less enthusiastic about Google Assistant's slightly slow response time and volume.
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