New Delhi, July 17 -- The humble soundbar has come a long way from being a band-aid for anaemic TV speakers. Flagship models these days have much grander ambitions, such as replacing your prized AV receiver, flooding your living room in Dolby Atmos audio and, if they're really good, make you seriously question whether that dream home theatre is worth the expense after all. The JBL Bar 1300MK2 ( Rs.1,49,999) lands squarely in that category. In a segment packed with heavy hitters from Sony, Sonos and Samsung, how does JBL's soundbar hold up?

One look at that price tag-which is more than most people typically spend on their TV, let alone a soundbar-and it's clear JBL needed to bring its A-game. And bring it has, with an astounding array of ...