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

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

The announcement of the JBL Bar 5.0 comes a year after the company announced its first Dolby Atmos soundbar, the JBL Bar 9.1. The previous Atmos soundbar used upward facing pilots to bounce sound off the ceiling and make it look like it was coming 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 soundbar.

Image: JBL

The JBL Bar 5.0 uses five speakers (three front-facing and two side-facing) and four passive radiators to create its sound. It supports streaming via Bluetooth, Alexa (including multiroom audio), Apple AirPlay 2, and supports Chromecast built-in.

The JBL Bar 5.0 isn’t the only new device the company is announcing today. There’s also the JBL Charge 5, which is a new Bluetooth speaker costing $ 179.95 (£ 159.99) that will be available from March. It offers 20 hours of playtime and packs 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 $ 129.95 (£ 119.99) JBL Live 460NC on-ear noise canceling headphones which have up to 50 hours of battery life and will be available from March. The JBL Reflect Mini NC True Wireless Earphones will also be releasing in the US this spring, where they’ll retail for $ 149.95. The true JBL Live Pro Plus noise-canceling wireless headphones cost $ 179.95 (£ 169.99) and go on sale in April.

Next are the JBL Live 660NC noise canceling headphones which offer up to 50 hours of battery life and will retail for $ 199.95 (£ 159.99) when they go on sale in March. The true JBL Tour Pro Plus noise-canceling wireless headphones will also retail for $ 199.95 (or £ 179.99 in the UK) and release in May. JBL also announced prices in the United States and a March 14 release date for four headphones in its Tune series.

Finally, the more expensive new headphones announced today are the JBL Tour One noise-canceling on-ear headphones for $ 299.95 (£ 279.99) which offer up to 50 hours of playback. They will go on sale from May.

Update, January 7, 11:09 a.m. ET: Updated with additional headphones announced by JBL today.