JBL BAR 500MK2 (01) PDF DOCUMENT

Verify Line Voltage Before Use: The JBL BAR 500MK2 is designed for use with 100-240 volt, 50/60 Hz AC current. Connecting to a different line voltage can create a safety hazard and may damage the unit.

Do Not Use Extension Cords: To avoid safety hazards, use only the power cord supplied with your unit. Do not run power cords under rugs or carpets, or place heavy objects on them. Damaged power cords should be replaced immediately by an authorized service center.

Handle the AC Power Cord Gently: When disconnecting the power cord from an AC outlet, always pull the plug; never pull the cord. If you do not intend to use the speaker for a considerable length of time, disconnect the plug from the AC outlet.

Do Not Open the Cabinet: There are no user-serviceable components inside this product. Opening the cabinet may present a shock hazard. If water accidentally falls inside the unit, disconnect it from the AC power source immediately and consult an authorized service center.

The JBL BAR 500MK2 box includes the following items:

• Soundbar

• Subwoofer

• Remote control (with 2 AAA batteries)

• Power cord (quantity and plug type vary by region)

• HDMI cable (1.2m / 3.9 ft)

• Wall-mounting kit (including 2 L-shape brackets, 2 screws, and 2 anchors)

• Product information & wall-mounting template

The buttons on the top panel of the JBL BAR 500MK2 soundbar have the following functions:

– / + (Volume): Press to decrease or increase the volume. Press both buttons together to mute or unmute. Hold both buttons together for more than 10 seconds to enter Wi-Fi setup mode.

(Source): Press to switch between sound sources: TV (default), Bluetooth, or HDMI IN. Hold for more than 3 seconds to enter Bluetooth pairing mode.

Microphone: Used for sound calibration.

The status indicator on the JBL BAR 500MK2 soundbar shows the system and network status as follows:

System Status:

Network Connection Status:

The connection status indicator on the JBL BAR 500MK2 subwoofer shows its connection status to the soundbar:

Power: Switch on or to standby.

+/-: Press to increase or decrease the volume. Hold to increase or decrease continuously.

Mute: Mute or unmute.

Sound effect buttons:

– Press to switch the virtual Dolby Atmos sound effects on or off (Default: on).

– BASS: Press to select the bass level from 1 to 5 (default is 3).

CALIBR: Start sound calibration.

Moment: Press to directly access the playlist or speaker settings you have personalized in the JBL One app.

Source selectors:

– TV: Select the TV source.

– Bluetooth: Select the Bluetooth source. Hold for more than 3 seconds to enter pairing mode.

– HDMI: Select the HDMI IN source.

For optimal performance, place the JBL BAR 500MK2 soundbar and subwoofer on a flat and stable surface according to the following recommendations:

• Place the soundbar in front of your TV.

• The listening position should be 2.5 to 3.0 meters (8.2 to 9.8 ft) away from the soundbar.

• The subwoofer should be placed at least 1 meter (3 ft) away from the soundbar and 10 cm (4 inches) away from the wall.

• The side walls should be at least 4 meters (13 ft) away from the soundbar for the best surround effect.

Ensure the power cord is properly connected and do not place any objects on top of the soundbar or subwoofer.

Follow these steps to wall-mount your JBL BAR 500MK2 soundbar:

1. Preparation:

a) Stick the supplied wall-mounting template to a wall using adhesive tapes.

b) Use a ballpen tip to mark the screw holder locations. Remove the template.

c) At the marked locations, drill a 4 mm / 0.16″ hole.

2. Install the support for the wall-mounting bracket: Insert the anchors into the drilled holes if necessary.

3. Fasten the bracket: With the screw, fasten the wall-mounting bracket onto the bottom of the soundbar.

4. Mount the soundbar: Hang the soundbar on the supports you installed in the wall.

Notes:

• Ensure the wall can support the weight of the soundbar.

• Install on a vertical wall only.

• Before wall-mounting, ensure that the soundbar is unplugged from power.

For the best Dolby Atmos experience, use an HDMI connection.

Using HDMI eARC (Recommended):

1. Connect the soundbar’s HDMI OUT (TV eARC/ARC) port to the HDMI IN (eARC or ARC) port on your TV using the supplied HDMI cable.

2. On your TV, enable HDMI-CEC and HDMI eARC. Refer to your TV’s owner’s manual for instructions.

3. To connect a digital device like a streaming box or Blu-ray player, use another HDMI cable (V2.0 or later) to connect the device’s HDMI OUT to the soundbar’s HDMI IN port.

4. On your digital device, enable HDMI-CEC and select “Bitstream” or “Raw data” in the audio output settings.

Using HDMI ARC:

1. Connect the soundbar’s HDMI OUT (TV eARC/ARC) port to the HDMI IN (ARC) port on your TV using the supplied HDMI cable.

2. On your TV, enable HDMI-CEC and HDMI ARC.

3. To play Dolby Atmos content, connect your digital device directly to the soundbar’s HDMI IN port, as Dolby Atmos information cannot pass through a standard HDMI ARC connection.

Using an Optical Cable:

1. Connect the soundbar’s OPTICAL port to the OPTICAL OUT port on your TV using an optical cable (sold separately).

2. You can also connect a digital device to your TV using an HDMI cable.

To pair a device for the first time:

1. Press the source button on the soundbar or the Bluetooth button on the remote control to select the Bluetooth source. The display will show “BT PAIRING”.

2. On your smartphone, tablet, or laptop, enable Bluetooth and search for “JBL BAR 500MK2” in the list of available devices.

3. Select it to connect. You will hear a confirmation tone and see “BT CONNECTED” when the connection is successful.

To reconnect the last paired device:

When you switch to the Bluetooth source, the JBL BAR 500MK2 will automatically try to reconnect to the last paired device.

To connect to a different Bluetooth device:

1. In the Bluetooth source, hold the source button on the soundbar or the Bluetooth button on the remote until “BT PAIRING” is displayed.

2. On the new device, follow the pairing steps above. If you are connecting a device that was previously paired, you must first “forget” or “unpair” the “JBL BAR 500MK2” on that device.

To connect your JBL BAR 500MK2 to Wi-Fi for streaming services, follow these steps:

1. Power on the soundbar. If it’s not connected to a network, it will display “HELLO” and then “SETUP WIFI”.

2. On your Android or iOS device, make sure it is connected to the same home Wi-Fi network you want the soundbar to join. Download and install the JBL One app.

3. Launch the JBL One app. The app will detect the JBL BAR 500MK2.

4. Follow the in-app instructions to complete the Wi-Fi setup. You will need to select your network and enter the password.

Once connected, the status indicator on the soundbar will turn solid white.

If the soundbar is not discovered, you can re-enter Wi-Fi setup mode by holding the volume – and + buttons together for more than 10 seconds.

Sound calibration optimizes the 3D surround sound experience for your specific listening environment. To perform a calibration:

1. Ensure the soundbar and subwoofer are powered on and connected.

2. On the remote control, press the CALIBR button. The soundbar display will show “CALIBRATION”.

3. When “PRESS AGAIN TO CONFIRM” is displayed, press the CALIBR button again.

4. A countdown from 5 to 1 will start, followed by a calibration tone. The calibration process begins, and the display shows “CALIBRATING”. Remain quiet during this process.

5. When completed, the display will show “DONE”.

During sound calibration, all buttons on the remote are disabled except for the Power button.

Dolby Atmos Adjustment:

To enjoy height sound effects, ensure you are playing Dolby Atmos content from a device connected to the TV or the HDMI IN source.

• Press the Dolby Atmos button on the remote control to switch the height sound effects on (“ON ATMOS”) or off (“OFF ATMOS”). The default setting is on.

Bass Adjustment:

• On the remote control, press the BASS button repeatedly to cycle through the bass levels.

• The soundbar display will show the selected level, from “LVL1” to “LVL5”. The default level is “LVL3”.

Switch On: To switch on the JBL BAR 500MK2, press any button on the soundbar or the power button on the remote control. The subwoofer will automatically reconnect.

Auto Standby: If the soundbar is inactive for more than 10 minutes, it will automatically switch to standby mode (“STDBY” is displayed). The subwoofer also goes to standby.

Auto Wakeup: In standby mode, the soundbar will wake up automatically when:

• It is connected to your TV via HDMI eARC/ARC and your TV is switched on.

• It is connected to a digital device via HDMI, and that device is switched on.

• Audio is streamed to it through music streaming services over your home network.

HDMI-CEC:

If your TV supports HDMI-CEC and is connected via HDMI, you can control the volume +/-, mute, and power functions on your JBL BAR 500MK2 using your TV remote control automatically. Ensure HDMI-CEC is enabled in your TV’s settings.

TV Remote Control IR Learning:

If your TV does not support HDMI-CEC, you can program the soundbar to respond to your TV’s infra-red (IR) remote for simple commands:

1. On the soundbar, hold the source button and volume + button until “LEARNING” is displayed.

2. The soundbar will prompt you for commands like “POWER”, “VOL+”, “VOL-“, and “MUTE”.

3. When a command is displayed, point your TV remote at the soundbar and press the corresponding button (e.g., press the power button on your TV remote when “POWER” is shown).

4. The soundbar will display “DONE” when the command is learned and then move to the next command.

5. To exit learning mode, hold the source and volume + buttons again until “EXIT LEARNING” is displayed.

Once your JBL BAR 500MK2 is connected to your Wi-Fi network, you can stream audio using Google Cast, AirPlay, or the JBL One app.

With Google Cast:

1. On your Android or iOS device, open a Google Cast-enabled app (like Spotify, YouTube Music, etc.).

2. Start playing music, then tap the Cast icon.

3. Select “JBL BAR 500MK2” from the list of devices to stream the audio.

With AirPlay:

1. On your iOS device, swipe to open the Control Center.

2. Tap the AirPlay icon in the music playback control panel.

3. Select “JBL BAR 500MK2” to stream audio to it.

Through the JBL One App:

1. Launch the JBL One app on your Android or iOS device.

2. Browse the available music streaming services you have linked.

3. Select music and start streaming to the connected JBL BAR 500MK2.

You can stream music to multiple speakers simultaneously using Google Cast or AirPlay.

For Google Cast Multi-Room:

1. Through the Google Home app, ensure your JBL BAR 500MK2 and other Google Cast-enabled speakers are connected to the same network and logged into the same Google account.

2. Create a speaker group within the Google Home app.

3. In a Google Cast-enabled music app, press the Cast icon and select the speaker group you created to play music on all speakers in that group.

For AirPlay Multi-Room:

1. On your iOS device, open the Control Center.

2. Tap the AirPlay icon. You will see a list of available AirPlay speakers on your network.

3. Tap the circle next to each speaker, including the JBL BAR 500MK2, that you want to play music on.

4. Start music streaming from an app, and it will play on all selected speakers.

If you notice a delay between the audio and video, you can use the audio sync function to synchronize them:

1. On the remote control, hold the TV button for more than 3 seconds, and then press the volume + button.

2. “SYNC” will be displayed on the soundbar.

3. Within 5 seconds, press the volume + or – buttons on the remote control to adjust the audio delay until it matches the video.

4. The new audio sync timing will be displayed.

You can also adjust the audio delay through the JBL One app.

To restore the factory default settings on your JBL BAR 500MK2, press and hold the source button, volume + button, and volume – button on the soundbar simultaneously for more than 5 seconds.

The display will show “RESET”. Once the factory reset is complete, the soundbar will automatically restart.

For the best performance, your JBL BAR 500MK2 should have the latest software. When the soundbar is connected to your home network via Wi-Fi, online software updates will be performed automatically when they are available.

During a software update, the display will show “WAIT”. After the update is completed, it will show “DONE”.

The soundbar and subwoofer are paired at the factory and should connect automatically. If they fail to connect, you may need to pair them again manually:

1. On the rear panel of the subwoofer, press and hold the connect button until its status indicator turns to fast flashing white. This puts the subwoofer in pairing mode.

2. To put the soundbar in subwoofer pairing mode, hold the BASS button on the remote control for more than 3 seconds, and then press the volume – button on the remote control.

3. The soundbar display will show “SUB PAIRING”. Once connected, it will show “SUB PAIRED”, and the subwoofer’s status indicator will turn solid white.

If the unit will not turn on, check if the power cord is securely plugged into both the soundbar and a live power outlet.

If the soundbar has no response to button presses, try restoring the soundbar to its factory settings. To do this, press and hold the source, volume +, and volume – buttons on the soundbar for more than 5 seconds.

If you are experiencing no sound, try these troubleshooting steps:

• Make sure that the soundbar is not muted. Press the mute button or volume buttons to check.

• Select the correct audio input source on the remote control (TV, HDMI, Bluetooth).

• Ensure the soundbar is connected properly to your TV or other devices as described in the manual.

• If playing audio from your TV, make sure your TV’s audio output is set to external speakers and the built-in TV speaker is disabled or muted.

• As a last resort, restore the soundbar to factory settings.

Dolby Atmos effects are only available when playing Dolby Atmos content from the TV or HDMI IN source. They are not supported for audio streaming over Bluetooth or casting apps (Google Cast or AirPlay).

If your TV only supports HDMI ARC (not eARC), you must connect your Dolby Atmos-capable digital device (like a Blu-ray player or streaming box) directly to the HDMI IN connector on the soundbar to get Dolby Atmos sound effects.

If a device cannot be connected with the soundbar:

• Check that you have enabled Bluetooth on the source device.

• If the soundbar has been paired with another Bluetooth device, you need to reset the Bluetooth on the soundbar. Hold the Bluetooth button on the remote for more than 3 seconds to re-enter pairing mode.

• If your device has been paired with the soundbar before, first unpair “JBL BAR 500MK2” on the source device, then attempt to pair it again.

If you experience poor audio quality or the connection is unstable:

• The Bluetooth reception is poor. Move the source device closer to the soundbar, or remove any obstacles between the source device and the soundbar.

If you fail to connect to Wi-Fi, try the following:

• Make sure that Wi-Fi is turned on.

• Make sure you have selected the correct network and entered the correct password.

• Ensure your router or modem is turned on and within range.

• Make sure that your soundbar is connected to the same wireless LAN as your smartphone or tablet during setup.

• If you continue to have difficulties, re-enter the Wi-Fi setup mode by holding the volume + and – buttons on the soundbar until “SETUP WIFI” is displayed, and try the setup process again.

If the remote control does not work:

• Check if the batteries are drained. If so, replace them with new ones.

• Reduce the distance and angle between the remote control and the main soundbar unit.

If you failed to complete the TV remote control IR learning:

• Check if you are using an infra-red (IR) TV remote control. The IR learning feature is not supported by a Bluetooth TV remote control.