Comparing JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam and Polk Audio Signa S4
Experts recommend Polk Audio Signa S4 more than JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam
As of 3 Jun 2022, experts prefer Polk Audio Signa S4 over JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam, but both Sound Bars have solid expert endorsements.
As per this month's meta ranking, Polk Audio Signa S4 received 2 recommendations: from World Wide Stereo (11 May 2022) and WIRED (9 Apr 2022). JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam was also endorsed 2 times: by Tom's Guide (1 Jun 2022) and What Hi-Fi (6 May 2022). However, experts generally ranked JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam lower than Polk Audio Signa S4 in their articles, which caused it to rank lower in ReviewFinder ranking.
Curious to see this month's entire Sound Bars ranking? It's here
Endorsement summary:
- On 1 Jun 2022
Tom's Guide ranked JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam as #9 Rank Sound Bar Comment ... ... ... #9 out of 11 JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam The best soundbar for affordable Atmos... ... ... Source: www.tomsguide.com - On 6 May 2022
What Hi-Fi ranked JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam as #10 Rank Sound Bar Comment ... ... ... #10 out of 20 JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam This compact soundbar won’t blow a hole in your budget... ... ... Source: www.whathifi.com - On 11 May 2022
World Wide Stereo ranked Polk Audio Signa S4 as #1 Rank Sound Bar Comment #1 out of 16 Polk Audio Signa S4 The Best Compact Sound Bar... ... ... Source: www.worldwidestereo.com - On 9 Apr 2022
WIRED ranked Polk Audio Signa S4 as #5 Rank Sound Bar Comment ... ... ... #5 out of 13 Polk Audio Signa S4 Best Soundbar-Subwoofer Combo... ... ... Source: www.wired.com
Verdict
After counting and adding up the 113 expert endorsements of the May rankings, Polk Audio Signa S4 outranks JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam. This is not to say that that JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam is a bad option. Like Polk Audio Signa S4, it is recommended by experts, but less.
JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam 
Polk Audio Signa S4 Customers like Polk Audio Signa S4 noticeably more
At ReviewFinder we prefer to focus on professional product reviews, because customer reviews can be disproportionately affected by unrelated factors such as delivery, specific seller listing problems, and, of course, fake reviews. With that said, below is the summary of consumer sentiment.
Polk Audio Signa S4
CS of 10 is similar to a 4.8 star review, CS of 0 is similar to a 2 star review.
Polk Audio Signa S4, the cheaper option, tends to get more favorable reviews than JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam.
As can be seen in the chart above, median best-selling sound bar receives a consumer score of 7.8 (good). Both JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam and Polk Audio Signa S4 receive customer reviews that average out above that median threshold.
| JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam | |
| Polk Audio Signa S4 | |
| Median best-selling Sound Bar |
Polk Audio Signa S4 is more popular than JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam
It's fairly safe to say that Polk Audio Signa S4 is a more popular sound bar than JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam, based on its 10,000+ reviews. Popularity is determined based on product sales. Note that older and cheaper products tend to sell more.
To consider
| Table: Top compared alternatives for JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam and Polk Audio Signa S4 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Polk Audio Signa S4 | $399 | 2 expert recommendations | ||
 | Yamaha YAS-209 | $350 | 3 expert recommendations | Cheaper | |
 | Sonos Beam Gen 2 | $527 | 8 expert recommendations | ||
| Rank | Change | Price | Sound Bar | Tom's Guide | World Wide Stereo | TechRadar  | Rtings.com  | What Hi-Fi | SoundGuys  | CNN Underscored  | PCMag  | TechHive  | WIRED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | $889 |  Sonos Arc | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | 2 | 3 | - | - |
| 2 | - | $527 |  Sonos Beam Gen 2 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | - | - | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | - | Check price |  Samsung HW-Q950A | - | - | 3 | 3 | 17 | - | - | - | 5 | 3 |
| 4 | - | $100 |  Roku Streambar | 10 | - | - | - | 14 | - | 5 | - | 2 | 8 |
| Show all rows | |||||||||||||
Expert reviews [17]
- with a score: 12
- without a score: 5
| Highest score by shanethegamer.com | 100 |
| Average score based on 17 reviews | 81 |
| Lowest score by T3 | 60 |
Score distribution:
| 80-100 | |
| 60-80 | |
| 40-60 | |
| 20-40 | |
| 0-20 |
Expert reviews [14]
- with a score: 5
- without a score: 9
| Highest score by Home Media Entertainment | 88 |
| Average score based on 14 reviews | 77 |
| Lowest score by Rtings.com | 69 |
Score distribution:
| 80-100 | |
| 60-80 | |
| 40-60 | |
| 20-40 | |
| 0-20 |
- Dolby Atmos and MultiBeam surround sound gives you an immersive and exciting 3D sound experience and a wide soundstage.
- Certified for Humans – Smart home made easy for non-experts. Setup with Alexa is simple.
- Read more
- ADVANCED ULTRA-SLIM SOUNDBAR & WIRELESS SUB - The Signa S4 with an upgraded 7-driver array & a dedicated full-range center channel delivers True 3D Surround Sound (Dolby Atmos 3.1.2 certified) and the 5.25" sub gives you a WIDE SOUND STAGE AND DEEP BASS
- Read more
JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam is a well-known option on the higher end of the price range. It's in the top 3 bestselling sound bars and has dozens of popular alternatives in the same price range, such as Samsung HW-K450 or Polk Audio MagniFi 2 .
JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam is $137.27 more expensive than the average sound bar ($262.68).
Polk Audio Signa S4 is a top selling option on the higher end of the price range. It's a #1 bestseller in sound bars category and has dozens of popular alternatives in the same price range, such as Samsung HW-K450 or Polk Audio MagniFi 2 .
Polk Audio Signa S4 is $136.32 more expensive than the average sound bar ($262.68).
