When the JBL Link bar was announced earlier this year there was a surprisingly high level of interest around the market, but it appears its expected arrival this month has been delayed.
The Android TV powered JBL Link Bar was expected to arrive in October in both the US and Australia, however a number of US-based buyers who pre-ordered have shared emails from their respective retailer advising that their delivery has been delayed. The emails advise that there is an expectation (though no promises have been made) by the retailer or manufacturer, that the orders will be filled by the end of the 2018 calendar year.
As far as JBL Australia is concerned, the Link Bar hasn’t yet gone up for pre-order, and we’re waiting to confirm with them on whether this US delay will which we’re working to confirm via JBL in Australia for local buyers.
What really sets the JBL Link Bar apart from other sound bars is the Google Assistant which offers all the convenience of Google Home and when coupled with an Android TV component. It booms out 100W sound through the speakers and has a fairly comprehensive input/output offering an Optical input, three HDMI-Inputs and a single Audio Return Channel (ARC) HDMI Output.
If the wait is getting too much for you, there are other soundbar options – noting that the Assistant + Android TV combination isn’t on any of them.
Would you buy a Google Assistant, Android TV powered soundbar? Or do you prefer simpler options?
I’ll hold out for a while, but this is the same company that got people excited about the JBL Legend CP100 car unit then killed it after keeping everyone in suspense for close to a year.