JBL's Android TV soundbar arrives in October for $399
You can pre-order the Google Assistant-capable speaker today.
You don't have to wait too much longer if you like the thought of a Google-powered soundbar. JBL's Link Bar is now available for pre-order in the US for $399, with shipments poised to start in October. You won't get a room-shaking system for that money with a modest 100W output and no subwoofer (it does support wireless models), but you will get smarts.
The Link Bar includes both a full-fledged Android TV interface as well as always-on Google Assistant voice control. You can tell it to play TV shows in addition to the usual Assistant commands, and spoken commands work whether or not the TV is on. It's not quite a direct competitor to the Sonos Beam (Sonos doesn't have a smart TV interface), but there's a similar philosophy. This isn't so much an audio upgrade as it is a smart speaker that just happens to sit at the heart of your home theater.
