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JBL Cinema Base Powered home theater sound system/TV platform with Bluetooth®

Item # 109CINBASE

JBL has earned rave reviews on their sound bars from Crutchfield customers and employees alike.

JBL has earned rave reviews on their sound bars from Crutchfield customers and employees alike.

3 questions - 12 answers

Item # 109CINBASE

Shop all JBL Sound Bars

About the JBL Cinema Base

James Ralston

A sound system that fits right under your TV

JBL has earned rave reviews on their sound bars from Crutchfield customers and employees alike. Now they've added a platform-style TV speaker to their mix, which might be just the ticket if your TV stand or cabinet is short on space. The concept is simple: you place the speaker on your table, then you place your TV on the speaker. The JBL Cinema Base connects to your TV with a single cable — most folks will use the included HDMI cable — and then this system pumps out solid JBL sound that's far richer and more powerful than anything your TV's built-in speakers could ever produce.

A sound system that fits right under your TV

JBL has earned rave reviews on their sound bars from Crutchfield customers and employees alike. Now they've added a platform-style TV speaker to their mix, which might be just the ticket if your TV stand or cabinet is short on space. The concept is simple: you place the speaker on your table, then you place your TV on the speaker. The JBL Cinema Base connects to your TV with a single cable — most folks will use the included HDMI cable — and then this system pumps out solid JBL sound that's far richer and more powerful than anything your TV's built-in speakers could ever produce.

JBL Cinema Base

Place your flat-panel TV on the JBL Cinema Base and add some audio excitement to your movies and shows.

This two-channel system boasts a pair of full-range drivers and a pair of built-in subwoofers, powered by a total of 240 watts. Engage Harman's Display Surround mode for a more spacious virtual surround effect, and use Harman Volume to keep loud commercials from blowing you off the couch. Built-in Bluetooth means you can stream tunes wirelessly to the Cinema Base from your smartphone or tablet. And the USB charging port is a nice touch, allowing you to keep your device powered up during long listening sessions.

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Product highlights:

  • convenient platform-style sound system accommodates TVs up to 60"
  • contains two 2-1/2" full-range drivers and two 3-1/2" subwoofers
  • 240 watts total system power
  • Dolby® Digital decoding
  • Harman Display Surround virtual surround processing
  • Harman Volume prevents big jumps in volume such as during commercials
  • built-in Bluetooth® for streaming music wirelessly from a compatible smartphone or tablet
  • built-in USB charging port for compatible portable devices
  • learns commands from your existing TV remote (also includes its own remote)
  • system frequency response 45-20,000 Hz
  • inputs: 1 optical digital and 1 analog stereo mini
  • HDMI port with Audio Return Channel for passing audio from TV's built-in tuner
  • 23-5/8"W x 4-1/16"H x 15-7/8"D
  • weight: 17.6 lbs.
  • warranty: 5 years speakers, 1 year electronics
  • MFR # Cinema Base

No A/V receiver required.

What's in the box:

  • Active soundbar speaker base
  • 59" AC power cord
  • IR remote control (CR2025 3V battery installed)
  • 47" HDMI cable
  • 39" Digital optical cable
  • 4' Stereo minijack cable
  • Wall-mount bracket
  • Quick-Start Guide
  • Important Safety Instructions

Customer reviews for JBL Cinema Base

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Average review:

4.5 out of 5 stars
17 reviews

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More details on the JBL Cinema Base

Stacey B.

Features & specs

General
Design Platform
Amplification Self-powered
Separate Subwoofer No
Wireless Surrounds ---
Number Of Channels 2.2
Surround Formats
Dolby Digital Yes
DTS No
Dolby Atmos No
DTS:X No
Audio Enhancements
Dialogue Enhancement No
Auto Volume Yes
Night Mode ---
Virtual Surround Harman Display Surround
Room Correction No
Audio Connections
Optical Digital Inputs 1
Coaxial Digital Inputs None
HDMI ARC Input Yes
HDMI eARC Input No
3.5mm Stereo Analog Inputs 1
RCA Stereo Analog Inputs None
USB Type-A Input No
Subwoofer Output 0
Audio Specs
Tweeter Not Given
Midrange 2.5 (2)
Woofer 3.5 (2)
Subwoofer Driver None
Enclosure Bass Reflex
System Frequency Response 45-20K Hz
Sound Bar RMS Power 240
Subwoofer RMS Power N/A
Video Connections
HDMI Inputs None
HDMI Outputs 1
Video Specs
HDMI Version N/A
HDMI Video Pass-through Resolution N/A
HDR Video Compatible ---
Control
Includes Remote Yes
Voice Control No
Control by App No
HDMI CEC No
Remote IR Passthrough No
Learns TV Remote Yes
Audio Streaming
Bluetooth Connectivity Built-in
Bluetooth Audio Playback Yes
Bluetooth Transmitter Mode No
Online Music Sources ---
Apple AirPlay No
Chromecast built-in No
Amazon Music ---
Apple Music ---
Pandora ---
SiriusXM ---
Spotify ---
TIDAL ---
TuneIn ---
YouTube Music ---
Files on Your Network No
Wi-Fi Networking
Built-in Wi-Fi Version None
Bands N/A
Other Info
Wall-mountable No
Mounting Bracket Included No
Sound Bar Size (inches) 4-1/16H x 23-5/8W x 15-7/8D
Sound Bar Weight 17.6 lbs
Subwoofer Size (inches) No Subwoofer
Subwoofer Weight N/A
Speaker Parts Warranty 5 Years
Speaker Labor Warranty 5 Years
Amplifier Parts Warranty 1 Year
Amplifier Labor Warranty 1 Year

Product Research

Features

Soundbar Speaker Base: The JBL Cinema Base offers a space-saving design that's simple to install. Thanks to its 22.75" (w) x 13" (d) top surface, the Cinema Base can be placed under flat-panel TVs up to 60" (weighing 150 lbs). Because it's designed to fit easily under your TV, the soundbar speaker base brings you surround sound without getting in the way of the TV screen. The Cinema Base can also be installed on a shelf or on top of TV furniture for use with wall-mounted TVs.

2.2-Channel System: The JBL Cinema Base incorporates left and right 2.5" full-range drivers with dual 3.5" subwoofers for excellent sound. The drivers are powered by a built-in 240 watt amplifier for dynamic home theater sound. The soundbar speaker base employs two side-firing ports for greater efficiency and bigger bass response.

Harman Technologies: The JBL Cinema Base incorporate two unique Harman technologies to give you the best sound possible.

  • Harman Display Surround: Drawing from Harman expertise in movie theater audio, the Cinema Base lets you add cinema sound without adding multiple speakers. Employing proprietary Harman Display Surround technology, it creates a virtual surround-sound experience for multiple listeners from a single soundbar
  • Harman Volume: Harman Volume helps you maintain the same volume level, no matter what you're watching; be it a film, TV show, or TV commercial.

Bass Adjustment: JBL is known for exceptional bass response, and the Cinema Base lets you increase or decrease low-frequency performance at the touch of a button on the included remote. The added bass impact is ideal for movie soundtracks.

Dolby Digital Compatible: The Cinema Base can decode Dolby Digital soundtracks through its HDMI ARC output and Optical digital input, which eliminates conversion stages that reduce sound quality.

Digital & Analog Inputs (including HDMI): The JBL Cinema Base soundbar speaker system offers a variety of digital & analog inputs to connect to your TV and AV gear; including HDMI, optical digital, and analog stereo minijack.

  • HDMI: Many TVs come with one of the HDMI inputs equipped with Audio Return Channel (ARC), which lets you listen to audio from a source device (such as a cable or satellite box) as well as being able to listen to audio from the TV's internal tuner or from a smart TV's built-in content streaming capabilities. Simply connect the JBL Base's HDMI ARC output to your TV with the supplied HDMI cable, and you can enjoy audio from your set-top box as well as enjoying audio from the TV. The HDMI ARC output supports up to 5.1ch (Dolby Digital).
  • Optical: For TVs without ARC via HDMI, you can connect the JBL Base to your television via optical (toslink) digital. These optical digital input supports 2ch PCM and 5.1ch Dolby Digital.
  • Minijack: Additionally, JBL has included a stereo analog minijack (3.5mm) input jack that lets you connect the Cinema Base to your TV without ARC or a digital output, or to a portable music player. This connection only supports 2ch PCM.
Note: The digital optical output and HDMI ARC terminals of most newer flat-panel TVs only send an audio signal in 5.1ch when receiving Dolby Digital/DTS surround sound from the TV's built-in tuner, network connection, or connected USB device; and will output only 2ch stereo from sources connected to the TV via HDMI, or RCA (like your Blue-ray/DVD player or satellite/cable box). That's why we recommend that in addition to the HDMI ARC connection from the soundbar speaker to your TV, you should also run a separate optical digital audio cable from your Blu-ray player or satellite/cable box and Blu-ray player to the soundbar speaker for best sound performance.

Bluetooth Technology: The Cinema Base features built-in Bluetooth A2DP, which allows you to wirelessly stream audio from your Apple iPod/iPhone/iPad, Android smartphone/tablet, Blackberry, laptop/computer, or other Bluetooth-enabled device to the JBL soundbar speaker system.

USB Charging Port: The system's built-in USB (type-A) port lets you recharge the battery of your connected mobile device which supports USB charging. This USB port does not support audio playback.

Remote Control: The Cinema Base comes with a credit card-sized IR remote. However, this soundbar speaker can also "learn" the IR (infrared) volume-control code of your existing TV remote control, taking away the need to keep track of yet another remote for controlling the volume on the soundbar.

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Customer Q&A

3 questions already asked

Q
Is there a weight limit for the TV that sits on top of it?
kevin  Jun 30, 2015
7 answers
A
Yes. I believe it is 150lbs.
matthew  Jul 02, 2015
A
I have Panasonic TV with an ARC HDMI (as required by JBL) Using it will automatically turn the speaker on, but will not provide audio. So, I've connected both the HDMI and the optical cable, and that works fine. HDMI cable turns the speaker on and off, optical cable provides audio.
michael  Jul 01, 2015
A
Yes. Instructions state there is a 150 lb. limit.
michael  Jul 01, 2015
A
Couldn't find a weight limit in the specs. Holds up to a 60" TV. Plasma 60" tvs weigh about 75lbs. I'd guess 100 lb weight limit.
scott  Jul 01, 2015
A
Yes
alberto  Jul 01, 2015
A
150 lbs. My 55" LG weighs 93 lbs, for example.
john p.  Jul 01, 2015
A
I'm sure there is, but we've got a 55 inch flat screen on ours and it's fine.
linda  Jul 01, 2015
Q
I think another person sort of asked this question, and it was sort of answered, but I still don't get it. Why does the JBL Base have an HDMI output, but not an HDMI input? How does the sound get to the JBL Base in the first place? This seems weird.
steven  Dec 19, 2014
4 answers
A
I had to call the Crutchfield tech support line to verify this but I used the fiber optic cable to connect to my TV. BTW, the JBL unit still didn't work and I returned to Crutchfield for a refund.
terry  Dec 23, 2014
A
My set up is cable box to TV, optical cable connecting the TV to the JBL Cinema Base.
raymond  Dec 22, 2014
A
Optical but I agree it should have HDMI input
evan  Dec 21, 2014
A
It is a powered speaker and works from the tv , like your tv is a pre amp and from there it's like magic sound
jeffrey a  Dec 21, 2014
Q
Does this connect via HDMI *FROM* the TV *TO* the sound base? i.e. your TV must have an HDMI *OUT* connection? or Does it connect from the device to the TV? i.e. connect bluray to the sound base then sound base to TV
mephistopheles  Oct 24, 2014
1 answer
A
Many TVs come with one of the HDMI inputs equipped with Audio Return Channel (ARC), which lets you listen to audio from a source device (such as a cable or satellite box) as well as being able to listen to audio from the TV's internal tuner or from a smart TV's built-in content streaming capabilities. Simply connect the JBL Base's HDMI ARC output to your TV with the supplied HDMI cable, and you can enjoy audio from your set-top box as well as enjoying audio from the TV. The HDMI ARC output supports up to 5.1ch (Dolby Digital).
jeff  Oct 27, 2014 (Staff)

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