Discover JVC Kenwood's Victor TH-WD05, a 3.1 wooden soundbar with Dolby Atmos, HDMI eARC, and Bluetooth 5.3 LDAC, launching in Japan at 59,840 yen in Nov.
© JVC Kenwood
JVC Kenwood has introduced the Victor TH-WD05 in Japan, a compact soundbar that becomes the brand’s first to use wooden diaphragms. Sales are slated for late November at around 60,000 yen, with two finishes on offer: a warm brown and a natural wood tone. The company is clearly aiming for a more organic character, pairing birch diaphragms with cherrywood center caps inside a 9 mm MDF enclosure.
The system follows a 3.1 layout with two 6 cm full-range wooden drivers and a flat 6 cm center channel dedicated to clear dialogue. A built-in subwoofer uses an oval 49×157 mm module. To widen the stage, JVC employs a new reflective sound panel that directs audio forward and upward, designed to make both music and movie playback feel broader without complicating the setup.
Dolby Atmos support comes alongside Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital, and AAC, while stereo can be automatically upmixed to a 3D presentation. A Clear Voice mode puts emphasis on vocal ranges. For listeners with local libraries, the bar plays WAV and FLAC up to 96 kHz/24-bit, as well as MP3 and WMA from USB storage.
Connectivity covers HDMI with eARC/ARC, optical input, RCA, and Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC, and LDAC. The soundbar can also send audio to wireless headphones. Night Mode, tone adjustment, a switchable bass option, and automatic power saving round out the practical touches.
The unit measures 697×77.5×110 mm and weighs 3.5 kg. In the box are a remote control, batteries, a power cable, an HDMI cable, and an optical cable. Both color options will be available through the official online store at 59,840 yen.