{"id":133609,"date":"2024-02-01T07:19:40","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T07:19:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techweekmag.com\/?p=133609"},"modified":"2024-07-25T13:31:55","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T13:31:55","slug":"lg-sp9ya-review-delivers-stunning-immersive-sound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/speakers\/lg-sp9ya-review-delivers-stunning-immersive-sound\/","title":{"rendered":"LG SP9YA : Delivers stunning immersive sound"},"content":{"rendered":"

LG has a good reputation for creating feature rich soundbars capable of producing impressive sound.\u00a0The LG SP9YA Soundbar is the company’s latest development in this area, continuing the legacy of the 9 Series.\u00a0It consists of placing a ton of audio capabilities (such as Dolby Atmos and DTS: X) in one soundbar and one wireless subwoofer.<\/p>\n

For people looking for cinematic surround sound and easy setup, this is a very attractive option.\u00a0In the LG SP9YA review below, we will take a closer look at the functionality and features of the new model.<\/p>\n

LG SP9YA Review<\/h2>\n

Design<\/h3>\n

Like all LG 9 Series soundbars, the LG SP9YA is a wide soundbar that will look great in front of a 50-inch or larger TV.\u00a0But it can easily overshadow a smaller screen.\u00a0Due to its relatively low height, the panel is unlikely to obscure the bottom of any TV, large or small.<\/p>\n

Soundbar LG SP9YA retains the brushed aluminum look of the top of both the soundbar and subwoofer.\u00a0This makes sense as it obscures the visibility of a fairly large array of speakers.\u00a0The only thing that interrupts the impeccable design are the round speaker grilles on the sides.\u00a0Some people like the completely enclosed design, but this is really a matter of personal taste.<\/p>\n

\"LG<\/p>\n

A set of touch controls for volume, power, source selection, play \/ pause, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are conveniently located at the top of the panel, but they are barely noticeable.\u00a0With the exception of the front LED display hidden behind a metal grille (which is dimmable but never completely turned off), the SP9YA soundbar almost disappears into a darkened room.<\/p>\n

The LG SP9YA has an impressive build quality.\u00a0The panel itself, like the previous\u00a0SN9Y\u00a0, is mostly made of plastic, which seems sturdy and durable.\u00a0The metal grille on the sides also helps protect the speakers.\u00a0Although the subwoofer enclosure is also made of plastic, unfortunately the fabric cover can easily tear or get dirty.<\/p>\n

Sound quality<\/h3>\n

The SP9YA soundbar is an incredibly powerful system for both movies and music.\u00a0In terms of immersion, it sounds like a discrete speaker system, including ceiling speakers.\u00a0No, this is not a direct replacement, but given the price and simplicity of the soundbar, it is a very attractive alternative.\u00a0Dolby Atmos\u00a0is the star of this show.\u00a0If you buy the SP9YA, you will simply have to search for movies on Netflix, Disney +, Amazon Prime Video, or other sources with Atmos soundtrack.<\/p>\n

Height speakers and side channel drivers deliver convincing 3D effects.\u00a0The wireless subwoofer does a great job of delivering low frequencies that you feel in your chest.\u00a0At the same time, their sound never overshadows the rest of the soundtrack.\u00a0Optionally, you can add LG’s SPK8-S Wireless Surround Speakers for 7.1.2 sound.\u00a0They will increase the sense of depth, but add nothing to the Dolby Atmos height channels.<\/p>\n

When playing Atmos content, additional sound effect settings (of which there are eight to choose from) are disabled.\u00a0However, when playing non-Atmos sound, settings such as Music, Cinema, or Game can significantly affect the sound you receive.\u00a0The LG AI Sound Pro setting should automatically detect what kind of audio you are playing and choose the best setting accordingly.<\/p>\n

\"LG<\/p>\n

If you are thinking of a soundbar for enhanced dialogue clarity, the SP9YA is a good choice.\u00a0Speech is very legible even with the default settings.\u00a0With the “Clear Voice” option, as well as due to the amplification of the output signal of the center channel, it becomes even more pronounced.<\/p>\n

When it comes to music, we cannot recommend using only Wi-Fi.\u00a0Sure, Bluetooth comes in handy when guests come and want to play something quickly from their phones, but for sheer sound quality, AirPlay 2 and Chromecast Wi-Fi are orders of magnitude better than Bluetooth.<\/p>\n

Installation and configuration<\/h3>\n

The basic setup of the LG SP9YA soundbar is very simple.\u00a0Simply connect the soundbar to your TV via HDMI or optical cable.\u00a0Then plug the wireless subwoofer and panel into power and turn it on.\u00a0The soundbar and subwoofer automatically establish a wireless connection as indicated by a steady green light on the back of the subwoofer.\u00a0Grab your remote and you’re ready to receive audio from your TV.<\/p>\n

There is also a much wider range of options available with the remote control as well as the free LG Sound Bar app.\u00a0The first thing to think about is using AI Room Calibration.\u00a0The panel emits a series of test tones for a few seconds, and the two built-in microphones determine how the acoustics of your room affect the sound quality.<\/p>\n

At any time, you can switch the LG SP9YA speaker panel to Bluetooth mode and connect it to your phone, tablet or other Bluetooth devices.\u00a0But if you want better audio options and deeper settings, it is worth connecting the SP9YA to your Wi-Fi network.\u00a0Once you’ve done that, you can add it to Google Home, Amazon Alexa, or Apple HomeKit, use Spotify Connect, and then stream the audio to the system via Chromecast or AirPlay 2.<\/p>\n

Control<\/h3>\n

The supplied SP9YA remote control is well thought out from an ergonomic point of view.\u00a0It is comfortable to hold and easy to use, but it does not have a backlight, which makes working in a dark room a little more difficult.\u00a0If you are connected to your TV via HDMI ARC \/\u00a0eARC\u00a0, most TV remotes should be able to control the\u00a0soundbar\u00a0volume and mute.<\/p>\n

Streaming devices connected to the HDMI input of the panel can also control these functions.\u00a0Usually TVs connected via an optical cable cannot control the volume of the soundbar, unless you have an LG TV.\u00a0In this case, enabling the TV’s audio sync feature should give you this option.<\/p>\n

\"LG<\/p>\n

You can also use the remote control for advanced functions: the four-way multi selector allows you to navigate through deeper settings such as speaker levels.\u00a0But the LG Sound Bar app is so good that it’s better to use it for these advanced settings instead of a remote.\u00a0It shows all available channels (Sub, Center, Side, Height, etc.), as well as sliders for each one.<\/p>\n

The only area lacking usability is in music playback.\u00a0As a Wi-Fi speaker, the panel should have a way to access your personal media stored on a computer or hard drive connected to your network.\u00a0But the Sound Bar app does not have this option, and there is no way to do it using the remote.<\/p>\n

Connections<\/h3>\n

The SP9YA’s rear panel contains all four ports: HDMI input with 4K \/ Dolby Vision support, HDMI ARC \/ eARC output, optical input, and USB port for music playback from storage.\u00a0For this price, more HDMI inputs could be accommodated.\u00a0And it’s a shame that there is no analog input or Ethernet connector.<\/p>\n

The good news is that SP9YA treats the HDMI port and optical connector as discrete inputs.\u00a0Those.\u00a0you can connect a streaming player, cable box or Blu-ray player to the HDMI input while the optical port is used for the audio source.\u00a0For example, a CD player.\u00a0Each of them can be selected as a separate source, which gives a pretty decent selection of connected devices.<\/p>\n

SP9YA Price<\/strong>
\nCurrently (July 2021), LG’s SP9YA can be purchased in foreign online stores for $ 900.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

The LG SP9YA delivers stunning immersive sound, making this soundbar one of the easiest ways to enjoy Dolby Atmos movies and music at home. Finding a direct alternative to it is not easy.\u00a0Not many soundbars offer a full 5.1.2 channel configuration with one soundbar and subwoofer.\u00a0So if you’re ready to dive into immersive Dolby Atmos sound and access streaming movies or music in this format, the LG SP9YA is a good choice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LG has a good reputation for creating feature rich soundbars capable of producing impressive sound.\u00a0The LG SP9YA Soundbar is the company’s latest development in this area, continuing the legacy of the 9 Series.\u00a0It consists of placing a ton of audio capabilities (such as Dolby Atmos and DTS: X) in one soundbar and one wireless subwoofer. […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10402,"featured_media":133626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[646],"tags":[778],"class_list":["post-133609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-speakers","tag-reviews"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10402"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}