{"id":136440,"date":"2021-09-14T09:37:09","date_gmt":"2021-09-14T08:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techweekmag.com\/?p=136440"},"modified":"2023-10-18T07:04:42","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T06:04:42","slug":"lg-sp7y-review-affordable-5-1-soundbar-with-hi-res-audio-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/speakers\/lg-sp7y-review-affordable-5-1-soundbar-with-hi-res-audio-support\/","title":{"rendered":"LG SP7Y : Affordable 5.1 Soundbar with Hi Res Audio Support"},"content":{"rendered":"

LG SP7Y is the new LG 2021 Soundbar with 5.1 sound scheme.\u00a0It supports a very wide range of audio formats up to DTS: X, but Dolby Atmos is missing.\u00a0Unfortunately or not, the two height speakers have been replaced by two rear speakers, with the goal of fully reproducing surround sound.\u00a0LG’s partnership with Meridian Technology has been fruitful, which is why both music and movies are presented exclusively by the soundbar.<\/p>\n

The standard SP7Y equalizer setting slightly shifts the frequency response of the system towards low frequencies.\u00a0If you have a different preference, you have access to a variety of presets for treble and bass.\u00a0In the LG SP7Y review, we will find out all the features of the new product, its pros and cons.<\/p>\n

LG SP7Y review<\/h2>\n

Design<\/h3>\n

As we noted above, unlike the identical 2020 model\u00a0LG SN7Y\u00a0, the new SP7Y acoustic panel is configured according to the 5.1 scheme.\u00a0The SP7Y, however, is a scaled-down version of its older companion\u00a0LG SP11R\u00a0with a sleek finish that looks like a much more expensive product.\u00a0In our case, the body of the SP7Y soundbar is covered with fabric, and there are protective grilles on the sides.<\/p>\n

The design of the subwoofer is made in a similar vein.\u00a0But its body is mostly made of plastic and only the front panel is covered with fabric upholstery.\u00a0The soundbar itself is wide enough (about 1 m) and is unlikely to fit between the legs even of a 55-inch TV.\u00a0But its low height suggests that the panel will not obscure the image on the screen.\u00a0There is an option to mount the LG SP7Y soundbar on the wall.<\/p>\n

\"LG<\/a><\/p>\n

A small display behind the fabric at the front provides minimal informational services.\u00a0It displays the input used and the volume level.\u00a0And at the top there are several buttons to change the specified parameters and switch to the Bluetooth source.\u00a0The remote control is usual for LG soundbars.\u00a0The soundbar has no voice assistants.<\/p>\n

Sound quality<\/h3>\n

The LG SP7Y soundbar has a decent frequency range of 50 Hz\u2026 20 kHz.\u00a0In standard mode, it has a slightly boxy, boomy sound, slightly shifted towards the low frequencies.\u00a0It is quite possible that in this case,\u00a0too\u00a0, for fans of action movies and music, the bass may not be enough compared to the\u00a0LG SP8YA\u00a0or\u00a0SP9YA\u00a0.\u00a0However, the equalizer should help in correcting the impression.<\/p>\n

What do I need to do?\u00a0Set the bass to “-5” and the treble to “1”.\u00a0Then the frequency response of the SP7Y will be leveled, the sound will become more neutral and balanced.\u00a0After half an hour of listening, the ears usually get used to it, and the sound picture acquires a timbre color that is comfortable for you.<\/p>\n

The SP7Y soundbar provides excellent stereo sound quality.\u00a0The soundstage is perceived as slightly wider than the panel itself, although no tricks are made to expand the stereo base.\u00a0The soundbar also has good focus, so objects such as voices and footsteps appear to come from a specific location rather than from a blurry area.<\/p>\n

The sound pressure of the SP7Y soundbar is approximately 90 dB – quite normal for such speakers.\u00a0At normal volume, distortion is within acceptable limits (<0\/4%) for clean and clear reproduction.\u00a0However, at maximum volume, distortion builds up abruptly at low and mid frequencies.<\/p>\n

\"LG<\/a><\/p>\n

Center channel performance is good.\u00a0A dedicated center speaker localizes voices exactly to the position of the subject.\u00a0And its frequency response is quite balanced.\u00a0But with surround sound is not particularly comforting.\u00a0Side-firing speakers are used for virtual localization.\u00a0And it turns out that the voices and steps do not have precise localization.<\/p>\n

Sound enhancement functions<\/h3>\n

Unlike its older counterparts, the SP7Y does not have Room Calibration, so it can sound differently in different rooms.\u00a0You can tweak the sound by manually adjusting the treble and bass, as well as using the preset equalizer configurations.\u00a0The SP7Y delivers Hi Res audio up to 24 bit \/ 96 kHz.<\/p>\n

The LG Sound Bar app acts as a remote control and lets you control all soundbar settings, including EQ adjustments.\u00a0In addition, it offers a Dynamic Range Control function to balance the volume between different programs and a Night Time function that automatically reduces the volume.<\/p>\n

The app also has an AV Sync feature that helps reduce the delay between the sound you hear and the corresponding image on the screen.\u00a0In addition, the TV Sound Mode Share function allows you to synchronize the soundbar speakers with the speakers of compatible LG TVs for a more immersive audio experience.\u00a0The SP7Y provides Hi Res audio up to 24 bit \/ 96 kHz.<\/p>\n

\"LG<\/a><\/p>\n

Connections<\/h3>\n

The SP7Y has an HDMI input and output onboard.\u00a0Dolby Digital and DTS sound are supported through the ARC Audio Return Channel.\u00a0The same formats are also supported through the optical input.\u00a0Delay for Toslink and ARC reaches 40 ms, for HDMI input – up to 10 ms, so it’s better to use it for movies.\u00a0There is also a USB port for file playback.\u00a0And there is Bluetooth for the same purpose.\u00a0This panel does not use Wi-Fi for audio streaming.<\/p>\n

SP7Y price<\/strong>
\nAt the moment (September 2021), the LG SP7Y soundbar can be purchased in foreign online stores at a price of $ 350.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

We can say that this is a moderate “average” soundbar for an inexperienced listener. Despite the disadvantages that more expensive competitors do not have, this soundbar is attractive for its more than affordable price.\u00a0And if there is no particular sense of loss due to the lack of Dolby Atmos, then the SP7Y soundbar can be listened to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LG SP7Y is the new LG 2021 Soundbar with 5.1 sound scheme.\u00a0It supports a very wide range of audio formats up to DTS: X, but Dolby Atmos is missing.\u00a0Unfortunately or not, the two height speakers have been replaced by two rear speakers, with the goal of fully reproducing surround sound.\u00a0LG’s partnership with Meridian Technology has […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10404,"featured_media":136456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[646],"tags":[778],"class_list":["post-136440","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\/136440","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\/10404"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}