Within the ultracompetitive Dolby Atmos soundbar market, it’s powerful to face out from the gang. LG’s newest gambit is the addition of a 3rd upfiring driver within the heart of soundbars like the brand new SC9S. The thought is to enhance dialog and intensify the overhead results that assist Atmos and different 3D codecs create an immersive “dome” of sound.
By that measure, the design is successful. Dialog is evident, and the phantom channel appears to extend the efficiency of overhead results. The factor is, despite the fact that Atmos titles have gotten extra widespread, there are solely so many results occurring above you. Quite a lot of the motion occurs on the bottom, and the SC9S doesn’t embrace the side-firing audio system that make models from Sony, Sonos, and Bose so efficient at creating an immersive soundstage from a single unit.
The SC9S does pack a formidable characteristic arsenal, together with the power to work along with the most recent LG C-series TVs by way of its Wow Orchestra system. People with any TV will get loads of different trendy options, too, akin to versatile audio format assist, next-gen gaming options, and an included wi-fi subwoofer, which many rivals lack. However is that sufficient to make this your Atmos bar of alternative?
A (Principally) Zippy Setup
The SC9S is available in an enormous field, with a whole lot of house reserved for its particular mounting bracket to pop beneath a C2 or C3 OLED TV. The final setup is fast sufficient, however you do should comply with the order talked about in LG’s tiny directions: Join the HDMI cable to your TV’s HDMI ARC/eARC port, then plug within the subwoofer and (if relevant) rear encompass audio system, then lastly the bar itself.
I missed the memo and plugged within the bar first, after which needed to pair the wi-fi subwoofer manually to get it working. I examined simply the essential bar and sub. If you wish to add the rear surrounds, they’ll value you just a few hundred bucks and, not like most different manufacturers, require a separate amplifier that wirelessly connects to your TV.
In any other case, setup is a relative breeze with LG’s Soundbar app. I had the bar linked to Wi-Fi and up to date with the most recent firmware in a couple of minutes. That features the AI Room Calibration mode, which may be very loud and, to my ears, didn’t actually appear to vary the sound a lot.
A great deal of Extras
One of many SC9S’ most touted options is its Wow Orchestra integration that matches the bar with the onboard sound from LG’s C2 and C3 TVs. Such ecosystem-specific options have gotten extra widespread within the A/V house, particularly with LG’s Korean rival, Samsung, whose Q-Symphony characteristic equally integrates its flagship bars with newer Samsung TV audio system.
The SC9S goes additional, together with a particular (and enormous) mounting bracket for these evo C-series TVs proper within the field. The thought is that you just’ll purchase the bar once you purchase the TV, however after all, that isn’t all the time viable once you’re dropping a number of grand already.
No matter your TV, the SC9S offers a formidable choice of cutting-edge options, together with HDMI 2.1 passthrough by way of its spare HDMI port. This allows you to plug within the newest gaming consoles and PCs to make the most of excessive body charges and options like VRR (variable refresh fee) and ALLM (auto low latency mode). Sony’s HT-A5000 is the one equally priced rival to assist these choices, whereas the Sonos Arc (9/10, WIRED Recommends) and Bose Smart Soundbar 900 don’t supply HDMI inputs in any respect.
The SC9S additionally helps nearly each main sound format. You should use Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DTS:X, and DTS-HD Grasp Audio, amongst a throng of others. You’ll additionally get streaming options like AirPlay 2 and Chromecast, Spotify Join and Tidal Join, and naturally Bluetooth. The bar is suitable with sensible assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant, however solely via the app.
Talking of the app, it’s by far the best approach to management settings like primary EQ, sound mode swapping, and channel stage changes. It’s not as loaded as apps from Sonos or Bose, which allow you to stream music and group different audio system, but it surely’s fairly intuitive and likewise proved fairly secure in my testing.
