LG Soundbars

LG Soundbars

Channel notation is the specification to read and it works left to right. The first digit counts horizontal channels, so 2.0 is stereo, 3.1 adds a centre channel and 5.1 adds surround. The second digit is the subwoofer, where 1 means one is included and 0 means none. A third digit, as in 5.1.3, counts upward-firing height channels that reflect sound off the ceiling for Dolby Atmos. For most rooms the centre channel is the single biggest improvement, because that is what separates dialogue from the soundtrack, and a subwoofer is the second. A wireless subwoofer needs only a power socket rather than a cable run across the room. All-in-one bars put everything into one enclosure, which suits a small room, a bedroom or a wall mount with nowhere to hide a sub. Built-in subwoofer models sit between the two, adding low end without a separate box. Eclair models are the compact format, designed to fit under a monitor or a small TV without dominating it. Wall mounted designs are supplied with the brackets to sit flush beneath a mounted screen. Watts give a rough sense of output but say nothing about quality, so treat channel layout and room size as the more useful guide.

LG supplies the whole range. All-in-one and stereo bars cover the US20A 2.0 channel, the SQM1 2.0 all-in-one and the SK1D 2.0ch with Bluetooth. Models with a subwoofer cover the SP2 2.1ch with built-in subwoofer, the US40T 2.1ch with wireless subwoofer, the US60T 3.1ch cinematic and the USG10TY 3.1ch Dolby Atmos wall mounted model. Larger configurations cover the USC9S 3.1.3ch and the S80QR 5.1.3ch at 620W, both with wireless subwoofers, and the USE6S 3.0ch Eclair covers the compact format. For other brands see Soundbars and Samsung Soundbars.

LG bars pair naturally with LG televisions and move in the same window, which in Ireland means Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when the deepest television and audio discounting of the year lands together. The larger Atmos configurations carry the highest prices and take the biggest absolute cuts. Prices are live all year, so see what is reduced now on TVs on sale, or the Black Friday soundbar deals when the November weekend comes round.