With the SJ9 model, LG is bringing its first Dolby Atmos equipped soundbar to the market. The soundbar uses up-firing units to recreate the Atmos effect. It is now available in the US and Europe.
Dolby Atmos soundbar
Samsung, Philips, and Onkyo have already released soundbars with Dolby’s latest sound technology built-in. Atmos is based on a principle called object-based sound that can place sound as objects in a 3D space. It also uses roof channels to expand the sound environment.
Last year marked the beginning of a close partnership between LG and Dolby. The Korean company started integrated Dolby Vision it its high-end LCD and OLED TVs. This year, LG will implement Dolby Atmos into its five 2017 OLED ranges and launch a separate SJ9 Dolby Atmos soundbar.
SJ9 is a so-called 5.1.2 system in which “2” refers to the up-firing speakers. There are two up-firing units integrated on top of the soundbar that use the roof to reflect sound in the direction of the viewer. The subwoofer is external and wireless.
- "The versatility and innovation of the SJ9, SJ8 and SJ7 offer consumers more ways to enjoy music and movies than ever before," said Tim Alessi, head of product marketing at LG Electronics USA. "By blending state-of-the-art technology with incredible design, LG's 2017 sound bar lineup pairs perfectly with our industry-leading LG OLED and LG SUPER UHD TVs. Together, they deliver superb picture quality with the highest levels of sound fidelity to create a totally immersive home cinema experience."
SJ9 comes with built-in Chromecast and Bluetooth for music playback. It is equipped with HDMI, optical audio, 3.5mm phono, and an Ethernet port. It also supports “4K passthrough” on the HDMI 2.0 port. The total audio effect is 500 Watt, says LG.
SJ8 is a more traditional 4.1 soundbar in a slim design, a wireless subwoofer, and support for high-res audio. SJ7 is a flexible 320W soundbar system that you can divide into two.
Besides SJ9, SJ8, and SJ7, LG will this year launch SJ6, SJ5, SJ4, SJ3, SJ2 and SJ1 soundbars. You can learn more about the line-up in our CES article.
The LG SJ9 Dolby Atmos soundbar is now available across the US and Europe. The suggested retail price is $999 but it is already selling for a lot less.
Pricing:
USA: LG SJ9 Dolby Atmos soundbar
USA: LG SJ8 soundbar
USA: LG SJ7 soundbar
UK: LG SJ9 Dolby Atmos soundbar
UK: LG SJ8 soundbar
UK: LG SJ7 soundbar
DE: LG SJ9 Dolby Atmos soundbar
DE: LG SJ8 soundbar
