LG SP9YA Review

December 18, 2021 at 10:51pm
By Jason Stettner

Unlike with previous years I wasn’t able to setup a combo to review the soundbar with its new TV iteration, as this review was conducted far later in the year than usual. Typically I would combine the review of a loaned LG TV with its new soundbar. This soundbar does deliver a number of expected modern features, has decent passthrough and does pack some quality sound to it.

This design is to be used with TV screens of 55” as a primary, or higher. That’s just due to the length, and style of this device aesthetically. If you’re not familiar with soundbars, these are used to enhance your general audio experience. I personally never quite saw the point of them since the actual TVs are so loud these days in my opinion, but I’ve only continued to gain an appreciation for them after having checked out three models at this point.

There’s a certain nice ambience that’s provided, and a more room filling sense of atmosphere from any audio that’s brought through this device. At the same time, I wish there was more of a sense of space within the audio, to be more exact binaural wise. This is a 5.1.2 Channel 520W system, featuring Meridian Technology.

It has Dolby Atmos support which really is the audio standard these days across any device so that’s expected of course. You get a high res audio format of 24bit/192khz from it. That’s paired with Dolby Vision passthrough which is great to see. Keep in mind that this will likely cap off at 4k 60fps if you’re wanting it for gaming.

It takes advantage of a DTS:X immersive audio decoder and that creates the more natural sound space you get with it. It has support for FLAC, WAV, AAC/AAC+, MP3 and OGG audio file types. It has essentially any of the standard audio formats of today, and then some. This model has decent passthrough at 4k (HDCP 2.3) with HDR10 and Dolby Vision which is great for hitting those continuously developing properties. I was unable to get 120hz VRR passthrough with the Xbox Series X.

To go further, it’s great to get Dolby Vision support but for high end gaming we do need more from the soundbar. You do get Google Assistant support over WIFI, that works well and does provide some updates over time. You can use Chromecast also, which makes sense considering the Google integration aspect of this. That goes further with “Group Play Mode” on the Chromecast. Past that, Amazon Alexa support alongside Spotify Connect and finally Apple Airplay 2 are present.

You can also skip that entirely and easily use the Bluetooth 5.0 option for quick music play. I enjoyed sitting there working and just listening to tunes from my iPhone 13 Pro. It was a nice option for just listening to audio in general and I think that’s perhaps an undervalued feature of a soundbar. Now onto the speaker aspects of this setup and its accompanying wireless subwoofer. You get front speakers of 40Wx2, a center speaker of 40W, front height being 50Wx2 and Surround of 40Wx2. Finally, there’s the subwoofer with 220W being wireless.

I was decently pleased with this subwoofer, it brought some nice extra base and or well a decent hit to it compared to what I tried from past years. That being said, I once again felt that this could have been more impactful as it’s very similar to what I experienced in the prior year. It just needs more of a kick to it, but it does sync up quickly and effectively. You could also pair some other speakers if you want an even more immersive setup. I’ll also mention that the subwoofer is 17.2lbs with dimensions of 8.7”x15.35”x12.31”.

In comparison the soundbar itself is 13.89lbs at 48.03”x2.24”x5.7” for its dimensions. On the device you do get an optical port, an HDMI pass through port as mentioned previously and a USB slot for playback. These are integrated fairly well into the design, and are fairly easy to access. There are a number of options for tweaking the sound, this is shown through the LCD display. I would have liked a slightly longer power cord, had issues connecting it without an extension cord. Just needed slightly more, just slightly.

It’s easy to adjust things whether you’re using the smooth touch symbols on the top, or the handy remote. I did find that the soundbar did have lots of smudge marks on it though. The remote can be used physically as there’s one included, but you can also download an app to control it for IOS or Android devices if you’d like to. The remote is simple, and straight forward. I would have preferred a more minimalistic layout for it however considering the few buttons that are present on it. It gets the job done, and just barely seems necessary yet I totally understand why it’s there.

You do feel a good sense of bass with this device, though I feel they could take further as it’s a functionality that many give high priority to. It was definitely loud, and provided great clarity the entire time through. This was a good pairing between the soundbar and the subwoofer with the latter being generally fine this time around. I continue to feel that they could push that further in the future, but they do work well together and can be upgraded with additional speaker options if that’s of interest to you. That is to get 7.1.2 surround sound as an expansion.

You can of course just enjoy the bar, and play around with the setup thanks to that wireless subwoofer capability. I thought the surface of the device was quite appealing, slick and nice to the touch. This provides a good setup option whether you’re just placing the two around, or doing some sort of mounting. It’s nice to have an aesthetically pleasing device around that can blast some tunes out, or make the movies and games sound just that much more immersive. I should also note this has AI Sound Pro to deliver optimal sound settings through an adaptive sound control. I imagine this will be further tuned in the future due to that technology’s inclusion.

The Conclusion

The LG SP9YA is a great option for a soundbar, it provides an immersive sounding experience whether it’s connected to a TV or playing some music by itself. I used it for a number of games and some movies, to take advantage of the lovely Atmos support while getting an idea of what it can do in many situations.

It was neat to take in, and greatly enhanced my audio atmosphere by providing something that felt more immersive. This was of course quite noticeable from the swings of the gravity hammer within Halo Infinite to the fast paced gunfire featured within Call of Duty Vangaurd multiplayer.

Past that, it made each film moment a little more epic and impactful. It’s also really awesome for musicals if you’re into that type of film. I also used this soundbar by itself to listen to some music, it was great for that and what I’d probably mostly use one for if I’m being honest. Not saying it’s not great for other stuff, I just like having something play music while I work and it delivers.

I played a number of various tunes, and got a full sense of what this had to offer for audio quality. This has all the features you really need, but use caution when it comes to gaming as this may not have the passthrough setup that you’re wanting it to. This was clear in audio quality, the subwoofer was decently impactful and this is an excellent upgrade for your TV experience.

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LG SP9YA Review product loaned by LG tested with Samsung Q70T and Xbox Series X with Games, Movies and Streamed Content. Games; Gears 5, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Halo Infinite, Call of Duty Vanguard, Battlefield 2042 Minecraft. Movies (all 4k, some Atmos); Jingle All the Way.

Rating Overall: 8.0