LG SJ7 - Review 2022 - Roberts Theticties

When is a soundbar no longer a soundbar? How near when information technology's a 2.i system that in certain configurations looks nothing similar a soundbar? That's actually the appeal of the LG SJ7, a dwelling house theater speaker organization with versatility as its main selling bespeak. Available for $499, the SJ7 takes what might be the primary complaint about soundbars off the tabular array: Yous tin can get enough of stereo separation. Of course, this comes at a toll in the visual sense—the smashing single slab you typically think of as soundbar is broken into a pair of bar-shaped stereo speakers. That said, sound quality is solid, and the SJ7 is a supremely versatile option for home theater buffs.

Design

The all-black SJ7 consists of three visually similar main pieces: the dual soundbar speakers and the subwoofer. The soundbar speakers each measure 2.nine by 13.4 by 4.3 inches (HWD), and the single subwoofer measures 12.6 past 6.7 by nine.ix inches and can be placed almost anywhere in the room (the floor is fine).

Behind the front-facing grilles on the soundbars, each unit houses dual midrange drivers and dual tweeters, all 2.iii inches, arrayed at the far ends of the front end panel. Both speakers come up with tray-like stands that allow them to exist placed upright, only they also have tiny rubber feet on the bottom to keep them from moving when placed lengthwise. They can too be wall-mounted.

The secondary speaker is portable and can be used on its ain, running off an internal battery (adept for roughly four hours). In wired way, the speakers deliver threescore watts per channel, and the sub delivers 200 watts. In wireless fashion, the output decreases to preserve battery life.

LG SJ7 inline The left speaker is the primary unit, and on its left side console, at that place are plus/minus buttons, an F button (for Function, when switching between Bluetooth and wired audio modes), and a ability button. The ability button actually controls both left and correct speakers—assuming they're plugged into their adapters. The left speaker also has connection ports on its rear panel—an Optical input (a cablevision is included), HDMI in, HDMI out, a USB service port, and the Ac adapter connection. Setting up the system is straightforward—the sub automatically pairs with the two paired speakers, and then information technology's a matter of connecting input cables or pairing Bluetooth devices.

On the right speaker, along the back panel, there's a unlike array of connections, including a USB port (service-only), and a power adapter connector. At that place's also a switch for the speaker's fashion—it can be turned off, or switched between Portable, Rear (for a pseudo-surroundings feel by placing the speaker backside you), or Sound Bar modes. When the left speaker is powered up and Sound Bar is selected on the right unit, the two speakers pair (provided they're most each other). On the correct side panel, there are rubberized buttons for play/pause, Bluetooth pairing, and volume.

The left speaker has an LED readout behind its grille, displaying messages similar BT when y'all're in Bluetooth mode, or HDMI when playing sound from an HDMI source. The input mode can be switched between using the F button (on the remote or the left speaker itself). Switching between the sources volition break the Bluetooth pairing, but the speakers will automatically re-pair if your nearly recently paired device is in range and ready.

The subwoofer's forepart grille covers a 6-inch commuter, and its dorsum panel has a port for air to escape through. There's a pairing button (the sub communicates wirelessly with the speakers), and a connection for the power cable. It would be prissy if the sub had its own individual knobs, but you can adjust bass and treble on the remote control, so it'south non a huge deal.

The included remote control has several buttons, including power, the aforementioned F push button, and plus/minus for Book. In that location are too controls for Sound Consequence (at that place are four modes: Adaptive Sound Controls, which is the default; Standard; Bass Blast; and Cinema), Dark Volume (which adjusts the EQ past lowering the frequencies that tend to go through walls and disrupt neighbors and housemates), EQ (with bass and treble adjusters), play/pause, and runway backward/forward. Then in that location are more advanced controls for surround setups, including rear book up/down, AV Sync (which synchronizes sound and video), Surround Style, Auto Volume (raises low volumes and limits higher volumes), and Auto Power (for automatically powering up when the input source turns on). The remote runs off two included AAA batteries.

The SJ7 is compatible with LPCM, Dolby Digital, and DTS Digital Surroundings sound formats, and ships with the same optical cable, a power cable for the sub, and two power adapters with removable cables for each speaker. In all, the system will take upwards 3 wall plugs.

Movie Performance

LG SJ7 For dwelling theater testing, we arranged the speakers in diverse physical arrays—vertically, equally a separate stereo pair, pressed together in a more traditional soundbar setup, and in rear mode (with one speaker placed backside us). In stereo, with the speakers separated, the SJ7 performs quite nicely. The second scene in Pacific Rim is set on the stormy loftier seas—the SJ7 delivers some serious rumble here, even in Standard way. In Picture palace mode, the dialogue in loud scenes like this becomes obscured—Standard mode proved far more than intelligible, merely the bass rumble dies downward a bit. Boosting the bass a couple notches in the EQ settings, however, does the play a joke on, with well-baked dialogue and deep, depression rumbles living in harmony.

You tin kill the stereo separation if you adopt to have both speakers sitting under the Boob tube, looking like a single unit—but it does seem to lessen the intensity of the audio experience. Surroundings style doesn't do much in this scenario—we recommend keeping it off, as you're just not going to get much of a real surround experience with a ii.1 system.

Music Performance

For music testing, nosotros stuck with the vertical stereo array. While y'all can use these speakers in a traditional soundbar assortment—under the Boob tube and pressed against each other, yous won't get any real stereo separation on your music. Also, when listening to music, we used the Standard listening mode, but some listeners will adopt Bass Blast mode—when listening at lower volumes, Bass Blast is a overnice way to still get some bass presence. For a more nuanced arroyo, you can arrange treble and bass on the remote, merely for testing purposes, we kept these settings flat. Every bit far every bit utilizing Environs manner while listening to music, don't. Stereo mixes exercise strange things through pseudo-surround algorithms.

On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the system delivers some serious thunder even without the Bass Blast effect on. At top volumes, the SJ7 will rattle your walls, and at top volumes with the Bass Effect on, the SJ7 even rattles itself a chip. This isn't a complaint, nonetheless—it's unlikely you'll demand to reach these intense, loftier volumes and utilize the Bass Blast simultaneously; fifty-fifty in Standard mode, this subwoofer has some kick.

Bill Callahan's "Drover," a runway with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the SJ7's overall sound signature. The drums on this track can sound overly thunderous on bass-forward systems; through the SJ7 in Standard style, the drums sound natural and full, with a pleasant roundness to them. Callahan's vocals likewise have nice richness, only enough crisp loftier-mid edge to keep things clear and defined. Once you lot start messing with the EQ, anything's possible—you tin can make this sound signature far brighter or bassier, and in Bass Smash mode, the drums begin to sound a lot less natural. And so in that location'southward a broad range of sound signatures within the SJ7, but LG offers a nicely counterbalanced baseline as a starting point.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kicking drum loop gets plenty of loftier-mid border to retain its sharp set on, along with a nice sub-bass punch on the synth hits that punctuate the beat. From here, yous can dial things upward to super-boosted bass levels if you wish, but the vocals and the higher-mids and highs on this runway are delivered clearly and cleanly in Standard mode. Later several listens, I decided my favorite sound signature was probably Standard Mode, but with the Bass EQ additional ii or 3 notches, depending on what was playing. Boosting the bass slightly offers a solid experience without going overboard the way the Bass Smash effect tends to.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel Co-ordinate to the Other Mary, also do good from a slight Bass EQ boost. In Standard manner, with no EQ added in, this track however sounds full, rich in the lower register instruments without going too far, and crisp in the highs.

Conclusions

For $499, the LG SJ7 is a versatile soundbar with a solid audio feel that is equally at home playing music and movie audio. If what you're after is a legitimate surround sound setup, or one that can mimic i—this isn't it. Despite the bells and whistles of the special effects, the SJ7 sounds best in plain old stereo, with some separation between the speakers. The EQ, and the fact that the right speaker can exist used on its own, are all prissy touches. If you're looking for a more than traditional soundbar, we're fans of the more than affordable Polk Audio Signa S1 and the pricier Sony HT-NT5, both of which have subwoofers, as well every bit the Zvox SoundBase 570 and the Sonos Playbase.