LG SL9YG Dolby Atmos Sound Bar - Hands-On Review

In the years since Atmos went from revolutionary theater technology to one of the most popular buzzwords in home theater, we’ve seen all manner of colorful iterations in soundbar form. From massive bars that beam sound around the room to 11-channel megasystems complete with wireless surrounds, there’s no shortage of variety when it comes to this growing segment.
Still, LG’s SL9YG manages to bring something truly different to the table. The 4.1.2-channel system (you read that right, this bar forgoes a center channel) is mammoth in size. It’s also loaded with features -- including Google Assistant -- and even swaps speaker positions when mounted on its front thanks to a gyroscope. At $1,000, the SL9 is no small investment, but LG’s latest Atmos system works hard to make up for its cost with immersive, room-rattling sound.
LG SL9YG Soundbar: amzn.to/2WvJSMT
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[@ThaVillaMan]

I’m quite a bit skeptical about that double bounce. What happens to believability and precision with that much sound reflection?

[@samulai]

I see a lot of comments about lack of bass, which I find very weird. This thing is properly outputting 30Hz, and even lower in an optimal space and configuration. There is also nice, not overpowering, punch to the bass. I must assume that these people are so accustomed to the insane 60-100Hz boost that most speakers provide... Even though, as I said earlier, this soundbar does not lack that punch at all. Do most people just assume that super boomy bass equals good bass? :D This is so confusing. If there's anything to complain about in this soundbar, it's everything else than bass. This handles bass very nicely. Surround / stereo imaging is lacking, if something, although I haven't messed with the application yet. Be sure to set the sound mode to "standard" or "music" before judging this soundbar.

[@chrissyboy7047]

Just saw this comment. I agree, no problems with bass here. It makes my room shake. They cant have got it set up right or maybe they havent actually connected the sub. Lol

[@ChelsInMotion]

"Bounce speakers off the ground and then off the ceiling" Read as: "If you live in an apartment, you can be the least favorite neighbor for two people now"

[@Nikko911]

shut up and take my money!

[@chrisbullock6477]

Or hopefully you're in the corner apartment on the top floor. LOL.

[@medovk]

who gives a f...k about neighbors

[@liamthomson219]

It has a gyroscope, so it orientates the speaker output

[@Dedition]

@@chrisbullock6477 This will EXACTLY be my situation next month

[@deej628]

A good reason for no center is because if you pair this with their OLED you can actually use the TV's speaker in conjunction with the sound bar to give you a center.

[@ZeteticRyland]

Donald Johnson Hi! I have this sound bar and want to use it in conjunction with my LG OLED (B8) but I can’t find any info on this anywhere!?! Not even in the manual....your comment is my only hint of this can happen. Do you know how I can achieve this please or point me in the direction of an answer? Thanks

[@DelAragon808]

@@ZeteticRyland probably just speculation.

[@songolin4544]

@@ZeteticRyland It's possible, but it won't be via ARC so you lose Atmos which defeats the point. Also, you might get an echo do to the difference in sound processing: www.lg.com/uk/support/solutions/tv/tv-audio-settings Under Audio Out, there's a simultaneous output setting.

[@theroachmotel]

Im no engineer but bouncing the sounds off the ceiling already work poorly so now doing a double bounce sounds like garbage to me. I look forward to being proved wrong tho.

[@oliviarocha5126]

With the sk10y it works really well for me.it fills the room and I get the feeling of sound coming from above but the center channel sucks

[@morningmidnight9398]

@MacNifty At 14 I used to throw shade

[@morningmidnight9398]

@MacNifty I am 13

[@morningmidnight9398]

@Z3U5 When I was 14 I used to throw shade

[@morningmidnight9398]

@MacNifty By the way I am not 13 I am a fully developed man but I actually replied to you by mistake when I actually intended to reply to someone who commented under your comment

[@kurtis4572]

You have to use a HDMI 2.1 cable for sound. TV out Soundbar in. That way you get way better sound quality vs the optical.

[@misaelcastro7160]

Can you connect 2 subwoofers to this?

[@Ripperz667]

Love the way the speaker can fold down at 1:54. is there anything like this that i could put on my wall so the speaker will be able to do this?

[@chrisgray5518]

I would say that this thing sounds great, as long as the subwoofer stays connected to the sound bar. It constantly drops connection and totally loses the immersion effect of the sound. I have relocated the subwoofer, reset the system, moved any interference items out of the way. It still loses connection. Annoying as hell. I would love to just hook it up to a receiver, add a separate wired sub, and eliminate the Bluetooth sub. In the video, it shows additional speakers. Are they running that way with the sound bar?

[@aguycallgerald]

I have the same problem bro with the subwoofer....have u figured anything out yet on how to fix that?

[@mrbungle589]

Same thing was happening for me even though I had a high speed HDMI with Ethernet. Bought a 2.1 cable and it hasn't cut out since. Maybe I had a faulty HDMI cable? 🤔🤷🏻‍♂️

[@harisrizvanbegovic2728]

8:13. You definitely bought my attention. Opeth in combination with the soundbar. Worth of listening absolutely.

[@miguel90744]

I’ll go with Yamaha or klipish

[@marcfavell]

But they partnered with Meridian that's a pretty ultra high audio company, think it's worth checking out 🤷‍♂️

[@e.t.l4324]

Yamaha is the best

[@ohenhenagbons8503]

Please I have same system but it always off while playing music and I tried to turn off the auto time but still off while playing please what next should I do to stop it?

[@Brajendu]

Good review but it is sad to hear that sound bars are just focusing on all the bells and whistles and features... but neglect the core part... the center channel :(

[@MrEddyedr]

BB NB if you have an lg tv it uses the TVs speaker as the center channel, it works very well!

[@steveortez2613]

At this point in the field of sound bar availability of high end sound bars if the sound bar is not equipped with Earc do not purchase it wait for the release and implementation of Enhanced Audio Return Channel

[@darthniloc6099]

With that thought process you should tell people to wait to buy a tv and until they release 12bit panels for true dv support. Why even buy anything at all, it will be outdated in 6 months to a year.

[@azeissler1987]

This reviewer isn't very good... where is the normal guy who does the TV's? He's the best and I actually trust his opinion

[@franciscojlugo1]

Does the SL8Y have that same gyroscope you mentioned on this product review?

[@khunigan]

Not bad for regular listeners.Kinda pricey for no ctr channel.

[@tjking1909]

Which is the best sound bar?

[@moshe4833]

Hey. It's better than the new sn7?

[@abhijiths8906]

Hello ,does this sound bar support in Samsung Q60T TV ? I connected but unable to find Dolby Atmos on the sound bar display

[@AminVlogs1]

Should neural x be off if watching in atmos? Apparently it will result in the atmos metadata being ignored

[@adamrhurley]

You mentioned that it does not have analog input and an adaptor is required to connect a turntable. What adaptor is this?

[@roxycastleton4040]

I bought one and I am still be using my Yamaha Av 7.1 Dolby Atmos Surround Amp.

[@AANDYist]

why buy it then u moron?

[@rastradamus1074]

@@AANDYist lol

[@The_Crusty_Old_Hag_Next_Door]

@@AANDYist because he obviously has more money than you looser! 😘

[@gczueri9728]

Does anyone know the brand of his wooden tv furniture? Really nice looking!!

[@iiiEazyiii]

Should do a review on the nakamichi 9.2.4

[@connorboushell2295]

I am most curious about the lack of Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support. My TV is Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10 compatible. I do plan to get a new TV soon. Will this soundbar hold back my visual experience in any way? Thank you for any and all help.

[@Alig3388]

Double Bounce hey.... Is this a dumb question... BUT Why can't you just face the front speakers up instead of down? I can only assume because it will fuck with the left/right sounds - but honestly LG should've prioritised this over a double bloody bounce!

[@rbkluv29]

Great review!

[@pavlovauk9162]

my neighbour asked me if I can turn it down because his TV is jumping up cos of the sub hahahha, very happy, when on full my street is dancing and they ask for more music hahahaha.

[@OraSmokey]

😂😂😂

[@sodiverseproductions7926]

How can you say that the subwoofer gets very loud? It’s terribly weak!

[@hdtvkeith1604]

Good review. You hit on many of my same observations. I found ASC mode was OK, and it figured out movies and did pump the sound up a little, but not as much as Movie Mode. Movie Mode just really pumps up the volume. For some reason I found DTS:X tracks to suffer from limited volume and almost wish it did not have DTS:X. Atmos was also very loud like Movie mode. Standard mode seemed to suffer with lower volume. I found that my Sony HT-X9000F was far more consistent and cleaner across different audio formats. The sound stage on the LG was pretty amazing. I do not understand why Movie Mode and Atoms as so much louder than all the other modes. At the now closeout pricing of around $25 this is a more compelling bar, at it launch price I would have packed this up and returned. it.

[@sodiverseproductions7926]

It’s terrible

[@NutraFit87]

This soundbar or the new Klipsch cinema 600?!

[@davidtran9232]

Yeah, the double bounce definitely sounds like a terribly over engineered solution. If they have the gyroscope detecting the orientation wouldn't it just be easier to flip the left and right speakers so you can still point the unit up instead of down?

[@noneofyourbusiness8432]

You can’t use this sound bar with an LG TV unless you get a third party stand that is taller than the LG stand. These sound bars are not designed to work with 2020 LG televisions. That’s why he’s using a Sony TV, it won’t work will LG TV’s.

[@drownword]

Dolby atmos soundbar always intrigues me. especially this considering it doesnt support rear speakers, much less anything else required for any sort of surround. also, just using ARC seems odd. how is this thing encoding atmos with hdmi 2.0

[@TotalFreshness]

Mr Beerski LG is trying to put cool names on things and then try to build up hype around it.

[@edwardphilipmarianafzger9800]

Hi i was reading the Review of the New LG SN 11 RG when are you guys showing the video that is one Q I do hope that new one comes also to Colombia where I live since end of 2007 I own the SL8K and want to upgrade .nice text in the review.

[@amitavraja3385]

Purchased this soundbar, does anyone know how to turn off the front display. Quite distracting at night, as seems to display the name of the input all the time, in my case 'E-ARC'

[@Dedition]

Why can't I find any SN9YG review?

[@andypurniawan1807]

I wondering it is sl8yg same like sl8y because in my country I only can find sl8y but it's only 3.1.2

[@MrJacobCastro]

I could never get mine to connect to wifi with the google home app. I am so frustrated.

[@9482531708]

Jacob's Aquarium same here. Feel like I get the defected piece

[@rogertrec1987]

What are best recommended sound level db for side and top speakers?? And the subwoofer??

[@May-fz1on]

What do you think if comparing to Klipsch bar 40?

[@tinaphilp5687]

How did you get the stickers off the top of the sound bar ? Tina

[@evanscobbinah4561]

Is it compatible with lg50un7340pvc TV?

[@mattlawson4082]

My soundbar will be going in a recess in the wall so is it worth me getting a soundbar like this or better just getting one that just projects sound out from the front?

[@Liam___10]

I have same question. Did you end up going for this or just a front speaker?

[@johnryan6658]

I'd be careful with that. The soundbar's amplifiers need ventilation. Words like overheat and fire come to mind.

[@Eddie-gb3bn]

What stops the sound from just bouncing up and down like a basketball and never making it to your ears?

[@anujsansare]

Because they face directly upward instead of being slightly angled forward

[@JR-qx6qe]

Anuj Sandare. 🤣🤣🤣

[@ridanindustries2975]

So if you mount it the display faces the floor?

[@ctran1955]

Unrelated but does anyone think he looks like Justin Trudeau?

[@diezelpwr1202]

Unrelated, but does anyone think Jeff Probst looks alot like Jason Bateman?

[@mrblack576]

No sorry bud

[@marcfavell]

Is it 4k hdr chromecast built-in?

[@marcfavell]

@Tong Zou passthrough ok I see that part but is the chromecast ultra or just regular SDR version 2?

[@lindadomanico6067]

have this sound bar, I've been having trouble making out the words . Its not clear. Is there an adjustment I need to make?

[@valdecimamude]

hello good afternoon, i'm brazilian and i didn't find any review in portuguese, please can you tell me if this home is better than the jbl bar 5.1?

[@Gabrielgmoreno1]

Tb queria saber

[@podral]

Jbl 5.1 tem melhor qualidade porem nao suporta dolby atmos

[@Gabrielgmoreno1]

@@podral Olha, eu testei as suas e preferi a lg, comparada com a jbl bar 5.1 surround, modelo 2020, que nao destaca as caixinhas

[@coloniellizardt4191]

The next model SL10YG is better.

[@carlwebb9137]

No shit Sherlock haha it’s two models after this one they aren’t going to make it worse lol also the SL10YG is twice the price lol

[@coloniellizardt4191]

@@carlwebb9137 But unlike the SL9YG, at least the SL10YG has a dedicated center speaker and a extra HDMI input.

[@introvert6705]

@@coloniellizardt4191 but why is there no hdmi 2.1?? will be useless when the new consoles release

[@ukipresistance2142]

Wheres the best position for the subwoofer though, I never know where to put it for the best sound

[@Jnaa98]

Place the subwoofer to your favourite sitting place and then crawl on the floor and listen where it sounds the best.. then move it there

[@sodiverseproductions7926]

Nowhere it’s so weak

[@mestreC]

Tks for the review! Would be nice to see it working with Google Home Multiroom.

[@decetre]

Testing it by listening to Opeth sounds about right.

[@SOM7]

Здравствуйте. Младшая модель sl8y, стоит ли она внимания и своих денег в сравнении с sl9y?

[@VinothKRM]

Is this good for watching tv especially can hear dialogue without distortion?

[@dougsalia6922]

No, it sucks for voice. I miss every other word if an actor is whispering, has an accent or there is background noise in the scene. Just because it’s LG does not mean they’re figured out sound yet.

[@luismiguelmelomesa4075]

I try to compare sansung q900a vs LG SP9YA

[@prabhdeepsp]

What Hi-Fi destroyed LgSn11 RG soundbar , what 's up with that . Is it accurate enough.i was about to but this LG soundbar after listening your review. Please advice. ​@t

[@jamerromerop]

Hola buenas, afecta que no tenga canal central, o

[@darthniloc6099]

I got the Lg sl8yg and I'm having trouble passing dolby vision through to my tv, even when my xbox one x can see the tv is dolby vision supported when hooked up through the 4k passthrough, but will not display it. Do you have dolby vision problems with sl9yg? I can't find anything about this issue online, the joys of buying newly released electronics.

[@ryanwaniata690]

This SL9 only allows for HDR10, unfortunately.

[@darthniloc6099]

You'd think LG's premium soundbars would support Dolby Vision especially with Dolby Vision being one of the main selling features of their televisions. I really hope there's an update that addresses this issue soon.

[@ianpeck2719]

Wow those surrounds are powerful...doubles as a blow dryer.😂😂😂

[@gouden88]

Does it passtrough HDR10+? I'm asking because I have a Samsung Qled

[@ryanwaniata690]

It does not, I'm afraid. Only HDR10.

[@gouden88]

@@ryanwaniata690 yeah I asked LG support, only hdr and Dolby vision... Samsung on the other hand apparently supports hdr, Dolby vision and hdr10+ so I guess it's gonna be Samsung for me

[@coloniellizardt4191]

No.

[@gerRule]

Tim Tytgat I wouldn’t sacrifice picture for sound

[@OraSmokey]

I’m definitely buying this , my mom has this but in 420W & it’s so loud I mean loud that my neighbors can hear it. So imagine 520W omg but I won’t put it crazy loud I don’t want cops coming oh there’s a noise complain.

[@spike178]

Watts number means nothing.

[@OraSmokey]

@@spike178 yes it does the higher the Watts the higher the sound of the speaker so get out my comment & go somewhere with that dumbness

[@tommys2077]

I'll stick to separates

[@NHCS25]

I got the JBL 3.1. 500 bucks best buy. Comes with 10 inch sub. The bass is crazy. Dolby. 4k passthrough. JBL/ Harmon Kardon

[@jalis812]

With dolby atmos??

[@NHCS25]

@@jalis812 Nah no Dolby Atmos.

[@meatyandgunns]

@@NHCS25 best settings for movies?

[@NHCS25]

@@meatyandgunns Sound Mode: Movie. Bass: 20 No Surround

[@meatyandgunns]

@@NHCS25 holy crap bro, u have bass on 20?!... even at 15 it shakes my room lol, but ye, i just recently got this soundbar on sale, its awesome so far.

[@joseph_n]

soo when you mount this, the screen now points to the floor as well? lol...

[@g4zzyp]

There is also a screen on the top too, so when you mount it the second screen is visible. I thought the same as you but checked it out.

[@vonguyen8481]

go with bose 500 or 700 you will be surprise how good are they

[@onemorethingmakestheworldb9489]

That has no Atoms

[@jhack861]

HW-Q90R is the best Atmos bar released to date

[@5324TuiG]

I got it for 900 euro lmao, love those one day deals ;p

[@e.t.l4324]

Voice is good only in HD tv rest is rabish (bbc1,2,itv and more) you have to use all time remonte control

[@bjstick]

Opeth! \m/

[@batslog]

That is when you know you can trust this review.

[@CoachCole71]

Lost me at double bounce... I'll stick towith my 7.2.4

[@bgshouse2785]

Have sound bars gotten good enough to threaten a receiver centred HT system (whether 7.1 or 5.2.1)? Maybe a good topic for another video?

[@vahnglenn4516]

no

[@coloniellizardt4191]

Not really, especially in the music department.

[@buklaurang]

Does anyone know how to turn off the LED?

[@SiegfriedPrieto]

Vs Sonos Arc??

[@sena123]

Quisiera saber si tenéis este video en español Gracias

[@JavierRivera-ve9ph]

Seguimos esperando respuesta de la de la SL9YG en español!

[@floydland3509]

I just want that TV stand?

[@alex_ko]

What about to test SL10Y?

[@AB-qo2xq]

Does this work through LG bluetooth?

[@haula251]

No! Because Bluetooth 4.1, 4.2 and even newly 5.0 can’t transfer a lot more data for higher resolution audio.

[@watchbalaji]

I got this for 520 usd from budig Is that a good deal

[@oOharoneOo]

Yes

[@gowfan357]

So from what I've seen there is no distance settings, no aux, only oned HDMI input, qustionable wallmounting and kinda non-logical remote. So basically get a Sony HT-ZF9 instead.

[@anthonymiccijr6380]

Double bounce??! I can’t get a single bounce from my Arc.

[@WatchMaiiVidz]

You can get last year's model, which is almost exactly the same, for half the price on Amazon right now.

[@WRX2001]

WatchMaiiVidz yep and it’s a 5.1.2 soundbar the only thing it’s doesn’t perform is dts x but a firmware upgrade from lg could fix it but they don’t

[@WatchMaiiVidz]

@@WRX2001 of course not, then you wouldn't want to buy the new one 😆

[@sandman1989]

purchased a LG C9 and the SL9YG soundbar, connected the soundbar to the ARC port on the C9 but when i set up my xbox one x to play dolby atmos content i get an audio delay

[@VColossalV]

You ever fix this?

[@gulraizkhan3881]

SIR PLEASE REVIEW NEW KEF SERIES SPEAKERS.

[@sterlcom2]

Would you take this soundbar over a Sonos Arc? I need to pick one of the two unless you know a better one. H e l p

[@OraSmokey]

LG is good my mom has 420W & that shit loud. Hers has the sub , sound bar & 4 extra mini speakers. It’s so good but I’m getting this one since I only want the sub & soundbar

[@jmcprotech9670]

I want one very much so

[@TheAllEngineering]

I have LG s95TR which has subwoofer and 2 x rear speakers. The subwoofer does not perform very well, it is very weak. S95TR is up market model to one that is shown on here, and it is terrible.

[@ashishdhandharia198]

Bought Sony x8500 soundbar

[@introvert6705]

why no hdmi 2.1 that makes no sense

[@herefobeer]

This thing doesn't have eARC. Probably worth waiting till LG updates this. Not much Atmos content anyway (that actually uses proper TruHD and vertical, just encoding in DDP is not enough to really blow your brains off), so not an immediate need.

[@ghazankhan5932]

its damn expensive

[@sexydanny21awesome]

You should see Sony's price.

[@johnboko7110]

10 million dollars lol time to go and shit out some money in my bathroom

[@gerRule]

I seen it the other day for only €750

[@johnboko7110]

@@gerRule Did you bought it ?

[@gerRule]

John Boko Show no too many people say it’s not worth buying

[@wanderlust360]

just use that pair of kef speakers 👍

[@rballadarez]

I bought this previous version and I want my money back. Im Disappointed

[@hasanalsayyad679]

What was the issue you had sl9yg ?

[@rballadarez]

@@hasanalsayyad679 I personally did not like it because in a lot of the movies the dialogue is hard to hear. The center speaker is just not enough.

[@hasanalsayyad679]

@@rballadarez which version did you have ? Was it the sl9yg or sk9y ? Please reply to me as i did order mine yesterday and will receive it today 😶

[@dougsalia6922]

LG is great at everything but sound bars. I can’t understand what people say well at all on my LG TV/sound bar, but can on another TV with slightly older technology - different manufacturer.

[@WRX2001]

The SK9Y version is 5.1.2 channel

[@christianwurm4022]

downgrade this year

[@KROMO50]

Opeth

[@frankcoleman7186]

I just bought the LG SL9Y from Best Buy here in Miami, fl about a week ago and I must say that I am Truly NOT Impressed!!! What a piece of Garbage!!! Not much quality 8n the Sound!!! The Bass is really Cheap!!!! I am going to return it!!!! Does anybody have an honest suggestion of where I could find a great sound bar an woofer combo? Please let me know, Thank You Very Much!!, Frank C

[@Tosti_bakker]

8:16 Thousand dollars!? I can buy it for 449 Euros! (That's like 540 dollars)

[@ThiagoSennaBR]

Opeth!