LG SC9S Atmos Soundbar Review

About the LG SC9S

• Price: $999.99
• Dimensions (HWD): 2.5 x 38.4 x 4.9 inches (soundbar); 15.4 x 12.3 x 8.7 inches (subwoofer)
• Weight: 9.1 pounds (soundbar); 17.2 pounds (subwoofer)
• Speakers/drivers: Two 300W front speakers, one 30W center speaker, three upfiring drivers, one 220W subwoofer
• Wireless connection: Bluetooth 5.2
• Wired connection: One HDMI eARC/ARC, one HDMI input, one digital optical input, one 3.5mm auxiliary input, one 3.5mm stereo input, one USB input
• Sound formats: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS:X,
• Video support: 4K HDR/Dolby Vision passthrough

What we like

It delivers dynamic, powerful sound

It’s a particularly good time to be testing soundbars. New episodes of Ahsoka are dropping weekly on Disney+, The Flash just became available for Max subscribers, and One Piece is now on Netflix. Lots of action sequences to go around, and lots of opportunities to test the LG SC9S’ chops.

I was wowed by the way the SC9S handled most content, thanks to its well-crafted implementation of three upfiring drivers and powerful 220-watt subwoofer. But for me, watching Ahsoka was consistently the best showcase of the LG’s capabilities. Lightsaber battles packed incredible detail, dogfights between Rebel and Empire forces had all kinds of height and dimension to them, and moments when the force was used reverberated throughout my living room thanks to that punchy woofer. In many ways, the SC9S is built to help you experience the action you’re watching on screen, and with content like Ahsoka and others, it knocks it out of the park.

That’s not to say the SC9S can’t pivot to other types of content well. We rented No Hard Feelings, the surprisingly charming rom-com starring Jennifer Lawrence, which was mostly dialogue-driven outside of a few funny action bits. The SC9S displayed a well-balanced approach, delivering clear dialogue without its subwoofer creeping into places it shouldn’t. It was there when the LG needed it, but it essentially let the soundbar’s center-channel speaker do most of the heavy lifting there.

Features galore, thanks to Wi-Fi

If you’ve read my soundbar reviews, you know at this point that I’m a sucker for a solid lineup of features. For me, that extends beyond offering Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, or even offering 4K passthrough or high resolution audio support. The LG SC9S checks off each of those boxes, but there’s one specific spec that unlocks a new world of utility and convenience. Wi-Fi.

As somewhat of a dying breed, the SC9S has Wi-Fi built in. That’s one of the calling cards of a Sonos soundbar, but increasingly fewer soundbars are shipping with that kind of connectivity. But this LG has it, and it sure makes the most of it. Amazon Alexa is built right in. So is Chromecast. So is Apple AirPlay 2 support, and Spotify Connect support.

The most notable part of having Wi-Fi built into your soundbar is the availability of regular software updates. And that’s an important selling point for the LG as well. But a fully connected soundbar gives you so many ways to stream music or, in the case of Alexa, manage your smart home. For those reasons, it’s a great addition to the SC9S.

You can tinker with the app all day long

No one’s saying you have to. In fact, the soundbar does come with a robust remote, so you technically could get away without dipping your toes into LG’s accompanying soundbar app. But if you have any desire to customize your sound, it’s worth the space on your smartphone.

From the home screen, you can choose a specific sound effect (I usually left mine on AI Sound Pro, which is meant to optimize sound based on the content you’re feeding the soundbar), toggle into Night Time mode for less dynamic, more dialogue-focused viewing, or tap into the soundbar’s AI Room Calibration feature to tailor the bar’s sound to your space.

Just under that AI Room Calibration feature is the “Sound Settings by Speaker” tab. Here, you can adjust the woofer level, center speaker level, overhead/upfiring speaker level, and rear speaker level if applicable. An additional tap in the upper righthand corner reveals tone control, where you can broadly adjust treble and bass.

It’s not the most in-depth sound settings tab you can find on the market, but it's shocking how many soundbars don’t offer these essential tools for sound customization. If I wanted to emphasize my height channels or get an extra oomph out of my subwoofer, I could do so in a matter of moments. LG understood the assignment with its app, and it paid off in dividends.

What we don’t like

Adding surround speakers costs $200 extra

The LG SC9S is not able to natively deliver convincing surround sound in any meaningful way. Without a pair of rear speakers in the mix, the LG SC9S will downmix surround sound audio and render all of the extra details that help immerse you into a scene virtually nonexistent.

Now, this is a fixable problem. The LG SPQ-S wireless rear speaker kit will connect to the soundbar and deliver that sweet surround sound that’s missing. But it costs $200 on top of the SC9S’s $1,000 cost. That’s not quite Sonos expensive for a full setup, but it is a heftier strain on your wallet than other Dolby Atmos offerings from Vizio, Monoprice, or even its own relative, the LG S90QY, if you’re looking for surround sound.

Should you buy the LG SC9S?

Yes, as long as you don’t mind the surround snafu

The LG SC9S is all the things it professes to be. It’s a powerful Dolby Atmos soundbar that capitalizes on its trio of upfiring drivers and exceptional subwoofer to produce exciting, dynamic sound that’s sure to capture the ears of many who listen to it. It also comes with a plethora of features thanks to built-in Wi-Fi, and sports an app that lets you adjust each channel of the soundbar to your liking.

Surround sound is the missing puzzle piece here, but it is a $200 fix if desired. Even with that addition, though, it’s still a more cost-effective ensemble than a similarly specced Sonos system would demand. Granted, that Sonos setup will have an edge in sound quality, but the gap isn’t quite as big as you might think.

If you’re looking for something to pair with your LG C3 OLED TV, or you’re in the market for quality Dolby Atmos sound with a beefy budget to back it up, the LG SC9S is a standout soundbar that should be on your short list.

LG SC9S Soundbar

The LG SC9S sounds great and offers plenty of value thanks to a bunch of features, making it an intriguing choice despite its significant price tag.

Buy at Amazon

Meet the tester

Nick Woodard

Contributor

@nwoodard25

Nick Woodard is a tech journalist specializing in all things related to home theater and A/V. His background includes a solid foundation as a sports writer for multiple daily newspapers, and he enjoys hiking and mountain biking in his spare time.

See all of Nick Woodard's reviews