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With the capability to reproduce deep, thumping bass, the LG SP8YA is a good option for music, movies, and TV shows. This speaker has a dedicated center channel, delivering crisp dialogue in television shows and podcasts.
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Table of Contents
Product Snapshot
Overview
The LG SP8YA is a mid-range 3.1.2 channel sound bar that hit the markets back in 2021, intending to bring Dolby Atmos and impressive voice control features to living rooms and home theaters.
This system has equalizer presets that propel it near the top of our best speakers list. It’s quite customizable, offering bass and treble adjustments, and it supports third-party voice assistants.
This device is easy to control, thanks to Android and iOS mobile apps. Users will be pleased that you can stream wirelessly via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Chromecast, or Apple AirPlay. A shared HDMI ARC+Out port, single full HDMI In connector, and USB input, provide simple wired connectivity.
The speaker gets loud enough for entertaining and has a dedicated wireless subwoofer that delivers rich bass. Movie lovers will be pleased that it has up-firing speakers, supporting Dolby Atmos.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t support surround sound, offering a narrow horizontal soundstage. Continue browsing through our LG SP8YA review and see how it stacks up against the finest soundbars of our time.
Consensus
our Verdict
Supporting Dolby Atmos and boasting a relatively neutral sound profile, the LG SP8YA impresses top product testers, who recommend it for TV dialogue, movies, and music.
Experts at Consumer Reports love its balanced sound profile, performing well with most music genres and podcasts. Reviewers from Crutchfield were impressed that this system gets loud enough to fill big home theaters.
The system has a dedicated subwoofer, which accurately reproduces extended low bass, You can also adjust the sound profile via the included treble and bass adjusters. Although this system doesn’t have built-in Alexa and Google Assistant, users can control it with voice assistants via connected third-party devices.
Sound enhancement features like room correction, dialogue enhancement, and an auto volume mode enable effortless operation. This speaker system also has a remarkable set of wired and wireless connectivity options.
Reviewers love its discrete center speaker, which enhances dialogue and podcast audio. That said, it downmixes surround sound to stereo since it lacks side-firing speakers.
ReasonS to Buy
Balanced sound
Audio is enhanced with thumpy sounds that complement every action movie with AI Room Calibration, and podcasts and TV shows have clear dialogues thanks to the balanced and accurate mids and treble.
Multiple connectivity options and average latency performance
The SP8YA’s numerous connectivity options include Full HDMI In, HDMI eARC, and Optical. Audio and video are mostly in sync when you stream content via eARC (74 ms) and Optical (61 ms), but the tested latency ranks better than only one-third of our tested gadgets.
Durable build
The soundbar’s high-quality plastic exterior and metal grille protect internal drivers. While its 41.7” width goes beyond a 55” TV stand, it’s not tall enough to obstruct the screen.
Handy user interface
For optimized sound, you can toggle between standard, bass blast, AI sound pro, cinema, sports, game, clear voice, and music EQ presets.The bar features a tiny screen displaying the input and volume, and apart from the basic functions found on the top of the bar, you can use the remote for total control.
Smart integration
The LG Sound Bar app enables quick and easy control of the bar’s settings for seamless customization. Although there is no built-in voice assistant, you can always connect to Google Home and gain access to Alexa and Google Assistant.
Reason to Avoid
Poor Atmos performance
The upward-firing speakers send sounds bouncing off the ceiling to your ears, only creating the illusion of height (Atmos), resulting in unclear audio and hampered immersion.
Fairly high latency with Full HDMI In and no AUX port
You may notice audio delays while watching shows via Full HDMI In, given its high tested latency of 98 ms, which is among the highest we’ve tested. Moreover, the soundbar can’t connect with older gadgets since it lacks an AUX port.
Delicate fabric
The subwoofer’s fabric covering is flimsy and prone to tearing with continued use.
LG SP8YA Specs
Bluetooth Enabled
Yes
Depth
4.7"
Dialogue Enhancement Feature
Yes
Energy Star Certified
No
HDMI ARC
Yes
Height
2.2"
Number of Audio Channels
3.1.2
Subwoofer
Included
Surround Sound Supported
Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS Digital Surround, DTS-HD, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS:X, Surround Sound
Voice Assistant
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
Wall Mountable
Yes
Weight
9.7 lbs
Width
41.7"
Wireless Connectivity
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Wireless Subwoofer Connectivity
Yes
Works With
Amazon Alexa, Bluetooth, Chromecast, Google Assistant, Remote Control, Wi-Fi
All Specs
Test Results
These are the most important criteria to test for Soundbars based on our comprehensive Testing Methodology.
Low End Roll Off (Hz)
35.125
High End Roll Off (Hz)
3,835.66
Max Volume Test (db)
93
Latency (ms)
74
THD @ 80dB
0.53
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The LG SP8YA is a mid-range 3.1.2 channel sound bar that hit the markets back in 2021, intending to bring Dolby Atmos and impressive voice…
The LG SP8YA is a mid-range 3.1.2 channel sound bar that hit the markets back in 2021, intending to bring Dolby Atmos and impressive voice control features to living rooms and home theaters.
This system has equalizer presets that propel it near the top of our best speakers list. It’s quite customizable, offering bass and treble adjustments, and it supports third-party voice assistants.
This device is easy to control, thanks to Android and iOS mobile apps. Users will be pleased that you can stream wirelessly via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Chromecast, or Apple AirPlay. A shared HDMI ARC+Out port, single full HDMI In connector, and USB input, provide simple wired connectivity.
The speaker gets loud enough for entertaining and has a dedicated wireless subwoofer that delivers rich bass. Movie lovers will be pleased that it has up-firing speakers, supporting Dolby Atmos.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t support surround sound, offering a narrow horizontal soundstage. Continue browsing through our LG SP8YA review and see how it stacks up against the finest soundbars of our time.
While the LG SP8YA supports Dolby Atmos and has a room correction feature, the LG SP7Y lacks these features. It also produces a more extended…
While the LG SP8YA supports Dolby Atmos and has a room correction feature, the LG SP7Y lacks these features. It also produces a more extended low bass and comes with a more neutral out-of-the-box sound profile than the SP7Y. However, the SP7Y produces more immersive surround sound, thanks to a 5.1 setup with side-firing phantom speakers. Check out our LG SP7Y review for details.
Producing more extended low-bass, the LG SP8YA is better for movies and music than the Sonos Beam Gen 2. It also comes with equalizer presets,…
Producing more extended low-bass, the LG SP8YA is better for movies and music than the Sonos Beam Gen 2. It also comes with equalizer presets, unlike the Sonos speaker. However, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 has better stereo and surround soundstage performances than the LG speaker.
Being a 5.1.2 sound bar, the LG SP9YA produces more immersive 3D surround sound than the 3.1.2 LG SP8YA, which lacks side-firing speakers. However, the…
Being a 5.1.2 sound bar, the LG SP9YA produces more immersive 3D surround sound than the 3.1.2 LG SP8YA, which lacks side-firing speakers. However, the SP8YA has a higher 93.0 dB maximum SPL, getting louder than the 91.8 dB maximum SPL of the LG SP9YA. Check out our LG SP9YA review to learn more.
