**LG SL9YG Soundbar Review: A Comprehensive Analysis**

The LG SL9YG soundbar is a comprehensive home theater system that offers multi-room audio capabilities, seamless integration with Google speakers, and access to various voice assistants. This two-piece system consists of a single bar unit and a separate subwoofer, which can be connected to provide a more immersive audio experience.

One of the standout features of the SL9YG soundbar is its ability to control playback on streaming services like Google Play Music and Spotify. Users can effortlessly switch between different sources and adjust volume levels using the remote control's sleek LED display. The mic on the remote allows for hands-free voice control, making it easy to navigate through various functions.

The soundbar also features a unique "F" button, which appears to function as a function key but changes depending on the source being played. Additionally, users can access various EQ settings, including channel designations such as "W F" for the woofer and "SW" for the subwoofer. However, the quirkiness of these features may require some time to get used to.

The SL9YG soundbar comes with several sound modes, one of which is called Adaptive Sound Control (ASC). This feature is supposed to adapt to the source material, but we didn't experience much improvement in sound quality during our testing. Instead, users can opt for the standard mode or the Movie mode, which offers a louder output.

It's worth noting that if you're using Dolby Atmos or DTS:X sources, the soundbar will simply send them through without any processing. However, when fed with other types of content, such as sitcoms or stereo channel inputs, the SL9YG soundbar delivers impressive results.

When tested with a Dolby Atmos source, we were impressed by the soundbar's ability to create an immersive audio experience around the room. The powerful subwoofer and rear surround channels worked together to create a believable sonic environment. Specifically, the bird flying scene from "Amaze" was a standout example of this effect, as it seemed to take on a life of its own.

The SL9YG soundbar also performed well with high-end sources like Chernobyl, showcasing excellent dialogue clarity and detailed sound mixing. While it can struggle with music streaming, particularly for more organic genres or high-end percussion, the bar remains an impressive choice for those seeking immersive audio in a two-piece system.

In comparison to other options, such as Vizio's 5.1 point four channel soundbar, which offers similar features at a lower price point, the LG SL9YG is certainly worth considering for those willing to invest in a premium home theater solution.

**Technical Details**

The LG SL9YG soundbar comes equipped with various technical specifications, including:

* Dual speakers: 6.75 inches x 2 (front left and right)

* Subwoofer: 8-inch active

* Dimensions: 41.7 x 4.5 x 10.1 inches

* Weight: 23.3 pounds

**Conclusion**

The LG SL9YG soundbar is an impressive home theater solution that offers excellent multi-room audio capabilities, seamless integration with Google speakers, and access to various voice assistants. While it may have some quirks, such as the unique "F" button and channel designations, the bar delivers exceptional performance in terms of immersion and overall audio quality.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: entoday we're checking out LG's SL 9yg 4.1.2 Channel Dolby Atmos sound bar with Meridian technology there's a lot going on with this bar it's got Google assistant chromecast streaming multi-room audio high resolution audio and of course Dolby Atmos and DTS X so let's check it out let's start out with the design now there's no doubt this is a massive sound bar it is about 48 inches across over 5 inches deep but it's only about 2 inches high so that makes it easy to set beneath your television as long as you've got the room for it on your TV console and we like the look of it too it's got this brushed metal finish which is really nice very clean look and that's follows with the subwoofer as well it's got that sort of brushed metal look on that top panel now as we mentioned this is a 4.1.2 channel sound bar and that means that there's actually no center channel it's very odd you're not gonna see that with many bars and there's also no old rear surrounds so we'll get to the center channel a second but as far as the rear surrounds this is sort of designed to immerse you in audio without having to put some back channel speakers maybe you don't want to mount them maybe you think they are going to mess up your room and not look very good so this is supposed to offer you a lot of immersion without having to do that and because it needs to get that rear surround action it's got actually side mounted channels here it's got the two height channels up here and then it's got stereo channels on the front now you can also add some rear surrounds from LG and that's about 182 hundred dollars to add those they've got their own amp but they do not have a firing driver so all you're gonna get for that point two for the height channels of Dolby Atmos is these two drivers now there's another weird thing about this we said there's no center channel there's a good reason for that and that's because when you mount the sound bar if you want to mount it you actually mount it in a different orientation now bear with me because this is odd we saw this at CES I still think it's weird and I didn't get a chance to actually mount it here I just used it in the regular position but if you do want to mount it it's got a gyroscope inside which is going to change the orientation so you'll mount it like this the height speakers then become the front speakers the rear surrounds which are against side-mounted for the rear surround channels they're gonna stay the same but the front channels are going to become the height speakers now the Hat you may ask how is that going to work since they're now going to be facing down at the ground well LG says it's designed to do basically a double bounce now with regular height channels you're gonna get one bounce they're going to bounce on the ceiling and come down and the idea is the sound will sound like it's coming from the ceiling once it bounces off for this orientation for the method orientation these speakers are going to bounce down to the ground then bounce at the ceiling and then hit your ears that might work out alright with a hardwood floor but with carpet we're wondering if it's really going to be the kind of overhead immersion that you want from your dolby atmos or DTS X sound sources so honestly we suggest if you're going in for the Dolby Atmos sound to probably leave it in its regular orientation that said there is a ton of power packed into this thing there's 500 total watts including 220 just for the subwoofer and let me tell you that thing gets loud and then 280 spread between the front channels the height channels and those side mounted surround channels so a lot of power and if you've got it set up in the right room it also gives you a lot of immersion for just a two-piece system set up is a relatively simple affair you'll want to use the HDMI ITV arc input now that is the easiest simplest way and it's also the only way to source dolby atmos straight from your TV but you'll have to provide your own high speed HDMI cable it doesn't come in the package if you don't have HDMI Arc you can connect through optical but they probably want a TV that does have that there's also an HDMI input here for connecting a blu-ray player or a gaming console directly and that allows for 4k HDR pass-through you can also connect a USB Drive for high resolution audio files at 24-bit 96k Hertz a nice inclusion there especially if you have a nice collection of high resolution files you can actually control the folders right from your remote although you know you have to check certain drives won't be compatible but you can definitely use a USB flash drive one thing you won't get though is an analog input there's just no analog input on this we're starting to see that more and more so we like the USB but it would be nice to have an analogue input for your legacy audio devices like a vinyl player if you want to connect something like that you will need an adapter one thing we did have a little bit of trouble with was connecting the system to our Wi-Fi network through the Google home and now it's a pretty simple process but for some reason it got tripped up in there and totally froze when it was trying to add a firmware update I ended up just powering the bar down and back up again and then it's somehow just connected on its own but it's something to be aware of and it's definitely not as simple and easy as say a sono setup now once you've connected to the system you'll be able to use multi-room audio with other Google speakers through the Google home app as well as of course Google assistant and that allows you to control playback on your streaming services like google play music and Spotify although not Apple music of course you can do that while you're streaming just by saying hey Google or you can press the assistant button here and there's a mic right on the remote and of course you can also ask other queries when you're connected to the internet like what's the weather you can check your calendar all the stuff that Google assistant does or a good portion of it anyway now when it comes to controls there's a nice clean LED display up front that tells you exactly what's going on so it's pretty easy to see what you're doing when it comes to switching sound sources volume and all that kind of stuff but it is a little quirky on the remote one of the quirkiest weirdest things is the F button which is actually the function key but it really changes as sources you'll also have to learn what LG is talking about when it comes to changing the levels of the channels you can do that through the EQ button here but the channels are sort of designated with weird acronyms ovc means overhead channels instead of heights you've got W F for the woofer instead of just subwoofer or SW and then side channels which are the surrounds in this case that's an easy one and of course there's also the R if you do connect some actual discrete rear surround so you'll have to learn the system another odd thing about it is there are several sound modes and there's one called ASC which is adaptive sound control it's supposed to adapt to the source but we didn't really see much going or hear much going on there so we ended up using the standard mode for most stuff and in the movie mode but the movie mode is a lot louder than the standard so that's another sort of quirk of the system one quick aside here if you're using a Dolby Atmos or DTS X source you won't be able to use the sound effects at all it just sends the source straight through when it comes to performance as I sort of referenced earlier this bar does a really nice job of immersion for just a two-piece system just the subwoofer and the singular bar now the SL 9 really responds to what kind of source you feed it it sounds fine with a sitcom or a stereo channel input but it really revs things up when you give it a Dolby Atmos source one of our favorite demos amaze I plugged that one in and I was really impressed how much immersion this thing got around the room it didn't quite get all the way to the back but there's a scene where the bird is flying around you and I got really close it stopped right at the back of my head and also did a really good job with a thunder it was powerful and potent from that massive subwoofer and when the rain came down it really felt like it was coming from overhead so I was really impressed with that again you can add the rear surrounds but if you just want a two-piece system it does a pretty good job with that it was also great with the details of Chernobyl if you've been watching that series you know how great it is it also has great sound mixing so it does a really good job with that dialogue now occasionally dialog can get a little bit muffled if there's a lot going on and that's probably because there's no center channel but overall it does quite well with high end sources even Skyfall we did a 5.1 channel check with that one it sounded fantastic one thing the bar doesn't do as well with is music streaming especially for more organic music and high-end percussion it just seemed to have some trouble with the cymbals for some reason almost as if I was feeding it at poor quality mp3 it did well with other music but these cinematic bars aren't really primarily made for playing back music so it's something to be aware of especially when it costs $1000 now $1000 is a serious investment for a sound bar especially when you can go to vizio and get a 5.1 point four channel bar for that same money however if you're looking for Atmos immersion and serious power in just a two-piece system LG's SLE 9yg is definitely worth a look now thank you for watching this video if you like what you've seen here go ahead and leave us a comment maybe give us a thumbs up you can see more videos like this one right over here and you can get all kinds of stuff by subscribing to our channel we'd love for you to do that please just go ahead and hit that subscribe button if you want the full review of this Bart and tons of other stuff come to Digital Trends calmtoday we're checking out LG's SL 9yg 4.1.2 Channel Dolby Atmos sound bar with Meridian technology there's a lot going on with this bar it's got Google assistant chromecast streaming multi-room audio high resolution audio and of course Dolby Atmos and DTS X so let's check it out let's start out with the design now there's no doubt this is a massive sound bar it is about 48 inches across over 5 inches deep but it's only about 2 inches high so that makes it easy to set beneath your television as long as you've got the room for it on your TV console and we like the look of it too it's got this brushed metal finish which is really nice very clean look and that's follows with the subwoofer as well it's got that sort of brushed metal look on that top panel now as we mentioned this is a 4.1.2 channel sound bar and that means that there's actually no center channel it's very odd you're not gonna see that with many bars and there's also no old rear surrounds so we'll get to the center channel a second but as far as the rear surrounds this is sort of designed to immerse you in audio without having to put some back channel speakers maybe you don't want to mount them maybe you think they are going to mess up your room and not look very good so this is supposed to offer you a lot of immersion without having to do that and because it needs to get that rear surround action it's got actually side mounted channels here it's got the two height channels up here and then it's got stereo channels on the front now you can also add some rear surrounds from LG and that's about 182 hundred dollars to add those they've got their own amp but they do not have a firing driver so all you're gonna get for that point two for the height channels of Dolby Atmos is these two drivers now there's another weird thing about this we said there's no center channel there's a good reason for that and that's because when you mount the sound bar if you want to mount it you actually mount it in a different orientation now bear with me because this is odd we saw this at CES I still think it's weird and I didn't get a chance to actually mount it here I just used it in the regular position but if you do want to mount it it's got a gyroscope inside which is going to change the orientation so you'll mount it like this the height speakers then become the front speakers the rear surrounds which are against side-mounted for the rear surround channels they're gonna stay the same but the front channels are going to become the height speakers now the Hat you may ask how is that going to work since they're now going to be facing down at the ground well LG says it's designed to do basically a double bounce now with regular height channels you're gonna get one bounce they're going to bounce on the ceiling and come down and the idea is the sound will sound like it's coming from the ceiling once it bounces off for this orientation for the method orientation these speakers are going to bounce down to the ground then bounce at the ceiling and then hit your ears that might work out alright with a hardwood floor but with carpet we're wondering if it's really going to be the kind of overhead immersion that you want from your dolby atmos or DTS X sound sources so honestly we suggest if you're going in for the Dolby Atmos sound to probably leave it in its regular orientation that said there is a ton of power packed into this thing there's 500 total watts including 220 just for the subwoofer and let me tell you that thing gets loud and then 280 spread between the front channels the height channels and those side mounted surround channels so a lot of power and if you've got it set up in the right room it also gives you a lot of immersion for just a two-piece system set up is a relatively simple affair you'll want to use the HDMI ITV arc input now that is the easiest simplest way and it's also the only way to source dolby atmos straight from your TV but you'll have to provide your own high speed HDMI cable it doesn't come in the package if you don't have HDMI Arc you can connect through optical but they probably want a TV that does have that there's also an HDMI input here for connecting a blu-ray player or a gaming console directly and that allows for 4k HDR pass-through you can also connect a USB Drive for high resolution audio files at 24-bit 96k Hertz a nice inclusion there especially if you have a nice collection of high resolution files you can actually control the folders right from your remote although you know you have to check certain drives won't be compatible but you can definitely use a USB flash drive one thing you won't get though is an analog input there's just no analog input on this we're starting to see that more and more so we like the USB but it would be nice to have an analogue input for your legacy audio devices like a vinyl player if you want to connect something like that you will need an adapter one thing we did have a little bit of trouble with was connecting the system to our Wi-Fi network through the Google home and now it's a pretty simple process but for some reason it got tripped up in there and totally froze when it was trying to add a firmware update I ended up just powering the bar down and back up again and then it's somehow just connected on its own but it's something to be aware of and it's definitely not as simple and easy as say a sono setup now once you've connected to the system you'll be able to use multi-room audio with other Google speakers through the Google home app as well as of course Google assistant and that allows you to control playback on your streaming services like google play music and Spotify although not Apple music of course you can do that while you're streaming just by saying hey Google or you can press the assistant button here and there's a mic right on the remote and of course you can also ask other queries when you're connected to the internet like what's the weather you can check your calendar all the stuff that Google assistant does or a good portion of it anyway now when it comes to controls there's a nice clean LED display up front that tells you exactly what's going on so it's pretty easy to see what you're doing when it comes to switching sound sources volume and all that kind of stuff but it is a little quirky on the remote one of the quirkiest weirdest things is the F button which is actually the function key but it really changes as sources you'll also have to learn what LG is talking about when it comes to changing the levels of the channels you can do that through the EQ button here but the channels are sort of designated with weird acronyms ovc means overhead channels instead of heights you've got W F for the woofer instead of just subwoofer or SW and then side channels which are the surrounds in this case that's an easy one and of course there's also the R if you do connect some actual discrete rear surround so you'll have to learn the system another odd thing about it is there are several sound modes and there's one called ASC which is adaptive sound control it's supposed to adapt to the source but we didn't really see much going or hear much going on there so we ended up using the standard mode for most stuff and in the movie mode but the movie mode is a lot louder than the standard so that's another sort of quirk of the system one quick aside here if you're using a Dolby Atmos or DTS X source you won't be able to use the sound effects at all it just sends the source straight through when it comes to performance as I sort of referenced earlier this bar does a really nice job of immersion for just a two-piece system just the subwoofer and the singular bar now the SL 9 really responds to what kind of source you feed it it sounds fine with a sitcom or a stereo channel input but it really revs things up when you give it a Dolby Atmos source one of our favorite demos amaze I plugged that one in and I was really impressed how much immersion this thing got around the room it didn't quite get all the way to the back but there's a scene where the bird is flying around you and I got really close it stopped right at the back of my head and also did a really good job with a thunder it was powerful and potent from that massive subwoofer and when the rain came down it really felt like it was coming from overhead so I was really impressed with that again you can add the rear surrounds but if you just want a two-piece system it does a pretty good job with that it was also great with the details of Chernobyl if you've been watching that series you know how great it is it also has great sound mixing so it does a really good job with that dialogue now occasionally dialog can get a little bit muffled if there's a lot going on and that's probably because there's no center channel but overall it does quite well with high end sources even Skyfall we did a 5.1 channel check with that one it sounded fantastic one thing the bar doesn't do as well with is music streaming especially for more organic music and high-end percussion it just seemed to have some trouble with the cymbals for some reason almost as if I was feeding it at poor quality mp3 it did well with other music but these cinematic bars aren't really primarily made for playing back music so it's something to be aware of especially when it costs $1000 now $1000 is a serious investment for a sound bar especially when you can go to vizio and get a 5.1 point four channel bar for that same money however if you're looking for Atmos immersion and serious power in just a two-piece system LG's SLE 9yg is definitely worth a look now thank you for watching this video if you like what you've seen here go ahead and leave us a comment maybe give us a thumbs up you can see more videos like this one right over here and you can get all kinds of stuff by subscribing to our channel we'd love for you to do that please just go ahead and hit that subscribe button if you want the full review of this Bart and tons of other stuff come to Digital Trends calm\n"