The premium LG 2018 soundbars have Dolby Atmos. Meridian Audio tunes its top-of-the-range SK-10.
LG soundbars have always been a great accompaniment to LG OLED TVs. But their added functionality makes them ideal for any brand or size TV.
“We had Dolby Atmos in last year’s amazing SJ9 – a 5.1.2 soundbar pumping out 500W power. It proved the need for Dolby Atmos. Our new premium (SK-8, SK-9, and SK-10) soundbars have Dolby Atmos and even rear speaker options for true immersive, spatial, Hi-Res, sound,” said Angus Jones, LG Australia’s General Manager of Marketing.
“Add to that music upscaling, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, Chromecast, a large range of music streaming clients and flexible connections. You have the best home entertainment hub,” Jones said.
The LG 2018 soundbars include
SK10 – Meridian Audio tuned, 5.1.2, 550W, with Dolby Atmos
This is the LG 2018 Soundbar flagship. It has a wireless sub-woofer, and optional wireless rear speakers (SPK8-S, $299) take it to a 5.1.4 system with a massive 690W.
Equipped with the top-end 24-bit/192kHz Hi-Res DAC, it will upscale any sound source giving it added resolution, depth and spatial separation.
Google Assistant, Chromecast and Google Multi-room playback make this the home entertainment hub. It can also play music or video from Bluetooth or network attached storage.
Supported lossless formats are FLAC (Up to 192kHz), AIFF, ALAC and music decoding of OGG (Up to 48kHz), WAV, MP3, WMA, and AAC.
An inbuilt EQ provides Bass, Treble, Subwoofer, Rear, Overhead Channels pre-sets. Five sound types can also be selected – Adaptive Sound Control, Standard, Music, Bass Blast, and Movie.
Ports include 2 x HDMI (in with 4K past though), 1 x HDMI (ARC out), Ethernet Lan, Digital Optical and 3.5mm aux. Price is $1,699
SK9Y – 5.1.2, 500W, with Dolby Atmos
It replaces the SJ9 and shares all the features to the SK10 except for Meridian Audio. It is also a little shorter at 1.2m (versus 1.443m) Price is $1,499.
SK8Y – 2.1, 360W with Dolby Atmos
It replaces the SJ8 offering stereo and sub-woofer with Dolby Atmos spatial sound. It has most of the features of the SK9 and is 1.061m long. Like the SK10 and 9 you can add two rear speakers making it 2.1.2. All that is missing is the centre, surround and height aspect of Dolby Atmos. Price is $999. Suitable for smaller apartments.
LG also released the SK6 ($699) and SK5 (549) 2.1, 360W. These do not have Dolby Atmos and are for the value end of the market.
Jones commented on the LG 2018 soundbars
“We are continuing to push boundaries, and this year, it’s through our new partnership with audio experts, Meridian. The integration of Meridian Audio into the range creates incredibly impactful and realistic sound. It gives new meaning to what’s possible when it comes to audio experiences in the home.
“Our first smart home connected speaker is one of the stand-outs in this year’s range. The LG AI ThinQ WK7 Speaker – aligns with our focus on AI and with our mission of improving the day-to-day lives of Australians through forward-thinking technology.”
GadgetGuy has covered the LG 2018 TV range here and the WK7 Meridian tuned Google Assistant speaker here.
