Our Verdict
Decent for mixed usage. Unfortunately, the LG SK10Y has a muddy sound profile with an overemphasized bass. On the upside, it still has a decent performance for voices and dialogue in movies but gives a boomy sound for music and movies. It also supports Atmos for a more immersive experience with height channels. Unfortunately, its stereo soundstage is fairly narrow and won’t feel as wide as the bar itself.
- Very well-built design.
- Lots of connectivity options.
- Disappointing and narrow soundstage.
- Muddy sound profile.
- Doesn’t get very loud.
Decent for dialog. The LG SK10Y can be used for audio content like audiobooks and podcasts but might not be the best option due to the muddy sound profile. On the upside, the bar can get pretty loud and you can easily stream content wirelessly via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. There’s also a dialogue enhancement feature, which will help make dialogue even clearer.
Decent for music. The LG SK10Y has a muddy sound profile with overemphasized bass that not everybody will like, but it's well suited for bass-heavy genres and party music. Unfortunately, its soundstage is fairly narrow and doesn’t sound wide. On the upside, it can get pretty loud and performs well at max volume. You can also EQ it slightly to your preference and stream content wirelessly from your smart device.
Decent for movies. The overemphasized bass can be great for action movies, but overall a muddy sound profile won’t be ideal. Also, it doesn’t have a very wide soundstage and surround objects feel diffused, but, on the upside, it supports Atmos for a more immersive experience. The bar can get pretty loud and performs fairly well too.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 22, 2021: Added third-party voice assistant support.
- Updated Apr 09, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Sep 27, 2019: Review published.
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Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The LG SK10Y is a high-end soundbar with only decent performance. It has a fairly muddy default sound quality that can be improved with different sound modes, though we didn't test those. Also, the bar seems to have some limitations regarding its max volume, and it's noticeably quieter than other models reviewed. See our recommendations for the best soundbars, the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, and the best soundbars with subwoofer.
The LG SK10Y is slightly better than the LG SK9Y from the same year. It's sleeker and better-built, and overall has better bass performance thanks to the sub. However, both bars seem to be limited when it comes to their volume output as they are noticeably quieter than other models.
The Samsung HW-Q80R is a noticeably better 5.1.2 option than the LG SK10Y. Its overall performance is better thanks to a more accurate audio reproduction. It also gets quite louder than the LG, and its soundstage seems to be wider as well. On the other hand, the LG SK10Y has Chromecast built-in, which can be useful for some people.
The LG SK10Y is a better soundbar setup than the Sonos Playbar without a sub and satellites. It has a dedicated sub which helps its bass performance. Its 5.1.2 configuration is decent for surround and Atmos content, while the Sonos downmixes surround and can't do Atmos. The LG also has more inputs and supports Bluetooth casting. However, some may feel like the LG has a very hyped and exciting sound profile but is noticeably quieter than other soundbars.
While the Samsung HW-Q90R and the LG SK10Y are two soundbars with different setups, the Samsung is the better performing soundbar overall. Both soundbars can create an immersive listening experience thanks to Atmos support but the Samsung's 7.1.4 channels produce a better soundstage compared to LG's 5.1.2 setup. The Samsung also has a more balanced sound profile, it can louder without too much sound degradation, and it has an auto-off feature.
Test Results
