The LG SP7Y is a 5.1 setup from LG's 2021 lineup. This well-built soundbar offers a slightly boxy and boomy sound profile with its 'Standard' EQ preset, which adds a little extra punch in the bass range. If you prefer a different sound, there are some EQ presets and bass and treble adjustments available. Unfortunately, it doesn't reproduce a very extended low-bass, so you don't feel the deep thump or rumble in action-packed movies or bass-heavy music. Also, it doesn't support Dolby Atmos content, which can be disappointing for some movie fans.
Our Verdict
The LG SP7Y 5.1 is decent for mixed usage. With its 'Standard' preset, this soundbar offers a slightly boxy and boomy sound profile that adds a little extra punch in the bass range. Though it comes with many sound customization features, it still struggles to reproduce a thumpy low-bass, so you don't feel the deep rumble in bass-heavy music or action-packed movies. It supports surround content, though it doesn't offer a very immersive listening experience. Also, it doesn't come with height channels, so it doesn't support Dolby Atmos content.
- Bass and treble adjustments.
- EQ presets.
- Lacks low-bass.
- Doesn't support Dolby Atmos content.
The LG SP7Y 5.1 is good for dialogue-centric content like TV shows. Thanks to its dedicated center channel, it can more accurately localize voices to a pinpoint location in the sound image. Its balanced mid-range can reproduce voices clearly, though the underemphasized treble can make higher frequencies a bit dark or dull. There's a 'Clear Voice' EQ preset that helps make voices more clear and crisp.
- EQ presets.
- Very good center channel performance.
- Doesn't get very loud.
The LG SP7Y 5.1 is satisfactory for music. With its 'Standard' preset, this soundbar has a slightly boxy and boomy sound profile that adds a little extra punch in the bass range. While you can customize it using its EQ presets and bass and treble adjustments, it still struggles to reproduce a thumpy low-bass. As a result, you don't feel the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy music. It also doesn't get as loud as some of the other soundbars we've tested, although there isn't much compression when you push it to max volume.
- Bass and treble adjustments.
- EQ presets.
- Lacks low-bass.
- Doesn't get very loud.
The LG SP7Y 5.1 is adequate for movies. Though it supports surround content, it doesn't offer the most immersive listening experience. Also, it doesn't support object-based formats like Dolby Atmos. It even struggles to reproduce a thumpy low-bass, so you don't feel the deep rumble in action-packed scenes. That said, with its 'Standard' preset, it reproduces dialogue pretty clearly, though it can also sound a bit dark or dull. Fortunately, there are some sound customization features available.
- Bass and treble adjustments.
- EQ presets.
- Lacks low-bass.
- Doesn't support Dolby Atmos content.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 14, 2023: Added market comparison to the LG SP7R to the Style - Satellites box.
- Updated Jun 19, 2023: Added additional information to the Video Passthrough to TV box following TBU 1.2.
- Updated Jun 19, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 1.2. Updated the results for audio format support via ARC/eARC, HDMI In, and Optical. Added Video Passthrough to TV results as well.
- Updated Apr 06, 2023: Added cable lengths to In The Box.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The LG SP7Y Soundbar comes in 'Black', and you can see the label for the model we tested here.
If you come across another version of this soundbar, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The LG SP7Y soundbar is an entry-level 5.1 setup from 2021. While it's well-built, it doesn't support Dolby Atmos or DTS:X content like some of LG's more premium 2021 soundbars, like the LG SP8YA or the LG SP9YA. It also lacks an AI Room Calibration feature, so it may sound a bit different depending on the room you're listening in. That said, it also comes with built-in Meridian Technology, advertised to help create a more immersive listening experience, though we don't test for this.
See our recommendations for the best soundbars, the best 5.1 soundbars, and the best LG soundbars.
The LG SP8YA is a better soundbar than the LG SP7Y. The SP8YA is a 3.1.2 setup that supports Dolby Atmos content and comes with a room correction feature. It reproduces a more extended low-bass and offers a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box, which some users may prefer. It also supports more wireless playback options. That said, the 5.1 SP7Y has better soundstage and surround performances.
The Samsung HW-Q700A is better than the LG SP7Y. The Samsung is a 3.1.2 setup that's better-built and supports Dolby Atmos content. It offers more wireless playback options, and it has a graphic EQ. That said, the 5.1 LG offers a better surrounds performance thanks to its discrete surround channels.
The Sonos Arc is a better soundbar than the LG SP7Y. The Sonos is better built and has a room correction feature and built-in voice assistant support. It offers better soundstage, center, and surround performances and supports Dolby Atmos content. It gets louder than the LG, albeit with more compression at max volume. You can even upgrade it to the Sonos Arc with Sub + One SL Speakers for better performance. However, unlike the Sonos, the LG has a dedicated subwoofer, EQ presets, and a Full HDMI In port.
The Samsung HW-Q600A is better than the LG SP7Y. The Samsung is a 3.1.2 setup that's better-built and supports Dolby Atmos content. It has a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box, which some users may prefer, as well as a graphic EQ for sound customization. That said, the 5.1 LG has better surround and soundstage performances.
The LG SP7R is better than the LG SP7Y for most uses. The SP7R comes with rear speakers designed to bring a clearer and more life-like feel to multichannel content like Dolby Digital. As a result, it's better for surround sound. However, the bar can't implement these formats properly like the LG SP7Y, so effects meant for the right and left surrounds play on the rears instead.
The LG SP7Y is better than the LG S65Q. The SP7Y is a 5.1 setup that offers better soundstage and surround performances. It comes with more sound enhancement features, too. However, if you mostly listen to stereo content, the 3.1 S65Q is a solid choice.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the LG SP7Y or the LG S75Q. The SP7Y is a 5.1 setup with better soundstage and surround performances. However, it doesn't support Dolby Atmos content like the 3.1.2 S75Q. If you watch a lot of surround content, the SP7Y is better, but you can always add rear speakers to the S75Q if you want Atmos support.
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is better than the LG SP7Y. The Sonos is a small, compact standalone bar. Unlike the LG, it supports Dolby Atmos content. It's better-built, and it has better soundstage, center, and surround performances. That said, like most small bars, it struggles to get very loud.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the LG SP7Y or the LG SPD7Y. The SP7Y is a 5.1 setup with a better soundstage that also offers a better surrounds performance. However, the SPD7Y comes with two up-firing speakers that support Dolby Atmos content, unlike the SP7Y.
The Vizio V Series V51x-J6 is better for mixed usage than the LG SP7Y. The Vizio comes with discrete surround speakers, so it offers better surround performance. It also reproduces a more extended low bass, and you can connect voice assistant-enabled third-party devices via its AUX In port. The LG is better built, has a better soundstage, and has a Full HDMI In port.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam or the LG SP7Y. The JBL is better built and supports Dolby Atmos content, so it's a better choice for movies. It offers a better surrounds performance and comes with a room correction feature and more wireless playback options. However, the LG is a better choice for dialogue-centric content since it comes with a dialogue enhancement feature. It also offers a better soundstage performance.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Samsung HW-A650 or the LG SP7Y. The Samsung is a better built 3.1 setup that offers a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box, which some listeners may prefer. It also comes with a graphic EQ to help you customize its sound. However, the 5.1 LG offers better soundstage and surround performances.
The LG SP7Y is a bit better soundbar than the Vizio SB36312-G6. The LG is better built, with better soundstage and surround performances. It gets louder than the Vizio, and it comes with more sound enhancement features, including a dialogue enhancement mode and more EQ presets. The Vizio supports more wireless playback options, and it supports Dolby Atmos content and HDR10 passthrough, unlike the LG.
The LG SP9YA is better than the LG SP7Y. The SP9YA is a 5.1.2 setup that's better built. Unlike the SP7Y, it supports Dolby Atmos content, and it has a room correction feature. It can also reproduce a more extended low-bass, so you feel more thump and rumble in your audio. There are even more wireless playback options to choose from.
The Samsung HW-Q800A is a better soundbar than the LG SP7Y. The Samsung is better built and offers better soundstage and center channel performances. Unlike the LG, it supports Atmos content and HDR10 Passthrough, has built-in voice assistant support, and has a graphic EQ for sound customization. It even has more wireless playback options and has a more extended low-bass. While it gets louder than the LG, it has more compression at max volume. The LG also offers a better surround performance since it doesn't have to downmix it into stereo to play it.
The Samsung HW-Q60T is better than the LG SP7Y. The Samsung is better built, and it has a better soundstage. It can also reproduce a more extended low-bass. Some users may also prefer its more balanced, neutral sound profile out-of-the-box. That said, the LG has a better surrounds performance.
The LG SP7Y is marginally better for mixed usage than the LG SN6Y. The SP7Y is a 5.1 setup with better soundstage and surround performances. That said, its overall performance is pretty similar to the 3.1 SN6Y.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the LG SP7Y or the JBL Bar 5.1 Surround. Both 5.1 setups are decent choices for mixed usage. The LG offers a better soundstage, and unlike the JBL, it supports DTS content. However, the JBL is better built and can reproduce a more extended low-bass. Its surround performance is better, too, and it supports more wireless playback options.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the LG SP7Y or the Sony HT-G700. The LG is a 5.1 setup with better soundstage and surround performances. It also has more sound enhancement features, including bass and treble adjustments. That said, the 3.1 Sony supports Dolby Atmos content. It also has a better center channel performance.
The LG SN8YG is a better soundbar than the LG SP7Y. The SN8YG is a 3.1.2 setup that supports Dolby Atmos content and comes with built-in voice assistant support. It also offers a room correction feature and more wireless playback options. Thanks to its more extended low-bass, you can also feel the deep thump and rumble in your audio. That said, the SP7Y has better surround and soundstage performances.
Test Results
The LG SP7Y 5.1 is a sleek, simple soundbar. It's mostly made of plastic, with grilles on each side to help protect the drivers inside. The rest of the bar is wrapped in fabric.
The LG SP7Y's subwoofer is mostly made of plastic, with a material that seems like melamine on the sides. There's also a fabric covering in the front that's very tight.
Check out the LG SP7R if you want a similar setup with satellites.
The LG SP7Y soundbar is fairly wide, so it likely won't fit between the legs of a 55" TV. That said, it isn't very tall, so it shouldn't block your TV screen unless the TV sits flush on your table.
The sub is about the size of an average desktop computer. It connects wirelessly to the bar, so you can place it wherever you want as long as it's connected to a power outlet.
The LG SP7Y 5.1 has a good build quality. The bar itself and the subwoofer are mostly made of plastic, which feels solid and durable. The sides of the subwoofer are made of melamine. While the fabric covering the bar and the sub seems nice and tight, it could collect dust easily, which can be inconvenient for some users.
- Manual
- Mounting template
- 2x mounting brackets
- Remote with batteries (2xAA)
- Power adapter (cable length of 4.9 ft / 1.5m)
- 2x power cables (4.9 ft / 1.5m and 3 ft / 0.9m)
- Optical cable (4.9 ft / 1.5m)
The LG SP7Y soundbar has a decent stereo frequency response. With its 'Standard' preset, it has a slightly boxy, boomy sound profile that adds a little extra punch in the bass range; this may sound overwhelming for listeners who prefer a more neutral sound. It doesn't reproduce as extended of a low-bass as some of the other 2021 LG soundbars we've tested, like the LG SP8YA and the LG SP9YA, so you don't feel the deep rumble in action-packed movies and bass-heavy music. The underemphasized treble range can also make sibilants like S and T sounds dark and dull. That said, it comes with bass and treble adjustments and some EQ presets to help you customize its sound.
With its bass set to '-5' and its treble set to '1', the LG SP7Y has a satisfactory stereo frequency response. It has a pretty neutral, balanced sound profile suitable for listening to most types of audio content. However, it still struggles to reproduce an extended low-bass, which can be disappointing if you like to feel the deep thump and rumble in your audio. There's also a bit of a dip in the treble range, so your audio may be a little dark or dull.
The LG SP7Y soundbar has a great stereo soundstage performance. The soundstage is perceived to be a bit wider than the bar itself, though it doesn't have any tricks to make it seem wider than that. It also has good focus, so objects like voices and footsteps seem to come from an accurate, pinpoint location rather than a more general area.
The LG SP7Y soundbar has a great stereo dynamics performance. While it doesn't get as loud as some of the other soundbars we've tested, like the Samsung HW-Q950T, there isn't much compression when you push it to max volume.
The LG SP7Y has a very good stereo THD performance. At normal listening volumes, distortion falls within good limits, resulting in clean and pure audio reproduction. However, when you push the bar to its max volume, there's a jump in THD in the bass and mid ranges. That said, this may not be too noticeable to most people with real-life content.
The LG SP7Y has a very good center channel performance. This 5.1 setup comes with a discrete center channel, which helps to more accurately localize voices to a pinpoint location in your sound image. Its frequency response is fairly balanced, and while there are dips in the high-bass and mid-treble ranges, we couldn't hear them during our tests.
The LG SP7Y soundbar has a disappointing surrounds performance. It uses side-firing speakers on the bar to create a phantom localization. Unfortunately, this means that sound objects like voices and footsteps aren't as accurately localized in the sound image as they would be with discrete surround speakers. Audio can seem like it's coming from in front of you instead of from speakers placed all around you. Still, it's better than setups downmix surround content into stereo, like the LG S65Q.
The LG SP7Y has a satisfactory selection of sound enhancement features. Unlike the LG SP8YA and the LG SP9YA, it lacks a room correction feature, so it may sound different depending on the room you're listening in. That said, there are bass and treble adjustments to help you customize its sound, as well as some EQ presets: 'AI Sound Pro', 'Standard', 'Bass Blast', 'Music', 'Clear Voice', 'Game', 'Cinema', 'DTS Virtual:X', and 'Sports'. The 'Clear Voice' preset doubles as a dialogue enhancement mode, and the 'Cinema' and 'DTS Virtual:X' presets act as virtual surround features.
This soundbar also comes with some sound enhancement features that we don't test. There's an AV Sync feature that you can access on the app, which helps reduce the amount of latency between the audio you hear and the visual you see. Also, its TV Sound Mode Share lets you sync the soundbar's speakers with the speakers on compatible LG TVs for a more immersive sound.
The LG SP7Y comes with several physical inputs. The Full HDMI In port lets you use the soundbar as a hub between different devices like your PC and TV. That said, it lacks an AUX port, which can be disappointing for users who want to wire older devices to the bar.
The LG SP7Y has decent audio format support via ARC. It supports Dolby Digital, the most common surround sound format for Blu-ray discs and streaming platforms. It also supports DTS content, which is less common but is often used as the fallback for the higher quality DTS-HD MA format.
The LG SP7Y has great audio format support via Full HDMI In. It supports Dolby Digital and DTS, commonly found on streaming platforms and Blu-ray discs. However, it doesn't support object-based formats like Dolby Atmos.
The LG SP7Y also supports both DTS and Dolby Digital content via Optical, which is handy for listeners who like to watch content from streaming platforms and Blu-rays.
The LG SP7Y has an incredible latency performance. It has fairly low latency via ARC, Optical, and Full HDMI In, so your audio and video are mostly in sync. As a result, it's suitable for watching videos and movies over these connections. However, some apps and TVs compensate for latency differently, so your experience may vary.
Thanks to its HDMI In port, you can use this bar as a hub between devices like a PC and a TV for video passthrough. It doesn't support some of the more common resolutions and refresh rates. The bar can passthrough up to 640 x 480p @ 60 Hz, but the resulting image isn't as sharp as you get with a 1080p resolution.
There's a small display behind the fabric. It shows you the volume level, the current input, and any adjustments you make with the remote or the LG Sound Bar app.
On top of the bar, several physical buttons let you control some of the bar's features. You can power the bar on/off, adjust the volume, switch the input, and connect to Bluetooth.
