The LG SPD7Y is a 3.1.2 setup released in 2021. It can get pretty loud, and it comes with lots of EQ presets to help you customize its sound. While it has a boomy sound profile on its 'Standard' preset, you can use its bass and treble adjustments to create a more neutral sound if you prefer. It also supports Dolby Atmos and surround content, though it doesn't offer a very immersive listening experience.
Our Verdict
The LG SPD7Y soundbar is satisfactory for mixed usage. Out-of-the-box, it has a boomy sound profile that can make your audio seem a bit muddy and dark. Fortunately, there are bass and treble adjustments to help you customize its sound more to your liking. It gets loud, and it also supports Dolby Atmos content. While it supports surround content, too, it has to downmix it to stereo, which doesn't sound as immersive.
- Gets loud.
- Bass and treble adjustments.
- No graphic EQ.
- Lacks some low-bass.
The LG SPD7Y soundbar is good for dialogue-centric content like TV shows. Thanks to its discrete center channel, it can accurately localize voices to a pinpoint location in the sound image. Its balanced mid-range can reproduce dialogue clearly, though it can also sound a bit muddy and dark. You can also use its dialogue enhancement feature to make voices more clear and crisp, or its auto-volume mode to balance the volume level across different programs.
- Dialogue enhancement feature.
- Bluetooth-enabled.
- No Wi-Fi, AirPlay, or Chromecast built-in support.
The LG SPD7Y soundbar is satisfactory for music. On its 'Standard' preset, it has a boomy, bass-heavy sound profile that can make audio sound a bit muddy and dark. Fortunately, it comes with bass and treble adjustments that you can use to create a more neutral sound if you prefer. It also gets pretty loud, and there isn't a lot of compression when you push it to max volume, so audio reproduction is clean. However, it still struggles to reproduce an extended low-bass, so you don't feel the deep rumble in bass-heavy genres like EDM.
- Gets loud.
- Bass and treble adjustments.
- No graphic EQ.
- Lacks some low-bass.
The LG SPD7Y soundbar is decent for movies. It supports Dolby Atmos content, using its two up-firing drivers to bounce sound off the ceiling to create the illusion of height. It also supports surround content, but unfortunately, it has to downmix it into stereo to play it, which isn't as immersive. It also struggles to reproduce an extended low-bass, so you don't feel the deep rumble in action scenes and movie scores.
- Gets loud.
- Lacks some low-bass.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 14, 2023: Added market comparison to the LG SP7R to the Style - Satellites box.
- Updated Aug 11, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Aug 05, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Aug 02, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The LG SPD7Y 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 discussion section below so we can update our review.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The LG SPD7Y soundbar is a mid-range 3.1.2 setup released in 2021. Unlike the LG SP7Y, it comes with two up-firing drivers for Dolby Atmos content. However, it lacks some more premium sound enhancement features, like AI Room Calibration or the 2021 LG TV AI Processor. It also has a boomy, dark sound profile out-of-the-box, which may not be ideal for all listeners. See also our recommendations for the best soundbars under $500, the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, and the best LG soundbars.
The Sonos Arc is a better soundbar than the LG SPD7Y. The standalone Sonos is better built and has better soundstage, center, surround, and Atmos performances. It also has a more neutral sound profile with its room correction feature, which some users may prefer. It also has built-in voice assistant support. However, the LG has EQ presets for sound customization and a Full HDMI In port.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) or the LG SPD7Y. The Sonos is a small, compact bar with a 5.0 setup. It has better soundstage and surround performances and built-in voice assistant support. If you have a little more room in your space, the LG is still a decently versatile choice. It comes with a dedicated sub, and it reproduces more bass.
The LG SPD7Y scores a bit better than the JBL Bar 5.1 Surround for mixed usage, but depending on your listening habits, you may prefer one over the other. The LG has a better soundstage, and unlike the JBL, it supports Dolby Atmos content. However, if you mostly watch surround content, you may prefer the JBL since it has a better surround performance. The JBL is also better-built with a more extended low-bass.
The LG SPD7Y is a bit better for mixed usage than the LG SL6Y. The SPD7Y is a 3.1.2 setup that supports Dolby Atmos content, unlike the SL6Y. You can also use its Full HDMI In port for video passthrough. That said, both bars have pretty similar performances overall.
Test Results
