desray Posted January 4, 2010 Posted January 4, 2010 Lately I've been looking for a soundbar to complement my 46" LCD TV that sit 'quietly' on my TV console...I meant 'quiet' literally as the sound dept has not been quite up to standard... So I went hunting for soundbar...as you can expect. Some of the major players in the market for soundbar now comes from Yamaha, Philips, Sony, Samsung, JVC and LG. The latest model that really caught my attention is the model LG HLB54S. I have had heard many soundbars before and I am quite impressed with the overall sound performance that this slim-looking gadget can do. I'm not so sure about the Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) soundbar which cost about $3K+...but for $1.3K it comes with really really cool features which I came to expect from a media player-combined-with a decent HT system. Key Features 1. Built-in Blu-ray player (Slot-in type) 2. DLNA compliant 3. Play YouTube 4. iPOD® Connectivity 5. LG Sound Gallery 6. BD-Live (Profile 2.0) 7. Wireless active subwoofer (no more unsightly cables) 8. USB connectivity 9. 2 HDMI Inputs + 1 HDMI Output 10. 2 Optical inputs 11. 1 Coaxial input 12. Able to playback 1080p Full HD (upscale) 13. Ability to playback MKV movies 14. Specially tuned by the Sound Engineers from Mark Levinson 15. Wi-Fi that rides on N-bandwidth!!! 16. Able to decode HD lossless audio sound (i.e. DTS HD MSTR and Dolby TrueHD) 17. Firmware upgradeable via network 18. FM radio capability Includes an iPod / iPhone dock, for easy recharge and playback of all your current, favourite tunes, via the remote control. Now I can just connect my external HDD with all my MKV HD clips and play it directly on this soundbar. Got it from Harvey Norman @Novena Square...for $1,299 with HN vouchers and 1 HDMI 1.3b (2m long) cable as free gift.
laialpha Posted January 4, 2010 Posted January 4, 2010 I looking to get this for my bedroom too but wondering if it will recognize NTFS hardddisk? Does the HDMI in do HD audio decoding as well?
desray Posted January 4, 2010 Author Posted January 4, 2010 I looking to get this for my bedroom too but wondering if it will recognize NTFS hardddisk? Does the HDMI in do HD audio decoding as well? I think it should be able to support NTFS FS
DizzyD1624705734 Posted February 19, 2010 Posted February 19, 2010 Desray Thanks for this recommendation as this soundbar sounds very suitable for my living room. Do you know if the DVD player is code free? I am looking to hook up popcornhour on this one and hope it can decode the DTS and DD audio signals as well. Thx
Guest comfortablynumb Posted February 21, 2010 Posted February 21, 2010 This is perfect for my parents' home......will get this today, Thanks for the recommendation!
Doggie Howser Posted February 21, 2010 Posted February 21, 2010 Before we all go crazy, just some caveats. These soundbars depend on reflections to create the illusion of surround. So if you have an awkward placement it wouldn't work well. Particularly if you are using a living room setup that opens up into the dining room like many of us, it may not work. This is a setup recommended by Yamaha for the YSP products but most work in a similar way. Notice that it requires the sound to bounce off side walls and also rear walls. Even in this case, the windows on one side may reflect differently than the wall on the other
desray Posted February 21, 2010 Author Posted February 21, 2010 Agreed with Doggie, soundbars cannot replace a full 5.1 or 7.1 system...but if you're looking for medium quality sound vis-a-viz the sound quality from your LCD or Plasma TV...Let me repeat again...no matter how critically acclaimed that a soundbar can 'perform' wonders in the ad...it still can't beat a dedicated Home Theater system (i.e. an AVR + 5.1/7.1 speaker system)...but for everything else, I'm confident to say that this LG soundbar can suffice your needs pretty well in more ways than other normal soundbar family. :)
desray Posted February 21, 2010 Author Posted February 21, 2010 Desray Thanks for this recommendation as this soundbar sounds very suitable for my living room. Do you know if the DVD player is code free? I am looking to hook up popcornhour on this one and hope it can decode the DTS and DD audio signals as well. Thx I didn't really test it...but from what I've gathered from the HN sales person, its region-free for DVD playback...if you're gonna audition it, perhaps you can bring a few different region coded DVDs to test on the spot?
desray Posted February 21, 2010 Author Posted February 21, 2010 Personally I found this soundbar to be better than the high-end Philips soundbar...although its advertised as 4.1 as opposed to the common 5.1 so-called pseudo-surround system...it still performed better (IMO) than many of the present soundbars currently in the market. Its purely to complement your current living room or study room system where you want reasonably good sound from your iPod and mp3 files etc...this is definitely a VFM considering that no other soundbar in the market (at present) provide 2 sets of HDMI inputs + 1 HDMI output and with built-in Blu-ray loader, USB connectivity and MKV playback etc...the amount you need to fork out for separates can be more...
koroshiya8 Posted February 21, 2010 Posted February 21, 2010 In short it's quality against simplicity.
desray Posted February 21, 2010 Author Posted February 21, 2010 Actually the word I'm looking for is Value-for-Money... ;D As I've mentioned in my first post, a new B&W soundbar can cost up to $3K and this LG soundbar cost $1.3K...Probably the B&W's soundbar can 'beat' the LG hands-down! But if we look at the built-in features of LG vs. the B&W, the LG will probably win here...so there's a compromise (maybe in the sound dept)...but the LG make it up for the rich features that comes bundled with it.
koroshiya8 Posted February 21, 2010 Posted February 21, 2010 Soundbar will never pass for audio enthusiast... but really functionality and the exterior looks really good and for me is acceptable !!
Doggie Howser Posted February 21, 2010 Posted February 21, 2010 Don't get me wrong. I am using a soundbar for the bedroom. But it does require the room to meet the right specs to work properly. Otherwise u might be better off with a stereo setup.
Guest comfortablynumb Posted February 22, 2010 Posted February 22, 2010 100% agree with Doggie. That's why I'm not a fan of soundbar. However, it's perfect for my parent's home as their living room is kinda enclosed and away from the dining/kitchen areas. Moreover, they are not too keen on having 5.1 speakers around so the soundbar is more suitable for them.
BobaFett Posted May 9, 2010 Posted May 9, 2010 Any update of this product price ? I bought it at Audio House at $1299 with 3 free bluray discs.
nightfall Posted August 2, 2010 Posted August 2, 2010 I recently bought a Sony HT-CT150 for just $530 at Audio house. For me it was a nice upgrade from normal TV speakers. The surround sound is not that shit hot, but it provided much better sound from watch Blue ray to playing my PS3.
Jagdpanzer Posted August 3, 2010 Posted August 3, 2010 How is the dialogue without cranking up the volume high? I have a Yamaha YSP but you need to crank up the volume to hear the dialogue clearly. As a result, it can be quite grandmother or baby unfriendly for sudden loud scene such as explosion or slam
BobaFett Posted August 3, 2010 Posted August 3, 2010 How is the dialogue without cranking up the volume high? I have a Yamaha YSP but you need to crank up the volume to hear the dialogue clearly. As a result, it can be quite grandmother or baby unfriendly for sudden loud scene such as explosion or slam I usually watch my movies at night and I do not need to crank up the volume to hear the dialogue clearly. The vocal clarity at mid volume is superb.
Foxtrot1624705735 Posted August 5, 2010 Posted August 5, 2010 I recently bought a Sony HT-CT150 for just $530 at Audio house. For me it was a nice upgrade from normal TV speakers. The surround sound is not that nuts hot, but it provided much better sound from watch Blue ray to playing my PS3. Hi nightfall I've also been looking at this. Comparing this with the samsung sound bar. The price you got was cash and carry, right? Which outlet did you go to? Thanks in advance! regards fox
Guest tcleong Posted September 29, 2010 Posted September 29, 2010 My friend told me he can't play region B blu-ray discs. Any workaround?
Guest robintay28 Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Sorry for bringing this thread alive. But my LG sound bar started spitting whatever DVDs I insert in. But the strange thing, it does not spit out blu ray n Music CDs. And I just did an update a few weeks. And my warranty ended 6 Feb 2011. Called LG up n they say prob update corrupt. Ask me bring in n they will reinstall. After update, problem persists. Tech say have to change dvd lens, quote me $110. Isn't the DVD n CD lens the same? And anyone have problem as me?
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