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LG’s decor-friendly, ultra-compact Eclair soundbar delivers Dolby Atmos for $599

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LG has finally announced pricing, availability, and features for its smallest soundbar to date: The QP5, known as “Eclair” for its donut-like shape, is available for pre-order today at LG.com and other retailers for $599. The tiny, fabric-wrapped speaker comes in two color options, has its own wireless subwoofer, and can reproduce 3.1.2 Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive sound formats.

The Eclair joins the rest of LG’s 2021 lineup of soundbars — and you’ll find the details for each model below.

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The new soundbars are big on sound, with support for hi-res audio and immersive formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, but also relatively affordable, with prices that start as low as $180.

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Don’t forget to keep your eye on LG’s 2021 TV lineup. These TVs will be the perfect companion for LG’s soundbars thanks to the new TV Sound Mode Share feature, which combines the TV’s built-in speakers with the audio capabilities of LG’s soundbars.

LG QP5 “Eclair”: $599, available for pre-order now

LG's QP5 Eclair soundbar seen with included subwoofer.
LG

LG’s smallest 3.1.2 soundbar has similar features to the SP8YA (below) but delivers them in a more lifestyle and decor-friendly design, thanks to its gentle curves and fabric-wrapped enclosures. Unlike some small-footprint soundbars that deliver Dolby Atmos through virtualization techniques, the Eclair possesses dedicated left, right, center, and height drivers in the soundbar (20 watts each), while the included 220-watt vibration-dampening wireless subwoofer takes care of the low-frequency bass.

LG says the Eclair’s soundfield enhancer technology ensures that even though the soundbar has such a small body, it won’t sound like a small soundbar.

You’ll find a 4K/Dolby Vision-capable HDMI 2.1 input and an HDMI ARC/eARC-capable output, and the soundbar boasts an admirable number of supported streaming digital formats like Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio, and DTS:X. But when it comes to playing music, your options are limited to Bluetooth, the built-in optical port, or playback from a USB storage device.

Unlike the SP9YA and 8YA, there’s no AirPlay 2 or Chromecast support, which means you won’t be able to control the Eclair using Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa devices.

LG SP9YA: $1,000, available now

LG SP9YA Soundbar
C

The $1,000 SP9YA is the flagship of LG’s 2021 models, but it isn’t intended as the company’s top-of-the-line soundbar. That title still belongs to the $1,700 2020 SN11RG, which will continue to be sold this year.

The SP9YA uses a single 48-inch wide soundbar with a wireless subwoofer in a 5.1.2 arrangement with 520 watts of total power. It supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, 24-bit/96kHz hi-res audio playback, and benefits from LG’s partnership with Meridian Audio for its tuning.

It has a single HDMI 2.1 input that can pass through Dolby Vision at 4K resolution and an HDMI ARC/eARC output. There’s also an optical input and a USB port that can be used for music playback.

Speaking of music, the SP9 supports a huge number of audio formats: LPCM, Dolby Atmos, Dolby True, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital, DTS Digital Surround, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution, DTS:X, FLAC (Up to 192kHz), OGG (Up to 48kHz), WAV, MP3, AAC, and AAC+.

Using Meridian Horizon technology, the SP9YA can upconvert two-channel stereo into a multichannel, immersive mix, for a true surround experience regardless of the source.

Additional features include:

  • Apple AirPlay 2
  • Chromecast built-in
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • Works with the Google Assistant
  • Amazon Alexa Supported
  • A.I. room calibration
  • TV Sound Mode Share

LG SP8YA: $800, available now

LG SP8YA Soundbar
LG

The LG SP8YA is a 3.1.2 system that also supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X thanks to its upward-firing height drivers, but it lacks the surround drivers of the step-up SP9YA. Otherwise, many of the features are identical: A wireless subwoofer, hi-res audio playback, and tuning by Meridian Audio.

With 440 watts of total power, the SP8YA has one HDMI 2.1 input with 4K/Dolby Vision passthrough, an HDMI ARC/eARC output, an optical input, and a USB port.

Additional features:

  • Apple AirPlay 2
  • Chromecast built-in
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • Works with the Google Assistant
  • Amazon Alexa support
  • A.I. room calibration
  • TV Sound Mode Share
  • Meridian Horizon upconverting

LG SP7Y: $450, available now

LG SP7Y Soundbar
LG

LG’s SP7Y is a Meridian Audio-tuned 5.1 soundbar system with a fabric-wrapped 48-inch soundbar and a wireless subwoofer. While it does not support Dolby Atmos, it does offer DTS Virtual:X for a virtualized 3D sound experience.

It’s hi-res audio compatible but doesn’t support quite as many formats as the SP8YA or 9YA. For instance, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD are missing from the list, as are DTS Digital Surround, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution, and DTS:X.

Still, with 440 watts, there’s lots of power. You get an HDMI 1.4 input and one HDMI 1.4 output, plus an optical input and a USB port for music playback. Bluetooth 4.0 is also built-in for music streaming from your phone or tablet.

LG SPD7Y: $400, available mid-June

With the SPD7Y, LG takes us back to 3.1.2 Dolby Atmos sound, but in a slightly less powerful package than the SP8YA. We don’t yet have the full specs for this model, but we do know that like the SP8YA and 9YA, it will offer DTS:X, 4K passthrough with Dolby Vision support, HDMI eARC for lossless Dolby Atmos audio, USB playback, and Bluetooth streaming.

It lacks LG’s A.I. room calibration feature, but it has Meridian Audio tuning and support for hi-res audio playback.

LG SP2: $205, available now

LG SP2 Soundbar
LG

LG’s new entry-level soundbar, the SP2, is a 2.1 channel system in a single speaker, thanks to its built-in subwoofer.

And while it’s the most affordable model, it’s not light on features. The fabric-wrapped, 30-inch soundbar has HDMI 1.4 ports (one for input, one for HDMI ARC output), Bluetooth 4.0 streaming, an optical input, a USB port for audio playback, and 100 watts of total power.

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Simon Cohen
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