Connectivity: HDMI out (eARC), 1 x HDMI in, optical, USB, ethernet, wi-fi, Bluetooth
Sound codecs: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced
Streaming: Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Join, Tidal Join
Dimensions (hwd): 6.3 x 98 x 13cm
The USC9S is well-specced and has some distinctive options when paired with sure fashions from LG’s 2022 and 2023 vary of OLED TVs. Plus it is much less huge than the Sonos Arc. Nevertheless it’s underwhelming within the sound division, and far too costly to problem the very best at this degree.
For
- Weighty and spacious sound
- Good synergy with LG TVs
- In depth characteristic set
Towards
- Inexpressive and impassive
- Unsubtle low finish
- Lack of ahead projection
Connections: HDMI out (eARC), optical, ethernet, wi-fi
Sound codecs: Dolby Atmos, DTS
Streaming: Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Join, Tidal Join
Dimensions (hwd): 8.7 x 114 x 12cm
The Arc remains to be the king. Nice to have a look at, easy to make use of and even higher to hearken to, it takes Dolby Atmos 3D sound to a different degree, and suits seamlessly right into a wi-fi multiroom set-up. It is adept at dealing with music, too. A 3-times Award-winner for excellent cause, regardless of its lack of HDMI pass-through and help for DTS:X.
For
- Convincing Dolby Atmos
- Dynamic, detailed, managed
- The standard Sonos smarts
Towards
- Music might be higher projected
- Rivals sound weightier
- No HDMI pass-through
Even an affordable soundbar will sound significantly better than most TVs, however in the event you’re prepared to spend extra, you possibly can actually improve your private home cinema expertise. The Sonos Arc has gained a What Hello-Fi? Award yearly because it launched in 2020 – its newest victory proves it is nonetheless the soundbar to beat in its value class. However what’s this, a brand new challenger?
The LG USC9S launched lately in the identical value bracket, that means it is up in opposition to some stiff competitors. Can it steal the Arc’s crown?
LG USC9S vs Sonos Arc: value
The Sonos Arc has been round for 3 years now, however in the event you have been hoping for a reduction, you are out of luck. It is really dearer now than when it launched – blame Sonos’ status, that means offers are few and much between, to not point out these pesky “international financial headwinds” which might be making life so depressing for therefore many individuals. It is now £899 / $899 / AU$1499 (although at time of writing it is on provide for AU$1199). That RRP is a full £100 / $100 / AU$100 greater than its launch value. Ouch.
The LG USC9S is equally priced – it retails at £999 / $999 / AU$1499. It may be discovered slightly cheaper than that although – round $800 within the US and AU$1200 in Australia, at time of writing. Brits should pay full whack, in the interim at the least.
The USC9S value features a wi-fi sub and a bracket for attaching the soundbar to an LG C2/C3 TV.
Winner: Draw
LG USC9S vs Sonos Arc: design
The Arc is designed to suit a 55-inch TV – accomplice it with a smaller mannequin, and it will look a bit outsized. It may be wall-mounted too, although you will should pay further for the bracket.
Its curvy design (full with grille masking the speaker drivers) may be very simple on the attention, and about as aesthetically pleasing as soundbars come.
4 LEDs sit above the Sonos emblem. They’re off more often than not, and once they do come on (if you regulate the quantity, for instance), their brightness adjusts to the room’s ambient gentle in order that they’re by no means too brilliant. It is neat touches like this that assist distinguish the Arc as a premium product.
The USC9S is an LG soundbar made primarily for LG TVs – the 55- to 77-inch C2 and C3 OLED TVs, to be actual. It does work with different makes and sizes of TV, but it surely’s designed to be mounted to those fashions in LG’s C-series. All of the package required to do that comes within the field, so you will not must spend any further. Pair it with considered one of these fashions, and it integrates seamlessly with the TV, being positioned in order that the audio from the up-firing drivers is not blocked by the telly itself.
Do not personal an LG TV? No drawback. The USC9S is not very tall, so should not obscure any of the image, no matter what TV you pair it with. It is fairly deep, however a good bit much less huge than the Arc, that means it’s going to match a wider vary of TV cupboards.
Just like the Arc, there is a grille hiding the audio system and LEDs that change color and sequence relying on the operate. This is usually a bit complicated – it is like studying Morse Code – however a voice additionally publicizes which enter and have are activated. Useful support? Or admission of failure? You resolve.
Winner: Sonos Arc
LG USC9S vs Sonos Arc: options
How can LG count on to tackle the foremost soundbar in its value bracket? With the world’s first Dolby Atmos soundbar with three up-firing channels, that is how. The upward-firing drivers at every finish are joined by one within the center. Add to those the three front-firers, and also you get a 3.1.3-channel association (together with the wi-fi subwoofer). It is good for 400W of energy, and handles all the foremost sound codecs, together with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and IMAX Enhanced.
The bar creates a digital center layer by means of using an HRTF (Head Associated Switch Perform) 3D engine. That is billed as ‘Triple Layer Spatial Sound’ which creates a ‘Digital Sound Dome’, based on LG. (We’ll get to the way it really sounds within the subsequent part.)
There’s an HDMI out for hooking it as much as your TV, and – in contrast to the Sonos Arc – an HDMI in. Its HDMI sockets are 2.1-rated and able to passing by means of gaming-specific options comparable to 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM. That is all good, though Dolby Imaginative and prescient gaming and VRR are restricted to 4K/60Hz fairly than the complete 4K/120Hz that the LG C3 and C2 OLED TVs are able to.
It additionally has some options which might be distinctive to LG TVs from its 2022 and 2023 ranges. Wow Orchestra employs the TV’s audio system alongside the soundbar’s on the similar time for a extra impactful sound. And Wow Interface places many of the soundbar’s features on the TV’s menu, so you possibly can choose and tweak them on-screen.
Music-wise, the USCS9 ticks many of the containers. It helps hi-res information as much as 24-bit/96kHz, and is suitable with Spotify Join, Tidal Join, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth 5.0.
Similar to the USCS9, the Sonos Arc helps eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel), so it may well deal with higher-quality Dolby Atmos indicators from TVs that may output them (from a 4K Blu-ray participant or Xbox, say).
The Arc would possibly solely have two up-firing drivers – to the USC9S’s three – but it surely does have a complete of 11 drivers (two on the highest, one on every finish and 7 on the entrance). You’ll be able to simply combine the Arc into a real encompass system with the addition of different Sonos audio system such because the Period 100 as rear audio system, and the Sub Gen 3 / Sub Mini to deal with the low finish.
However even with out including further audio system, the Arc is eminently succesful. It calibrates its sound to the room utilizing Sonos’ Trueplay tech, whilst you can tweak the degrees utilizing the wonderful Sonos app (which is far more feature-rich and intuitive than LG’s rival). There are further modes relying on what you are watching at what time of day: Night time Sound flattens the audio and reduces bass in order to not wake the remainder of the family, whereas Speech Enhancement tasks dialogue extra clearly.
The Arc is on a par with the USCS9 by way of suitable streaming providers, although there is not any Bluetooth and it solely helps hi-res as much as 24-bit/48kHz, not the 96kHz of the LG. Nevertheless it does have each Alexa and Google Assistant, whereas the USCS9 solely has the Alexa voice assistant onboard.
Winner: LG USC9S
LG USC9S vs Sonos Arc: sound
Each of those soundbars are suitable with Dolby Atmos, however that does not in itself imply they sound any good. The Dolby Atmos badge is a bit like a license to promote alcohol – all pubs want it to be able to function, however there’s nonetheless an enormous distinction within the high quality of what they serve.
These two soundbars illustrate that completely. They’re each Atmos-approved, each laden with drivers (together with the all-important upward-firing audio system so as to add the component of peak) and each price about the identical. However their performances could not be extra totally different.
For the Arc, Sonos claims to have executed much more than simply level two audio system in direction of the ceiling. It iterated the curvature of the interior waveguides, overhauled Trueplay to account for ceiling distance, angles and acoustics, and tuned the Arc with Atmos content material producers in music, films and TV.
And it reveals. The Arc delivers one of the vital convincing Atmos shows of any soundbar we’ve heard. Sounds fill the room, however they’re additionally positioned with a precision not often heard from a mannequin at this value. They’re very distinct, too – areas open to the weather sound ethereal and spacious, whereas inside sounds are extra muffled. It handles greater dynamic shifts with aplomb, and the bass efficiency is rather well judged, even with out the addition of a wi-fi subwoofer. One pay attention, and you may hear why it is picked up three What Hello-Fi? Awards in a row.
It is adept with music, too. Even busy tracks are rendered into cohesive wholes, whereas the spatial and rhythmic organisation is spectacular. The one draw back is a slight lack of ahead projection, however that is a minor niggle given its appreciable strengths.
And the LG USC9S? Properly…
The excellent news is it is not terrible. However at this value, in opposition to the Sonos Arc, it must do loads higher to be aggressive.
It has three sound modes: Normal, Cinema and AI Sound Professional. Normal enhances the midrange, however is just too slim, gentle and unexpressive elsewhere. AI Sound Professional provides a bit extra oomph and spaciousness, stretching the audio far past the confines of the TV. However for films, you need Cinema mode. This primarily has the identical impact of AI Sound Professional however with added weight.
However this brings its personal issues. Tremendous particulars are misplaced, and low-level dynamic shifts are all however nonexistent. This leaves voices a bit flat and expressionless – not ultimate in the event you’re watching a drama. Or any style, for that matter, bar a silent film. And whereas the sub does add bass, it is not very composed when pushed.
The Wow Orchestra characteristic does convey some much-needed projection, making voices rather more direct. Nevertheless it nonetheless lacks the element, readability and total finesse of the Sonos Arc – and it is a characteristic that is solely out there to LG TV house owners.
Musically, it is no higher. The soundbar is a bit underpowered, and the sub too overbearing – they’re the Sid Little and Eddie Massive of the house cinema world.
Winner: Sonos Arc
LG USC9S vs Sonos Arc: verdict
It is a bit of a drubbing. The LG USC9S is on no account a foul soundbar, and when you’ve got a 55- to 77-inch LG C2 or C3 you will undoubtedly get loads of enjoyment from the additional options and seamless integration. However even then, the sound pales subsequent to the Sonos Arc.
Add the natty design, multiroom abilities and very good app, and you have the very best Dolby Atmos soundbar in its value vary. At three years outdated and counting, that is testomony to the standard of the Arc.
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