LG SC9 and SE6 soundbars first look: Making the most of LG's TVs
Flashy new features are reserved for the company's own displays.
LG unwrapped its 2023 soundbars right after Christmas, but the company is showing the duo off here at CES. The SC9 and SE6 are both equipped with Dolby Atmos, but while the former is a more premium-level device, the SE6 is compact all-in-one unit more akin to Sonos' Beam. We got out first look at both at CES along with some more info on each unit.
First, the SC9 is designed to work best with LG's OLED TVs — specifically the C series. The company has even designed a custom mounting bracket for its TVs so that the soundbar is attached to the display and not the wall. This means that if your television is on a swivel bracket itself, the speaker rotates with it pointing the sound in the same direction as the TV. And speaking of directional audio, LG has equipped the SC9 with three upfiring speakers — one more than a lot of soundbars offer. That should boost the speaker's Dolby Atmos and DTS:X capabilities.
A few features for the SC9 are exclusive to LG TVs. Wow Orchestra syncs the display's speakers with the soundbar for the best audio experience and Wow Interface puts all of the SC9's sound settings on the TV for easy access. The company's Wowcast technology will let you connect to its TVs over Wifi, allowing you to ditch the wired connection if you see fit. In terms of wired connectivity, there are two HDMI ports: an HDMI/ARC for linking with the TV and one additional jack.
The LG SE6 is another proposition entirely. This compact unit still offers Dolby Atmos in a frame that's cloth wrapped and has softer, rounded edges. As you might expect, LG built the SE6 for people who have smaller spaces or simply want a smaller soundbar in front of their TV. It still offers HDMI/ARC connectivity with your TV with one additional HDMI port alongside. To further reduce any clutter, the SE6 doesn't come with a subwoofer like the SC9 does. However, it does support Wow Orchestra, Wowcast and most of the new features the company added to the more robust SC9.
LG hasn't announced pricing and availability yet, but we're likely to get that info sometime this spring.
