Soundbar LG BB5520A

The manufacturer positions this system as "wall theater". As we have seen in the test acoustics, designed for mounting on the wall, it can very much. That is, it's not about how and where the system is installed, and how it is made.

But the model is not just BB5520A wall, it should create a multi-channel and three-dimensional sound field by means of a single speaker, even including a few drivers. Problem from a technical point of view is not easy, at least in cases where developers are not satisfied with the role of the unit "extender space" for the TV, and pretend to be something more. And it seems to me, LG BB5520A falls into this category of vehicles.

The most interesting in this system is concentrated in the part that regard playback content. The source can be not only Blu-ray-player with full support for 3D, but the network and as well as plug-in USB flash drives, including flash drives and portable HDD capacity up to 2 TB file system as FAT/FAT32, and NTFS. The list of supported formats is extensive - I emphasize that it includes MKV, FLAC, that eliminates the need for a separate media player.

Connecting to the network - as cable and wireless: a built-in Wi-Fi-adapter. And what is particularly interesting mode is supported Wi-Fi-direct - it allows you to connect portable devices to the theater, bypassing the wireless router. Needless to say, here applied technology and Smart TV offers easy access to a wide range of online services, most of which Russified.

Orient in a huge choice of content will feature universal search: The system will look for a matching keyword on all available sources of information, including online services, the local network, connected portable devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.), as well as USB-drives.

Switching - typical for such systems. Interface HDMI - version 1.4a with reverse audio channel - this will without a separate cable to listen to a TV through the soundbar. I should also note the presence of HDMI-input - it will need to connect to the theater for additional sources, for example, a tablet or smartphone.

Remote - typical for LG, very convenient and practical - cover by the metal does not collect dirt and fingerprints. If you suddenly lost, can be replaced by a free application brand LG Remote (there are versions for iOS and Android).

Configuration acoustics - 4.1, ie, a center channel signal is distributed between the front. For films with off-screen dubbing, where the voice of the translator is most often displayed in the center channel, it is certainly not the best option. However, a built-in optical drive has left developers choice - for the center speaker just no place. On the other hand, since the drivers left and right channels in a relatively short distance from each other, they are quite able to replace the missing center.

Since the volume of the main speakers is small, it is supported at low frequencies from the wireless subwoofer that can be installed in any part of the room not far away from the power outlet. Quite often the sub is "Achilles' heel" of the system - mainly because of the economies of the hull structure. But this clearly does not apply to the subwoofer, part of the LG BB5520A - it creates a sense of strength and rigidity. And listening revealed that it copes with the work - the bass is well structured, deep enough, and even at a decent volume in it there is no extraneous sounds and resonances.

I must say that the main column and works very well: the effect of the environment created by the processor 3DSound, having two modes of operation - movies and music. The first is obtained sufficiently realistic and homogeneous, but its depth depends on the particular soundtrack - in some films there is a sense of the full multi-channel system. But for the music, I thought, a virtual sarraund not very suitable: the scene goes wide, but not very accurate, although the sound sources are perceived as separate and not stick together in a lump. In general, include 3D-sarraund when listening to music or not - it's a matter of taste.

There are also other treatments, among which, I note, in my opinion, the most interesting. For example, Clear Voice - will provide voice and help compensate for the lack of a center channel speaker. Up Scaler - improve sound mp3 and other lossy compression formats. By the way, this treatment can be very useful, and when showing films with soundtracks in Dolby Digital.

All basic manipulation with the theater displayed on the TV screen, which is very important, if the theater will be at a decent distance from the chair or sofa - symbols on your own display are large enough, but for 2 - 3 meters are read not very confident.

Speaking of meters. Tested the system in a room area of about 18 m2, and with this space, it works fine. At the same time she takes up little space. A real gem for small apartments.

LG BB5520A Soundbar photo