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​LG SJ7 Sound Bar Flex is ready to take on the Decepticons

The LG SJ7 Sound Bar Flex is a transforming modular sound bar with a wireless second unit that doubles as a rear or separate Bluetooth speaker.

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Ty Pendlebury Editor
Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He majored in Cinema Studies when studying at RMIT. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
  • Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
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LG

LG says its "transforming" sound bar , the SJ7 Sound Bar Flex, is now available for $450, £499 or AU$899.

The SJ7 consists of two detachable stereo units that can be used as fronts, rears or as Bluetooth speakers .

One speaker acts as the master while the second unit connects wirelessly and features an onboard battery. This second unit can be used as the wireless rear or for streaming Bluetooth anywhere in the house. The system appears to have a switch that determines which mode the second unit operates in.

The sound bar comes with a separate subwoofer, and the entire system features a claimed output power of 320W.

While the SJ7 offers an HDMI input it's only 1.4-compliant, meaning it won't support 4K TVs. If you want this capability, try the SJ8 instead.

The unit was announced at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, but the idea of a modular sound bar isn't new; the Philips Fidelio B5 with its detachable wireless rears came out in 2015.

Update, May 30: Added pricing.