LG's SJ8 sound bar is slimmer than a fitness shake

LG has unveiled a sound bar that's only 1.5 inches tall -- it's designed to pair with the company's new TVs.

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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Ty Pendlebury

Jan. 3, 2017 12:34 p.m. PT

If you're not feeling LG's all-singing, all-dancing fancypants new SJ9 sound bar ($899), the Korean company also offers the more demure/affordable SJ8 ($550/£499/AU$1,099).

Looks-wise it's very similar to the excellent-sounding SH7 of last year but it's had its profile reduced to just 1.5 inches in height. LG has designed this sound bar to integrate with its 2017 TVs by sitting flush, not 6 inches away, thanks to a new curvy, boomerang stand. LG calls this design Perfect Fit and includes a dedicated TV stand for these models in the box.

While the SJ8 lacks support for the Dolby Atmos sound standard, it includes many of the same features of the SJ9, including HDMI in/out with 4K pass-through, high-resolution audio, and the ability to stream via Google Cast.

The sound bar comes with a wireless subwoofer in addition to wireless rears, which helps set it apart from competitors at the same price.

Given that I was quite enamored with the SH7, I'm very much looking forward to hearing the SJ8.