Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Our LG SJ9 soundbar setup and unboxing guide makes installation a cinch

Often when buying a soundbar, you’ll end up eschewing breadth and depth of sound in favor of value and effective space management. Not so with LG’s Dolby Atmos-enabled SJ9, which combines virtual surround sound with the distinctive Atmos ceiling-firing drivers, creating a massive, enveloping soundstage without requiring you to set up several individual speakers. Our LG SJ9 soundbar setup and unboxing guide will make installation a cinch, bolstering your home theater in no time at all.

What’s in the box?

In addition to the soundbar and the wireless subwoofer, you’ll get:

  • Wall mounts and a template
  • Cable management ties
  • An optical cable for digital connection
  • A remote with batteries
  • Some product literature

The power supply is built in, so there’s no need for an external cable. You won’t get an HDMI cable either, though at this point, most of us have enough of those bad boys lying around the house anyway.

Hardware setup

You’ll find all the necessary ports and jacks in the rear of the soundbar, in a centrally located alcove. There’s an aux-in jack (in case you want a second subwoofer), HDMI in and out, optical, and an Ethernet port for servicing only.

If you’ve got an HDMI ARC cable and a TV with an appropriate port, you’ll want to connect that way. If not, use optical instead — just make sure you take off the plastic caps before plugging anything in.

Once you’ve plugged the soundbar into a power outlet, allow it to fully power on before doing the same with the wireless subwoofer. That way, they’ll automatically pair.

Features and design

The curvy SJ9 is gorgeous, dressed in dark, silvery gray, with speaker grating that wraps around the front, as well as circular grates on top at either end. It features a scrolling digital readout across the front and some dedicated onboard control buttons (located on the front, near the left side) — though you’ll likely be using the remote instead.

The remote itself has all the basic controls you’d expect, plus a few unique ones. There’s automatic power and volume control, buttons to adjust bass and treble balance, and even a cool “night mode” function that compresses louder sounds when you don’t want to wake up the kids.

Software setup

Once everything is properly hooked up, head into your TV’s audio settings and make sure “audio out” is set to Optical/HDMI ARC, not “internal speakers” (and don’t select PCM in this instance).

If you have a newer LG television, you can select “LG Sound Sync/Bluetooth” to pair wirelessly, or “LG Sound Sync/Optical,” which will allow you to control the soundbar’s volume with your TV remote. Still, though, HDMI ARC should be your first choice. It just sounds better.

To connect with Wi-Fi, download the Music Flow mobile app (for iOS or Android), hit “Connect product,” and select the soundbar icon. It will walk you through the process to connect your SJ9 to Wi-Fi, after which it might prompt you to download an update — which you should do. After that, you should be good to go.

Caleb Denison
Digital Trends Editor at Large Caleb Denison is a sought-after writer, speaker, and television correspondent with unmatched…
There’s a rare deal on the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones today
Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones seen in black.

The massively popular Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones rarely appear in headphone deals, so if you've had your eye on them for quite a while, you're in luck because they're currently $51 off on Walmart. From their original price of $400, you'll only have to pay $349, but only if you hurry because we don't expect stocks to last long. You're going to miss out on the offer if you take too long, so don't hesitate -- add the wireless headphones to your cart and check out as fast as you can.

Why you should buy the Sony WH-1000XM5
The best headphones that you can buy right now are the Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones, and it's not even close. At the heart is their outstanding wireless sound, supported by top-quality active noise cancellation that uses two processors and eight microphones to block all unwanted sound, as well as crystal-clear hands-free calling using four beamforming microphones and advanced audio signal processing. The wireless headphones also offer Bluetooth multipoint connection so that you can quickly switch between different devices, touch controls for functions like adjusting volume and calling your digital assistant, and Speak-to-Chat and Quick Attention features to stop your music and let ambient sound in without having to take them off.

Read more
Sony’s premium soundbars will finally get support for VRR, ALLM
Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos soundbar close-up of top panel.

It's been a long time coming, but the wait is almost over. Sony's premium home theater soundbars are set to receive a software update that will add support for variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto low-latency mode (ALLM), two HDMI 2.1 gaming features that have been absent since these products launched.

The soundbars in question are the Sony HT-A5000, HT-A7000, and the multi-wireless speaker HT-A9 system. All three are scheduled to receive the update this fall, but Sony has declined to share specific timing, saying only that there will be more information closer to the rollout date.

Read more
What is Roku? The streaming platform explained
A roku powered TV hanging on a wall running Roku OS 12.

How do you get your Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, or Prime Video fix? Chances are it's through a streaming device or smart TV, and there's a good chance that it's through a Roku device or one running its pioneering streaming operating system. At this point, cord-cutting is old news, and Roku was one of the earliest companies to drive the adoption of web-based streaming with its self-contained, app-driven devices.

Today, watching something "on Roku" is standard parlance and the company's popular platform can be found baked into some of the biggest TV brands in the world as well as in its own lineup of streaming devices sticks, and set-top boxes. Even so, that doesn't mean you totally get what a Roku actually is. What is Roku? How does Roku work? Do you need a subscription to use it? Is it just a device you buy, or is it software?

Read more