LG HLB54S Review: Blu-ray Soundbar
LG’s HLB54S soundbar is a small and neat gadget compared to the competition, but when we look at the features it actually beats some of the bigger and more expensive systems. It met most of our already high expectations on this LG speaker system.
Like most soundbars, the HLB54S is a small and efficient product – but this one more so than others. It’s designed for placement right next to the TV or on a bookshelf and it doesn’t need more support than that, in fact there’s not even a wall-mounting option.
Connectivity
A pretty robust wireless subwoofer is included with the installation, which is as simple as it gets. There are two power cords to connect, an HDMI cable to your TV and that’s it. Besides the usual analogue/digital audio inputs and an iPod dock, there are two HDMI inputs – a nice detail for those looking to connect a digital receiver or gaming console through the sound bar.
Great Blu-ray Features
The menu system is instantly recognizable from LG’s Bluray players, with simple icons and a user-friendly approach. The remote control is also easy to use, but the most striking feature (that we recognize from other LGs) is that the movies start up ridiculously fast – it only takes it about 10 seconds to reach the menu.
In addition, the player supports almost anything you feed it such as high-res *.mkv files and DivX movies with separate subtitles in *.srt format. And you don’t need to plug in a USB drive to play your files; simply connect the player to the network, either by cable or wireless.
Sound Quality
There are lots different sound presets, but it’s actually better without. The sound “au natural” is airy and pleasant – the midrange, which is often a problem in smaller units is balanced in the HLB54S.
A larger Soundbar would probably add to certain aspects of the sound, but considering the size and price tag it performs really well. There is enough weight in the bass to provide an amazing listening experience when listening to music via the included iPod dock.
With its relatively affordable price tag the HLB54S is clearly a good buy, at least for those who appreciate reducing the clutter around the TV.
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6 Responses to “LG HLB54S Review: Blu-ray Soundbar”
How much is new LG HLB54S SOUND BAR/BLURAY AND WHEN
Comment made on January 13th, 2011 at 11:32 pmIS IT AVAILABLE & WHERE?
Hi Chuck. If you are in the US the HLB54S is unfortunately hard to find as it’s a UK-only product (I think). My best bet would be to try eBay or import it from a UK dealer.
Comment made on January 14th, 2011 at 9:17 amCheers -David (editor)
If you’re in Canada Futureshop has it for $499 right now. That is not a typo I said $499, regular $899. I picked one up yesterday. Sounds great, looks great and has great features.
Comment made on February 26th, 2011 at 1:21 amHi guys, i’m not audio minded and have a problem getting my LG TV to play through the LG sound bar. Ive connected the HDMI cable correctly – “I assume”, but have tried everything in my capability getting it to work, but to no avail. The sound bar will play cd’s and dvd’s independantly but won’t play anything from the TV through the sound bar – VERY FRUSTRATED ! Can you please help if at all possible?
Regards
Chris
Comment made on May 30th, 2011 at 3:52 pmHi Chris,
Comment made on May 31st, 2011 at 3:00 pmHave you tried with regular RCA cables or optical?
Hi. We have the same problem as Chris
And we also have problem with the iPod dock 
What should we do about these things??
Comment made on October 11th, 2011 at 2:32 amLeave a Comment