LG Soundbar

Stevieray_Smith · 11-07-2014, 20:28

I recently purchased an LG Soundbar & separate subwoofer(NB4530A). To start with I was very pleased as it improved the sound of my Sony flatscreen no end but now the bass keeps disappearing at least a few times a day and before I return it to the shop I wondered if there was anything apart from the actual connections that I should check. The only 2 connections are the mains lead and the Optical connection which both seem fine and don't bring the bass back even when they're physically checked. Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.

chrisjr · 11-07-2014, 21:00

It would appear the sub connects over wireless to the soundbar. Which kind of suggests the wireless connection is dodgy.

According to the manual on the LG website if the LED on the sub shows red the wireless is not connected. If that is the case you need to re-pair the sound bar and sub.

Also try moving the sub to a different position. There could be something blocking the signal or causing some sort of interference where it is at the moment.

Winston_1 · 11-07-2014, 23:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjr

It would appear the sub connects over wireless to the soundbar. Which kind of suggests the wireless connection is dodgy.

What a stupid way of doing it when a pair of wires can be used! It's not as if positioning of the sub is important.

alan1302 · 11-07-2014, 23:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winston_1

It's not as if positioning of the sub is important.

Of course it is important

Deacon1972 · 11-07-2014, 23:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winston_1

What a stupid way of doing it when a pair of wires can be used! It's not as if positioning of the sub is important.

I'm assuming your place the sub anywhere is based on the myth that low frequencies 80Hz and below are nondirectional so it's hard to tell where the bass is coming from? Though true, that's not the same thing as disregarding the importance of room placement.

First off it depends on what the main speakers are and their frequency response, satellites are usually much higher than bookshelves, around 100-150Hz, therefore the sub will need to produce higher frequencies to integrate into the system, so you would not want to place it directly in ear shot, somewhere out of sight would be best.

If you have bookshelves or floorstanders they tend to have a lower frequency response 80Hz down, perfect for the sub xover. Room placement still requires a bit of work to get it sounding right. Place it in the corner of the room tends to boost bass but can make it sound boomy because of wall reflections, placing it at the front in between the fronts next to a wall generally gives the best bass and room response.

Type of sub whether it's down firing or front firing or both will have an affect on where it's best placed too.

I've positioned and integrated dozens of subs and it's definitely not a case of stick it there that will do.

Nigel Goodwin · 12-07-2014, 08:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deacon1972

I'm assuming your place the sub anywhere is based on the myth that low frequencies 80Hz and below are nondirectional so it's hard to tell where the bass is coming from? Though true

Interesting contradiction

Calling something a 'myth' (which it isn't), and then stating it's true (which it is)

While it may be advantageous fitting the sub in different places, it's of relatively minor importance - because, as you admit, there's no directionality from a sub. Essentially it's no different to fitting a normal speaker, which provides full bass (apart from you're more hampered by directionality problems).

Certainly a wireless sub is a VERY useful feature, because of it's 'random' situation, and the difficulty of running a wire from sound bar to sub discretely.

Winston_1 · 12-07-2014, 10:11

Quote:

11-07-2014, 20:28	#1
Stevieray_Smith Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 9	LG Soundbar I recently purchased an LG Soundbar & separate subwoofer(NB4530A). To start with I was very pleased as it improved the sound of my Sony flatscreen no end but now the bass keeps disappearing at least a few times a day and before I return it to the shop I wondered if there was anything apart from the actual connections that I should check. The only 2 connections are the mains lead and the Optical connection which both seem fine and don't bring the bass back even when they're physically checked. Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.

11-07-2014, 21:00	#2
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	It would appear the sub connects over wireless to the soundbar. Which kind of suggests the wireless connection is dodgy. According to the manual on the LG website if the LED on the sub shows red the wireless is not connected. If that is the case you need to re-pair the sound bar and sub. Also try moving the sub to a different position. There could be something blocking the signal or causing some sort of interference where it is at the moment.

11-07-2014, 23:10	#3
Winston_1 Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 5,008	Quote: Originally Posted by chrisjr It would appear the sub connects over wireless to the soundbar. Which kind of suggests the wireless connection is dodgy. What a stupid way of doing it when a pair of wires can be used! It's not as if positioning of the sub is important.

11-07-2014, 23:35	#4
alan1302 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: West Yorks Posts: 6,180	Quote: Originally Posted by Winston_1 It's not as if positioning of the sub is important. Of course it is important

11-07-2014, 23:47	#5
Deacon1972 Guest Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 8,103	Quote: Originally Posted by Winston_1 What a stupid way of doing it when a pair of wires can be used! It's not as if positioning of the sub is important. I'm assuming your place the sub anywhere is based on the myth that low frequencies 80Hz and below are nondirectional so it's hard to tell where the bass is coming from? Though true, that's not the same thing as disregarding the importance of room placement. First off it depends on what the main speakers are and their frequency response, satellites are usually much higher than bookshelves, around 100-150Hz, therefore the sub will need to produce higher frequencies to integrate into the system, so you would not want to place it directly in ear shot, somewhere out of sight would be best. If you have bookshelves or floorstanders they tend to have a lower frequency response 80Hz down, perfect for the sub xover. Room placement still requires a bit of work to get it sounding right. Place it in the corner of the room tends to boost bass but can make it sound boomy because of wall reflections, placing it at the front in between the fronts next to a wall generally gives the best bass and room response. Type of sub whether it's down firing or front firing or both will have an affect on where it's best placed too. I've positioned and integrated dozens of subs and it's definitely not a case of stick it there that will do.

12-07-2014, 08:58	#6
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by Deacon1972 I'm assuming your place the sub anywhere is based on the myth that low frequencies 80Hz and below are nondirectional so it's hard to tell where the bass is coming from? Though true Interesting contradiction Calling something a 'myth' (which it isn't), and then stating it's true (which it is) While it may be advantageous fitting the sub in different places, it's of relatively minor importance - because, as you admit, there's no directionality from a sub. Essentially it's no different to fitting a normal speaker, which provides full bass (apart from you're more hampered by directionality problems). Certainly a wireless sub is a VERY useful feature, because of it's 'random' situation, and the difficulty of running a wire from sound bar to sub discretely.

12-07-2014, 10:11	#7
Winston_1 Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 5,008	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin Interesting contradiction Calling something a 'myth' (which it isn't), and then stating it's true (which it is) While it may be advantageous fitting the sub in different places, it's of relatively minor importance - because, as you admit, there's no directionality from a sub. Essentially it's no different to fitting a normal speaker, which provides full bass (apart from you're more hampered by directionality problems). Certainly a wireless sub is a VERY useful feature, because of it's 'random' situation, and the difficulty of running a wire from sound bar to sub discretely. But you still have to run a wire to power it. Wireless subs must have power from somewhere even if it is to charge an internal battery.

12-07-2014, 10:33	#8
Deacon1972 Guest Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 8,103	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin Interesting contradiction Calling something a 'myth' (which it isn't), and then stating it's true (which it is) While it may be advantageous fitting the sub in different places, it's of relatively minor importance - because, as you admit, there's no directionality from a sub. Essentially it's no different to fitting a normal speaker, which provides full bass (apart from you're more hampered by directionality problems). Certainly a wireless sub is a VERY useful feature, because of it's 'random' situation, and the difficulty of running a wire from sound bar to sub discretely. The myth - thinking you can stick a sub anywhere just because the frequencies (80Hz and below) are non directional. Please point me to a normal speaker that has full bass equal to a sub woofer.

12-07-2014, 12:46	#9
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by Deacon1972 The myth - thinking you can stick a sub anywhere just because the frequencies (80Hz and below) are non directional. It's as true as most things are, and in comparison to full range speakers EXTREMELY true. Quote: Please point me to a normal speaker that has full bass equal to a sub woofer. Any speaker with a sub built-in High end HiFi speakers are pretty well as good, and have been over many decades - the silly sub-woofer extended bass isn't really that important to the quality of the sound.

12-07-2014, 12:48	#10
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by Winston_1 But you still have to run a wire to power it. Wireless subs must have power from somewhere even if it is to charge an internal battery. You're rather missing the point (as usual), you don't run the mains lead up to the sound bar, it plugs in a mains socket elsewhere in the room, where it's out of the way. That's the whole point - not having to have a wire dangling from the sound bar to feed the sub.

12-07-2014, 14:31	#12
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by Deacon1972 Not a normal speaker if it has a sub built in, is it...... Why not?, it's just another driver in a multiway system - and stereo subs are commonly (if not always) used in PA systems. I suspect the reason for stereo in PA use is for a number of reasons: 1) Two subs is twice the power. 2) It makes the stage look balanced. 3) Crossover frequency is probably higher. Quote: To push the amount of air needed to produce v.low frequencies you need big boxes, big speakers, at least 12", huge magnets and large amounts of power, so even a high end HiFi speaker won't match decent sub a week of Sundays. And you've never seen HiFi speakers using 12 (or 15) inch bass units?. Many subs (most?) don't use 12 inch drivers anyway. Quote: A sub is an integral part of a 5/6/7.1 system, it has its own dedicated channel, it does the job the main speakers can't, why would you leave it out. If you want to hear/feel low frequency special f/x then a good sub will do that and add quality to the overall soundtrack - I don't see what's silly about it. Nothing 'silly' about having a sub - essentially it's a way to get decent bass without having to spend lot's of money (and space) on multiple HUGE speakers. It's the non-directional nature of low bass that makes it possible to use just one.

12-07-2014, 15:05	#13
Deacon1972 Guest Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 8,103	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin Why not?, it's just another driver in a multiway system - and stereo subs are commonly (if not always) used in PA systems. I suspect the reason for stereo in PA use is for a number of reasons: 1) Two subs is twice the power. 2) It makes the stage look balanced. 3) Crossover frequency is probably higher. We are talking home cinema, a normal speaker would be considered to be of two way design. Current receivers are now capable of running dual subs for 7/9/11.2. Much harder to setup, one tends to cancel the other one out, much easier if you can do it through a sub management system like Velodynes SMS-1. Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin And you've never seen HiFi speakers using 12 (or 15) inch bass units? Seen plenty of high end gear that can extend to around 18Hz, but these are not for your average home cinema, they are for the purist. Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin Many subs (most?) don't use 12 inch drivers anyway. Plenty of subs out there that use 12/15/18" drivers. Velodyne, Klipshe, Paradigm, Crystal Acoustics, MK Sound, SVS, BK...... Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin Nothing 'silly' about having a sub - essentially it's a way to get decent bass without having to spend lot's of money (and space) on multiple HUGE speakers. It's the non-directional nature of low bass that makes it possible to use just one. Just found your "silly subwoofer extended bass" comment strange......

12-07-2014, 15:56	#14
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by Deacon1972 We are talking home cinema, a normal speaker would be considered to be of two way design. I'm talking audio in general - not specifically home cinema, which is usually a compromise due to size and budget constraints. 'Normal' would be one, two, three, or four - two is probably most common, with three next most common. Quote: Plenty of subs out there that use 12/15/18" drivers. Velodyne, Klipshe, Paradigm, Crystal Acoustics, MK Sound, SVS, BK...... But many, and almost certainly most, don't use large drivers - which is rather the point in using a sub in the first place (to save space).. Quote: Just found your "silly subwoofer extended bass" comment strange...... Just that extending the bass down a little gives little improvement over a high quality large HiFi speaker system.

12-07-2014, 14:17	#11
Deacon1972 Guest Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 8,103	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin It's as true as most things are, and in comparison to full range speakers EXTREMELY true. Any speaker with a sub built-in High end HiFi speakers are pretty well as good, and have been over many decades - the silly sub-woofer extended bass isn't really that important to the quality of the sound. Not a normal speaker if it has a sub built in, is it...... To push the amount of air needed to produce v.low frequencies you need big boxes, big speakers, at least 12", huge magnets and large amounts of power, so even a high end HiFi speaker won't match decent sub a week of Sundays. A sub is an integral part of a 5/6/7.1 system, it has its own dedicated channel, it does the job the main speakers can't, why would you leave it out. If you want to hear/feel low frequency special f/x then a good sub will do that and add quality to the overall soundtrack - I don't see what's silly about it.

12-07-2014, 16:23	#15
Stevieray_Smith Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 9	Quote: Originally Posted by chrisjr It would appear the sub connects over wireless to the soundbar. Which kind of suggests the wireless connection is dodgy. According to the manual on the LG website if the LED on the sub shows red the wireless is not connected. If that is the case you need to re-pair the sound bar and sub. Also try moving the sub to a different position. There could be something blocking the signal or causing some sort of interference where it is at the moment. I have the soundbar about a foot below the TV on a glass stand one side of a chimney breast and the sub about 8' away from the soundbar the other side of the chimney breast. Neither is blocked out by the chimney breast, both can see each other.

12-07-2014, 16:39	#16
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	Quote: Originally Posted by Stevieray_Smith I have the soundbar about a foot below the TV on a glass stand one side of a chimney breast and the sub about 8' away from the soundbar the other side of the chimney breast. Neither is blocked out by the chimney breast, both can see each other. As an experiment try the sub closer to the sound bar. Thing is you don't know where the receive aerial is on the sub. It might be on the rear edge (bad design decision!). So if the sub is pushed up against the wall to the side then the chimney breast will be in the way. If it was on the front then that should not be such a problem. From the manual it looks like the sub uses Bluetooth. Which could mean it's getting interference from other devices in the band, which includes WiFi routers. If so that will reduce the effective range of the connection.

12-07-2014, 16:52	#17
njp Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 21,646	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin But many, and almost certainly most, don't use large drivers - which is rather the point in using a sub in the first place (to save space).. I'm starting to think people might be speaking at cross-purposes. It seems to me that there is the type of "sub" which exists mainly to compensate for the limitations of satellite speakers and sound bars, which by their nature incorporate rather small drivers and have relatively poor bass performance, even in the normal audio range. And then there is the sort of subwoofer people use to supplement a high quality AV system, which makes use of the dedicated LFE channel. Quote: Just that extending the bass down a little gives little improvement over a high quality large HiFi speaker system. For rather extravagant values of "large", perhaps. My main speakers are tall floorstanders but quite thin. On their own they have a decent enough bass response, but nothing like I get from my REL subwoofer, which (not often, but when the soundtrack demands it) I can feel.

12-07-2014, 17:41	#18
Deacon1972 Guest Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 8,103	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin I'm talking audio in general - not specifically home cinema, which is usually a compromise due to size and budget constraints. You may be, I'm talking about positioning a sub in a home cinema setup. Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin But many, and almost certainly most, don't use large drivers - which is rather the point in using a sub in the first place (to save space).. How do you work that one out? You use a sub to make use of the dedicated .1 channel, not to save space. There are plenty of systems out there where the sub is the biggest speaker. There are also plenty of people who don't like subs because of their size. If they are any good it'll be in their nature to be big. There are subs out there that use smaller drivers, these are cheap budget boom boxes, it's these that can sometimes add nothing to a system. Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin Just that extending the bass down a little gives little improvement over a high quality large HiFi speaker system. Wouldn't be a .1 system, soundtrack would be downmixed. Doubt you'll find many using such speakers in a multichannel setup. Even with speaker that can produce 32Hz adding a decent sub that can produce 20Hz could greatly improve the overall quality.

12-07-2014, 19:35	#19
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by Deacon1972 Wouldn't be a .1 system, soundtrack would be downmixed. Doubt you'll find many using such speakers in a multichannel setup. The .1 is almost entirely downmixed anyway, again that's the point as it's non-directional - even assuming there's extra content added to the .1 it could just as easily be added to the other channels instead (assuming the other channels all had suitable bass capacity).

12-07-2014, 21:51	#20
Deacon1972 Guest Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 8,103	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin The .1 is almost entirely downmixed anyway, again that's the point as it's non-directional - even assuming there's extra content added to the .1 it could just as easily be added to the other channels instead (assuming the other channels all had suitable bass capacity). I think you have misunderstood. Downmixing - reducing said number of channels to a lower number of channels ie. downmix 5.1 to 5.0. What makes you think the .1 channel only carries nondirectional frequencies? The .1 channel carries frequencies up to around 250Hz. What do you mean extra content - frequencies from around 250Hz down are just filtered out and recorded to the .1channel on the soundtrack.

13-07-2014, 11:48	#21
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by Deacon1972 I think you have misunderstood. Downmixing - reducing said number of channels to a lower number of channels ie. downmix 5.1 to 5.0. What makes you think the .1 channel only carries nondirectional frequencies? The fact you only have one, and there's no instructions for where to site it on each DVD you buy Are you claiming your sub is sited in a suitable place for directional sound on EVERY film you have? - I think not, it's non directional, which is the point of it. Quote: The .1 channel carries frequencies up to around 250Hz. What do you mean extra content - frequencies from around 250Hz down are just filtered out and recorded to the .1channel on the soundtrack. There's no reason to provide a .1 channel, if all you're doing it filtering the bass off the other five (as is normal for a sub), and this can VERY easily be done in the home amplifier (or even passively in the speakers). The reason for supplying the .1 channel is so the possibility exists for adding extra effects to the sub channel only - although as I see it you could just as easily add them to the other channels and filter them out in the home amplifier anyway.

13-07-2014, 12:43	#22
Deacon1972 Guest Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 8,103	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin The fact you only have one, and there's no instructions for where to site it on each DVD you buy Are you claiming your sub is sited in a suitable place for directional sound on EVERY film you have? - I think not, it's non directional, which is the point of it. What has DVD got to do with downmixing? I don't think you're on the same page here...... I'm claiming nothing of the sort - I'm saying, don't assume you can just stick a sub anywhere just because it can produce nondirectional frequencies, there's more to it than that. Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin There's no reason to provide a .1 channel, if all you're doing it filtering the bass off the other five (as is normal for a sub), and this can VERY easily be done in the home amplifier (or even passively in the speakers). The reason for supplying the .1 channel is so the possibility exists for adding extra effects to the sub channel only - although as I see it you could just as easily add them to the other channels and filter them out in the home amplifier anyway. As I said previously - normal speakers can't produce the ultra low frequencies a sub can. You need a sub to replay the information carried by the .1 channel. If you don't have a sub the .1 will be downmixed to how ever many channels you are using, if the frequency response of the speakers is only 40Hz you will be missing out on all the information from 40Hz and below, whatever's on that particular soundtrack, 25Hz, 20Hz, 15Hz. A lot of information missed there, not only audio wise but frequencies you feel.

13-07-2014, 13:19	#23
Peter_CJ Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 3,199	I recently bought a Yamaha 101 bar for daytime TV- have a Yamaha 375 with Tannoys for movies. I am really pleased with the 101 - the clarity of speech is excellent, and the bass output really surprising from such a slim unit, be it a low rumble, or the boom and bang stuff. Richers have the YAS 201, which has a seperate wirless sub on offer this week for 169.95 (sign up on the VIP link to get the offer) usual price is 199.00. http://www.richersounds.com/product/...014-07-13_1304 If the OP is thinking of changing, I doubt the Yam 201 will disappoint. Personally, I wouldn't spend more than 200 on a sound bar, because you won't get the rear surround sound as can be obtained from a full system.

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LG Soundbar

13-07-2014, 16:21	#24
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by Deacon1972 What has DVD got to do with downmixing? I don't think you're on the same page here...... From your claim that subs produce directional audio, in which case the sub would need to be sited in the correct place - which would need to be specified on every individual film. Quote: I'm claiming nothing of the sort - I'm saying, don't assume you can just stick a sub anywhere just because it can produce nondirectional frequencies, there's more to it than that. I agreed a LONG time back that there are limitations on where you might site a sub, but it has nothing to do with any imagined directional properties - only with the physics of fitting speakers close to walls or not.

13-07-2014, 17:05	#25
Deacon1972 Guest Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 8,103	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin From your claim that subs produce directional audio, in which case the sub would need to be sited in the correct place - which would need to be specified on every individual film. To clarify..... .1 channel can produce frequencies around 250Hz downwards, not just non directional frequencies. A system consisting of 5 main speakers capable of producing 50Hz, 1 sub that goes down to 20Hz. You set the xover to 80Hz, then everything from 80Hz and below gets sent to the sub. The frequencies from the sub will be non directional, but that doesn't mean you can stick it anywhere in the room, there are other factors to consider, because the wavelengths are long things like reflections, furnishings, standing waves can affect the bass response in the room. The advantage if its in line of sight you won't be able to tell where the bass comes from. A system consisting of 5 satellite speakers capable of only producing 130Hz, 1 sub that goes down to 20Hz. You set the xover to 130-140Hz, everything from 130-140Hz and below is sent to the sub, then the sub will be producing directional frequencies, best option is to place out of site, if in sight you will be able to tell where the frequencies are coming from, so again, thought and care is needed in positioning the sub, you can't just plonk it anywhere. Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin I agreed a LONG time back that there are limitations on where you might site a sub, but it has nothing to do with any imagined directional properties - only with the physics of fitting speakers close to walls or not. You gave the impression that sub positioning was of minor importance because of the nature of its nondirectional frequencies.