LG LAB540 SoundPlate review

With clumsy-looking soundbars failing to make much of a dent, how about this: the LG SoundPlate.

Designed largely to boost the sound quality of the slim-but-dim TV that wowed you in the shop but sounds weak and weedy at home, LG's SoundPlate is a novel idea indeed.

This flat, 700x320x39.5mm product is uniquely designed to sit under a TV and be, for the most part, completely hidden from view.

The main SoundPlate unit has four 40W speakers that – along with a separate (and reasonably square) 297x296x332mm wireless 160W active subwoofer – attempts 4.1 sound at 320W power.

Not quite 5.1 home cinema, then, but pretty close. Whether the SoundPlate's speakers are powerful enough to be a worthy upgrade to a TV purely on audio quality remains to be seen, but there's a whole other dimension to the LG LAB540 SoundPlate, too.

Inside that main unit is a 3D Blu-ray player that brings LG's SmartWorld of apps, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, DLNA connectivity and even 4K upscaling.

While 4K upscaling will only appeal to a select few, the SoundPlate's inclusion of Wi-Fi for easy-access smart TV and Bluetooth for the streaming of music from a smartphone or tablet threatens to make the SoundPlate almost irresistible.

So too the SoundPlate's Private Sound Mode 2.0, which wirelessly sends audio to the LG AV remote app on a smartphone for easy late night listening.

Ins and outs are fairly sturdy, with the SoundPlate's HDMI input able to switch a feed from a set-top box or games console. Flexibility is added by the provision of a HDMI output that's Audio Return Channel-compatible, which will allow any TV's remote control to tinker with the SoundPlate's volume. It can also link over Wi-Fi to select LG TVs.

A rear panel also adds a USB slot, a digital optical audio output (the third way to hook-up a TV) and an Ethernet LAN slot.

Performance

Does the odd-looking SoundPlate justify its high price of £499? You bet. It's just so simple to set-up and house on any AV rack or living room layout that I'm surprised no one thought of this concept before.

I attached an older TV to the SoundPlate using the digital optical audio output, but the wireless subwoofer is easier still. Placed about 10ft away towards the back of the room, once switched-on at the wall it links to the SoundPlate within a second. Zero set-up.

Although I generally liked the LG AV Remote app running on iOS, it's the standard remote control that's easiest to use for everyday operation. It's even got glow-in-the-dark navigational buttons and a function shortcut for scrolling through Blu-ray, Bluetooth and the SoundPlate's media player software.

Sound quality

The core of the SoundPlate concept is also a clear highlight. Tested with a 32-inch TV with thoroughly awful speakers, SoundPlate proves a worthy and surprisingly space-saving upgrade. It appears to down-mix Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks on Blu-rays discs to 4.1-channel audio without problems.

Crucially, that subwoofer is up to the job of lending much-needed rumble; both the frenetic space debris scenes and the more musical sequences in Gravity are lent much more, ahem, gravitas. The subwoofer wakes instantly and re-links with the SoundPlate even after periods of inactivity.

That sub helps create a joined-up soundstage that lacks the width of a physical 5.1 home cinema system, but it has plenty of depth. Dialogue is very clear and centrally located in the mix despite the 4.1 array's lack of a dedicated centre channel.

The music mode brings a warm yet detailed and exceptionally bass-precise reproduction of rumbly tune Carry Me by the Bombay Bicycle Club, which I sent to the SoundPlate from an iPhone 5S paired over Bluetooth. The sound effect buttons includes a one-touch toggle between standard, music and cinema 4.1.

Picture quality

Loading discs in about 12 seconds and reproducing everything with skill, the SoundPlate even gives an old DVD of The Last Of The Mohicans a nicely upscaled and remarkably clean treatment. Gravity in 2D looks sharp and contains smooth edges and textured blocks of colour, while the 3D disc suffers from zero crosstalk.