The LG SK8 2.1 soundbar system is feature-packed—it has Chromecast and Google Assistant support, as well as high-resolution audio playback and the ability to expand with wireless rear speakers.
Pricing with the SK8, which is also labeled on some sites as the SK8Y, is a bit of a mystery: The retail price is listed at $499, but we see it on sale for a far lower $349.
The system features powerful audio output that should appeal to bass lovers, and Bluetooth connectivity is a plus.
For its full retail price, it's perhaps not a standout, but for the budget-friendly price of $349, the SK8 delivers powerful bass depth and high volume levels in a user-friendly design.
Design
The SK8's 2.4-by-41.7-by-3.5-inch (HWD) bar is a typical long, narrow slab of brushed metal, with a polished black top panel and front-facing grille covering the stereo 20mm drivers.
Combined with the 15.4-by-8.7-by-12.3-inch wireless subwoofer, the system outputs 360 watts of power (the soundbar has two drivers delivering 80 watts each, and the sub pumps out 200 watts).
In other words: The system can get quite loud.
The LED display on the soundbar's front face scrolls the names of various modes or actions selected by the remote or by the on-bar side panel.
This panel, located on the right end of the bar, houses controls for volume, power, input, select, and Wi-Fi (an LG Wi-Fi Speaker app that works with the SK8's Wi-Fi functions allows for easy set-up).
The soundbar's back panel houses a DC input for the included power adapter, a port marked "service only," a 3.5mm aux input, and an optical input (an optical cable is included).
The back panel also houses HDMI out (ARC) and HDMI inputs, but there's no included HDMI cable.
Near those connections, there's also a LAN port for connecting directly to routers.
The soundbar is wall-mountable—brackets and a mounting guide are included.
The wireless subwoofer has a connection on the back for the included power cable, as well as a port for the sub's air movement to escape through.
The front panel is all black cloth grille, covering the sub's 40-by-100mm driver.
The included remote control runs on two AAA batteries (included), and has buttons for Power, Volume Up/Down, F (selects between HDMI, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Optical, and compatible LG TV models), Track Forward/Backward, and Play/Pause.
There are also smaller controls for switching between sound effects (choose from ASC for an "adaptive DSP" experience, Standard for less DSP, Bass Blast, Movie, or Music modes), adjusting the EQ (you can tinker with the treble and bass individually for the bar, and the sub's overall volume), as well as Auto Power (allows the soundbar to be powered up when connected gear is turned on), Auto Volume (raises low-volume content and limits high-volume audio), AV Sync, and Info.
If you wirelessly connect more compatible speakers for the rear channels, they can also be adjusted via the EQ control.
As mentioned, when connected to Wi-Fi, the SK8 supports Google Assistant control—you can use a Google Assistant device like a Google Home to control playback and volume via the Google Home app.
And you can stream audio directly to the SK8 from Chromecast apps by tapping the Cast button within the app.
There's also support for Dolby Atmos (provided your TV supports it), as well as playback of various Dolby formats, including TrueHD and DigitalPlus.
The SK8 also supports high-definition audio playback—files can play back at up to 24bits/96kHz.
Performance
On Chapter 13 of the Pacific Rim Blu-ray, the SK8 delivers palpable bass depth with the settings for the soundbar and the sub at default levels.
Boosting the bass on the bar and the sub, predictably, dials things up dramatically—and of course, there's always Bass Blast mode if you want some serious low-end, though we found it to be less crisp than Movie mode, which still has significant bass response.
For films, however—even those with massive explosions and huge creatures smashing things to bits—like this one—we recommend either Standard or Movie mode, and adjusting the EQ from there.
On Chapter 2 of the Casino Royale Blu-ray, with the bass on the soundbar and woofer slightly boosted, the gunshots and bulldozers crashing into things pack some oomph—there's some heft to the bass and added crispness in Movie mode.
Bass Blast only seemed to dull the audio—it's better suited for music than film.
Tastes will vary, but we found we got the clearest dialogue and punchiest, deepest bass in Movie mode with the bass slightly boosted on the soundbar and the subwoofer volume slightly raised.
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like the Knife's "Silent Shout," the SK8 sounded powerful in both Music and Standard modes, but at high volumes, the powerful vibrations were slightly too much for the sub—it didn't distort, but its enclosure rattled a bit.
Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with less deep bass content, gives a better sense of the SK8's sound signature in Standard mode.
With the EQ settings flat, the SK8 sounds somewhat thin.
But boosting the sub's volume and the bar's bass levels brought out more of Callahan's baritone vocals, while the drums sounded fuller, but not necessarily thunderous.
Switching to music mode added in a little crispness (but, of course, it's also possible to adjust the treble EQ to get more crisp or bright audio).
Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," had plenty of punch and thump in the kick drum loop, and the sub-bass synth hits were delivered with a thunderous presence that didn't rattle the sub's enclosure when the EQ settings were at reasonable levels.
The vocals on this track were clear in Standard and Music modes.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, have a crisp, clear presence and the bass can be adjusted with dramatic effects—the track can sound thin and brittle or overly bass-heavy, and just about everything in between, depending on your mix of listening modes and EQ settings.
We recommend Standard or Music modes for this track, and perhaps limiting the sub's volume to neutral or only slightly boosted.
One annoyance—the SK8 tends to lop off the opening section of a newly navigated-to track.
This isn't uncommon with some Bluetooth speakers, but it's an annoyance nonetheless.
Conclusions
The LG SK8 offers some serious power and bass punch for movies, and provided the EQ is set to reasonable levels, it also delivers a solid music experience.
However, in some of the bass-heavier modes, the sub's enclosure can sometimes be rattled by its own power—not a pleasant sound, but an avoidable one.
For about $500, there are some solid options like the JBL Bar 3.1 and the Focal Dimension.
Closer to the current SK8 price of $350, there are fewer winners, though we're fans of the Polk Signa S1 and the Sonos Beam.
For its lower price, we'd call the SK8 a great deal, and for its higher price, it's more like a solid contender, but not a standout.
