LG BB5530A
LG’s sound bar offering is called the BB5530A. While the name might not be very memorable, the aesthetics of product are quite fetching. The horizontal speaker component has a sharp rectangular front face which looks almost twodimensional. However the side profile of the device is quite chunky and in our opinion the unit seems to be better designed for being wall-mounted.
LG has also incorporated a Blu-ray player into the BB5530A, with a top-loading slot found smack in the center of the horizontal speaker, complete with controls. In addition, there’s also LG’s smart feature suite with a selection of apps, 2D-to-3D conversion, and web browsing.
Like the HT-CT260, the BB5530A also features a wireless sub-woofer. Unlike Sony, the BB5530A’s sub-woofer does not require the insertion of a wireless module and is much simpler to set up. The subwoofer’s body is primarily charcoal with a slate-like texture. One of the panels however is a grey wire mesh as LG has gone with a side firing orientation for their sub-woofer.
Connectivity-wise, the BB5530A is equipped with a range of ports that can easily make it the central hub of your home theater setup. HDMI ports are provided for you to connect the sound bar to the TV as well as two external devices. You can also hook up the product via an optical port. Both wireless and wired access to the internet, with the help of an Ethernet port, is possible.
The Wi-Fi capabilities of the sound bar also result in the Private Mode feature where the sound bar transmits audio to your smartphone’s speaker when both are connected to the same wireless network. DLNA and Miracast are also available, the latter helping seamless screen mirroring from smartphones on to the TV.
The BB5530A, like most modern audio products today, emphasizes bass frequencies a fair amount. While the skew may not impress audiophiles and purists, an audio equalizer is provided which can help bring the overall mix closer to a more natural tone. The strong low frequencies in conjunction with solid mids, which were amply evident on Adele’s Melt My Heart To Stone, make the BB5530A sound full and rich. Tinny highs however mean that the sound bar is not suited for all forms of music.
While the LG sound bar’s bass is good in terms of the showcasing details found in the low frequencies, it lacks the raw impact we experienced when listening to the HT-CT260. This leads to a mixed listening experience when viewing movies. The special effects for action movies feel slightly flat but audio effects for build-up sequences in thrillers are conveyed with full emotion.
“SPECIAL EFFECTS FOR ACTION MOVIES FEEL SLIGHTLY FLAT BUT AUDIO EFFECTS FOR BUILD-UP SEQUENCES IN THRILLERS ARE CONVEYEDWITH FULL EMOTION.”
The LG BB5530A has an extremely wide variety of ports that can allow it to be the hub of your home theater system. A built-in Blu-ray player comes in handy.