Chromecast Sound bar

MarcusP12

Hi guys, i've asked about soundbars before in the past and need some guidance. I'm keen on a sound bar that could be integrated into a multi room set up like sonas. Now i know that immediately points to the beam. However, i have a couple of airplay monitor audio speakers, S200 and S300 which are great and which i bought from ye. My problem is that if i went for the beam, i'd end up getting a couple of play ones which would basically make the MA speakers pretty much redundant. So, to get around this, i came up with a plan which i'm hoping you can confirm would work.

- Instead of going for the beam, i'd go for the lg sj8 or sj9 (seems like a great price for an atmos capable soundbar with a sub) which has chromecast built in
- Then i would get a couple of chromecast audios to plug into the MA speakers so that they can be linked to the sound bar for a multi room set up. I've a bose bluetooth speaker also that i could expand with.

My questions are simple
- Are those LG sound bars any good? I've read mixed reviews but for every day use, are they good. I'm particularly interested in the SJ9 at that price for future proofing. Honest opinion? If there's another chromecast soundbar you could recommend instead i'd be all ears.
- Will my plan to use the chromecast audio with the S200 and S300 work?? Obviously they're already wifi enabled but can this be byepassed to work with the plug in chromecast do you guys know?

As an aside, any plans to stock the heos home cinema HS2 as an alternative to the beam if the chromecast option wont work?

Hoping to make a decision on this with a view to buying soon so i'd appreciate you guidance and advice!

Thanks in advance!

Lord Spence

Also very interested in the SJ9, torn between that and the beam. 

Richersounds.ie: Kenny

MarcusP12 wrote: »

Hi guys, i've asked about soundbars before in the past and need some guidance. I'm keen on a sound bar that could be integrated into a multi room set up like sonas. Now i know that immediately points to the beam. However, i have a couple of airplay monitor audio speakers, S200 and S300 which are great and which i bought from ye. My problem is that if i went for the beam, i'd end up getting a couple of play ones which would basically make the MA speakers pretty much redundant. So, to get around this, i came up with a plan which i'm hoping you can confirm would work.

- Instead of going for the beam, i'd go for the lg sj8 or sj9 (seems like a great price for an atmos capable soundbar with a sub) which has chromecast built in
- Then i would get a couple of chromecast audios to plug into the MA speakers so that they can be linked to the sound bar for a multi room set up. I've a bose bluetooth speaker also that i could expand with.

My questions are simple
- Are those LG sound bars any good? I've read mixed reviews but for every day use, are they good. I'm particularly interested in the SJ9 at that price for future proofing. Honest opinion? If there's another chromecast soundbar you could recommend instead i'd be all ears.
- Will my plan to use the chromecast audio with the S200 and S300 work?? Obviously they're already wifi enabled but can this be byepassed to work with the plug in chromecast do you guys know?

As an aside, any plans to stock the heos home cinema HS2 as an alternative to the beam if the chromecast option wont work?

Hoping to make a decision on this with a view to buying soon so i'd appreciate you guidance and advice!

Thanks in advance!

Hi MarcusP12.

Thanks for the post.

The Sonos or Heos products are very good indeed and easy to setup and use.
However as you say these system would not incorporate the S200 or 300. 

The SJ9 seems to have been removed from our website and no more stock available. This would make me think that it has perhaps finished with ourselves.

The SJ8 is still available priced at £329. I have demoed these several times here at the Belfast store and it sounds the part. Great value for money.
https://www.richersounds.ie/p-202563-lg-sj8-soundbar.aspx

I'm not sure how or if using the Chromecast Audio into the S200 and 300 would work as it's not something I've tried out myself unfortunately.
However I don't see why it would not work as the Chromecast Audio connects via 3.5mm jack and has its own power supply and WiFi connectivity.

We will be able to get the Heos Home cinema HS2 but I would just need to check an ETA on it. It looks like it is retailing for £629.00

The Sonos beam has been very popular from its release a few months ago and integrates into the the Sonos range perfectly.
We run one in our demo room and it performs fantastically.

Yamaha have also dropped their NEW YAS408 (Bar 400) coming in at £599
https://www.richersounds.com/tv-home-cinema/soundbars/yamaha-musiccast-bar-400-yas408-black.html
No Chromecast Audio but operates along the same lines as the Sonos and Heos products.

Let me know your thoughts.

MarcusP12

hi kenny....thanks for the feedback....just noticed that the sj9 is gone alright! there's a big difference in price between the sj8 and say the sk9 which has dolby atmos. Is the difference worth it? i was tempted by the price of the sj9 when it was available for future proofing but i'm not sure 500 euro or so more for atmos when i don't even have a 4k TV yet is worth it? What do you think? im sure i will get a 4k tv in the near future but is it that big of a deal?

I picked up a couple of chromecast audios so i'm going to check these out. if i can get them to work (im abroad for work for a couple of weeks so although ive bought them already, i havent set them up yet) then that may steer me towards to LG or any other chromecast sound bar. Do you have anything other than LG in chromecast?

I'll definitely keep in touch with this as i expect to make a decision one way or the other before Christmas.....thanks for the input as alway!

Richersounds.ie: Kenny

MarcusP12 wrote: »

hi kenny....thanks for the feedback....just noticed that the sj9 is gone alright! there's a big difference in price between the sj8 and say the sk9 which has dolby atmos. Is the difference worth it? i was tempted by the price of the sj9 when it was available for future proofing but i'm not sure 500 euro or so more for atmos when i don't even have a 4k TV yet is worth it? What do you think? im sure i will get a 4k tv in the near future but is it that big of a deal?

I picked up a couple of chromecast audios so i'm going to check these out. if i can get them to work (im abroad for work for a couple of weeks so although ive bought them already, i havent set them up yet) then that may steer me towards to LG or any other chromecast sound bar. Do you have anything other than LG in chromecast?

I'll definitely keep in touch with this as i expect to make a decision one way or the other before Christmas.....thanks for the input as alway!

Hey MarcusP12.

The difference in sound quality between the SJ8 and the SK9Y is noticeable but as you say it is a jump of around 500 euro in price.

There is also the Sony HTXF9000 priced at £399 which has also been very popular.
https://www.richersounds.ie/p-203248-sony-htxf9000-soundbar.aspx

At the moment there seems to not be very many with Chromecast on board.
The Sony HTZF9 priced at 769 Euro
https://euro.richersounds.ie/p-203249-sony-htzf9-soundbar.aspx

Let me know how you get on with the Chromecast Audio once you are home and in the mean time I'll keep my eye out for anything else that might suit.