LG BH9431PW 1460W 3D Blu-Ray Theater System with Smart TV, Sound, Wireless Rear Speakers, Tall Fronts (Black Cones) (2014 Model)

I'm putting together a 9 x 10 sound studio in a small bedroom of my home. I experimented with a number of home theater options, including a Yamaha SP-2200 Digital Sound Projector. I realized after installing the Yamaha that its simulations of surround sound were not sufficient and that I craved true rear surround speakers. Hence, I ordered this item and am very impressed by it. My TV is a 50" LG "flat" screen and this was one factor which drove my decision to buy an LG system. The system is packed in an efficient and orderly manner, and the box even features a diagram printed on the under surface of one the flaps in order to guide re-packing if necessary. Set up is remarkably easy. The floor standing speakers assemble with 3 included screws in about 10 minutes. The speaker wires are color coded and have attached clips which permit them to snap in to the speakers and the Blu-Ray/amp. The rear speakers are driven by a small lightweight separate wireless receiver which is plugged into an outlet. The subwoofer is passive, and of course has its own color coded speaker wire attaching it to the Blu-Ray/amp. The center speaker is very compact and fits nicely on a small shelf below the TV. ONE CAVEAT: THE SYSTEM DOES NOT INCLUDE AN OPTICAL CABLE TO RUN OUT OF THE TV AND INTO THE AMP. However, as far as I can tell, the system can play audio from the TV through the HDMI ARC input. Now, I will not claim to be an "audiophile" in the sense that the word is commonly used. However, I am most definitely an audiophile in the strictest sense of the word. Music is my most vital hobby passion. That being said, I find the sound from this system to be excellent. It will not rival a full sized component home theater system, but especially for a small room like mine, it is much more than adequate, and very pleasing to the ear. I love the 3D modes which can be accessed with the press of one button on the remote. There is a 3D music and a 3D movie mode. I watch a lot of concert DVDs, and the sound produced by the 3D modes is immersive and wonderfully satisfying. Movies sound superb, with excellent reproduction of surround effects. This system is convenient, compact, easy to set up, and produces excellent audio. Enormous bang for one's buck. I strongly recommend it.

Finally Update: Just a little over a year and the sound unit is terrible. It makes a popping sound all the time and the sound is never quite right. I won't buy any LG product again. Update: As they release new software this unit has started to become buggy. The HDMI ports no longer show up as active even though they are both plugged in. Going to the input screen I can still select them even though they appear disabled. I bought an LG TV (LG Electronics 49UB8500) and it doesn't integrate well with this system. When accessing the home screen it flickers nonstop and is nearly unusable. Since I rarely use this other than for piping video from Xbox One or AppleTV I don't have to be in the home screen much which makes this tolerable. Sometimes when the unit starts up now it makes a very loud horrible constant sound and must restarted. Netflix produced content, like house of cards, has started to sound terrible on this for some reason and the surround sound must be disabled. This only happens for the Netflix produced shows so it seems to be an issue on their end as AppleTV and everything else sounds just fine. I lowered my review to 3 stars as the sound is great when it works but there are certainly issues. I'm hopeful that a future software update fixes it but it's only seemed to make it worse. If Apple or Microsoft come out with something that replaces this system I won't think twice to do so. Original Review: I was looking for a sound system that would sound good and not be super pricey. I am very happy with this setup. The wireless module for the back speakers is very nice but the speakers do need to be wired to the wireless power station. People looking for completely wireless, standalone, rear speakers are going to have to up your price range and also understand you're still probably going to have to plug the speaker in to the outlet as powering wifi and speakers does take power and up the cost :) Overall the quality and sound for the price on this is great. Another bonus is that basic functions can be controlled with the Xbox one. I would definitely recommend this system to a friend.

this system has great sound but too many annoying glitches. I too have experienced subtitles comming up halfway or randomly throughout movie. If switching from tv to inserting dvd will not recognize or let you switch imputs. Freezes the unit and are forced to unplug. When you go to Netflix from tv shuts surround sound off, even with auto off dissabled. Also randomly switches from surround sound using optical cable to tv sound and then shuts the system off automatically. With the price of this system I would not expect this poor function quality.

Pros: Sounds great - good volume, good reproduction of highs and lows. Package is very good, everything is protected by plastic film, so no scratches. Easy to set up, easy to use. The tallboy speakers are very tall, and the up-firing speakers do add dimension. The wiring uses quick connect plugs, so easy to connect the speakers. Cons: Does not have HDMI pass through; want to let kids watch something without the full surround? Switch inputs on the television or turn the surround on, but volume to zero. Installation instructions leave something to be desired. The "wireless" speakers aren't - there is a module for the pair, so you have a module and wires. Switching between input modes is slow, and you MUST have the television on to control the setup. No auto-tuning for the speaker volume levels. The USB port for connected drives is on the front of the box, requires a cover to flip down, and basically guarantees that if you're going to leave a drive connected, it will look like poo and probably be broken. The details on Amazon don't provide this level of information (and LG's website doesn't, either), so this is a case where I wish I had gone somewhere to see it. If I had, I would have selected something else.

Amazing sound when it's not glitching out. Clearly some firmware and or overheating issues