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I tried it out and was told by teammates that I sounded clear, with no major audio problems, which feels like nothing short of a miracle.
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Yet the intelligent echo and noise cancellation is able to distinguish your voice from the audio that the soundbar itself is putting out. That's normally a recipe for feedback, echoes, and noise. The microphones are inside the same soundbar that's blasting audio at your face. How in the world can it manage that, you ask? Pure magic is my best guess. On top of that, the GP9 pulls another trick out of its hat: It can also be used for team chat. But the value is getting closer to reasonable. Sure, $500 would be a lot for desktop speakers, but what about desktop speakers and a portable Bluetooth speaker? Okay, that's still a lot. I'd usually need an entirely separate device, and that's a huge factor when considering the price. It's powerfully freeing to know that the sound system I'm using for my desktop could just as easily go with me to the beach or, more likely if I'm being honest, downstairs for board game night. Since it has a built-in battery, it can be unplugged from the wall. This is especially useful when the GP9 is being used as a Bluetooth speaker, one of its neatest tricks.
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That means even if you can't find which app is making noise, you can turn the sound down real quick. Right next to those buttons, you'll find a giant volume knob that controls the speaker's internal volume, with a large mute button in the middle. It can plug into your computer via either USB-C or an optical audio cable, and switching inputs is as easy as pressing a button on the top. On paper, the LG UltraGear GP9 seems like the perfect soundbar.
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