LG 42LE4600 Jazz LED

When LG first introduced the Jazz series LCD TV, it was clearly the best sounding LCD TV we had come across by miles. Although the sliding speakers were a bit gimmicky it was able to deliver the goods. Then later LG tried to rekindle the Jazz series with the Jazz Theater which boasted of nine speakers scattered across the rear. Amazingly, it sounded better than the older Jazz, the bass was a lot more pronounced and the highs and mids were clear with enough volume to easily fill a large hall in your home. It looked the part as well with cool LED lights on either sides of the TV.

Today, with all the LED hype that's around, first time buyers generally won't look at anything that's non-LED and in a way that's a smart thing too since the advantages of LED are pretty clear. The only way for LG to spruce new life into their older models is to infuse them with the LED tag and that's exactly what they've done to the Jazz. Today we have the 42LE4600 which is a 42-incher LED version of the Jazz series.

Design and Build

The exterior has gone through a makeover once again and this time LG has gone with a more contemporary design unlike the in-your-face look of the Jazz Theatre. This is not a bad thing, as the new design looks equally good with a glossy black bezel and red bit at the bottom. The backlighting is Edge LED and the panel is an IPS type, which means very good colors and viewing angles. The panel has a matt finish and isn't protected by any glass covering. The speakers are placed at the bottom of the TV and face downward, so they use the surface to disperse sound more evenly. Other features include 100Hz refresh rate, DivX HD Plus through USB and four speakers (10W RMS x2, 13W RMS x 2) plus a sub woofer hidden in the stand.

A good set of connectors fill the rear of the TV. There are plenty of HDMI and other analogue connections for all your devices. There is no LAN port, which means no DLNA or internet apps.

The woofer is placed in a stand with vents facing the sides and the rear. The silver bit in the front is just decorative and is not a vent. The Jazz Theater had two woofers facing the wall in the rear of the TV which gave it the extra punch. Let's see how this arrangement favors the Jazz LED.