Very similar to the FP8s, LG’s FP9 headphones add a feature to the spec sheet: the case can be plugged into a jack port for use with more devices.
When LG offered me a copy of the FP9 earphones, I looked for a long time at the differences with the FP8s – which I had tested in November 2021. The distinction is actually very subtle and is due to the case: whereas that of the FP8 is compatible with wireless charging, that of FP9 offers a feature called Plug & Wireless, which is charged 10 € more.
For the rest, the technical sheet is in all respects similar and the services are, therefore, the same in terms of comfort and audio quality. Remember that the FP8 and FP9 are wireless headphones with active noise reduction. Their autonomy allows between 6 and 10 hours of listening, while the case offers a cleaning technology operating by UV. It takes care of eliminating invisible elements, such as E. coli and S. aureus bacteria, when the case is charging.
Differences between LG FP8 and FP9 :
| FP8 | FP9 | |
|---|---|---|
| Active noise reduction | ✅ | ✅ |
| UV nano cleaning | ✅ | ✅ |
| Wireless charging | ✅ | ❌ |
| Plug&Wireless function | ❌ | ✅ |
| Price (excluding promotions) | 189 € | 199 € |
What is the Plug & Wireless functionality?
Why would it be interesting to spend 10 € more to favor the FP9 rather than the FP8, losing the wireless charge? Everything depends on this famous Plug & Wireless feature, which can be useful depending on your needs. Concretely, it consists of transforming the box into a Bluetooth dongle to be able to use the headphones on devices equipped with a 3.5 mm jack port. Concretely, this allows for example to use FP9 in an airplane.
How it works ? Simply connect the box to the reading device using the supplied USBC-C to jack cable, and activate Plug & Wireless mode using the dedicated button (integrated into the box). It’s really easy as pie. Numerama was able to convince themselves of this by trying the FP9s with the PlayStation 5, by connecting the box to the DualSense controller (which has a jack port). Everything worked without any problems. We also checked on Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X: in both cases, the FP9 are compatible.
In short, LG headphones can be recommended to those who would like to play the console in peace, but would not support wearing headphones during more or less long sessions (the FP9s provide a comfort that is difficult to take into account). fault). Especially since the latency – the gap between what we see in the image and the sound that reaches our ears – is very low, if not imperceptible (depending on the sensitivity of each).
To know the faults and qualities of FP9, we encourage you to read our complete FP8 testwhich received a score of 6 out of 10 in our columns due to noise reduction that could be improved and listening quality to be refined.
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