With some of the best TVs on the market, LG has just released details of a new lineup of powerful soundbars designed to boost your home theater experience with immersive Dolby Atmos and DTS:X format support, and up-firing center speakers.
There are six new models in all, including the flagship S95QR ($1,799), S90QY ($1,199), S80QR ($TBC), S80QY ($899), S75Q ($599) and S65Q ($399). Although we've yet to get hands on with any of the models in the new lineup, it's the flagship S95QR that looks to be the most interesting for its 810W total power output claim, making it LG's most powerful soundbar to date.
A 9.1.5-channel configuration, it uses 15 speakers throughout the surround sound speaker package, and incorporates dedicated wireless rear surrounds and a wireless subwoofer.
The S95QR soundbar itself employs three up-firing height speakers (which includes a brand new up-firing center driver), plus there are two further up-firing drivers in the wireless rears. All woofers in the S95QR have been upgraded over previous flagship designs to larger models that aim to deliver deeper bass notes said to emulate the immersive sound of a movie theater.
The wireless rear speakers of the S95QR package have also been upgraded with four front/side drivers — along with the two aforementioned up-firing drivers. The enhanced configuration is said to distribute sound evenly across a wider area, and facilitates flexible speaker placement for a more immersive sound experience no matter what size room they're placed in.
Power share
Compatible with special features when used with LG OLED TVs, LG’s TV Sound Mode Share aims to deliver the best of both worlds by using the TV’s superior audio processing capabilities but relying on the richer-sounding soundbar drivers (and subwoofers, where included) to pump out the processed sound.
Even if you don’t match one of the new LG soundbars with one of its TVs, the new lineup offers some well-featured speaker systems. Models including the flagship S95QR through to the S75Q support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats. HDMI eARC ports come as standard on all models with support for Dolby Vision pass-through as well as HDMI 2.1, and there's auto low latency mode (ALLM) for gamers who value in-sync onscreen action and audio too. Room calibration is said to be improved, and there's compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
As with several of its most recent soundbars, the audio output of LG's 2022 soundbar lineup has been tuned by Meridian Audio. The British audio specialist has also contributed its Meridian Horizon tech, which converts two-channel stereo sound into a multi-channel audio experience for surround sound speaker setups.
Additionally, a new LG add-on called Wowcast ($99) enables wireless lossless multi-channel audio connectivity from any TV with an HDMI ARC/eARC port to Wi-Fi-enabled S95QR, S90QY, S80QY, S80QR soundbars.
All models are available via LG's website and select authorized LG dealers, and you can check our LG promo codes to see if you can snap one up at a discounted price. I for one am looking forward to getting to grips with the new flagship S95QR and seeing how it compares to the best Dolby Atmos soundbars we've seen so far.
