LG sends you voices from above with its new soundbar

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LG has announced a new 9.1.5-channel Dolby Atmos and DTS: X soundbar with a new upward-facing center speaker that bounces dialogue off the ceiling and into your ears so you can hear clearly. While up-firing drivers are an important part of how soundbars produce surround sound in general – it’s one of five here – LG says the up-firing center is a world first. The soundbar also includes a pair of wireless rear speakers that can now send audio to the side walls of the room as well, which could also increase audio immersion.

It is important to note that the new up-firing center speaker is still the same channel as the normal center, but adds clarity to the dialogue. The same goes for the two extra side-firing drivers of the pair of rear speakers; it is the same channel as the side speakers of the soundbar. LG says its AI Room Calibration can automatically configure the timing of each speaker and sync everything.

This new LG soundbar (model S95QR), its rear speakers and the included wireless subwoofer together have a power of 810 W. With Dolby Atmos and DTS: X, LG S95QR positions itself as a premium soundbar and successor to the LG SP11RA 7.1 soundbar. 4 channels.

Unfortunately, the new soundbar, like its predecessor, does not yet support passthrough for 4K 120Hz with HDR. If you have a newer 4K HDR TV and an X Series or PS5, you may not want to connect your game console directly to the bar. However, you should still get the benefit of variable refresh rate (VRR) support.

A visual representation of LG’s 7.1.4-channel soundbar setup. To get to 9.1.5, imagine a third wave firing from the soundbar (center) and two waves propagating from the rear speakers to the left / right walls. Image: LG

The soundbar also supports Auto Low-Latency (ALLM) mode and can be controlled using smart devices with Google Assistant, Alexa and “other AI assistants”. The old LG SP11RA soundbar had support for AirPlay 2 and could be controlled via Siri, but it’s unclear from LG’s press release if the new soundbar included it as well (but let’s hope so).

LG also claims that there is support for its Wowcast Wi-Fi audio dongle, which was originally released last fall and is available on LG’s UK page. The Wowcast is a device that makes the soundbar wireless, for situations where it would be difficult to run a cable between the TV and the soundbar. It mounts behind your TV and can stream an HDMI eARC connection between it and the soundbar. LG says the Wowcast will be sold separately, so we expect a US release along with the new soundbar.

However, LG hasn’t shared a price or release date for the new LG S95QR. The soundbar will be among the company’s first products to be announced and shown in its virtual booth at CES 2022.

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