The premise appears easy sufficient. LG guarantees which you can set its Sound Suite audio system wherever and Dolby’s dwelling theater tech will make them carry out properly. The soundbar, subwoofer and audio system don’t need to go in prescribed places for the very best outcomes, which suggests you possibly can place them the place you might want to and transfer them as you see match. In fact, this all hinges on the reliability of the underlying tech and LG’s capability to make particular person audio system that truly sound good.
Like most premium soundbars and full dwelling theater setups nowadays, an entire Sound Suite assortment is pricey. The centerpiece alone, a soundbar that most individuals will need of their customizable configuration, is $1,000. Nevertheless, when you’ve got a latest LG TV, or are planning to purchase a 2026 mannequin when these arrive, there’s no higher possibility for enhancing your lounge leisure expertise.
The parts of the LG Sound Suite
There are 4 totally different units that make up the Sound Suite. The centerpiece is the H7 soundbar ($1,000), which is the primary one which works with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect (DAFC) know-how. Then there’s the 8-inch W7 subwoofer ($600) and the M5 and M7 audio system ($250 and $400). LG means that you can choose and select between these merchandise to construct a house theater arrange that fits your wants — as much as 4 audio system and one subwoofer. The one actual caveat is that you simply want the H7 soundbar or a latest LG TV (2025 OLED G5, C5, CS5 and QNED 9M, or an upcoming 2026 mannequin) to function the first system for Sound Suite to work. That’s as a result of the underlying tech requires LG’s alpha 11 Gen 3 AI processor, which is contained in the soundbar and the corporate’s newer TVs.
The H7 homes a dozen Peerless drivers comprising entrance, facet and up-firing models. There’s additionally 4 woofers and eight passive radiators for bass and low-frequency audio. The soundbar has a reasonably primary design, plain sufficient to sit down in entrance of an LG OLED (or different premium TV) with out being a distraction, and quick sufficient to not block it. Each Bluetooth and Wi-Fi can be found right here, so AirPlay 2, Google Forged, Spotify Join and Tidal Join are all supported.
The W7 wi-fi sub has an 8-inch woofer that will get actually boomy at instances. It’s fairly giant at 16.1 x 16.3 x 7.6 inches, however you should use it standing up vertically or laying down horizontally — whichever orientation suits your wants or accessible area. The M5 and M7 audio system supply principally the identical options, together with AirPlay and Forged, and can be utilized both by themselves, as a stereo pair, as a four-speaker array or as rear satellite tv for pc audio system with the H7 soundbar. The primary distinction is the M7 has two full-range drivers, one up-firing driver and a woofer whereas the M5 solely has a tweeter, an up-firing driver and a woofer.
What’s Dolby Atmos FlexConnect?
FlexConnect is a house theater audio know-how that Dolby introduced in 2023. It was accessible on TCL’s Z100 audio system final yr, however LG’s Sound Suite marks the primary time the characteristic has been accessible on a extra sturdy lounge product that features a soundbar. FlexConnect means that you can place audio system wherever in a room with out sacrificing audio efficiency. The tech makes use of a TV or soundbar because the lead system to find audio system so it may well tune the sound to match their positioning. The system may shortly adapt once you transfer a speaker — possibly for a celebration or different special day.
FlexConnect works as marketed, however there’s one caveat that ought to’ve been apparent, though I didn’t anticipate it. Each time you add or take away audio system from a DAFC group, you’ll must recalibrate the system, which incorporates the software program enjoying sounds from the audio system in order that the TV or soundbar can find them and Dolby’s tech adjusts their output. It doesn’t take lengthy, however there’s audible noise from every unit within the group, so that you’ll need to consider that point — and potential annoyance for anybody else in the home.
Different Sound Suite options
Sound Suite gives a number of the identical options as LG’s different dwelling theater merchandise. These embrace Evening Mode, Room Calibration Professional, AI Sound Professional+ real-time audio upscaling and Clear Voice Professional+ for enhanced dialogue. For the Sound Suite, LG has additionally launched Sound Comply with, a characteristic that means that you can regulate the “candy spot” for the system based mostly on the place you’re sitting.
When you set your present place with a faucet within the ThinQ app, Sound Comply with is meant to vary the degrees and tuning accordingly. I’m not fully certain this was engaged on my system. Not like my demo at CES, the seating place on the FlexConnect format within the app was by no means up to date. And whereas the UI appeared to point the change was made once I tapped the buttons, I couldn’t hear any distinction within the audio. I requested LG for extra data to make sure Sound Comply with is functioning correctly.
A phrase about setup
Like most soundbars and audio system nowadays, it’s important to use an app to get all of them related and correctly arrange. And like Samsung, LG makes you do this by the identical app that handles all of its related units — together with home equipment. When you unbox and plug within the Sound Suite audio system, you add them within the ThinQ app as a brand new dwelling theater association. The software program exhibits you which ones audio system can be found to make use of and means that you can choose which of them you need within the preliminary Dolby Atmos FlexConnect grouping.
The app will ask you to set the space between the soundbar and your main seating space earlier than operating the sound optimization (tuning) course of. ThinQ will show the speaker format and you may edit the DAFC group at any time. When you transfer a speaker although, you’ll must run the optimization once more for the very best audio efficiency. And in the event you’re utilizing an LG TV because the lead system, all of that is sorted onscreen somewhat than within the app.
General, the method is fairly simple, though I encountered some fairly vital connectivity points that have been very irritating. I evaluation soundbars and audio system recurrently, so I’m acquainted with the method of utilizing an app to attach units to my dwelling Wi-Fi with a purpose to get them up and operating. With the H7, it took just a few days to get it related, which meant I might solely use the soundbar with the audio choices accessible on LG C5’s menu and wasn’t in a position to arrange a bigger Sound Suite configuration. After a number of router and soundbar reboots, I used to be lastly in a position to get the H7 to attach and develop into accessible to complete the set up. I’ve by no means had this downside earlier than, so maybe LG did one thing totally different with the Wi-Fi parts right here.
After I was including the M7 audio system to my DAFC setup, I had no points connecting them to Wi-Fi initially. Nevertheless, I did have hassle including them to the FlexConnect group, which required every bit of the Sound Suite enjoying an audio calibration clip. Repeatedly, the ThinQ app instructed me there was a connection challenge with one of many M7s, though finally all of them by some means obtained added anyway. I additionally had hassle eradicating audio system from the association. Although the app mentioned sound was solely coming from the H7 soundbar, one of many two M7 audio system was nonetheless related and emitting sound once I didn’t need it to. For some cause, this solely occurred when enjoying music over AirPlay — TV audio over HDMI eARC at all times functioned as meant.
When you’re utilizing the TV because the lead system, you do the entire setup on the display. I discovered this technique to be extra simple and dependable, though it blasted the calibration sounds at a deafening quantity. There’s a massive challenge although: As soon as related to the TV as a DAFC setup, the speaker settings weren’t accessible in both the ThinQ app or on-screen menus. This meant I used to be caught in commonplace mode, with issues like AI Sound Professional+ inaccessible. I requested LG for more information on this as a result of it drastically impacts the general expertise.
Which configuration sounds greatest?
Earlier than I get into describing the assorted Sound Suite configurations, I must make an necessary observe concerning the limitations for the doable setups. LG solely permits a most of 5 audio system in any Sound Suite association, however you possibly can combine and match nonetheless you need. Simply bear in mind in the event you don’t go for the H7 soundbar, you’ll want a suitable LG TV because the lead system for FlexConnect to work.
You can even use the M5 and M7 as standalone audio system in one other room and swap them out and in of your lounge or dwelling theater setup as wanted. Within the multi-room situation, Sound Suite audio system operate very like a Sonos system would, and the M7 is greater than able to being a standalone music speaker with loads of element and respectable bass. I wasn’t in a position to take a look at the M5, so I can’t vouch for that one. Understand that in the event you go for the M5 or the M7 in your lounge, you’ll want at the very least two of both one to make use of FlexConnect together with your LG TV.
After testing a number of configurations of the Sound Suite, I feel the mixture of the H7 soundbar, W7 subwoofer and two M7s is the best association. I’ll hedge {that a} bit as I choose to disable the M7s within the rear of the room when watching stay TV — particularly sports activities — as the identical audio coming from the soundbar and people audio system didn’t actually improve the expertise. Plus, enviornment noise appeared overly echo-y and off-putting. This setup is well-suited for streaming TV exhibits and films, issues the place Dolby Atmos, or at the very least LG’s spatial upscaling, is on the peak of its powers.
On this setup with the H7 because the lead, you get Sound Suite in its most immersive kind. I at all times use Netflix’s Drive to Survive as my first take a look at of a brand new dwelling theater system, and LG’s lineup dealt with it like a champ. You get wonderful directional audio, which makes the automobiles sound like they’re zooming round your lounge. And the in-car photographs are so enveloping, it’s such as you’re sitting proper behind the driving force. This configuration additionally works properly for music, although I most well-liked to make use of both one of many M7 audio system or the soundbar/sub duo somewhat than the entire shebang.
My second favourite setup is 4 M7s. As soon as once more, this configuration requires an LG TV because the lead system, however when you’ve got that, you possibly can positively avoid wasting room in entrance of your tv with separate entrance audio system. Sadly, you possibly can’t use a subwoofer too as a result of in the event you’re utilizing a TV to energy the audio system, you possibly can solely add as much as 4. That’s an actual bummer, however the TV audio system can be used as a middle channel (dialogue) enhance, so it’s not an entire waste. Nevertheless, this association would profit from extra bass.
The four-speaker setup may very well be notably helpful for individuals who mount their TVs on the wall and don’t need a soundbar beneath. And, once more, FlexConnect means that you can put the audio system wherever, not essentially flanking your TV. You additionally get the choice of transferring these smaller audio system round when you might want to — one thing you possibly can’t actually do with a soundbar. The one sacrifice I seen audio-wise is that two M7s within the entrance doesn’t supply the identical overhead sensation for Atmos content material because the H7’s up-firing drivers.
When you’re simply utilizing 4 M7 audio system for dwelling theater duties, you’ll benefit from the immersive audio these Sound Suite audio system will present. There’s plenty of directional sounds with Atmos content material, and there’s loads of refined element that comes by on motion pictures and exhibits. Nevertheless, for stay sports activities, this association pulls commentary audio from the TV audio system and places a lot of the world/stadium noise within the rear M7s, which makes it troublesome to listen to the announcers at instances. That is one space the place the lack to regulate the audio settings actually hampers the expertise.
When you’re hoping to put money into one thing that may pull double obligation for music, I choose one or two M7s for that function. And whereas there’s respectable low-end thump, streaming your favourite tunes is the place you’ll discover the absence of that W7 subwoofer.
The competitors
When you’re on the lookout for alternate options to LG’s Sound Suite, it’s important to make some sacrifices. The one different possibility proper now that gives Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is the TCL Z100 speaker. Clearly, you’ll want multiples of this $300 system, and also you’ll most likely need to add the $350 subwoofer, too. Just like the LG M7, you’ll want a suitable TCL TV to function the lead system for FlexConnect (a QM6K, QM7K, QM8K, QM9K or X11L mannequin). I haven’t examined these 1.1.1-channel models, so I can’t present a direct comparability to the Sound Suite’s M5 or M7.
For individuals who can stay with out FlexConnect, Samsung’s Q990 sequence is constantly the very best all-in-one setup you should purchase. I haven’t reviewed one since 2024 as a result of the corporate has been eager on delivery new fashions with minimal updates, which suggests the {hardware} and a lot of the options stay the identical. The HW-Q990H would be the newest installment when it arrives later this yr, with the largest differentiator being a brand new dialogue enhance referred to as Sound Elevation.
Whereas the Q990 at all times comes with rear audio system and a subwoofer alongside a robust soundbar, some options will solely be accessible in the event you even have a Samsung TV. A type of is Q-Symphony, which makes use of TV audio system alongside the Q990’s drivers for extra detailed and immersive sound. For the whole Q990 package deal, you’re $2,000 — $100 lower than the comparable Sound Suite association of the H7 soundbar, two M5 audio system and a W7 sub.
Wrap-up
There’s no denying that LG has created a robust and immersive lounge expertise with its Sound Suite lineup. I additionally like that the corporate permits clients to determine what they want with out sacrificing the primary draw of FlexConnect. Whereas I did expertise some setup and software program points, these are issues LG can iron out over time — Sound Suite continues to be model new, in any case. I want to see the corporate supply some discounted bundles and proceed so as to add extra audio options over time to justify the hefty funding. When you’ve obtained a pair grand to spend, particularly when you’ve got a latest LG TV, Sound Suite can be your best choice for constructing out a house theater setup.
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