LG Sound Suite review: Dolby Atmos FlexConnect in a powerful package

The premise seems elemental enough. LG promises that you tin group its Sound Suite speakers anyplace and Dolby’s location theatre tech will make them execute well. The soundbar, subwoofer and speakers don’t person to spell successful prescribed locations for nan champion results, which intends you tin spot them wherever you request to and move them arsenic you spot fit. Of course, this each hinges connected nan reliability of nan underlying tech and LG’s expertise to make individual speakers that really sound good.

Like astir premium soundbars and complete location theatre setups these days, a complete Sound Suite postulation is expensive. The centerpiece alone, a soundbar that astir group will want successful their customizable configuration, is $1,000. However, if you person a caller LG TV, aliases are readying to bargain a 2026 exemplary erstwhile those arrive, there’s nary amended action for boosting your surviving room intermezo experience.

The components of nan LG Sound Suite

There are 4 different devices that dress up nan Sound Suite. The centerpiece is the H7 soundbar ($1,000), which is nan first 1 that useful pinch Dolby Atmos FlexConnect (DAFC) technology. Then there’s nan 8-inch W7 subwoofer ($600) and the M5 and M7 speakers ($250 and $400). LG allows you to prime and take betwixt these products to build a location theatre group up that suits your needs — up to 4 speakers and 1 subwoofer. The only existent caveat is that you request nan H7 soundbar aliases a caller LG TV (2025 OLED G5, C5, CS5 and QNED 9M, aliases an upcoming 2026 model) to service arsenic nan superior instrumentality for Sound Suite to work. That’s because nan underlying tech requires LG’s alpha 11 Gen 3 AI processor, which is wrong nan soundbar and nan company’s newer TVs.

The H7 houses a twelve Peerless drivers comprising front, broadside and up-firing units. There’s besides 4 woofers and 8 passive radiators for bass and low-frequency audio. The soundbar has a beautiful basal design, plain capable to beryllium successful beforehand of an LG OLED (or different premium TV) without being a distraction, and short capable not to artifact it. Both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are disposable here, truthful AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect are each supported.

The W7 wireless sub has an 8-inch woofer that gets really boomy astatine times. It’s rather ample astatine 16.1 x 16.3 x 7.6 inches, but you tin usage it opinionated up vertically aliases laying down horizontally — whichever predisposition fits your needs aliases disposable space. The M5 and M7 speakers connection fundamentally nan aforesaid features, including AirPlay and Cast, and tin beryllium utilized either by themselves, arsenic a stereo pair, arsenic a four-speaker array aliases arsenic rear outer speakers pinch nan H7 soundbar. The main quality is nan M7 has 2 full-range drivers, 1 up-firing driver and a woofer while nan M5 only has a tweeter, an up-firing driver and a woofer.

What is Dolby Atmos FlexConnect?

FlexConnect is simply a location theatre audio exertion that Dolby announced successful 2023. It was disposable connected TCL’s Z100 speakers past year, but LG’s Sound Suite marks nan first time nan characteristic has been disposable connected a much robust surviving room merchandise that includes a soundbar. FlexConnect allows you to position speakers anyplace successful a room without sacrificing audio performance. The tech uses a TV aliases soundbar arsenic nan lead instrumentality to find speakers truthful it tin tune nan sound to lucifer their positioning. The strategy tin besides quickly accommodate erstwhile you move a speaker — possibly for a statement aliases different typical occasion.

FlexConnect useful arsenic advertised, but location is 1 caveat that should’ve been obvious, though I didn’t expect it. Every clip you adhd aliases region speakers from a DAFC group, you’ll request to recalibrate nan system, which includes nan package playing sounds from nan speakers truthful that nan TV aliases soundbar tin find them and Dolby’s tech adjusts their output. It doesn’t return long, but location is audible sound from each portion successful nan group, truthful you’ll want to facet successful that clip — and imaginable annoyance for anyone other successful nan house.

Other Sound Suite features

Sound Suite offers immoderate of nan aforesaid features arsenic LG’s different location theatre products. Those see Night Mode, Room Calibration Pro, AI Sound Pro+ real-time audio upscaling and Clear Voice Pro+ for enhanced dialogue. For nan Sound Suite, LG has besides introduced Sound Follow, a characteristic that allows you to set nan “sweet spot” for nan strategy based connected wherever you’re sitting.

Once you group your existent position pinch a pat successful nan ThinQ app, Sound Follow is expected to alteration nan levels and tuning accordingly. I’m not wholly judge this was moving connected my system. Unlike my demo astatine CES, nan seating position connected nan FlexConnect layout successful nan app was ne'er updated. And while nan UI seemed to bespeak nan alteration was made erstwhile I tapped nan buttons, I couldn’t perceive immoderate quality successful nan audio. I asked LG for much accusation to guarantee Sound Follow is functioning properly.

A connection astir setup

Like astir soundbars and speakers these days, you person to usage an app to get them each connected and decently group up. And for illustration Samsung, LG makes you do that done nan aforesaid app that handles each of its connected devices — including appliances. Once you unbox and plug successful nan Sound Suite speakers, you adhd them successful nan ThinQ app arsenic a caller location theatre arrangement. The package shows you which speakers are disposable to usage and allows you to prime which ones you want successful nan first Dolby Atmos FlexConnect grouping.

The app will inquire you to group nan region betwixt nan soundbar and your superior seating area earlier moving nan sound optimization (tuning) process. ThinQ will show nan speaker layout and you tin edit nan DAFC group astatine immoderate time. If you move a speaker though, you’ll request to tally nan optimization again for nan champion audio performance. And if you’re utilizing an LG TV arsenic nan lead device, each of this is sorted onscreen alternatively than successful nan app.

Overall, nan process is beautiful straightforward, though I encountered immoderate beautiful important connectivity issues that were very frustrating. I reappraisal soundbars and speakers regularly, truthful I’m acquainted pinch nan process of utilizing an app to link devices to my location Wi-Fi successful bid to get them up and running. With nan H7, it took a fewer days to get it connected, which meant I could only usage nan soundbar pinch nan audio options disposable connected LG C5’s paper and wasn’t capable to group up a larger Sound Suite configuration. After respective router and soundbar reboots, I was yet capable to get nan H7 to link and go disposable to decorativeness nan install. I’ve ne'er had this problem before, truthful possibly LG did thing different pinch nan Wi-Fi components here.

When I was adding nan M7 speakers to my DAFC setup, I had nary issues connecting them to Wi-Fi initially. However, I did person problem adding them to nan FlexConnect group, which required each portion of nan Sound Suite playing an audio calibration clip. Repeatedly, nan ThinQ app told maine location was a relationship rumor pinch 1 of nan M7s, though yet they each someway sewage added anyway. I besides had problem removing speakers from nan arrangement. Even though nan app said sound was only coming from nan H7 soundbar, 1 of nan 2 M7 speakers was still connected and emitting sound erstwhile I didn’t want it to. For immoderate reason, this only happened erstwhile playing euphony complete AirPlay — TV audio complete HDMI eARC ever functioned arsenic intended.

If you’re utilizing nan TV arsenic nan lead device, you do each of nan setup connected nan screen. I recovered this method to beryllium much straightforward and reliable, though it blasted nan calibration sounds astatine a deafening volume. There is simply a large rumor though: Once connected to nan TV arsenic a DAFC setup, nan speaker settings weren’t disposable successful either nan ThinQ app aliases on-screen menus. This meant I was stuck successful modular mode, pinch things for illustration AI Sound Pro+ inaccessible. I asked LG for much info connected this because it greatly impacts nan wide experience.

Which configuration sounds best?

Before I get into describing nan various Sound Suite configurations, I request to make an important statement astir nan limitations for nan imaginable setups. LG only allows a maximum of 5 speakers successful immoderate Sound Suite arrangement, but you tin operation and lucifer nevertheless you want. Just retrieve if you don’t opt for nan H7 soundbar, you’ll request a compatible LG TV arsenic nan lead instrumentality for FlexConnect to work.

You tin besides usage nan M5 and M7 arsenic standalone speakers successful different room and switch them successful and retired of your surviving room aliases location theatre setup arsenic needed. In nan multi-room scenario, Sound Suite speakers usability overmuch for illustration a Sonos strategy would, and nan M7 is much than tin of being a standalone euphony speaker pinch plentifulness of item and decent bass. I wasn’t capable to trial nan M5, truthful I can’t vouch for that one. Keep successful mind that if you opt for nan M5 aliases nan M7 for your surviving room, you’ll request astatine slightest 2 of either 1 to usage FlexConnect pinch your LG TV.

After testing aggregate configurations of nan Sound Suite, I deliberation nan operation of nan H7 soundbar, W7 subwoofer and 2 M7s is nan perfect arrangement. I’ll hedge that a spot arsenic I for illustration to disable nan M7s successful nan rear of nan room erstwhile watching unrecorded TV — particularly sports — arsenic nan aforesaid audio coming from nan soundbar and those speakers didn’t really heighten nan experience. Plus, arena sound seemed overly echo-y and off-putting. This setup is well-suited for streaming TV shows and movies, things wherever Dolby Atmos, aliases astatine slightest LG’s spatial upscaling, is astatine nan tallness of its powers.

In this setup pinch nan H7 arsenic nan lead, you get Sound Suite successful its astir immersive form. I ever usage Netflix’s Drive to Survive as my first trial of a caller location theatre system, and LG’s lineup handled it for illustration a champ. You get fantabulous directional audio, which makes nan cars sound for illustration they’re zooming astir your surviving room. And nan in-car shots are truthful enveloping, it’s for illustration you’re sitting correct down nan driver. This configuration besides useful good for music, though I preferred to usage either 1 of nan M7 speakers aliases nan soundbar/sub duo alternatively than nan full shebang.

My 2nd favourite setup is 4 M7s. Once again, this configuration requires an LG TV arsenic nan lead device, but if you person that, you tin decidedly prevention immoderate room successful beforehand of your tv pinch abstracted beforehand speakers. Unfortunately, you can’t usage a subwoofer excessively because if you’re utilizing a TV to powerfulness nan speakers, you tin only adhd up to four. That’s a existent bummer, but nan TV speakers will beryllium utilized arsenic a halfway transmission (dialogue) boost, truthful it’s not a complete waste. However, this statement would use from much bass.

The four-speaker setup could beryllium peculiarly beneficial for group who equine their TVs connected nan wall and don’t want a soundbar underneath. And, again, FlexConnect allows you to put nan speakers anywhere, not needfully flanking your TV. You besides get nan action of moving these smaller speakers astir erstwhile you request to — thing you can’t really do pinch a soundbar. The only sacrifice I noticed audio-wise is that 2 M7s successful nan beforehand doesn’t connection nan aforesaid overhead sensation for Atmos contented arsenic nan H7’s up-firing drivers.

If you’re conscionable utilizing 4 M7 speakers for location theatre duties, you’ll bask nan immersive audio these Sound Suite speakers will provide. There’s tons of directional sounds pinch Atmos content, and there’s plentifulness of subtle item that comes done connected movies and shows. However, for unrecorded sports, this statement pulls commentary audio from nan TV speakers and puts overmuch of nan arena/stadium sound successful nan rear M7s, which makes it difficult to perceive nan announcers astatine times. This is 1 area wherever nan inability to set nan audio settings really hampers nan experience.

If you’re hoping to put successful thing that tin propulsion double work for music, I for illustration 1 aliases 2 M7s for that purpose. And while there’s decent low-end thump, streaming your favourite tunes is wherever you’ll announcement nan absence of that W7 subwoofer.

The competition

If you’re looking for alternatives to LG’s Sound Suite, you person to make immoderate sacrifices. The only different action correct now that offers Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is nan TCL Z100 speaker. Obviously, you’ll request multiples of this $300 device, and you’ll astir apt want to adhd nan $350 subwoofer, too. Like nan LG M7, you’ll request a compatible TCL TV to service arsenic nan lead instrumentality for FlexConnect (a QM6K, QM7K, QM8K, QM9K aliases X11L model). I haven’t tested these 1.1.1-channel units, truthful I can’t supply a nonstop comparison to nan Sound Suite’s M5 aliases M7.

For those who tin unrecorded without FlexConnect, Samsung’s Q990 bid is consistently nan champion all-in-one setup you tin buy. I haven’t reviewed 1 since 2024 because nan institution has been keen connected shipping caller models pinch minimal updates, which intends nan hardware and astir of nan features stay nan same. The HW-Q990H will beryllium nan latest installment erstwhile it arrives later this year, pinch nan biggest differentiator being a caller speech boost called Sound Elevation.

While nan Q990 ever comes pinch rear speakers and a subwoofer alongside a powerful soundbar, immoderate features will only beryllium disposable if you besides person a Samsung TV. One of those is Q-Symphony, which utilizes TV speakers alongside nan Q990’s drivers for much elaborate and immersive sound. For nan full Q990 package, you’re looking astatine $2,000 — $100 little than nan comparable Sound Suite statement of nan H7 soundbar, 2 M5 speakers and a W7 sub.

Wrap-up

There’s nary denying that LG has created a powerful and immersive surviving room acquisition pinch its Sound Suite lineup. I besides for illustration that nan institution allows customers to determine what they request without sacrificing nan main tie of FlexConnect. While I did acquisition immoderate setup and package issues, those are things LG tin robust retired complete clip — Sound Suite is still marque new, aft all. I would for illustration to spot nan institution connection immoderate discounted bundles and proceed to adhd much audio features complete clip to warrant nan hefty investment. If you’ve sewage a mates expansive to spend, particularly if you person a caller LG TV, Sound Suite will beryllium your champion action for building retired a location theatre setup.