
Samsung
Q990F
Value for movies and easy setup, but music falls flat.

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I have four M7s, W7, and the H7 and it sounds great. I haven’t heard the M5s but i wouldn’t think they would be better rears than the 7s. If you had two 5s and two 7s, I would definitely position the 5s as rears.
I want to start off by saying that I’m very thankful for being picked by LG to receive and test out the Immersive Suite 7, it has been a blast to test out these past couple weeks. That being said, these are my honest thoughts and opinions of the Sound Suite. **Background** The space where I set up the sound suite is in my living room (17’11” x 19’11”) that is open to my kitchen/dining room (8’7” x 22’2”). This whole space has 9’ ceilings. My TV is a LG 83” G5, and I watch most of my movies on 4k Blu-ray. I stream music via Spotify and YouTube Music. I also have my PC connected to my TV and tested out some gaming as well. My previous soundbar system was the LG S95AR, I will compare the two later on in the review. I also purchased two more M7s and the W7 on my own to test and compare to the Immersive Suite 7 that LG sent. The modular expansion of the Sound Suite is one of the main reasons I was interested in it in the first place. I plan of continuing with the Sound Suite ecosystem as it evolves in the future. **Room orientation** I set up the immersive suite 7 in the exact same place as the S95AR with the two M7s mounted on the wall behind and to the side of my couch, between the living room and the kitchen/dining room. Just a heads up if you plan on mounting the M7s like I did, there aren’t any universally compatible speaker mounts that connect to the underside of the M7s where the mounting holes are. The only mounts I could find was one of those clamping mounts for bigger traditional speakers. There wasn’t anything that let you screw the speaker directly into the wall mount. Not a big deal but it would look a lot cleaner if there was a wall mount specifically made for these speakers. The H7 soundbar is not mounted and is sitting on the TV stand. The additional M7s are placed in the front corners of my living room pointed in towards my couch. The W7 sits on the floor to the left of my TV stand where the sub from the S95AR sat. https://preview.redd.it/kmq9b1sbkisg1.jpg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=58a478234ae510f4cf7e3b184c5f5c40ab25b4f0 https://preview.redd.it/d2i028d7kisg1.png?width=4284&format=png&auto=webp&s=4b92c511da457b0b04c946b1dff1c12c33aef338 https://preview.redd.it/9sp96th5kisg1.png?width=4284&format=png&auto=webp&s=06d22b11a71d77519d09e6f079fcb229e9630dea https://preview.redd.it/spw3mtfzjisg1.png?width=4284&format=png&auto=webp&s=415e0f117c5a0627f93c340f7e0ed847b954cc44 https://preview.redd.it/mabugvlxjisg1.png?width=4284&format=png&auto=webp&s=0e3250c105d1287068e0191a838e42b75cd023b7 https://preview.redd.it/7e5kkkdujisg1.png?width=4284&format=png&auto=webp&s=c1f7716b33c285583d6787144079c100a53faa25 **Setup** The Sound Suite was very easy to set up, everything is done within the LG ThinQ app. I connected the H7 via eARC, and the rest of the units via the ThinQ app. The room calibration features are very nice and make setting everything up an absolute breeze. I really like that they added a test audio button that plays a nice little jungle soundtrack that pretty much showcases the Dolby Atmos capabilities of the speakers. This makes it a lot easier to move speakers around and really dial it in via the Dolby Atmos Flexconnect technology. The only setup/connection issues I had were on the first day. I had a conflict with my 5G WiFi and DAFC not working. The fix was switching from my 5G WiFi connection to my normal WiFi connection. Other than that, setting up Dolby Atmos Flex Connect was easy and intuitive. The other issue was that the speakers weren’t staying connected and would cut in and out and would make a popping noise. This problem was resolved on the 2nd day by disconnecting and reconnecting the group. Since the first day I haven’t had any connection problems. https://preview.redd.it/60yxkivnjisg1.png?width=1320&format=png&auto=webp&s=597cba9f04dfe35a8bee5b9aeedded6ed3566164 https://preview.redd.it/c05ma3vojisg1.png?width=1320&format=png&auto=webp&s=50f3d2119215698b4057962976583dadadae1c41 **Design** The build quality of the Sound Suite is amazing, everything looks premium with the silver accents and fits very well into my living room. The OLED display telling you useful information about what sound preset you’re on and what level the subwoofer is at is very nice. It is so much better than the 3 LED dots from the S95AR, I didn’t know what any of those lights meant when they were on. Speaking of lights, the ambient light strip at the bottom of the H7 and M7s is super cool and gives the speakers a premium feel in my opinion. I like the default color they come with out of the box but I also like that you have the option to set it to any color as well as being able to increase/decrease its brightness. The remote is almost a 1 to 1 of the G5 remote which is nice design wise but can be a little annoying when trying to grab the TV remote and it ends up being the Sound Suite remote. The only thing I really didn’t love design wise is the fabric that’s on the H7 only, I feel like it collects dust and isn’t easy to clean. https://preview.redd.it/ajzzup3jjisg1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=f94b046aa23a4f0baaff46a9d7bf7dffa1faaeb6 **Sound Quality/Experience** The Sound Suite with its A11 processor and Peerless drivers delivers an incredibly powerful and immersive sound. No matter if you’re talking about movies, music, shows, or video games, the Sound Suite immerses you into that content. **Music** I listened to music via YouTube music and Spotify's lossless audio. I prefer Spotify's sound quality over YouTube music but both sounded amazing on the system. I compared a couple different configurations when listening to music. Those being the Sound Suite as a whole (4xM7/H7/W7), the Immersive Suite 7 (H7/2xM7), and the M7 stereo pair. Every configuration was a treat to listen to but I think my favorite has to be the M7s as a stereo pair. The stereo pair just sounded like how you expect good music to sound, it was accurate and detailed and never felt like it was lacking to me. Yeah it didn’t have as much bass as the other two options but I honestly don’t think it needed it. The Sound Suite and Immersive Suite 7 really fill the room with music, especially when using the AI Sound Pro+ setting to enable all of the speakers. I thoroughly enjoy listening to music on the Sound Suite no matter what configuration I choose. I don’t believe this is a thing but it would be kinda cool to be able to have the W7 connect to the M7 stereo pair to give it more bass. I also don’t know if it’s even possible but it would be awesome if you could run two M7 stereo pairs at the same time. **Movies** The Immersive Suite 7 and Sound Suite as whole truly shines the most during movies, this is where the Alpha 11 AI processor and Peerless drivers really come together with the new Dolby Atmos Flex Connect technology to give you the most immersive experience from a home audio system. This system was made for an amazing Dolby Atmos experience. I thought my last system, the LG S95AR, was really good for surround and height effects but the Sound Suite just blows it out of the water. The bubble of sound is so good it’s hard to tell exactly which speaker the sound is coming from sometimes. The sound presets I used the most were standard and AI Sound Pro+. I know there've been a lot of complaints about how the AI Sound Pro+ sounds but there were many times where I would switch back and forth between standard and AI Sound Pro+ and couldn’t tell which preset I enjoyed more. It really just depends on the content, standard is a good overall preset that you can’t go wrong with but AI Sound Pro+ can really enhance the sound. I do admit that sometimes AI Sound Pro+ can make the center channel a little too noticeable compared to the rest of the channels but other times it fills in the space and elevates the surround and height effects without compromising the overall listening experience. My video comparing standard vs AI Sound Pro+: [https://youtu.be/BfhWUpJgKK8?si=tIGLtc8CV\_Lwf5Kv](https://youtu.be/BfhWUpJgKK8?si=tIGLtc8CV_Lwf5Kv) What also helps with creating an incredibly immersive experience is the Sound Follow feature. Before the Sound Suite I would have to sit exactly in the middle of my couch to get the most immersive experience out of my previous system, and if I sat too far to the left or the right then one of the rear speakers would be more noticeable than the rest of the system. Now my whole living room and even into my kitchen provide the same if not better immersive experience that my old sweet spot would provide. I want to touch on physical media and the lack of DTS support. I love my 4k Blu-rays and surprisingly most of them support Dolby Atmos but some of them don’t, such as Interstellar or The Dark Knight Trilogy or anything from Christopher Nolan. When I was watching The Dark Knight I noticed it said PCM instead of Dolby Atmos under the standard audio preset. If I hadn’t already known about the lack of DTS support I honestly wouldn’t have noticed anything. The movie sounded amazing full stop, I could have any of my friends or family over and everyone would be very impressed with the sound quality of that movie. There’s a chance that I’m not as sensitive to the difference between DTS and no DTS support. Everyone has their opinions but if the lack of DTS is what is holding you back from pulling the trigger on this robust and immersive home audio system then I’m here to tell you that it’s kind of a non issue in my opinion. I collect physical media and I will continue to collect it even with the lack of DTS support, the overall experience is just too good. **Video Games** Pretty much everything I said about movies is applied to video games with the only difference being that the AI Sound Pro+ setting really enhances the soundstage of games that don’t support Dolby Atmos making them into an awesome immersive experience. **Conclusion** All in all I’ve really enjoyed my time with the Sound Suite so far and plan on testing it out further as time goes on. If anyone has any questions for me or anything they want me to test please let me know, I would be more than happy to do so. Thank you again LG for giving me this opportunity test and review such an incredible home audio system.
Thank you and I think it’s because each component is so well made in the Sound Suite. Obviously having the two front M7s to widen the front soundstage makes a huge difference in amount of detail you hear. My wife and I were literally in awe from all of the new sounds we were hearing from our favorite movie (Spider-Man Across the Spider-verse). Even comparing the H7 and just two rear M7s to the S95AR the difference is very noticeable. I think the DAFC and Sound Follow feature do an amazing job at creating an incredibly immersive experience no matter where you sit.
Thanks, I don’t know if you plan of getting it all in one go or piece it together but I suggest getting the components in this order. H7 -> 2xM7s for rears -> 2xM7s for fronts or 2xM5s for rears and put the previous 2xM7s to the front then lastly the W7 sub. The sub is amazing and it seriously shakes the house but it isn’t needed right away. The H7 and M7s put out a good amount of bass on their own and when you add the sub it seems like they pull back a little and let the sub take over. It’s a nice addition at the end once you get used to the systems bass performance without it.
Thank you and it depends on what you are going for. Do you have room to place rears behind you? Do you want to have a wider front soundstage? If your goal is to have a solid soundbar with some impressive bass then yeah that’ll be the move. If you’re wanting an impressive surround/Atmos experience then I would personally go with two rear speakers either 2xM5 or 2xM7 and the H7 soundbar, and skip the sub for now. The H7 is so impressive on its own and the bass is pretty solid for a soundbar, adding 2xM7 will give you more of everything including bass. I haven’t used the M5s so I can’t speak on how good they are but they are a cheaper option to the M7s, but should have the same solid build quality.
You would want the M5s at least ear level and slightly behind you. I would definitely go with the H7 and the W7 to start out. It might be ideal for your room and use case. I haven’t tried to use the TV speakers plus the sound suite. I honestly don’t know how to do it. I played battlefield 6 for the first time on my setup yesterday and it was insane! I have the speakers wall mounted and pointed towards the middle of the couch and tilted forward slightly as well. Let me know if there’s anything you want me to test out for you. https://preview.redd.it/73bayra00yyg1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de997156ae144bf72f5187ef17cb7fc00453ecac
Great review, I’m also enjoying the sound suite. Such an immersive system!
Update G5 and H7 are excellent speakers . However they don’t work “together” in wow orchestra mode. Due to HDMI-CEC issue, when the TV restarts , it can’t identify H7 as wow orchestra compatible and only allows h7 as an external HDMI output . As a result , you can only use either H7 working or the TV speakers working. You need to power cycle the TV and the H7 to get wow orchestra to work. When the tv restarts , wow orchestra and its ability to work in tandem with the H7 vanishes
https://preview.redd.it/gtax47bxkjxg1.jpg?width=8192&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86dc61ad8773764cb16af12f578755ef5b168634 https://preview.redd.it/okzbzq1zkjxg1.jpg?width=6144&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d724b5485db96c86fb25a3b81cb73ca2e644b651 *Disclaimer: I received this product for free from LG as part of a promotional event. While I was asked to share my review, all opinions are entirely my own.* Many enjoy watching content on a screen of some kind. Phones and TVs make it easy to enjoy content wherever you are. **Dolby Atmos FlexConnect** aims to bring that same approach to audio, allowing you to place speakers where you want them, rather than designing a room around your speakers. Have you ever parted with a beloved sound system then spent untold amounts of money trying to recreate that same experience in your new living space? Or found a perfect setup only to be frustrated by a lack of space to put speakers or by a partner or spouse who doesn’t share your same enthusiasm for audio? The **Immersive Quad Suite 7 Pro** from LG seems to be designed exactly for these scenarios with a concept that is flexible in both scale and design. # # Dolby Atmos FlexConnect: flexibility is in the name. The centerpiece of the **Immersive Quad Suite 7 Pro** is the **H7 soundbar**, a **5.1.3 passive setup** which **supports 9.1.6 Spatial Audio** through virtual up-mixing. That might sound like a bold claim but in testing, I found the bar on its own impressive, with the ability to create precise height **effects** and a sound field that is both wide and deep. Other components include the **M5 speaker**, a **1.1.1 configuration**, the **M7 speaker**, a **2.1.1 configuration** and the **W7 8-inch sub-woofer**. You can also use a **DAFC-enabled TV as a hub** including many of LG’s 2026 models such as the G6 and C6, or 2025 OLEDs like the LG C5 and G5. There are a number of combinations to build your system, but for M5 and M7 speakers to work as intended you will need at least **1 M7 speaker or 2 M5 speakers** with a **DAFC-enabled hub**. I will share thoughts on potential configurations later on. The system I am reviewing includes the H7 soundbar, 1 W7 subwoofer and 4 M7 speakers. Paired together this setup creates an expansive 13.1.7 configuration with a total power output of 1,600 Watts. The H7 is connected via HDMI eARC to my 55-inch LG G4. To ensure audio decoding was being handled by the **Immersive Quad Suite 7 Pro**, I have HDMI pass-through enabled for streaming content and **Bitstream** enabled on my PS5 for 4K UHD content. I switch the PS5 back to **Linear PCM** for gaming. # # Testing the H7 sound out of the box. I first tested the H7 as a standalone device to get a sense of its capabilities. Even at low volume the bar was able to create textured bass that was not only heard, but at times felt. During the ambush scene of Iron Man, gunfire and explosives were conveyed with surprising detail that only increased my excitement to add the wireless speakers and subwoofer to the mix. # # Gaming on my PS5. I haven’t had much time to test this with gaming but I did play *The Last of Us II* and *God of War Ragnarök* and had no lag in either game. I previously used an LG S95TR and the PS5 was connected directly to the G4 and gaming audio was uneven across the whole system and wasn’t something I enjoyed. While my Audeze Maxwell is hard to beat for gaming audio fidelity, LG’s **Immersive Quad Suite 7 Pro** is a huge step up in gaming audio performance. Reaching for my Maxwell won’t be something I default to when gaming as I have previously. # # Speaker and Subwoofer placement. An important note for setup, the speakers and H7 have physical switches that need to be moved to the on position, otherwise calibration will not work. The W7 subwoofer and the wireless M7 speakers include an electrical cord for power. The W7 has a Type-C port for service only, while the Type-C port on the M7 Speaker can transmit audio from a phone or Tablet. I didn’t test this feature but I like that it is included. Connecting an M7 speaker via Bluetooth to my phone was better than I expected and while I appreciate having the feature it isn’t something I plan on using regularly. That said it was much more enjoyable than using a standard mono Bluetooth speaker. # # Connectivity and DAFC setup. The LG ThinQ app is pretty straightforward, and the app quickly found each component except for the W7 subwoofer, more on that below. As for general setup, I would like to see some changes with respect to guidance provided in the setup of the **Immersive Quad Suite 7 Pro**. For me personally, a tooltip explaining that setting up a DAFC group would be done after all devices were added to the app would have been reassuring. Beyond that a simple video explaining and demonstrating the setup process would streamline things for a lot of people. Because of the modular nature of this system, each component needs to be set up individually. At first I was anxious because despite multiple reset attempts I could not get the W7 subwoofer to appear as an eligible device to connect via the app. It wasn’t until I began the DAFC setup process that a message in the app showed that the W7 subwoofer was visible and could be added to the group. Once the DAFC group was created, I began the calibration process. The whole process took about 30 seconds. Test tones were played from each speaker except for the W7 Subwoofer. To get the best calibration experience I recommend having the volume at a reasonably high level. It allows the mics in each speaker to communicate more effectively and improve the precise measurements between each speaker. This is especially important for a non-traditional setup. I ran several calibrations, testing the sound with speakers at different height levels to simulate scenarios such as one speaker being placed on an end-table while another might be placed on a window-sill. This is where LG's implementation of Dolby Atmos FlexConnect really shines. Without proper measuring equipment it is difficult to quantify in numbers how effective this is, but the best way to sum up the results is that they are realistic, believable and genuinely stunning. For my most recent calibration I have the M7 speakers mounted to Sanus universal speaker stands that hold speakers up to 10 LBS. LG plans to release speaker stands meant for these speakers but they are not yet available for purchase by US customers at the time of this review. The speakers connect to a stand via an M4 screw. I would have liked to see at least another foot in length added to each electrical cord for maximum flexibility, since I didn’t have much cord to work with once the speaker was mounted to its stand. # # Previous systems I’ve owned or have demoed. My setup for movies has been the LG S95TR and I have extensively demoed systems like the **JBL Bar 1300X MK2**, referred to in some regions as the Bar 1300 MK2, and the Samsung Q990F. For music I have a NAD T758 V3 with Monitor audio Gold 100 5G speakers and a REL HT1205 subwoofer. # # Performance. In a word, Wow! LG knocked this out of the park. Let’s start with the W7 subwoofer. I have not heard extension in a wireless sub like what I’m hearing from the W7. A big reason for this in my opinion is because of LG’s effort to extend bass below 30 Hz. I don’t know this for sure but the default tuning suggests this was an emphasis and it shows in my testing. Many home theater subs focus on droning mid-bass that often bleeds into the rest of the sound. Despite my best efforts I haven’t heard a hint of this from the W7. Even at nighttime listening levels, the sub cleanly hits with subtle, but deliberate precision in movies and music. The woofers in the M7 speakers and the H7 bar seem to take a lot of the mid-bass duty from the W7, giving the entire system a cohesive refined sound. A song like *Children of the Omnissiah* from the *Mechanicus* soundtrack has bass that brings out the true character of a sub. The W7 didn’t flinch but shook the room with authority. One thing I found lacking with the S95TR was sound from the height channels, especially the rear height channels. This is not the case with the **Immersive Quad Suite 7 Pro**. The helicopter chase in *Mission: Impossible - Fallout* and the scene where Tom Cruise **flies** his jet above the head of Ed Harris in *Top Gun: Maverick* both have a shocking level of fidelity that I have not experienced at home. Some other standout scenes that bring out the best in this system include *Dune: Part Two*, when Paul Atreides rides a sandworm, the runaway train in *Unstoppable*, several scenes from *Inception*, *Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit*, *F1 the movie* and the 2007 *Transformers* film. # # Streaming Music is a treat with the LG Immersive Quad Suite 7 Pro. The **Immersive Quad Suite 7 Pro** works with Tidal Connect, Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect, with Google Cast support available for the M7 speakers and coming in June for the H7. I streamed music via Spotify Connect in testing and found the system something I could see myself using day to day even as a replacement for my current music system. Why? The convenience factor but most importantly the sound. This isn't just great performance for a soundbar, it's great performance period. While I personally feel the biggest strength of this system is for cinema, it is more than capable of providing a full range musical experience. # # Sound Follow™ Another hidden gem of this system is a feature LG calls Sound Follow. It uses the Ultra Wideband from your phone to determine where you are within your space and centers the sound around you. Once you’ve moved to a different spot in your room you tap the “set position” button to recenter the sound. This was a fun feature to try and it did work to a degree, but while I will use it I feel that the general FlexConnect is more effective. I enjoy using this though to challenge the system and would love to see enhancements to it via firmware updates. # # Conclusion. The **LG Immersive Quad Suite 7 Pro** has raised my expectations for what to expect from a soundbar and compatible speakers. The only system that costs less that comes within striking distance of it is JBL’s **Bar 1300X MK2** which despite having over 30% more power and a larger 12-inch sub, doesn’t have the scale via the drivers in the rear speakers and bar to handle mid-bass detail; leaving the heavy lifting to the sub. It has similar sub-bass extension but doesn’t have the speed of LG’s W7 subwoofer. They both do well with height channels but tonally speaking, especially for the rear channels, the LG M7 speakers have a depth that the JBL just can’t match. When it comes to previous systems from LG the gulf is even wider. If you thought the **Immersive Quad Suite 7 Pro** might be an incremental upgrade from the S95TR, it is a complete departure from that system. It has twice the power and I get the sense LG focused on creating a harmonious sound between each component. The level of separation and detail is unmatched even from comparable Sonos builds. This is both a huge leap in sound performance for LG and the category of soundbars with separate speakers. If you own a **DAFC-enabled TV** but don’t want to pay for the H7 soundbar, I recommend getting at least 2 M7 speakers to try as rear channels while using the TV as a hub. If you own a **DAFC-enabled TV** but plan to buy the entire system or at least the H7 with any number of speakers, I recommend using the H7 as your DAFC hub and connecting all other speakers via FlexConnect and bypassing the TV speakers altogether. https://preview.redd.it/8nwddqdpkjxg1.jpg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=04600b19e0721ccdfd1720aa6e109522edf26e3c https://preview.redd.it/3epz1homkjxg1.jpg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1cbba331a29af689a1821d5fc6d169ab5058802a
I totally get that, and forgot to call that out. it is an odd choice when that isn't included, though alongside that I still don't understand why some TV OEMs cheap out on adding 4K 120/165HZ passthrough for PC gaming. You can always get a switch and connect it to another HDMI port on your TV if you otherwise liked the H7.
I genuinely would not call the bass bloated on the LG but I haven't read reviews comparing the LG to sonos. I read the what-hi-fi review which is hardly a reputable publication but is sometimes an interesting read. I didn't understand how to compare what they said they heard in comparison with what I hear with the lg system. It was like we were hearing 2 different systems altogether. KEF took their shot and missed badly. I haven't heard the pulse cinema but it's probably a good product as well. The W7 from LG is the best wireless sub I have personally heard and it isn't close.
If budget isn't an issue and it's just the prospect of having rear speakers hooked up that is a deal breaker why not just get something like the Bose smart soundbar and one of their subs. I have the LG sound suite and before I hooked everything up I tested just thee H7 alone and honestly if I had a room where I couldn't have rear speakers the H7 would do the job really well in a small to medium sized room. It's surprising how much bass that thing has on its own. It was even able to maintain dialogue in chaotic scenes without me doing any eq. I connected it right to my G4 out of the box just to see how it would sound without any of the other components and ran through several scenes from movies and a handful of songs and it was pretty enjoyable. Out of the box the standard sound preset sounded best to me.
I haven't heard the Q990H or the studio speakers but I demoed the Q990F vs the JBL bar 1300 MK2 both paired to an S95F in a treated room. both have some similarities but to me the JBL has better imaging and a better sound field along with more defined lower actual sub bass vs the Q990F. My personal setup is the LG G4 and LG Quad Suite 7 Pro and i sold my JBL system. the LG is spendy like the Sonos but I feel it is a huge step up from the already great JBL. If you think you would be happy with the JBL though I would save the money and find it on sale. seems to be on sale often.
same. i’m waiting on youtube videos giving a full review of this system. just bought the H7 sound bar it’ll come in on tuesday
nice. seems positive. i just bought the sound bar today and it’ll get here tuesday. based on how much i like it ill end up getting the M5 speakers and the sub when it becomes available.
i’ve never heard of a staggered release like this. maybe the manufacturer for the sub needs more time to produce enough of them and in quantity but the sound bar and speakers are manufactured elsewhere. i think i’m going to go ahead and purchase the H7 sound bar with the M5 speakers and see how they do
probably just the only one who’s always on reddit haha. i try to give people what i would want if i was on the other end. which is pictures and real life opinions. sound overall is sooo good. warm and lovely and full of life and color and it gets loud when i put the volume up. i have the tone and sound settings customized to my liking so if you don’t like it out of the box adjust the settings. bass is the best i’ve heard in any sound bar. it has 4 built in woofers! a proper subwoofer will definitely provide better low end bass output and power though and im a bass guy so im getting the W7. but the average person won’t find themselves lacking on bass at all. voice clarity is still excellent. i’ve tried 6 different sound bars and this one just gets it right. it has the center front driver and also the center upfiring driver that focuses solely on dialogue so i think because it’s two drivers focusing on the dialogue the clarity of the voices is very good, and it remains good at all volumes. i don’t have to turn on subtitles anymore. i’m a big fan of this system. the only gripe i have so far is that the only sound effect i like is standard mode. AI sound pro sounds way too over processed and tries hard to upmix everything and it doesn’t sound natural. i don’t use any other sound effect mode except standard as that’s the only good one in my opinion.
the sound bar is very premium for sure. the M5’s sound good but from my listening experience they really kind of exist to fill in the gaps and widen the soundstage without showing off. it’s clear that the soundbar is what’s shining but the M5’s lighten the load it has to carry sound processing wise and are kind of like having two close friends that are there for you at all times and help to make you be the best version of yourself by giving you their support in a subtle way that works. great speakers so far.
yeah i personally so not like AI sound pro + at all it sounds way too over processed and up mixed and tinny even. i dont like it at all. i only use standard that’s the best one and it sounds natural.
this is better than my sonos arc ultra. watching dune part two right now and it sound incredible. dialogue is clear without any tweaking in the settings. the 4 sub woofers in the sound bar pack a crazy punch. i don’t think i even need a sub for this. i really enjoy the LED light strip that changes colors. the mini oled display is incredibly useful with all the information it displays. the overall sound is lively, energetic and full of detail. i have wow orchestra enabled allowing me to use the built in speakers on my LG B5 TV to enhance the sound stage and it sounds incredible. this sound bar makes the side and height channels truly sound like sound is coming from above you and from the sides more so than my arc ultra. i was skeptical about this sound bar because i had bought the S90TR system and did not like it at all. this sound bar might as well be from a completely different brand, i’m truly impressed and ive only had it for about 2 hours now. wow. i’m ordering the M5 speakers for this next.
no problem i’ve been trying to find reviews myself before ordering bc it’s a brand new product but ordered anyway. i just watched star wars episode 7 and last night with the arc ultra i was frustrated with the dialogue and repeatedly tweaking the sound settings to find a happy medium but couldn’t. finished the movie today with the H7 and dialogue was crystal clear even during loud scenes with explosions and flying aircraft and the overall sound of the movie was richer and more full of life than the arc ultra. it’s unfortunate because i really liked the idea of a sonos ecosystem and liked the app but ultimately the arc ultra was underwhelming and this LG sound bar fixes all the complaints i had about it.
i have the arc ultra with sub mini and don’t get me wrong it sounds good but for my personal listening preference i find myself having to constantly tweak the EQ and other sound settings in the sonos app a lot depending on what i’m watching and at louder volumes the sound begins to start sounding slightly tinny and gives notes of the drivers slightly distorting the sound. still a great sound bar and the sub mini is incredibly powerful with bass response, it genuinely vibrates my room and that’s impressive for a sub that looks and is the size of a 12 inch trash can. but i guess what i’m trying to explain is that the sound signature isn’t as premium, rich, refined or energetic as id like it to be. with the arc ultra i also had issues with the dialogue enhancement as off doesn’t cut it for me, its hard to hear voices and low doesn’t sound that different from off. medium sets the voices too much to the forefront to the point where it’s distracting and then high and max start to mess up the sound mix by lowering the volume of other noises to make the dialogue as clear as possible. im not sure what materials or shapes sonos uses for their drivers but the sound to me isn’t premium or high quality at the volumes i listen attentively too. i have a klipsch flexus core 200 sound bar in my living room and that sound bar sounds premium, refined and the sound is rich and energetic and just full of life and flavor. this H7 sound bar sounds similar to that but the bass response is better because it has 4 subwoofers in the bar instead of 2. the sonos has one sound motion woofer that gets the job done decently well but truly doesn’t TOUCH the bass capabilities of this LG H7. these 4 woofers make it sound like i have a subwoofer in the room, which makes me wonder what the W7 LG subwoofer brings to the table it’s probably incredible. the height and side effects when watching dolby atmos content is also very very good from what i’ve experienced so far with dune and star wars episode 7. much better than the arc ultra as well. i’ve already typed a lot but to summarize, for me it’s the sound signature, the richness and detail at my preferred volume range, the bass, and the immersion effects for height and side channels that make this sound bar better than the arc ultra for me. which im glad it is because the price is damn near identical to the arc ultra. i was going to wait a while for reviews to come out before pulling the trigger but ultimately decided that i was too interested in this new expandable system, the dolby atmos flex connect technology, and being able use my tv speakers with wow orchestra to want to wait and that if i didn’t like it i could always return it but so far im incredibly impressed with this sound bar and will keep testing it with other movies and shows. im convinced that im getting the M5 speakers to pair to the sound bar and the W7 subwoofer after.
it’s $250 per unit for the M5 compared to $400 per unit for the M7 and truthfully the addition of just one more tweeter and perhaps slightly louder and better quality sound for an additional $150 per unit doesn’t make sense to me, especially since i’ll be using them as rear surrounds where they won’t constantly be playing sound. the M5’s also seem like a good deal to me given that they have a woofer, tweeter and upfiring driver for height effects. most home theater smart speakers in that price range do not have upfiring drivers at all such as the sonos era 100. to me and in my room size which is just an office the M5’s seem like the smarter buy financially. when it comes to the S90TR that soundbar system is a disgrace to me. $750 for a soundbar that has more channels but sounds worse than a $280 klipsch soundbar i had previously had in my office. the dialogue was also really bad i couldn’t get it to maintain the same volume level of dialogue as everything else going on in any movie i was watching and it seemed that the soundbar just didn’t have a sense of quality to the sound. it was a hugely underwhelming system. the subwoofer wasn’t powerful enough either given its size. this H7 sound bar is much better and more premium sounding than that system. it just doesn’t come with rear surrounds or a subwoofer. but honestly this H7 soundbar sounds really really good on its own the spatial effects are very good im surprised at how i can hear sounds coming from the ceiling and the left and right side of my walls it feels like magic
movies. dialogue is really good. especially when you adjust the center speaker value in the thinq app to about 4 or 5 it sounds very clear at all volumes without coming off as distorted or tinny. i say do it and use a cash back app like capital one shopping or rakuten to get some money back on the purchase. sonos has the arc ultra incredibly overpriced for the sound you get out of it. it doesn’t sound bad it’s a great bar but it’s not worth $1,000+ in my opinion.
i only have the bar so far and the immersion alone with just the bar is way better than the arc ultra the height and side channels truly work incredibly well with dolby atmos content. i can’t speak on the surrounds as im waiting on my M5 speakers to come in. with my arc ultra i had the sub mini but no era 300’s. i was considering getting the era 300’s but the fact that the front tweeter is disabled when set up as surround speakers kind of threw me off as that makes no sense to me.
music sounds amazing. the voices sound clear without being muddied by the rest of the sounds in a song and the overall quality of the sound is excellent i started at medium volume than i cranked it up and it got louder but did not sound distorted. once i get to about max volume i started to hear some distortion but at that point it was too loud for my listening preference anyway so i brought it back down. all in all much better again than my arc ultra that i’ve since returned. the only thing ill say is that when it comes to bass the built in woofers can only output so much bass before you clearly start to notice that a dedicated sub would properly take care of the low end bass in these songs. i listen to a lot of r&b and hip hop and overall just bass heavy music so i found that the bass could have been better but then again it’s 4 small woofers doing the best they can given that they’re inside of a sound bar. so far music sounds awesome with this bar. i recently got the M5 speakers and im trying to figure out how to make them play the songs in unison with the sound bar like how you can with a sonos sound bar and the era 100’s but so far it seems that they only play things in the background during certain parts of a song if it’s in dolby atmos. this is with the speakers set up with the sound bar as a home theatre system.
anytime. i haven’t listened to music yet to be honest. i will say music in the arc ultra sucked. those drivers where not made for music it just didn’t sound like the full energy, clarity and life of the song was being released. it’s like the arc was holding back important ingredients of the song so the sound was overall kind of dim, neutral, and unlively. almost like if it was the drivers were being covered by a filter that was muting the vocals and ambience. hard to describe but not good. i’ll reply back after i’ve listened to some songs on apple music and i think that the sound bar especially paired with the M5 speakers that are coming in soon are going to sound good if not incredible.
wow orchestra widens the front sound stage and it honestly sounds amazing. the M7’s used as rear surround speakers will not always be actively playing the main sounds of the movie only sounds that come from behind and above you so it’d be great to have the enhanced front sound stage wow orchestra provides while still being able to have both the sound bar and rear speakers do their thing in DAFC mode.
I went with h7, w7, and four m7s. Pricey, but no regrets.
They need to take a look at the whole setup procedure, I got the whole enchilada (H7, W7, and four M7s) and setting it up was a moderate sized PIA.
I have the Sony BRAVIA Theatre Quad HT-A9M2 in my bedroom. It performs well in a small room and makes up for minor imperfections in placement and room acoustics, but there’s no scalability (4 speakers with or without a subwoofer, that’s all). There’s a distinct lack of a physical centre channel, which leaves more to be desired in terms of dialogue clarity. You also cannot use the individual speakers separately, and cannot play audio throughout the home in multiple rooms. The LG Sound Suite is the only system which ticks all the boxes for my extended Living/Dining Room, even more so than the Sonos as it is more flexible in terms of configuration options and speaker placement. For example, you can go without a soundbar as the lead device for the Sound Suite as long as you have a select LG TV which supports Dolby Atmos FlexConnect (DAFC).
There are a couple of things LG's Dolby Atmos FlexConnect (DAFC) has over the Sonos you might want to consider. With select DAFC-supported LG models, you can have the TV act as the lead device to establish a wireless connection to the Stereo/Surround satellite M5/M7 Speakers and W7 Subwoofer, and also have the TV speakers act as the centre channel for dialogue clarity. You can play around with different configurations to suit your budget and needs (for example, skipping the Soundbar if you have an LG TV with DAFC support, and going for the M5s instead of M7s for smaller rooms, especially for the rears). You always have the option to add more components later on when they go on sale. Even without a compatible LG TV, the H7 Soundbar can connect via ARC/eARC as usual to act as the lead device for the other wireless speakers and sub to connect to.
You make a very good point! >**Sound Follow™\*:** The system keeps the sound centered on you based on the position you set in the ThinQ app. No matter where you move, your music, movies, or games stay balanced. ***(Supported in H7)*** > \*Sound Follow is **disabled when the H7 is used alone**. It is enabled when the H7 is connected to M5/M7 speakers via DAFC. [Source](https://www.reddit.com/r/LG_UserHub/comments/1qo7zhl/megathread_meet_the_new_lg_sound_suite_the_worlds/) Essentially, Sound Follow only works when the H7 Soundbar is paired with M5/M7 Speakers. A DAFC-supported LG TV shouldn't be necessary as long as the H7 Soundbar is functioning as the lead device.
You might want to check out reviews of the LG Sound Suite Dolby Atmos FlexConnect (DAFC), especially if you are getting the LG C5. With the C5 and other select DAFC-supported LG models, you can have the TV act as the lead device to establish a wireless connection to the Stereo/Surround satellite M5/M7 Speakers and W7 Subwoofer, and also have the TV speakers act as the centre channel for dialogue clarity. You can play around with different configurations to suit your budget and needs (for example, skipping the Soundbar with the LG C5 and going for the M5s instead of M7s for smaller rooms, especially for the rears), and add more components later on, much like Sonos. Even without a compatible LG TV, the H7 Soundbar can connect via ARC/eARC as usual to act as the lead device for the other wireless speakers and sub to connect to. For TCL, they have a similar DAFC Z100 system; however, its major flaw is that it does not work without a compatible TCL TV, so you might be stuck in that ecosystem.
Standalone bars I would recommend in no particular order, as it will largely depend on your budget/preferences and if you can snag any of them on sale: LG H7 Soundbar Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar (Max/Plus)
I would recommend the LG Sound Suite (H7 Soundbar + a mix of up to 4 x M7/M5 Speakers, without the W7 Subwoofer), and the Sony Bravia Theatre Quad. Looking at your photos, your TV console is similar to mine — long enough to accommodate two M7/M5 Speakers flanking the H7 Soundbar, which will give you excellent stereo separation and a wide soundstage. You could even move one or both of the front M7/M5 Speakers to the extreme ends, allowing you to further encapsulate the dining area (something that you wouldn't want to do with the front speakers of the Theatre Quads, as it relies on a phantom centre channel). I do just that by placing one of my M7 Speakers at the end of the room beyond my extendable dining table, which is amazing, especially for room-filling music. Looks like you have space behind your couch for ideal rear surround speaker placement, but you can get away with placing them at the sides instead with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect. You could even get away with just 1 additional speaker hidden amongst the plants! The Sound Suite is on par with the Arc Ultra in terms of inputs (just a single HDMI 2.1 eARC port). The Theatre Quad has the advantage of an extra 4K/120Hz HDMI passthrough (which may be beneficial for gaming latency) and DTS support (non-issue if you stream instead of watching Blu-rays). You might struggle a bit with dialogue clarity on the Theatre Quad at lower volumes, given the size of your room, but it has both a Night Mode *and* Voice Mode to help with that (I have mine in a smaller bedroom, and I didn't find the need to use any of those two modes). You can read my review of the Sound Suite [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Soundbars/comments/1sth2wn/my_review_of_the_sound_suite_immersive_quad_suite/), which includes a comparison with the Theatre Quad. Both are solid options without a subwoofer. Hope it helps!
I did. Please read and stop spamming about DTS support everywhere. >The Sound Suite is on par with the Arc Ultra in terms of inputs (just a single HDMI 2.1 eARC port). The Theatre Quad has the advantage of an extra 4K/120Hz HDMI passthrough (which may be beneficial for gaming latency) and **DTS support** (non-issue if you stream instead of watching Blu-rays).
I watched it in the theatre but have no plans to re-watch it on a streaming service or on Blu-ray (I do not have a Blu-ray player and don't intend to buy one). For my use-case, I can live without DTS support. If a streaming service I subscribe to supports DTS:X, I'll just watch those titles in another room with my Theatre Quad instead. OP said he's watching movies/series on streaming platforms, so the lack of DTS support likely won't affect his experience, as the majority are in Dolby Atmos. This is a fact, unless more platforms start to support DTS:X.

Samsung
Q990F
Value for movies and easy setup, but music falls flat.

Sonos
Beam (Gen 2)
Compact value, but virtual Atmos and app issues.

Samsung
HW-Q990D
Powerful, immersive value, but poor music and buggy software.

Sonos
Arc Ultra
Immersive Atmos and bass, but pricey and poor for music.

Samsung
Q930F
Strong value for movies, but music and HDMI 2.0 limit.

Ranked #1
Sonos - Beam (Gen 2)

Ranked #1
Samsung - Q990F

Ranked #1
Sonos - Arc Ultra

Ranked #1
Sonos - Playbar

Ranked #1
Sonos - Arc Ultra