LG sends voices to you from above with its new soundbar

LG has introduced a brand new 9.1.5-channel Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundbar that includes a novel upward firing heart speaker that bounces dialogue off the celling and to your ears so you possibly can hear clearly. Whereas up-firing drivers are an enormous a part of how soundbars produce encompass sound typically — it’s considered one of 5 right here — LG claims the up-firing heart is a world-first. The soundbar additionally features a pair of wi-fi rear audio system that may now moreover ship audio to the facet partitions of the room, which might additionally enhance the audio immersion.

It’s vital to notice that the brand new up-firing heart speaker remains to be the identical channel because the common heart, however provides to the readability of dialogue. Identical goes for the 2 additional side-firing drivers of the rear speaker pair; it’s the identical channel because the facet audio system of the soundbar. LG claims its AI Room Calibration can auto configure the timings of every speaker and sync up every thing.

This new LG soundbar (mannequin S95QR), its rear audio system, and the included wi-fi subwoofer collectively have an influence output of 810W. With each Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, the LG S95QR is positioned as a premium soundbar and a successor to the 7.1.4-channel LG SP11RA soundbar.

Sadly, the brand new soundbar — like its predecessor — nonetheless doesn’t help passthrough for 4K 120Hz with HDR. If in case you have a more moderen 4K HDR TV and a Sequence X or PS5, you won’t need to plug your recreation console straight into the bar. It’s best to nonetheless get the good thing about Variable Refresh Fee (VRR) help, although.

Picture: LG

The soundbar additionally helps Auto Low-Latency Mode (ALLM) and will be managed utilizing good gadgets with Google Assistant, Alexa, and “different AI assistants”. The older LG SP11RA soundbar had AirPlay 2 help and could possibly be managed utilizing Siri, but it surely’s not clear from LG’s press launch if the brand new soundbar additionally options it (however we’re hopeful).

LG additionally says there’s help for its Wowcast Wi-Fi audio dongle, which was initially launched this previous fall, and is on the market on LG’s UK web page. The Wowcast is a tool that makes the soundbar wi-fi, for conditions the place operating a cable between the TV and the soundbar can be troublesome. It mounts behind your TV and might stream an HDMI eARC connection between it and the soundbar. LG says the Wowcast might be offered individually, so we anticipate a US launch alongside the brand new soundbar.

LG didn’t share a worth or launch date for the brand new LG S95QR, although. The soundbar might be among the many first of the corporate’s merchandise being introduced and displayed in its digital CES 2022 sales space.