If you’ve splashed out on one of the best TVs and want to seriously beef up its sound output, then there are plenty of soundbar options that’ll do the job. But here I’m talking about the best soundbars for LG TVs specifically, where you seek high-end audio, truly immersive surround sound, and perfect integration within your setup.
Enter the LG S95TR, the company’s 2024 flagship, which comprises one soundbar, a wireless subwoofer, and two separate rear speakers. That means true surround thanks to its 9.1.5 channel arrangement – nine catering for centre/left/right/sides, one for centre sub-bass, and five overhead height channels (three up front, two at the rear) – assuming you’ve got the space and ample plug sockets to accommodate.
But that’s not the S95TR’s overall sell: this soundbar also includes LG’s WowCast feature, meaning wireless connectivity (with 2020 LG flagship TVs and later), and there’s also LG’s WowOrchestra, which uses a synched LG TV’s speakers to deliver an even wider and more convincing soundstage. It’s a dazzling option for LG TV owners who can afford the pricey outlay, but the reward is true cinema-like sound in your own home.
LG S95TR: Price & Availability
Speaking of price, the S95TR – which some regions refer to as the ‘US95TR’ (it’s effectively the same, though, so don’t fret) – is set at £1699 ($1499 / AU$1749) upon launch. That’s the same as its S95QR predecessor, so there’s no generation-on-generation price increase. The shopping widget embedded above shows you can already buy it for less, though, so be sure to double-check.
Still, that’s a lot of money to fork out on one of the best soundbars, even if it does have enough speakers and channels to be considered a true surround system. In the context of its competition, that’s equivalent to Samsung’s price-matching HW-Q990D – but if you want similar results for less, I’d look to last year’s LG S95QR or Samsung HW-Q990C to save a little without compromising too much on the features.
LG US95TR review: Features & What’s New?
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So how does this ‘SR’ model update 2023’s ‘SQ’? It’s a fairly moderate upgrade: the S95TR now features triple up-firing speakers, enhancing on the QR’s world-first dedicated centre up-firing driver, for enhanced height presence in its output.
The biggest new feature of the S95TR, however, is the introduction of it being WowCast Ready. This means it can wirelessly connect to a compatible LG TV, so you needn’t worry about wires – that’s ideal for freeing up an HDMI socket, for example. I think it’s also just a really cool feature, plus it’s lossless – so there’s no compromise to quality.
Otherwise you can expect much the same of new soundbar package and old: namely it’s a four-unit package, that main soundbar being 125cm long (6.3 tall, 13.5 deep), with a separate wireless subwoofer and two rear speakers. There’s a remote in the box, the ‘magic wand’ style, just as you’ll find in most LG TVs’ boxes too.
However, one lacking in this generation is the absence of HDMI 2.1 compatibility. While Samsung has upgraded its HW-Q990D to passthrough 4K/120Hz with variable refresh rate (VRR), LG hasn’t gone for that spec. That’s only really going to affect gamers, but for this sort of money it’s a feature that should have made the cut in 2024.
LG S95TR review: Design & Setup
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Setting up the LG S95TR is really simple. I reckon it was actually harder getting everything out of the massive box and untwisting all the cable-ties to be honest. But I still had a lot of fun upgrading my TV’s soundsystem to this super surround sound setup for this review.
First step is parking the soundbar in front of your TV and, if not using LG WowCast, deciding if you’re going to use the HDMI eARC (read more about enhanced Audio Return Channel here) to connect. That’ll use up one of your TV’s HDMI ports, though, usually the second 4K/120Hz capable slot.
However, LG does also include an additional HDMI input for passthrough on the soundbar itself (noting the 60Hz typical restriction) which offsets that issue to some degree. If anything I’d actually want more HDMI inputs here, like you’ll find on the JBL Bar 1300, for example.
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
Next up plug in the subwoofer and separate rears. Note that each unit requires its own power socket (as does the soundbar itself), so ensure you have enough available. All units connect wirelessly, though, without being prompted in my experience, which then forms the full surround network in double-quick time.
From here you’re good to go, but I’d suggest getting hold of the LG SoundBar app (for Apple iOS and Google Android devices), as it’s here you can easily swap between so-called ‘Sound Effect’ options – I’d call them sound profiles more accurately, though, including ‘Cinema’, ‘Music’, ‘Sports’ and more – select the input source, calibrate for the room, and tweak volume levels across seven outputs, plus adjust equalisation.
The app is a far more visually comprehensive form of what the bundled remote offers – although using the wand you can make Sound Effect and source changes. I do find the S95TR’s multi-coloured LED light display to be paltry in its information for a soundbar of this price point though – it offers a trio of white/yellow/red/green LED illumination to partly inform you of changes made. A visual display would be much more useful, although I can see that would also theoretically disrupt the symmetry of the soundfield in a device with as many speakers as this.
LG US95TR review: Sound Quality
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
The LG S95TR is no slouch when it comes to compatibility and quality: it can play formats up to 24bit/96kHz, so Hi-Res Audio, and most importantly plays nice with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sources – these being the two most prolific three-dimensional sound formats today (there’s more, too, with DTS Digital Surround, and Dolby Digital, plus AAC/AAC+ supported to serve classic surround encodings too).
While the figures are one thing, I’ve been most impressed by just how much of a difference the S95TR makes to a home cinema experience. Having reviewed a recent TV with this soundbar disconnected (on purpose, for review purposes, I’m not crazy), plugging everything back in after and the LG delivers a whole world of change.
The soundbar and subwoofer combination deliver a rich tapestry, which allows low-end, mids and highs to live freely – so you’ll get clear speech delivered while bass burbles below, no one element distracting from the other. And if you don’t have quite enough of one or other element for your tastes, then the app’s EQ can add further distinction. You may well want to up the bass impact, too, as LG’s take is less forward than, say, Samsung’s equivalent.
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In terms of surround, the addition of those rear speakers makes a marked diference – you’ll never get true immersion such as this from, say, a Sonos Arc single-bar solution. The LG’s rear speakers include overhead channels to project sound upwards, too, which gives a greater sense of the overhead filling that hemisphere of sound space.
That said, however, and despite there being a trio of height channels on the main soundbar, the S95TR isn’t the most adept at getting sound to leap upwards, oddly enough. It’s really good, sure, it’s just not great at projecting the upward portion into that sphere as strongly as some of the competition. But when you feed the soundbar a Dolby Atmos sound source, I find it’s the rear channels that really add to that true immersive feel.
However, that’s where WowOrchestra makes a difference in my opinion, as using a synched LG TV’s speakers right to their very top edge gives this additional height and more natural pinpoint delivery of audio based on what’s happening on the screen. I’ve used an LG OLED G4 and this S95TR soundbar at LG’s UK headquarters before now, but do note I’ve not had the same pair for this full review (it’s a Philips OLED 809 that’s been catering for display duties).
Overall, the upgrade this LG soundbar can deliver is nothing short of incredible. Even for less-than-ideal sources, the app’s Surround Sound Setting (on/off) will permit lesser sources to be upmixed and output via all available channels – meaning you’ll gain this all-encompassing sound whether listening to premier or stereo. Even music sounds great – although I did have some hiccups with the subwoofer cutting out when paired with a Bluetooth connection.
LG S95TR review: Verdict
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
If you’re the owner of one of LG’s recent flagship TVs then the LG S95TR is the perfect solution to deliver an incredible surround sound experience. This four-unit package is bassy yet classy, bold without being overbearing, delivering superb audio for TV, movies and gaming alike right across the frequency range.
Why an HDMI 2.1 passthrough standard was omitted is perplexing (especially as the key rival Samsung offers this – although only gamers are really going to be concerned), and as an upgrade compared to its S95QR predecessor there’s nothing of real note here for non-LG TV owners – the big extra ticket item being WowCast wireless compatibility within that ecosystem.
Still, mate the S95TR with a worthy LG OLED TV and it’ll deliver impactful and immersive sound, plus the benefit of WowOrchestra to really enhance that LG ecosystem experience. It’ll sound almost as great on non-LG TVs, too, as I’ve found in this review – with a 65-inch Philips OLED 809 paired up, I’ve been in home cinema heaven during my weeks of testing.
Also consider
If you’re not worried about connecting wirelessly to your LG TV then the previous S95QR model, despite lacking as many upfiring drivers, is largely just as good – and won’t cost you as much. Both offer WowCast to sync TV speakers with soundbar output, making both options as the best soundbars for LG TVs.
If you don’t possess a modern LG TV specifically, then I’d also suggest looking to the Samsung HW-Q990D, which delivers a more bass-forward and more immersive experience by comparison. It’s ideal with Samsung TVs, too, thanks to Q-Symphony sync (Samsung’s equivalent of LG’s WowCast).
