LG - Sound Suite H7 Soundbar with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect - Black

This soundbar is truly fantastic with amazing sound and most importantly, support for the fantastic Dolby FlexConnect tech that allows real flexibility and great sound from add-on speakers. We were honestly impressed by the heft and sound quality from this sound bar. Even within our oddly shaped living room with a vaulted ceiling, LG/Dolby delivered a balanced and immersive sound after its auto-calibration. We own an LG G5 TV which additionally allows for a wireless connection between this soundbar and the TV, but we opted to connect it directly via HDMI and allow the soundbar be the central coordinator for our two M5 speakers. Even with an irregular placement with one speaker behind and another halfway back we had an incredibly immersive sound without a typical surround layout. While we’re getting amazing sound with less components than is typical for a 5.1 equivalent setup, the FlexConnect within this soundbar also has the ability to support more speakers than a 7.1 setup, if you wish. It takes a lot of guesswork and calibrating out of the mix and makes for a very approachable system, even if you might find yourself messing with sound settings at times for various kinds of media, whether that be booming movies or ‘talky’ dramas where you might want the voice to come through more balanced. Luckily LG provides some quick options both from the ThinQ app and their remote. On its own it’s a very nice, hefty soundbar packed with speakers positioned for awesome stereo and good bass, but for surround sound with additional speakers, it’s industry-changing and absolutely the future for most people. At 47” long, it’s also hefty and powerful in itself. We were able to get very similar sound from the H7 and two M5 speakers as we were able to get out of a big receiver, and a full wired 5.1 setup with and a huge subwoofer. In several ways, LG provided the more immersive sound, with better dynamic range - allowing explosions on screen to sound ‘explosive’ rather than toned down. For a perfect comparison, we may buy LG’s compatible sub (W7) to gain more power in the lower range, but it’s still incredible. In additional to allowing flexibility in number of additional speakers and layout, it’s made our living room much more streamlined. The soundbar looks much more clean than our prior left, center, and right speakers - with all of their inherent bulk and cabling. If starting fresh, this is the way to go. Finally the tech has reached a point where buying a receiver doesn’t feel like a necessity in a theater setup. The small screen on the front is great for relaying modes and is very subtle in practice, almost reading like E-ink, despite being OLED in itself. It never distracts from the TV. A central glow on the middle, lower edge of the soundbar also provides some feedback when adjusting volume - and to indicate that it’s active. My only three small issues with this soundbar is that LG doesn’t give a lot of guidance on how to ensure you’ve set things up in the most ideal way. I had an initial issue with delayed audio and it took me a while to realize that I needed to switch my audio output to ‘PCM’ rather than ‘Bitstream’ to eliminate the problem. Second, the included remote borrows the same design and layout as our LG TV, causing confusion at a glance when we grab for the wrong remote. It almost seems like LG went out of their way to fill each button slot with options you may or may not need, rather than make it more straightforward. Third, the ‘AI Upmix’ feature never made improvements to the sound, but rather caused voices to sound distant and tinny. I always leave it off now. Overall__ Despite those nits, it’s a hefty, quality soundbar that makes any TV sound incredible. It then goes further to support a very flexible surround sound system when you add on either M5 or M7 speakers, with great flexibility as to where you place them - and no speaker wires and just standard power plugs on each, with all sound handled wirelessly. I love the sound from this H7 soundbar in both setups and would happily recommend it to anyone, especially if they may want to have the flexibility to extend their system in the future.

THIS… Is the LG Sound Suite H7, LG’s next generation a la carte centerpiece. This soundbar ships with no surround speakers or subwoofer, so if you want more… its a la carte! That being said, let's see how well the H7 stacks up to its competition and if it is worth the hassle (and extra money) of buying everything separately. Ok so taking this out of the box and right off the start, LG has always put on a good unboxing experience and they have done it again with the H7. It has a sleek box and rope handle (which is almost all entirely recyclable) that not only makes carrying this easier… but lets everyone know you just bought a premium product on the way to your car. Ok so enough of the basics, inside the box is the H7, its remote and detachable power cord as well as one HDMI cable (more on that later), some reading material and really nice magnetic wall brackets (with a paper for your wall to level them easier). The H7 uses a well balanced mix of metal and fabric with the fabric stretching over the front from its nice metal back and bottom to create a very premium look and feel while also hiding dust that might collect on the top. The nice thing about the use of fabric is that you can easily lint roll aways most, if not all of the dust and hair that collects on it in a few swoops. The front of the soundbar has a small yet sufficient display on the left side for your volume / mode with a rather comprehensive but tasteful RGB placed in the middle of the soundbar. I am usually not a fan of things that make my soundbar stick out as I'd rather it blend into my setup… but I have to admit the lighting on the front of the H7 is done so well that I actually enjoy it. The thing I usually hate the most with high end soundbars (really looking at sony here) is that you get a super premium soundbar and then a giant 99 cent remote with 40 buttons… but LG did good on this one with a simple but sleek plastic remote with well placed buttons and ergonomics. Nothing too fancy, but nothing I look at and just immediately want to throw away (cough, sony). Setting up this soundbar is actually… really easy? You are prompted to download their app and create an account with them which was somehow the longest part of this process (and not in a bad way) as the actual setup was maybe 3 presses and my wifi password. My soundbar got an immediate firmware update that did take a few minutes, but otherwise I was set up and ready to go in less than 10 minutes. LG using their top of the line Alpha 11 processor really shows in not only how fast it responds to remote input, but in it’s near instant response from the app as well which is fantastic. I also paired two M5 speakers to this soundbar with little to no effort as well, making the whole setup process significantly easier (and faster) than I expected. The App allows you to easily control the soundbar (and its connected devices) rather easily and also lets you connect spotify to your H7 to control the sound through the spotify app which is a nice touch. The cool thing about the H7 is that it will wirelessly connect to your newest generation (gen 5) LG TV wirelessly (2.4g/5ghz wifi) and completely eliminates the need for an HDMI connection. That being said, you can still use the HDMI cable to connect to any other tv to connect sound… just don't expect to use this soundbar as a passthrough for your devices as it only has the one HDMI port that is used to connect it to the TV if you aren’t on the latest Gen 5 LG TV’s. Ok, so this is what we are alllll here for! How does it sound? To be short, it sounds fantastic. With the app, you can center the sound stage to where you sit to create a pretty dialed in surround sound experience. It has crystal clear mids and highs, and while it doesn’t really pack a punch with no dedicated subwoofer, it doesn't feel empty without one. Removed from features, this is the best soundbar in my house on pure audio ability and sound stage and what I thought I was going to get out of the Bravia series soundbar. The app gives decent control over the sound stage as well with several different modes and a 3 band EQ. A cool thing LG did here was the ability to change the volume of each soundbar ‘zone’ such as its overhead, center and side speakers which is nice for some applications and balancing. All gloating aside, this soundbar does lack the thump of a real subwoofer, so if you are wanting a true theater experience… I would go ahead and plan on getting the subwoofer for a complete setup. If you don’t know you are missing it, it is hard to tell… but as soon as you have the subwoofer, you can’t believe you went without it. The M5’s I paired to my H7 added a significant increase in sound stage and immersion as I felt like it really wrapped the room in sound to a level that a soundbar alone can’t. So while yes, it is more money… but it is money well spent. As far as connections, you can only connect one subwoofer (why just one! WHY!!) but up to 4 M7 or M5 side speakers. So while everything is a la carte, it does add up to make a better sound experience than soundbars that have it included like the samsung Q990F at a small but worth it price bump. To wrap this up, LG has really hit it out of the park with this one. From its snappy feature packed app to its crisp sound stage, there is really not much I didn’t like about this soundbar. I think that this has been a pretty well done masterclass on connectivity, features and sound without feeling like I am having to roll out the book to figure out what everything does… it just does it! The price… hurts… but it is hard to doc LG for this when this is how the market is moving and seemingly making the a la carte products more well rounded as now you don’t ‘have to buy’ them but are being lured to buying them now. That being said, bestbuy has a great return policy so you are never stuck with a soundbar that doesn't fit your home or your expectations. Until next time :)

Amazing sound bar. So far its the best one I've have gotten, and I have had many over the years, started with just a 2.1, then a 5.1, then a 7.1 and finally this one. The build quality is amazing and there is quality fabric everywhere and it has some heft to it, its long too! At 47", you got to make sure you got the space to put this guy down! Installing it is easy and it has the new Dolby flex connect, which is an amazing system, truly revolutionary. If you have a newer 5 series LG Oled TV (I got a C5), you will be able to connect the soundbar to it wirelessly to it, however there is an update that is coming, so far I was only able to connect two independent M5 speakers, but then I decided to reconnect them directly (wirelessly to the soundbar) (and for that, there was also a firmware update on the TV), so I connected the soundbar via HDMI and it has one eARC HDMI port (one con, doesn't have more input HDMI's, so you must use your TV's ones, and via eARC it will pass the sound to the soundbar). If you don't have one the latest LG Oled TV's, you can still use it this way. The soundbar has a little screen on the front for some information, but I mostly use the app to look up the settings and tune it. With Dolby flex connect, you can place your speakers anywhere you want and it will automatically tune the sound to where they are placed (plays sounds to calibrate itself), since I had two other M5 independent satellites (and they are basically a 1.1.1 speaker themselves), I placed those on the rear, like rear surround ones, and it calibrated the system perfectly. The app is good enough and lets you tune your sound to your liking. Sound was amazing and immersive, considering I have a slanted ceiling, not perfectly flat, I could tell the sounds coming from above from Dolby Atmos height tracks just fine! I was wowed. It also has a setting where the sound can follow you and tune itself to wherever you are seating on the room, so no more having to seat perfectly in the middle of the room for a good listening experience. One small con is it does not support DTS:X sound formats. I also tried my video game console and it worked great too (it outputs Dolby Atmos) and I did not notice any lag between the action on the screen and the sound effects. Like I mentioned, I have two M5 speakers as rears (and each has a front and top firing speakers and integrates subwoofers), but with this system you can add more seamlessly and it will auto tune them. I'm planning to buying a pair more and put them on the sides and I'll be set! In all, best sound system I've had and if you are planning on upgrading your sound setup, you won't be disappointed!

TLDR: A significant upgrade from LG's previous generation. Dolby Flex Connect makes setting up a surround sound system pain-free. This review will mirror a lot of my M5 review, as they were sent along with this H7 soundbar for evaluation. PROS Flex Connect Auto Room Calibration Multiple Placement Options and Configurations Compatible with all TV's that have eARC, not just LG CONS Non-standard wall mount bracket spacing for soundbar Cold sounding with little warmth from drivers Not compatible with Amazon Prime Music APP / INSTALLATION For anyone who has ever set-up a surround system in the past, the Dolby Atmos Flex-Connect is an absolute game changer. Buyers are no longer required to run dozens of feet of speaker wires, knock holes in their walls for surrounds, connect everything to an often-complicated home theater receiver and then spend hours calibrating to perfection. Today? Easy. If you have a compatible LG TV, buyers need only find 3 power outlets, as plugging in the power cords is the most difficult part of installing an LG Sound Suite. Don't have a compatible LG TV with Flex Connect built-in? No worry. The system works just as well with an e-ARC connection as well. I tried the system with both a compatible LG OLED and a non-compatible Hisense TV. Both work flawlessly with the Sound Suite. This new LG Sound Suite is replacing a good, but aging LG S95TR surround system. While the S95TR was good at the time, but WowOrchestra was already reaching end of life. Plus, the S95 system was very particular with speaker placement. VERY PARTICULAR. Even with its built-in calibration, sound was still a bit off and not fully convincing and enveloping. You can immediately tell after a true back-to-back comparison that the Dolby Atmos Flex Connect has far more precision and processing power than the long-in-the-tooth WowOrchestra and the S95TR. While not my favorite of apps, LG should be commended at developing a universal app that accommodates products from all their consumer lines. Just like nearly every recent product, the Sound Suite is configured with the LG ThinQ app. It's easy enough to use and does a decent job of organizing disparate products under one roof. Setting up the Sound Suite in the ThinQ app was easy and non-eventful, though it took considerably more time to update firmware and adopt the speakers than I would have thought. DOBLY ATMOS FLEX CONNECT What makes DAFC so revolutionary? It the ease and simplicity of nearly unlimited speaker placement options and the ability to overcome and compensate for less-than-ideal placement. DAFC is FAR superior to WowOrchestra in EVERY way. Start by getting your soundbar connected via whatever means (e-ARC or Flex). Once configured and updated, you can then add your L/R or Surround speakers. Not sure how you want them to work? No worries. Try them as a L/R Front pair. Change your mind? No worries either. Feel free to move them to surrounds. Why? Because as soon as you move speaker placements, the Flex Connect algorithm will go back and adjust those speakers based on placement. No configuration changes, no menus in your receiver to navigate, just a simple tap within the LG app and the magic begins. Using a series of test tones (music) the soundbar listens to itself and any other available Flex Connect compatible speakers. In my case, compatible speakers included the LG Sound Suite M5's. Using some technical wizardry, the Dolby Atmos Flex Connect algorithm automagically determines speaker placement, distance, volume levels, delay times, etc. It works so slick. I can't believe how far home theater has come since the first Dolby surround receivers. What used to take hours to tweak to perfection, now takes literally 1 minute, at the most. It is scary accurate. SOUND QUALITY While the LG Sound Suite is a solid step above my existing S95TR system, i still find the Sound Suite overly flat. It's as if Peerless went above and beyond to try and make the Sound Suite neutral sounding. Almost too much so. Even after calibration and tweaking of the tone controls, the Sound Suite lacks soul and sounds unnecessarily sterile. Hard to describe and not a deal breaker, but if you are used to a system that sounds warm and welcoming, this is not for you. To give a fair break to LG, this system ships without the available subwoofer. Having the ability to produce some lower octaves may, and would surely, change the entire listening experience. Even with its neutral sound, it still is leaps and bounds better than my SG10TY soundbar and sub combo. The added woofers in the H7 soundbar do a better job at providing a much fuller soundstage than the SG10 or the S95TR. NEGATIVES This system supports Spotify Connect and Apple Airplay but doesn't natively support Amazon Prime Music Streaming. The system will not show up as a destination in the Prime Music app while streaming unless you pair it with lossy Bluetooth while using an Android-based phone or tablet. The second issue is as mentioned above, the overly sterile sound and lack of personality. FINAL THOUGHTS The era of huge AV receivers, hundreds of feet of speaker wire, and what often comes just short of a renovation to install a home theater is coming to a close. I've been a home theater buff since the very beginning of the Dolby Pro-Logic systems back in the day. I remember spending hours and days making over rooms into dedicated home theaters. My OCD attention to detail often earned props from the spousal acceptance factor, while the multiple remotes that were often required, complicated menus, and input switching did not. Even basic home theaters were often too complicated to be readily accessible for all family members. LG and Dolby are changing all that. As soundbars started becoming more popular, us home theater folks would scoff at their sound quality and dimensionality. The offerings today are putting us in our places. Easily blurring the lines of a dedicated home theater and a soundbar-based system. Offering performance that is often on par with all but the most lavish systems, make a system like the LG Sound Suite wildly appealing. Ease of installation and configuration without the penalties inherent to systems like these in the past. Home theater soundbars and systems have come a long way. Well done LG! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Ok ok I love soundbars and in box home theatre systems and I have had plenty of them from the ARC ultra with ERA 300’s to the newest one my Bravia theatre quad I am always excited to get a new sound system and because I love LG TV’s this was a seamless no brainer and OMG does it work great with my TV. This flex system came perfectly packed and this soundbar is pretty large and hefty but it came in perfect condition and I already had a bracket for it so i was super excited. Atmos is so hard to do from a soundbar because of the lower profile and limited sound stage I realize the updating speakers never really do as good as a dedicated 5.1.2 or 9.2.4 or whatever set up you might use. What I like is the simplicity , the use of the app, the functionality with my LG C5 83” and decent performance. Decent performance means this thing will crank up the music and provide an immersive experience you will miss some the chimes and stuff that I hear on my Bravia quad or my home theatre dictated system. For a soundbar alone yes it adds a punch however you need the spacial audio speakers and the sub which I can’t find yet. Base from the soundbar is not enough to immerse you in movies but it is enough for regular TV dialog etc. I love how this ties into my C5 and plan on using it over my other systems for that reason alone.