Best LG Dolby Atmos sound bar
LG Dolby Atmos sound bar: One of the dirty little secrets of the home entertainment market is that most modern televisions, including the high-end 4K versions, have subpar speakers. TV and projector makers focus on the aesthetics of your movies and TV shows and rarely put in substantial effort to include decent audio, owing to the fact that they rely on users to bring their own audio solutions.
When it comes to boosting the audio on your TV, you have two options: create a multi-speaker surround-sound setup replete with an AV receiver and somewhere between three and twelve speakers, or buy a sound bar. For most individuals, the cost and effort necessary with a multi-speaker system is too expensive – yet using a single sound bar provides an audio experience that is nearly as good.
BestReviews is on a mission to give the most trustworthy and unbiased product reviews available on the internet. We believe in looking at items from all perspectives — the benefits, disadvantages, and compromises – and assisting our readers in making the best decisions based on their needs. Continue reading for our thoughts on LG sound bars.
LG Dolby Atmos sound bar: DEMYSTIFIED SOUND BAR AUDIO FORMATS
Sound bars have a single purpose: to make your television and movies sound as amazing as they appear. Unfortunately, choosing which sound bars are capable of the job can be difficult because not all sound bars support every audio format you’ll come across. Here’s a quick breakdown of the various audio formats you’ll find associated with sound bars and what they signify.
Dolby Digital Surround
Dolby Digital is the most widely used digital surround format. A Dolby Digital signal can carry sound information for up to eight speakers, although it can also function with as few as one. Most broadcast television, including television accessed via a cable box, includes Dolby Digital audio.
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos is Dolby’s version on “object-based audio,” which adds two to four additional speakers to a standard 7.1 speaker configuration. The additional speakers are often placed in the ceiling above the viewer to generate “height” audio, which means they can collaborate with other speakers to place certain sounds in specific sections of the room. Best of all, because Dolby Atmos is dynamic, the setup procedure will automatically adjust to your exact viewing area and generate the ideal audio for the location. When LG sound bars claim Dolby Atmos’ capabilities, it indicates they include two to four additional up-firing speakers that imitate the impact of ceiling speakers. Dolby Atmos is presently available on 4K Blu-rays and select streaming platforms, and it is without a doubt a significant improvement over previous audio formats.
DTS
DTS is a competitor to Dolby Digital, which can be found on many DVDs and some streaming apps. Although it is less prevalent than Dolby Digital, it provides a higher level of audio quality. Both Dolby Digital and DTS are compressed audio formats, which means they lack the integrity of the original recording – yet they still sound excellent.
DTS-HD-MA
The improved form of DTS is Digital Theater Sound High Definition Master Audio. It has up to eight speakers that can play uncompressed audio. Uncompressed audio is a significant improvement because it allows you to hear the original soundtrack. Conversations sound up close and personal with DTS-HD-MA, while action scenes make your living room sound like a battle zone.
DTS:X
Dolby Atmos’ competitor audio format is Digital Theater Sound:X. DTS:X is a more competent format than its more widely encountered nearest competitor, Dolby Atmos, in the same manner, that Dolby Digital is found everywhere (but DTS is superior). DTS:X likewise has object-based sound, however, you can manually alter certain sound objects using DTS:X. For example, if a center channel is playing dialogue as well as music or other background audio, DTS:X can isolate the dialogue and boost its level. (Other formats allow you to alter the volume of the center channel as a whole, but DTS:X brings it to a new degree of detail.)
LG Dolby Atmos sound bar: PRICES OF LG SOUND BAR
LG offers a wide choice of sound bars at various pricing points. Keep these price ranges in mind when you decide how much you want to spend.
LG sound bars with basic format support and a small number of speakers can be found for $100 to $199. Stereo-only options for smaller TVs are available at the bottom end of the price range. As you approach $200, you’ll find versions with subwoofers and more connectivity options. If you need a basic sound bar for a small area, such as a den or a dorm room, you’ll discover several fantastic options for improving the sound of your music and movies for less than $200.
LG sound bars, which range in price from $200 to $399, provide a larger soundstage and more speakers. Models in this price range allow 5.1 and 7.1 installations, which use up-firing speakers to bounce surround sounds around the room. If you have a 55-inch or larger TV, or if you want to try out the most prevalent premium audio formats (such as DTS-HD-MA), you’ll discover great options in this price range.
LG sound bars priced between $400 and $1,000 can handle any format, replicate robust surround sound, and work with any large-screen TV. If you want to add object-based surround sound to your TV room or playback your high-resolution music files, you’ll have to look at more expensive solutions.
LG Dolby Atmos sound bar: Tips
Before purchasing a sound bar, determine the horizontal width of your television. The TV sizes we discuss (such as 55 or 65 inches) actually measure the diagonal distance of the TV screen, but when it comes to sound bars, you need to know the width of the set. Once you know how wide your set is, you can decide how much of a sound bar to purchase. Your LG sound bar does not have to be the same width as your TV, but if it is too tiny or too large, it will seem odd underneath your TV.
If you intend to attach your LG sound bar to a wall, ensure that you drill into the studs behind the wall for maximum stability. Sound bars can be hefty, and if you install one on drywall alone, there’s a good chance it’ll fall over before long. Don’t take any chances, even if it means purchasing a stud finder to locate them.
Before you do anything else, if you acquire an LG sound bar that supports any form of side- or rear-channel audio, go through the sound bar’s built-in calibration process. LG soundbars that enable surround sound typically imitate the sound by leveraging the acoustics of the room to bounce sound to different spots. The sound bar must be tuned to the exact room in order for the simulated sound to be effective. As soon as your sound bar is plugged in and placed where it will reside, begin the calibration procedure to teach it about its local acoustic environment.
LG supplies a speaker upgrade kit that is compatible with the majority of recent LG sound bars. The upgrade kit comes with two additional speakers for use as rear-surrounds in a surround-sound configuration and wirelessly connects to your current LG sound bar. Adding LG’s additional rear surrounds is an excellent compromise between immersive audio and the cost and hassle of installing a full multi-speaker system.
LG Dolby Atmos sound bar: FAQ
Q: Can wireless subwoofers compete with cable subwoofers?
A. For the most part, yes. While any wireless speaker is susceptible to static or wireless interference, the wireless subwoofers featured with LG soundbars are just as powerful and expressive as their wired counterparts.
Q: Do soundbars have the same quality as multi-speaker systems?
A. Nearly. Many soundbars use up-firing speakers and echolocation technology to create surround effects, making sounds appear to come from behind you or move around the room. However, because each viewing area has its own acoustics, simulated surround sound will sound better in some places than others. To summarise, if you have a wider viewing area, you’ll most likely require a full surround-sound speaker system to fill the room. However, whether you’re watching in a standard living room or bedroom, a soundbar will suffice to provide a theater-like experience.
Q. Is it possible to connect a turntable to a soundbar to play my vinyl records?
A. Yes, assuming your turntable has an integrated preamp. Turntables require greater amplification than ordinary audio sources, which is why they are generally plugged into “phono” ports. LG soundbars lack phono inputs, but many recent turntables include built-in preamps that allow them to connect to any speaker or amplifier with a normal RCA input. If your turntable lacks a built-in preamp, you may buy one separately and use it to connect your record player to your LG soundbar. If you intend to use a record player with your soundbar, be sure it supports RCA inputs.