Verdict
The LG S80QR is an entertaining wireless environs sound system with a cracking trick in its upfiring centre TV channel , though in terms of offering a truthful Atmos public presentation , it falls poor .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The job aboutDolby Atmos soundbarsis that they ca n’t produce a straight immersive experience without a pair of surround speakers .
They ’re all o.k. at creating a wide and tall soundstage , but Dolby Atmos ( along withDTS :X ) is all about create a hemisphere of sound , one that feed from the front to the back and frailty versa , and that ’s hard labour without speakers to occupy in what ’s behind the listener .
With the S95QR sit at the top of the company ’s soundbar oblation , LG ’s step - down soundbar system in the S80QR see to remedy this headache by admit rearward speaker unit as part of the package .
Design
The LG S80QR is a utilitarian slice of outfit , constructed tonotattract attention . The only yielding to style is a grey Jersey acoustic fabric that wraps around the middle of both the main social unit and surroundings verbalizer , and when equate with the gunmetal grey finish , this is a soundbar system intent on wither into the backdrop .
On the main unit is an LCD video display ( able to show five persona ) that neatly disappears behind the acoustic fabric when off .
Where things get unequalled is the machine driver arrangement on the main unit . The S80QR has three upfiring speakers that raise sound towards the ceiling , but only two are applicable for Dolby Atmos audio . The centre drive unit ( shaped like a pack ) is reserved to give dialogue a rise .
The environment talker are wired , connected to a wireless receiver that synchronises the rears with the main speaker and wireless subwoofer . When the light goes unripe , all the talker are in harmony , when it demonstrate red then either it ’s off or there ’s a connectedness issue . There ’s no upwardly - firing element to these verbalizer as there is on the flagship S95QR ; the sensation of altitude is allow solely from the front .
The environs have a pocket-size footmark , slight enough to perch on speaker stands or piece of furniture . The wired cable system provide enough leeway to spread across a large room though the drawback is trailing cables . The 8 - inch wireless subwoofer is a beast , best served when positioned not far from the main unit .
link are hidden within a recessed region on the main whole , comprised of anHDMIinput and output ( for adding a source and connecting to a TV severally ) , digital opthalmic and USB port . Wall mounting is possible , a bracket and screws for the main unit of measurement are admit though fixings are sell individually . There are some notable green credential to note too , as the Jersey fabric on the chief bar is get from reclaimed charge card bottles .
Features
Like with its TVs , LG has squeezed out an variety of features that make the S80QR a adequate to and various ( at least on report ) soundbar system .
Its HDMI remark supports toss - through of HDR10 andDolby Vision , howeverHDR10+gets the moth-eaten shoulder joint and there ’s no 4 honey oil 120Hz for game consoles . although the LG S80QR can claimHDMI VRRandALLM support .
AlexaandGoogle Assistantfeature , but neither are built in , which requires the S80QR to be connect to a twist that stand either for spokesperson mathematical process .
Chromecast , AirPlay 2,Spotify Connect , Tidal Connect ( withMQA support ) andBluetooth 5.0offer options of getting audio to the S80QR , while format compatibility covers all things Dolby and DTS , and there’sHi - res audiocompatibility up to 24 - bit/96kHz .
Sound modes are too numerous to lean but of most pastime isIMAX Enhanced , AI Sound Pro , Clear Voice and Music , the latter developed by LG ’s long - terminal figure sound recording pardner Meridian .
A.I. Room Calibration mechanically measure a way ’s acoustic properties by using the saloon ’s internal microphone but pre- and post - standardisation , though I ca n’t hear much of a difference with it enable .
WOW Synergy is LG ’s take on Samsung ’s Q - Symphony , and it extend better consolidation with LG idiot box , working in concert to expand the soundstage along with sharing the same interface to make it easier to use both TV and bar . Add the WOWCAST dongle and the TV can transmit audio to the soundbar , include Dolby Atmos soundtrack .
Sound Quality
plant up takes about ten minutes to emplacement , plug into , and check that everything is up and running . Once done , my first impression is the LG SQ80R easily delivers a big soundstage with the rears filling the space behind me . The interrogation is whether the S80QR experience like an Atmos surround phone system and on that matter , I would say no .
This 5.1.3 system mated to 620W of mogul does n’t furnish a great star of height with Atmos and DTS :X track . The rainy soundscape of Blade Runner does n’t achieve face lift - off in the immersive sentience , seldom sounding as if it ’s being directed from above or broadcast around the hearing space – the S80QR sounds similar to a standard 5.1 system .
I am , however , impressed by the centre upfiring utterer and the cost increase it make to dialog . LG calls it a ‘ humans first ’ for a soundbar , and in films such as Tenet and Dune ( which take quite a specific approach to audio ) dialogue is served well .
Kat ’s dialog in the catamaran succession from Tenet is more intelligible and less encumbered by the rest of sound design . Another example is Lady Jessica ’s drill of the Litany against Fear in Dune , an intense and loud scene but one the LG sieve through the noise to preservemostof the talks .
There was only one sentence I could n’t make out , and I found the nonremittal setting for the substance channel to be on the conservative side . Push it towards ‘ +6 ’ and dialogue becomes clearer and sits on the screen even comfortably , though the soundbar does n’t project dialogue towards the listening spot .
The soundstage the S80QR produce is full-grown and enveloping , peculiarly with the rears filling the place behind . When Dr Strange cast off a enchantment in Spider - Man : No Way nursing home , I could hear the spell move from the front to the arse and around in the listening military position in a seamless manner .
The bridge scene where Peter Parker first makes acquaintances with Dr Octopus features heap of impact and perforate to the action , some ‘ crunchy ’ detail to the effect as Octopus ’ arm rive into gondola , as well as a weight to the cars as they are flung across the highway .
The S80QR puts in a similar performance with DTS :X soundtracks , with American Gangster delivering liberal , bass freshwater bass . Vocal limpidity is right ( better after adjustment ) , and there ’s a turgid sense of space as effects are placed in the front and rearward speakers . There ’s lots of point to pick up and a solid balance between euphony , negotiation , and result – I do n’t get the signified that one is stepping on the toes of the other .
Panning of effects from the front to the rears is near , and movement across the soundstage is tracked well with clarity and solid precision . Again , there ’s no material sense of overhead effects , so while I find the LG SQ80R engaging , I ’ve heard other soundbar system ( namely from Samsung ) that offer a adept sense of ambience with Gangster ’s DTS :X track .
Dynamism is parlayed well in several conniption I catch . The fights in Scott Pilgrim vs the World explode into life with sufficient weight and impact ( the bass is a little exaggerated at times ) , and in Netflix ’s The Dig , the LG proves to be a dynamic performer , appropriate the swells of Stefan Gregory ’s score to punctuate the emotional moments in a way the more expensive one - boxDevialet Dionedoes not .
With standard rail the LG put in a fine performance . raider of the Lost Arks ’ 5.1 track propose an expansive stage , good kinetics , and hatful of heft ( such as the lightning strikes as Indy come into the Map Room ) . Vocal intelligibility is good , treble is shrewd but not grating .
Streaming Industry ’s 2.0 stereophonic trail on iPlayer and the focal point is on the front utterer , but even so , dialogue is naturally reproduce for a strong public presentation .
There are several sound mode to choose from in Game : Bass Blast , AI Sound Pro , Standard , Music , and Cinema . The AI mode is better than previous LG soundbars I ’ve tested , less emphatic in its freshwater bass delivery and less vivid but it does at least ease up on the sibilance and excessively frosty tone of before for sound that is natural and grievous .
Switching to music and aSpotify Connectstream provide clarity , though mostly the performance is n’t the most musical or especially dynamic with Aaliyah ’s More Than a Woman . There ’s a cap to the volume – at grade 17 it gets too loud and sounds labored . limpidity across the frequency range is expert even though the LG ’s sense of vigor is a little too unconditional to get the juices really flow .
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Should you buy it?
The upfiring centre TV channel serve reverse dialogue up above the ruffle , and a petty adjustment to the options work wonders for knavish films .
Atmos is about creating a credibly immersive bubble of phone above the listening area , and the LG S80QR does n’t achieve that mother wit of weighing machine .
Final Thoughts
If you want a Dolby Atmos / DTS :X wireless sound organisation , the LG S80QR does n’t provide the height channels to offer 3D immersive sound .
The upfiring gist works nicely once its levels have been adjusted , and the bass is powerful ; the rear loudspeaker fill in the distance behind for a cinematic execution . The LG is a good but not great organisation , theSamsung HW - Q990Bis a better , but more expensive alternative .
Trusted Score
How we test
We try every soundbar we review thoroughly over an extended time period of clip . We utilise industry standard tests to liken feature properly . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , swallow money to review a Cartesian product .
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FAQs
The S95QR has more index and more channels of sound , with rearward upfiring speakers to provide elevation channels for Dolby Atmos and DTS :X audio
Full Specs
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