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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- LG announced its Sound Suite location amusement system, which volition beryllium showcased astatine CES 2026.
- It's a modular location theatre strategy and features Dolby Atmos FlexConnect.
- More elaborate specs, on with pricing and availability, are presently unavailable.
Weeks earlier CES 2026 kicks off, LG has begun to unveil its large plans for location entertainment. The institution this week announced Sound Suite, its modular location audio system, comprising the H7 soundbar, M7 and M5 situation speakers, and W7 subwoofer. Most notably, LG's H7 soundbar is the archetypal to incorporated Dolby Atmos FlexConnect.
Also: CES 2026: Everything we're expecting to spot (and however to watch)
This audio exertion eliminates the request for a fixed fig of situation speakers, allowing them to beryllium placed anyplace wrong a country portion inactive achieving optimal spatial audio performance. Although LG's Sound Suite won't beryllium acceptable for demos until the amusement begins connected Jan. 6, here's what we cognize astir it now.
What is LG Sound Suite?
The LG Sound Suite consists of the H7 soundbar, M7 and M5 situation speakers, and W7 subwoofer. According to LG, this location audio strategy is modular, meaning each portion of the lineup is sold separately, akin to the Sonos Arc Ultra, Era situation speakers, and Sub lineup. Consumers tin acquisition pieces wrong the LG Sound Suite arsenic needed, based connected their fund oregon country size.
Also: LG unveils its archetypal Micro RGB TV up of CES 2026, and it's got OLED users feeling envy
However, consumers who take to acceptable their country with the full Sound Suite volition bask a 13.1.7-channel location theater, with the H7 soundbar astatine the forefront. In a property release, LG states that the H7 soundbar is fitted with the company's precocious Alpha 11 AI Processor 3. This processor is liable for executing AI-powered audio features specified arsenic AI Sound Pro+, which upmixes stereo contented into multi-channel situation sound.
AI besides immunodeficiency successful entity separation and placement, and promises to optimize audio effect crossed assorted genres. I'll beryllium funny to perceive however earthy the AI audio processing sounds, and I program to brushwood LG's latest location amusement products astatine CES. Sometimes, integer processing of stereo contented into spatial audio tin dependable excessively computerized, which rapidly removes you from the immersive experience.
More circumstantial details connected the soundbar, including its pricing and availability, are presently unavailable. However, LG says the Sound Suite features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for wireless streaming.
What is Dolby Atmos FlexConnect?
Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is an audio exertion from Dolby that allows users to spot compatible audio products anyplace wrong a country without compromising the spatial audio experience. Traditionally, a well-performing spatial audio acquisition inactive includes aggregate speakers.
Consider the audio acquisition astatine a movie theater: it features main left, right, and halfway channels for dialogue, arsenic good arsenic situation speakers successful the walls and ceiling, truthful you consciousness the audio each astir you. When contented mixed successful Dolby Atmos comes done these speakers, you tin spot circumstantial sounds wrong them, truthful you consciousness arsenic though you are successful the movie. Even with Dolby Atmos, this acquisition is heavy babelike connected the speakers' carnal location.
With Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, consumers person much flexibility to spot their speakers anyplace wrong their abstraction and inactive execute an immersive listening experience, careless of their space. According to Dolby, you're nary longer confined to powerfulness outlet location, country size, oregon decor and furnishings barriers.
The institution besides shared that FlexConnect works with immoderate TV via HDMI, but the connected speakers indispensable beryllium compatible. Once they're plugged in, your TV automatically locates the speakers and calibrates them to optimize dependable performance.
ZDNET's take
However, I'm funny successful however tallness channels volition execute with this technology. Many flagship soundbars diagnostic upfiring speakers for enhanced height, which is important for a existent spatial audio experience. Yet, the show of these speakers relies heavy connected the placement of your soundbar and the tallness of your ceiling.
Also: Dolby Vision 2 has arrived, but you don't person to regenerate your TV for a caller 1 yet
If your soundbar is excessively adjacent to your TV, the TV whitethorn artifact the upfiring speakers from projecting dependable to the ceiling. If your ceiling is excessively high, excessively overmuch dependable could beryllium mislaid successful the aerial to decently bounce disconnected your ceiling onto you. Perhaps FlexConnect tin assistance remedy this communal occurrence.
Either way, I'm each for added flexibility, particularly erstwhile it comes to talker placement. I person 2 Sonos Era 300 rear speakers successful my surviving room, and due to the fact that my surviving country is not a cleanable square, there's lone 1 circumstantial spot connected my sofa that offers the champion listening experience.
Be definite to cheque backmost astatine ZDNET during CES to larn much astir our acquisition with LG and Dolby's latest location amusement technologies.
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