LG S95QR soundbar: Top-notch Dolby Atmos sound

With its five up-firing height drivers, the LG S95QR can't be beat in terms of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X performance.

- BEN PATTERSON

LG raises the immersion bar with the S95QR, a Dolby Atmos/DTS:X soundbar with not two, not four, but five up-firing drivers, including one for the center channel. LG's new flagship soundbar for 2022 does a superb job of peppering the room with surround and height effects, putting you in a bubble of thrillingly immersive sound, while the additional center height driver shores up the dialogue.

The LG S95QR also arrives with AirPlay 2 and Chromecast support, not to mention an Al-powered room correction tool that adjusts the soundbar's audio according to your home theater's acoustics.

On the downside, I had a tough time getting the LG S95QR to connect to my Wi-Fi network (I eventually succeeded after several tries), and the power cords for the two rear speakers are way, way too short. Finally, the LG S95QR comes with a lofty $1,800 price tag (although LG was offering a $300 price drop at press time).

HOW MANY CHANNELS DOES THE LG S95QR SUPPORT?

The LG S95QR is a 9.1.5-channel soundbar, which is unusual as far as soundbar channel configurations go.

That .5 at the end refers to the number of height channels, and typically that figure is either .2, denoting left and right height channels, or .4, for left, right, left-rear and right-rear. But the LG S95QR adds a fifth height channel for the center, with the idea being that the center height driver (which, like the other height speakers, bounces height cues off the ceiling) will help boost overall height cues as well as enhance the clarity of dialogue. We'll see and hear a little later if that extra height channel pays off.