Riddle me this: When is a soundbar not a soundbar? Answer: When it’s a full-fledged replacement for a dedicated Dolby Atmos home theater system. I mean, yes, LG’s flagship soundbar, the $1,800 9.1.5-channel S95QR, is a soundbar. But that’s like saying the Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper — technically accurate, and yet also a massive understatement. With a dedicated subwoofer, two wireless surround satellites with their own up-firing drivers, and tons of settings, inputs, and format support, about the only thing the S95QR has in common with a traditional soundbar is its total lack of speaker cables. But now that you’re spending the equivalent of a full A/V receiver-based system, does the S95QR still offer enough advantages? Let’s see how this monster system-in-a-box stacks up. Why am I making such a big deal about the S95QR’s box? Because it’s massive. At 4 feet by 2 feet by 11 inches and weighing just over 33 pounds, you shouldn’t even contemplate sticking this thing in your car single-ha...
Impressive Dolby Atmos sound; Plenty of app-based settings; Two HDMI inputs; Hi-res music support; AirPlay and Chromecast built-in;
Bass lacks some rumble; Poor instructions; No way to save preferred settings;