One Of The Most Immersive Soundbars I've Tested Is Not Made By Bose Or Sonos (and It's On Sale)

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The LG S95TR soundbar pinch wireless subwoofer is presently connected waste for $1,296.
• The LGS95TR whitethorn beryllium expensive, but nan high-quality audio is easy worthy nan price.
• The soundbar has galore features, but immoderate of nan champion ones require a newer LG TV model.

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It's been much than a twelvemonth since LG released nan S95TR soundbar, pursuing overmuch hype, arsenic a high-end complement to its newest OLED TVs. The soundbar and wireless subwoofer setup travel pinch a big of awesome features, including Dolby Atmos and DTS: X situation sound, and tons of other features accessible done its app. 

While it's nary longer nan latest model, nan S95TR is still a invited summation to immoderate location intermezo space. It includes 4 components: a main soundbar, a subwoofer, and 2 mini rear speakers. The subwoofer and rear speakers are wireless, truthful you don't request further cords too nan powerfulness connections and nan main HDMI cord. 

Also: This azygous Sony speaker replaced each my different portable audio cogwheel - here's why

The main interest that prevented maine from committing to a situation sound setup successful nan first spot was dealing pinch wires moving crossed my room, truthful I admit that this strategy is partially wireless.

Unfortunately, you must download nan LG Soundbar app to usage each nan features. It's a small inconvenient that this is abstracted from nan LG ThinQ app that controls LG TVs, particularly fixed that you'll astir apt usage it regularly, but that's a insignificant quibble.

The setup is simple. After plugging successful nan speakers successful nan instructed order, installing nan app, and adding nan soundbar to nan app, nan speakers acquisition a tuning process circumstantial to your room setup. I played a movie earlier utilizing AI Room Calibration, and I tin attest that it made a noticeable quality successful really things sounded. 

I past utilized nan TV's built-in speakers to get a baseline for testing this soundbar. Over nan sound of 2 kids and a canine successful nan house, I had to move nan measurement much than halfway to perceive comfortably: 65 retired of 100. Conversely, erstwhile I switched nan audio to nan soundbar, it was much than large capable successful nan 40s. Right away, I knew it would beryllium a superior upgrade.

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Another point I for illustration to trial pinch audio instrumentality is really good it handles dialogue. With my mundane setup, I usually watch everything pinch captions because it's truthful easy to miss something.

This soundbar fixes that problem pinch a mini up-firing halfway speaker and nan accepted beforehand ones, which LG claims make speech clearer. When I turned connected 1 of my favourite shows, I noticed a decent betterment complete nan TV's built-in speakers and a significant improvement complete my mundane soundbar's audio. If you struggle to drawback each connection for illustration I sometimes do, you'll decidedly admit this feature.

Artie Beaty/ZDNET

I past ran nan soundbar done various movie tests, including action scenes pinch explosions galore, suspenseful scenes successful creepy woods, and dialogue-driven scenes.

Also: I've yet to find a Bluetooth speaker that delivers stronger bass and clearer mids than this one

The audio from nan S95TR setup makes nan inheritance sound realistically guidelines out. In nan 2nd segment successful my test, which progressive a speech betwixt group successful a car, nan ambient roadworthy sound wrapped astir nan backmost of my sofa while nan speech stayed successful beforehand of me, conscionable for illustration it would successful existent life. There was capable rumble from nan subwoofer to sound for illustration a existent road.

In each test, nan soundbar setup performed flawlessly, and I heard things that I would person different missed.

Artie Beaty/ZDNET

If you're worried astir sleeping kids aliases neighbors, location is simply a Night Time Mode accessible successful nan app and via nan distant control. This characteristic keeps nan situation sound active, but nan subwoofer is noticeably softer. My setup was connected a shared wall pinch my daughter's room, and she didn't kick astir late-night movies, truthful that's a win. 

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Gamers will admit 120Hz HDR10 pass-through support, ensuring nary hold successful getting sound done nan speakers. I tried retired respective games connected my PS5, and nan acquisition of each 1 improved pinch this system. At 1 point, a sound down maine was truthful realistic that my canine changeable his caput up to spot who was there.

ZDNET's buying advice

At first glance, nan LG S95TR's retail value of $1,599 mightiness look a small steep, particularly erstwhile budget-friendly, wired options are available for nether $400. If you're wondering if nan LG S95TR strategy is worthy nan price, my reply is yes.

The wireless setup is easier than immoderate audio strategy I've encountered, and nan S95TR performed amended than immoderate strategy I've heard before, point-blank. If you built a setup that matched these components, you'd walk much anyway, truthful nan LG S95TR could prevention you money successful that respect. 

Remember that though nan soundbar setup useful pinch immoderate TV, it useful champion pinch LG's flagship OLED TVs. Without 1 of those TVs, you'll miss retired connected immoderate features. 

Specifications

Update log:

• This article was primitively published connected June 18, 2024, and was updated connected October 8, 2025, aft a thorough truth cheque and updates to nan pricing for Amazon Prime Day. A specification floor plan has besides been added pinch accusation connected nan astir captious features.