LG 2022 Soundbar Lineup - Which one should you buy?

We've currently tested 22 LG soundbars, including all of the models in the 2022 lineup. The brand makes well-built soundbars with lots of connectivity options, but the models we've tested don't always stand out in respect to sound quality. See our recommendations for the best LG soundbars below.

LG S65Q

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LG S75Q

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LG S80QY

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LG S90QY

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LG S95QR

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00:00 Intro
00:44 New Features
02:08 LG S65Q
03:01 LG S75Q
03:41 LG S80QY
05:05 LG S90QY
06:12 LG S95QR
07:23 Verdict

#RTINGSdotcom #soundbar #LGsoundbar

[RTINGSdotcom]

**Update: We can no longer confirm that the SPK8-S rear speakers work with the S90QY. If you're looking for a rear speaker kit, you'll want to consider the SPQ8-S. We'd like to apologize for any confusion this may have caused!

[SpearCZ]

I have S80QY + SPQ8-S. 620W total. Dolby atmos. 5.1.3. Its very good!

[robertbaron]

Let me begin by saying I appreciate the work your channel does in providing objective reviews of products and in this case, soundbars. My current experience though with the LG SC9S and the JBL Bar 700 has me curious about how your category ratings are derived. 

I currently have both the SC9S and Bar 700 in my living room as we're looking for a soundbar to maximize dialogue for movies and shows. Due to the location of our 55" LG OLED we have limited options for soundbars with a maximum 2.5" height restriction and subwoofer size/design due to placement issues. Again due to the location I had to eliminate soundbars with side firing drivers as in our situation they'd be firing into a stereo speaker unrelated to the TV on the left or into our entertainment cabinet on the right. For that reason I gave preference to soundbars with their drivers facing mostly forward and the JBL 500 was ruled out for that reason. Your site did not review the Bar 700 but does give excellent ratings (8.5~8.6) for the dialogue performance of the JBL 500, 1000 and 1300X. Other sites rank the 700 as an improvement in all areas over the 500 and those factors are what drove my decision for the 700. The LG SC9S was on sale for $590 and the JBL Bar 700 for $699 so close enough in price. Obviously the SC9S has up firing ATMOS drivers which the Bar 700 lacks but the JBL has the removable wireless satellites of which neither are that important for us in our situation. Your review and rating of the LG SC9S was complimentary and you gave it a good 8.1 score for dialogue but not quite in the league of the JBL's.

I set up both bars below our LG panel and connected them for a simple A/B comparison. In short, with many different types of programming we've never once found the JBL dialogue as clear and intelligible as the LG regardless of how the JBL is set through the app. The JBL app is extremely limited in the control it provides so all one can adjust are the lows, mids and highs with the very basic equalizer. We've found the dialogue actually improves more often by turning JBL's "Pure Voice" off. Dialogue on the JBL can have a hollow effect and turning off Pure Voice seems to correct that. Dialogue out of the LG is solid, up front and focused with a more effective applied tone curve. We actually prefer the LG set to "Bass Blast" but then with the woofer turned downed a few db and the center and up firing speakers turned up a few db with 2 or 3 db of enhancement in the high frequencies. The LG provides an abundance of control and tuning options with direct level adjustments of both the center and up firing drivers. With careful adjustments I can get the LG to sound close to the JBL for music, etc but I can't get the JBL to provide the dialogue clarity of the LG. Frankly, based on our experience I'd rank the LG at least .5 points ahead of the JBL in that category or opposite of how your site has them ranked.

I've been an audio enthusiast since my early teens and always had good quality sound systems. I sold high end audio in the 1970's and JBL was always my preferred speaker and I was expecting the Bar 700 to outperform the SC9S. Frankly I'm confused, at least with these two products on how your site develops its ratings. Are they based solely on instrumented measurements or do you have people listening in an objective blind comparison? There are no retailers in my area that have soundbars setup for A/B comparison so one is unfortunately stuck with relying on sites like yours or doing what I did. I fully expected the JBL to be noticeably better for dialogue based on your reviews and now in my experience your ratings are suspect to say the least. 

Please help me to understand.

[Manco]

Would be cool to get a similar video about the 2022 Samsung lineup!

[boismi]

Best in the biz! Thanks for another great RTNGS review.

[Kelbywithdat]

I agree. I have the S80QY + SPQ8-S. The new up firing center channel doesn’t make a big difference. It’s a slight improvement. I would say the big improvement would be the SPQ8-S rear speakers and the 60% coverage LG claims. I haven’t had any interference from the subwoofer or the rear speakers which is awesome. Surprisingly the new rear speaker kit is louder than the previous unit.

[michaeldietz]

If you want to hear what these speakers can really do, you can’t use streaming services it’s severely compressed. You need to use Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray.

[walidhannaoui]

It’s so little info about the s75qR that it freaks me out from buying it. The Dolby atmos demo sounded great especially given how big the store was. But between the lack of info/support and the subwoofer being sub par I’ll stick to my little Vizio m series that I got for 89$ lol. Crazy how good their subs are for how cheap it is

[steadycuzzin]

I just purchased the S90QY. It's definitely gonna take time to get used to. Can't figure out how to get sound using the HDMI. So, I used my OPT.
I have it hooked up to my 55" LG C1 Series OLED. It does sound great. But I wonder if the HDMI would make it sound better or not.
Didn't know you could hook up rear speakers. I'm definitely buying those here soon.

Overall, I'm happy over the purchase. I just wish I knew more about how to set it up. I'm new to this kind of stuff.
I miss my really old surround sound setup. I used to have a 5 disc DVD changer with a center speaker, 2 towers, and 4 small tweeter speakers that hang up in each corner of the room. That surround sound was a gift from God himself. That thing pissed neighbors off 3 houses away, lol. But I don't think they make those anymore. Also, if I was watching a movie that had a helicopter in it. That helicopter literally sounded like it was flying around my head, and the vibration and loud sound felt like there was truly a helicopter over my house.

Man, I miss that so much. These sound bars have nothing on the old surround sounds.

[prakesh]

Do mention the rear speakers compatible with the S75Q

[michaelwyckoff]

Has LG sound bars gotten better than they were a few years ago? I'm asking this question because I don't hear that much about them as opposed the others on the market.

[rajbharat]

Do I need to connect the rear speakers to the wires provided by LG as I already have a prewiring done for my house can I connect those instead and use Bluetooth for audio connection ?

[jaberi-k]

Could you also review Samsung’s 2022 soundbar range. The q series

[yousefalshamrani]

thanks for the professional review.

I have the new S95tr model. Is it possible to add two more speakers to the kit. What do you suggest the model to get?
I’m using it to be placed on stands beside the TV.

[ScottyD]

Are their 3rd party Subs that can be used with the S80QY that provide a better low end experience? The one that comes with the kit is ok, but looking for more punch on the lower end.

[JuddGV]

I went with the DS75Q, it was on sale for 249 euro's and im using it with my LG C1 (2021) im very happy with it and its my first ever soundbar i purchased. Originally i intended to go with the S80Q but it was 250 euro's more expensive coming at 500, - and there are better options in that price range so.

[chanplays]

Would love to see an updated 1440p monitor buyers guide for 2022, there’s a lot of options and it’s becoming popular! Love the content as always

[BreakTime]

I would love to see a video on how manufacturers come up with these crazy model numbers.

[muhammedvedatgun]

Hello. I just bought a G2 OLED and with the TV there's a 50% discount for LG G1 soundbar. I'm not sure about its specs. S75Q seems to have TV Sound Mode Share which as far as I understand it's the same tech Q-Symohony in Samsung. G1 soundbar does not seem to have it and I think it is a shame that TV speakers to stay idle when there's chance to be a part of the experience. What do you think about that? An optical cable can solve it or it is a whole different tech? Thank you.

[ScottyD]

By adding the SPQ8-S or SPK8-S to the S8QY setup does it provide true surround sound (aka 5.1) or is it simulated 5.1?