Blog
I swapped my Sonos Arc Ultra for this LG Dolby Atmos Soundbar — and I’m blown away
The Sonos Arc Ultra is easily one of the best soundbars. However after nearly a year with at the center of my living room I figured it was high time for a switch up — and, what better way to do that than with an LG speaker system?
After nearly a week with the LG S95AR system (from $1,199 on sale at Best Buy), I can confidently admit I’m impressed. It hits all the right notes: punchy bass, incredible surround sound, simplified setup, VRR pass-through features. It totally surprised me when I tested it with the Samsung S90F OLED, and could be even better when paired with an LG TV.
Here’s everything on the LG S95AR that stood out to me in my week-long testing.
Pushing your movie nights to the next level
The S95AR is a 9.1.5-channel system, which isn’t as sophisticated as other rivals on the market, but is perfect for most users, especially when you take into account the price. And, it works very well. LG has kitted the system with five height channels that perfectly portray Dolby Atmos soundtracks.
Setup was a breeze. I used the LG THinQ app to get everything up and running, which simplified the whole process. LG also has clear “Left” and “Right” labels on the rear speakers so you know exactly where they need to go. Pairing them to the soundbar was also super easy thanks to some color-coded lights.
It probably took me no more than 20 minutes to get the soundbar and full speaker system up and running.
It probably took me no more than 20 minutes to get the soundbar and full speaker system up and running. The ThinQ app makes this process a total breeze, and through it you can change the sound modes to match what you’re watching on the TV, including settings like Game, Cinema, Music, Sports and more.
My personal favorite of the bunch was Bass Blast, which was particularly exciting when watching more explosive movies, like “Avengers: Engame” and “No Time to Die” — or when listening to some of my favorite hip-hop tracks over AirPlay. It helps that the S95AR supports all kinds of various audio files, whether it be FLAC or even WAV.
Because it has VRR pass-through, you don’t have to sacrifice an extra HDMI port on your TV to play video games at 4K/120Hz via VRR. LG’s included HDMI pass-through that lets me game at the best level, and it helps that the audio is earth-shakingly immersive for all my PS5 gaming. Metal Gear Solid 3 never sounded so good.
While I didn’t have an LG TV to test them out, the S95AR has some additional features you can try when paired with an LG TV. These include WOW Orchestra, which lets you use the TV speaker in tandem with the soundbar (something I wouldn’t recommend, personally). There’s also Wow Cast, allowing you to connect the soundbar to the TV wirelessly, and Wow Interface, a helpful interface for sound modes and speaker controls on your TV.
A world of booming bass
I’ve already discussed how the bass-boosting function on the app works, but in practice it’s pretty intense. The most fitting test for this was “F1” on Apple TV Plus, which has engine roars, tire screeches and booming announcers galore. (You also can’t knock that soundtrack by Hans Zimmer.) But it wasn’t even these louder, punchier sounds that stuck out.
In fact, it was the more subtle noises that were punctuated by LG’s subwoofer, like car doors being slammed shut, cars being dropped down in the pit, and even dialogue scenes where the actors’ voices were the only sounds. The Bass Blast setting definitely helps in punctuating these more subtle effects, but you don’t even need it as you can get excellent audio performance even in Standard mode.
The rear speakers only amplify the S95AR’s potential as an all-in-one system. They’re built with up-firing channels that add to that spatial audio dome, making Dolby Atmos content all the more immersive.
That extends to less-forceful content and more music-oriented movies, like “A Star is Born.” Solos led by Lady Gaga still felt like a live performance, with vocals full of information in the midst of heavy guitar rifts.
Despite many months with the Sonos Arc Ultra — an incredible Dolby Atmos system in its own right — the S95AR stood out as one serious speaker system. The one major downside I found when using it regularly over the past week was that it doesn’t have any built-in voice assistants, which may or may not matter for some users.
Sonos Arc Ultra or LG S95AR?
So, do you get the Sonos soundbar, or should you go with LG’s S95AR theater system? It depends.
You can’t go wrong with the LG system, especially if you’re looking for an all-on-one collection and you’re a first-time buyer.
Personally, I think you can’t go wrong with the LG system, especially if you’re looking for an all-on-one collection and you’re a first-time buyer. The LG S95AR comes bundled with a subwoofer and two rear speakers, and it’s all available for just $1,199 on Best Buy right now.
Meanwhile, the Sonos Arc Ultra is one of the most premium soundbars in the market. The soundbar alone costs $899, and if you do want the Arc Ultra bundled with other Sonos products, you’ll be paying double the price, just under $2,000.
LG WowCast also makes for an interesting addition on the S95AR. If you already own one of the best LG TVs like the LG C5 OLED, it makes the most sense to go with an LG soundbar so you can reap the additional benefits and not pay more when you don’t really need it.
