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LG Sound Suite H7 review
The LG Sound Suite H7 is the first soundbar in the market to feature Dolby Atmos FlexConnect capabilities — instantly providing a unique option in what is a highly competitive category.
FlexConnect enables the LG Sound Suite H7 to act as something of a hub — you can pair a compatible sub and various surround speakers to the soundbar, and no matter where you place them in the room, you can expect well-optimized sound and Atmos effects.
As I discovered when reviewing the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro and testing out the LG Immersive Quad Suite 7 — two systems that place the H7 soundbar front and center — FlexConnect works brilliantly. When using a wide variety of configurations, these systems provided impactful and clear sound. It’s a very handy feature, and one that could be useful for those with awkwardly shaped or laid-out living spaces.
Here, though, I wanted to look at the LG Sound Suite H7 soundbar on its own, and assess its quality without the assistance of any W7 subs or M7 surround speakers. Sure, this is a model that’s at its best when paired with other components — as is the case with rivals like the Sonos Arc Ultra. But can it hold its own as a standalone device? Can it compete with the very best Dolby Atmos soundbars?
Let’s begin by taking a look at features on the H7 soundbar. Of course, FlexConnect is great, but there’s a lot more to discover — especially if you download the LG ThinQ app.
One interesting addition is Sound Follow. This optimizes sound not only for your living space, but for your position within it. It works surprisingly well, and although it’s not essential, it’s certainly a unique option in LG’s arsenal. On top of this, you can alter the EQ, adjust channel levels, and even cycle between different sound modes.
There’s a decent array of these sound modes, with a bass-boosted option, a vocal-oriented alternative, and an AI Sound configuration. Personally, I found the AI-enabled mode to sound worse than the standard tuning — movie soundtracks lacked balance, and often sounded too bass-heavy. Other than this, you’ll also find an AI upmixing setting, which enables you to convert a stereo signal into a more expansive 9.1.4-channel format.
As well as its various sound modes, the H7 offers a decent amount of connectivity options. Of course, you’ve got the standard HDMI eARC, but you can also make use of a USB connection, or play music and podcasts via a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection.
On the topic of connectivity, though, I do have one key complaint: the LG H7 doesn’t have HDMI passthrough. In 2026, this feels like a huge miss. A lot of even high-end TVs owned by people today are restricted to just two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which will be the HDMI eARC port. Given that the H7 will take one of those up, you may well be left with just one. That could prove to be a point of contention for owners of multiple modern video game consoles, for instance.
Another feature that some may miss is DTS support. DTS has been missing from a lot of LG’s tech as of late, with the company opting to drop the format from its TVs in 2025. If your TV or video player decodes DTS, it’s not really a problem — but it’s annoying if you buy all LG. Still the best 4K Blu-ray players, where DTS is most important, can generally decode it.
But you may be wondering by now, just how good does the LG Sound Suite H7 sound? Well, in my view, it’s a very strong performer indeed.
Unsurprisingly, the real highlight here is Dolby Atmos performance. In Top Gun: Maverick, when Tom Cruise flies up and over the head of Ed Harris, the verticality of this move was replicated brilliantly. This is something that a lot of rivals struggle with — especially without overhead speakers for ‘true’ Atmos, but the height channels consistently conjured up excellent effects in my testing.
The H7 also outputs expansive sound with tremendous width, something I found when watching a 4K Blu-ray of The Mask. As the titular character spun around an outdoor area, his movement was tracked well, and it sounded as if he was tornadoing into the corners of our TV testing space. Sure, a full setup with the M7 speakers added more depth and pin-point precision, but the soundbar certainly offered a broad sense of sound on its own.
It was a similar story with music — with Hans Zimmer’s Dream of Arrakis, vocals oozed into the sides of the room, while ambient sound effects felt as if they were crawling along the walls. The bottom line, then, is if you’re looking for excellent Atmos performance, the H7 is a top choice.
Outside of Atmos performance, the H7 is pretty strong too. It gets a lot of the fundamentals right — clear dialogue, impactful bass, and expressive treble all feature. When watching The Boy and the Heron, I was impressed with the snappy and sharp sound of a wooden sword snapping, and even when harsh wind noises entered the fray, the Heron’s monologue was articulated clearly in the mix.
In one scene, a horde of frogs exclaim “JOIN US,” and powerful deep bass seeps in. The room-swallowing low-end was replicated quite well, even at higher volumes, but it wasn’t quite as full-sounding and thunderous as I’ve experienced — largely due to the lack of a sub. Adding the W7 subwoofer will fix this, of course, but that comes at quite the price.
Movies do generally sound great, however. Whether it was The Mask smashing through a glass door with giga impact or dialogue coming through with a true-to-life echo in Maverick, I was satisfied with the H7’s quality.
Is the H7 the most musically adept soundbar I’ve heard? Not quite. With stereo music, you do get distinct channel separation, and commendable attention to detail. However, I sometimes felt as if low-end sounds were a little overstated, leaving vocals or instruments in the mid-range sounding less prominent than I’d like.
With Atmos music, it was similar. Sure, the spatial effects are translated fantastically, and the dynamism of sudden drum hits or pounding bass was striking. But I sometimes felt that vocals in the center could be a touch understated. Some EQ tweaking can help with this, but I prefer models like the Marshall Heston 120 for music.
So, overall, the LG Sound Suite H7 is a very admirable performer, but I want to take a moment to talk about design.
Look, I don’t think this is the prettiest soundbar ever. It’s built to a high standard, but the H7 doesn’t have the flashy modern look of the Sonos Arc Ultra or the striking retro style of the Marshall Heston 60.
It ends up looking a bit generic, which isn’t a major problem — however, the more style-focused might wish for something with more flair. On the positive side, I did really like the soundbar’s display, which is handy for checking volume, source, sound mode, and more.
Another design positive relates to button and port placement. Everything is simple and well-sized, making for a relatively straightforward setup. Speaking of setting up, you can simply plug the HDMI cable and power source in, and you’re ready to go.
I did experience a few difficulties pairing the soundbar using the app, which was a little frustrating, but I had things working after a couple of resets. From there on out, the simple app made my user experience fairly trouble-free.
Let’s finish up by talking about value for money. The LG Sound Suite H7 has a list price of $999 / £899 (about AU$1,400), which, let’s face it, is pretty pricey. You can easily grab a great option that comes with a sub for less than this — the Samsung HW-Q800F, for instance, is regularly cheaper than the H7, and boasts DTS support alongside HDMI passthrough. However, the Sonos Arc Ultra — arguably the H7’s main competition — is in the same ballpark, retailing for $999 / £999 / AU$1,799.
Is the H7 worth it, though? Well, if you want Dolby Atmos FlexConnect and you’re planning to build out a full system, then it could be. Individual components, like the M7 speakers and W7 sub are expensive, and there’s no discount on a full system as of yet. But if you’re looking for a massively expansive overall package, then it remains a great option.
All in all, though, the LG Sound Suite H7 is an astute soundbar that packs in highly convenient FlexConnect technology, awesome Dolby Atmos effects, and impressive overall audio. It’s disappointing to see HDMI passthrough and DTS support off the menu, alongside a more enticing look.
And yes, it’s pricey, although it’s competitively priced against Sonos, and can act as a highly capable hub if you’re looking to build out a full FlexConnect system.
LG Sound Suite H7 review: price & release date
- List price of $999 / £899 (about AU$1,400)
- Released in early 2026
The LG Sound Suite H7 soundbar released early into 2026, with the W7 subwoofer and M7 wireless speakers joining it. At $999 / £899 (about AU$1,400), the H7 is by no means cheap, though it is priced pretty competitively against options like the Sonos Arc Ultra and Klipsch Flexus Core 300.
LG Sound Suite H7 review: specs
|
Dimensions |
47.2 x 2.5 x 5.6 inches / 1200 x 63 x 143mm |
|
Speaker channels |
9.1.6 |
|
Connections |
1x HDMI eARC, USB, Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi |
|
Dolby Atmos / DTS:X |
Yes / No |
|
Sub included |
No |
|
Rear speakers included |
No |
Should I buy the LG Sound Suite H7?
|
Attribute |
Notes |
Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Features |
Dolby Atmos FlexConnect works great, Sound Follow is unique, but no HDMI passthrough, underwhelming AI mode, and no DTS. |
4/5 |
|
Performance |
Excellent Atmos, clean dialogue, relatively impactful bass, but musicality could be better. |
4.5/5 |
|
Design |
It isn’t the prettiest, but built to a high standard, has a useful display, and has neat physical controls. |
4/5 |
|
Setup & usability |
Some in-app pairing issues, but straightforward plug and play setup otherwise. |
4/5 |
|
Value |
Pricey, but in a similar ballpark to rivals like Sonos Arc Ultra, and brings unique FlexConnect functionality. |
3.5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
LG Sound Suite H7 review: Also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
LG Sound Suite H7 |
Sonos Arc Ultra |
Samsung HW-Q800F |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Price |
$999 / £899 (about AU$1,400) |
$999 / £999 / AU$1,799 |
$1,099 / £799 / AU$1,099 |
|
Dimensions |
47.2 x 2.5 x 5.6 inches / 1200 x 63 x 143mm |
3 x 46.4 x 4.4 inches / 75 x 1178 x 110.6mm |
Main soundbar: 43.7 x 2.4 x 4.7 inches / 1110.7 x 60.4 x 120mm; subwoofer: 9.8 x 9.9 x 9.8 inches / 249 x 251.8 x 249mm |
|
Speaker channels |
9.1.6 |
9.1.4 |
5.1.2 |
|
Connections |
1x HDMI eARC, USB, Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi |
1x HDMI eARC, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
1x HDMI input, 1x HDMI eARC, digital optical, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3 |
|
Dolby Atmos / DTS:X |
Yes / No |
Yes / No |
Yes /Yes |
|
Sub included |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Rear speakers included |
No |
No |
No |
How I tested the LG Sound Suite H7
- Tested across multiple weeks
- Used at our TV testing space at Future Labs
- Played 4K Blu-Ray, streamed movies and streamed music over Wi-Fi
I tested the LG Sound Suite H7 across the course of multiple weeks. For this review, I used the soundbar on its own, although I made use of its Dolby Atmos FlexConnect capabilities in my review of the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro and the LG Immersive Quad Suite 7.
During my time with the LG Sound Suite H7, I watched a variety of movies — using the Panasonic DP-UB820 with 4K Blu-rays, and Netflix with Dolby Atmos content. I also connected my phone up to the soundbar for listening to music, and played a wide variety of tracks using Tidal Connect.
More generally, I’ve tested a whole lot of soundbars here at TechRadar, including everything from budget-friendly options — like the Sony HT-SF150 — through to premium alternatives such as the JBL Bar 1300MK2.
Read the full article here
