Intro/Disclaimer
I received this product for free from LG as part of a promotional event. While I was asked to share my review, all opinions are entirely my own.
Packaging
Starting with the packaging of the LG Sound Suite Immersive Quad Suite 7, the H7 arrived in its own box which was sturdy and well packaged. The four M7’s came with outer boxes and were also well packaged, both were easy to remove. My first issue comes with the lengths of the power cables for both the H7 soundbar and the M7’s. I would like to see the length of the power cables doubled. I had to purchase a couple new surge protectors to accommodate the short lengths. This may not be a huge issue if you have outlets on every wall, but you may need to do some cable running as I did if you don’t.
Setup and features
Next I began the setup which was super simple. I powered up everything and connected the H7 to my G5 via ARC using the included HDMI cable. My G5 immediately detected the H7 and applied the correct audio settings for the TV. I then fired up the ThinQ app and began adding each speaker starting with the H7. You simply press the volume - button and hit next in the app to allow the app to register each speaker. I would recommend doing the M7’s (or M5’s) one at a time instead of having them all powered on at once as I did because you cannot tell which is which when adding them all at once in the app and you need to hit the volume - button on each speaker until you find the one that you tapped to add. It still works perfectly this way but it will save you from walking to each speaker hitting the - button until you find the correct one.
After all speakers were added to the room I added everything to the Dolby Atmos FlexConnect (or DAFC) group and ran the surprisingly quick DAFC speaker optimization. There is a sample audio clip you can play after to see how everything sounds which is nice. You can also utilize the Sound Follow feature under the DAFC settings which adjusts the calibration to a specific area (say a couch vs a loveseat or chair) if you like to change seating positions often. I have one primary seating area so this is not something I plan on using much, but I did test it out by moving to the rear of the room and I could tell a bit of a difference after using the feature.
Content Testing
I then proceeded to fire up some movies to start before working my way to music and finally some games on the PS5 Pro. I started with Avengers Endgame and “that scene” with Cap vs Thanos. Initially I was struck with quite a bit of a shrill treble blast from the H7, so I tapped on Sound Effects and was presented with several options for EQ. You can choose from AI Sound Pro+ which flexes the Alpha 11 AI processor to help optimize audio based on your rooms acoustics, Standard, Clear Voice Pro+ (for more distinct voices), Bass Boost, and custom EQ. I selected Bass Boost to cut some of the treble initially which did help before deciding to try a Custom EQ. I applied my typical EQ curve and was very pleased with the adjustment. I then saw the option for AI upmix which you can use with any of the aforementioned EQ options and enabled it not expecting a huge difference. Boy was I wrong.
The AI Upmix immediately added a massive amount of presence and depth to the soundstage. There was also a large increase in detail that I wasn’t getting with the AI upmix disabled. I was incredibly impressed as I am typically a purist that does not want any type of AI or upmix altering audio tracks. This just makes everything sound….better. You can also set speaker levels under sound setttings with options for soundbar woofer, center speaker, overhead speaker, and side speakers levels. I made some tweaks to the soundbar and overhead speaker setting here to further dial things in for the room. After all these tweaks I replayed the Cap v Thanos scene a few times and was incredibly happy with the changes.
I then decided to test some verticality by utilizing the Top Gun Maverick flyover scene which was just awesome. The other flight scenes also sounded fantastic and lively. I have some semi high ceilings with my primary entertainment room being about 20 feet high. The upfiring drivers are definitely much more satisfying than I expected. I then closed out the movie testing with Dune part 2 and some rain scenes from Blade Runner 2049 all of which sounded excellent. I still preferred to use the AI Upmix vs having it off with my EQ/level settings. I toggled it on and off throughout my testing. For my room it works extremely well. It was at this point I decided to test different positioning and different combinations of the M7’s. I first tried to “stump” the system by placing the speakers in several weird positions about the room. After running the speaker optimization in DAFC it did a great job of keeping the soundstage consistent. This is such a great feature for anyone with sub-optimal room shapes or sizes. I then tried two M7’s, one front left and one rear right. Again DAFC speaker optimization impressed by keeping a circular soundstage with this oddball positioning. It’s just super cool tech.
Next up was some music through Spotify as there is a Spotify connect option in the sound suite settings. I would like to see more options here such as Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Tidal but Spotify worked well enough. Overall music was pleasant through the system, and yet again I was surprised that I preferred to listen with AI Upmix enabled.
Finally we arrive at the primary use for my home theater setup, gaming! 😆I started with RE9: Requiem as I had just played through the game on my Polk/Denon setup. I was immediately loving the increased spatial awareness and soundstage present in the dark halls of the Rhodes Hill Care Center. I loaded some saves of late game Leon sections to enjoy the cacophony of guns and monsters. I also spent a lot of time testing Horizon Forbidden West, Spider-Man 2, GoW Ragnarok, Rift Apart, and Nioh 3. The improved soundstage and directional audio cues were apparent in all games I tested. I’m currently enjoying Crimson Desert also and again the overall soundstage is excellent here as well, definitely an immersive surround experience. The gaming performance is what fully sold me on getting the W7 subwoofer (more on this below) and moving forward with the sound suite as a whole to replace my old setup. Never thought that would happen with a wireless sound system or a soundbar.
Overall Sound and final thoughts
My 7.1 home theater system consisting of Polk audio speakers and 10” Polk sub ran through a Denon receiver has been my go to for many years. Overall bass is where I have an issue with the current pieces of the sound suite that I have. Unfortunately I was not given the W7 subwoofer for testing (I am a huge bass fan) and while I do plan on buying the W7 sub, overall bass is just ok on the H7 and the M7’s in my opinion. They really need a sub to help tie everything together. Until I get the W7 I cannot rate the entire system as it is not really fair to do so, but I can rate the H7 and four M7 setup. I give it an 8.8/10. The pricing is not in a terrible place at the moment and the fact that you can use anything from one M7 without the H7 soundbar to the full suite I have been provided with (minus sub) in any type of room really provides a lot of options and value. You can always add a piece or two over time and make use of the DAFC to get the most out of whichever pieces you choose.
I am looking forward to hearing everything together when I purchase the W7 for that true home theater experience (gotta have that bass!) and I will update this with my thoughts on the sub and how everything gels once I have it in the room. I hope this helps anyone who is thinking about taking the plunge!