LG’s new AI-controlled soundbar to hit US market in March

LG Electronics Inc. will roll out its new flagship soundbar system — powered by AI and 15-channel sound — in North America later this month, followed by South Korea and Europe, the company announced on Monday.

The Korean electronics giant said its latest multi-channel soundbar system, the S95TR, boasts the 9.1.5 channel, a surround sound system consisting of one main speaker embedded with three up-firing channels, a sub-woofer speaker and rear speakers.

A multi-channel speaker emits sound in different directions, allowing users to enjoy more immersive and realistic audio experiences.

Its AI Room Calibration feature enables the speaker to analyze sound reflection to measure a room's size and shape in order to optimize sound accordingly.

The soundbar system, with an 810-watt (W) power output, can be used together with a TV speaker through the WOW Orchestra feature, while the WOWCAST function supports cutting-edge spatial audio technology Dolby Atmos for an immersive sound experience without sound degradation during wireless connection to a TV set.   

The S95TR can be connected to Chromecast and Apple’s AirPlay 2 and play music from different music streaming services operated on smartphones, such as Tidal and Spotify.

Its predecessor, the S95QR, was released in 2022.

LG Electronics will also release another soundbar system, the S70TR, that can be mounted on the wall together with an LG QNED TV.

With its latest home audio system, the company is taking on its crosstown TV rival Samsung Electronics Co., which commanded the largest share of the global soundbar market for a ninth year in a row in 2022, according to market research firm FutureSource Consulting.

Samsung Electronics has its own premium soundbar system, the Q-Series.

The global soundbar market is poised for steady growth, driven by rising demand for home cinema in line with the proliferating over-the-top (OTT) market.

Larger and slimmer TVs sacrifice sound from their embedded TV speakers, making separate soundbar systems more essential.

In December, LG Electronics’ TV sound system SC9S ranked second on the US Consumer Reports' list of best premium soundbars of 2023. The US is the world’s largest home appliance market.

US audio products maker Sonos Inc.’s Arc topped the list, and Samsung Electronics Co.’s HW-S801B followed in third place.

LG unveiled its 2024 soundbar system, the S95TR, at the global tech show CES 2024 in Las Vegas earlier this year.

Write to Chae-Yeon Kim at why29@hankyung.com
Sookyung Seo edited this article.