T3's Expert Recommendations
00. The list in brief ↴
01. Best for LG overall: LG S95QR
02. Best for most people: Sonos Beam
03. Best budget option: Yamaha SR-C20A
04. Best for flagship LG TVs: LG USC95
05. Best Dolby Atmos surround: Samsung HW-Q990D
06. Best single box sound quality: Sonos Arc
07. Best for smaller LG TVs: LG Eclair USE6S
08. Best budget option with a sub: Denon DHT-S316
09. How to choose
10. How we test
The best soundbars for LG TVs are designed to significantly improve the audio experience – but it's fair to say that not all soundbars are created equal. Indeed the best soundbars for LG televisions will differ to those for Sony or Samsung sets.
Here we've picked out the best soundbars for LG TVs in 2024 to ensure you get the best sound for your make and model. Some of the features of these soundbars only work with specific LG TVs, such as the Al Sound Pro (LG TVs with the A9 Gen4 picture processing engine or later) – but if this all sounds a bit too technical for you, don’t panic, we’ve broken each product down so you can make an informed decision on the one that’s right for you.
Of course, if you’re reading this guide, you might also want to invest in one of the best OLED TVs – as LG has long been known for making many of the best ones (and providing the panels to its competitors, too). But for the best sound and products to suit all price ranges, check out our full list of the best soundbars specifically for LG TVs:
T3's Top 3
Best LG TV soundbar overall
You know what you're getting when you pair an LG soundbar with an LG TV, and the LG S95QR oozes quality from every corner – we're almost as impressed with the build and design as we are with the sound that it produces, and because there are four separate boxes, an immersive experience is guaranteed. It's great at everything, but especially watching movies at home.
Best LG TV soundbar for most people
If you don't want the premium offering of the LG S95QR, then the all-in-one, second-generation Sonos Beam is a fine choice too, and one that will probably suit most people. It supports a host of different features (including eARC-enabled HDMI), and comes with the sound quality we've come to expect from Sonos (it'll work nicely with any other Sonos speakers you've got too).
Best budget LG TV soundbar
For those of you who have a tighter budget to work to, there's the Yamaha SR-C20A: despite it's very competitive price, you get a great-sounding audio experience here. You might miss out on some advanced features (such as Dolby Atmos support), but this soundbar does what it's supposed to – making your TV movies and music sound fantastic – and does it really well.
Best overall
The LG S95QR is both soundbar and an entire surround sound system in one. It packs a huge amount of power into its four boxes, and as long as you have the space (and a TV big enough that it won’t be dwarfed by the soundbar), it’s a brilliantly effective solution.
What makes it extra special for LG TVs is the inclusion of WOW Orchestra, meaning it'll work in connection with compatible LG TVs' built-in speakers too, delivering additional immersion and height. Its replacement, the LG S95TR (new for 2024), does the same – but it'll cost your more, hence the older model's recommendation.
The L95QR's configuration delivers front left/centre/right channels, two side channels, two width channels, three front height channels, two rear height channels, surround channels, and wireless subwoofer. All the main film soundtrack formats are covered with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and IMAX Enhanced, and thanks to Meridian’s involvement the S95QR is also very musical.
As far as movies are concerned, it all works brilliantly. There’s subtlety and fine detail aplenty, as well as a wide-open soundstage and the dynamic potency to really kick off when the soundtrack demands it. And the Dolby Atmos effect might be the most convincing we’ve ever heard from a speaker set-up like this. Want to know more? Read the LG S95QR review.
Best for most people
The Sonos Beam Gen 2 features a single tweeter, four ‘racetrack’ mid/bass drivers and a trio of passive radiators for low-end reinforcement. Unlike the original speaker it replaces, the Gen 2 model has powerful on-board processing that wants to deliver height, as well as width, to the sound, and includes Dolby Atmos processing to that effect. It also improves low-end heft and clarity at the same time.
The Beam also features eARC-enabled HDMI (good) but still lacks HDMI passthrough (less good, depending on your TV and plug needs). Music streaming is possible via Apple AirPlay 2, and the Sonos control app can connect to streaming services, which makes Beam an ideal multiroom option. Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are both built in, too, which only adds to the convenience – this is one of the best smart speakers, as well as a top soundbar.
Best of all, the Beam leaves the unassisted sound of your TV looking weedy. It’s punchy, distinct, direct and very spacious – and even if it struggles to make good on its promises of Dolby Atmos height compared to something like the LG S95QR above, it’s still the best-sounding soundbar at this sort of money, as our full Sonos Beam 2nd Gen review explains.
Best budget
Want a great soundbar but don’t want to break the bank? Or to have your room dominated by a big cabinet? Don’t look any further – Yamaha has you covered with the SR-C20A. There's no sub here, so not much space is needed, and it's a smaller unit than most others in this best-of guide.
For the money, the SR-C20A sounds straightforwardly great. Compared to your unadorned LG TV, the performance is deeper, wider and taller – and the Yamaha achieves that without even pretending to be a Dolby Atmos speaker. It has poise and balance, decent dexterity and more than a little low-end presence. And it will fit happily below titchy little 32-inch TVs, and is portable enough to be carried off and put beneath a games monitor or something.
Setup is simple, and as well as the more usual connections there’s also a 3.5mm analogue input for additional flexibility. Sure, the remote control looks cheaper and feels even cheaper – but there’s a great Yamaha control app available, so that’s not too much of an issue. And let’s not forget: as our SR-C20A review makes clear, this soundbar is affordable, versatile and sounds great too.
Best for flagship LG TVs
The LG USC9S is a very specific soundbar as it's designed for tight integration with an LG C2, C3 or C4 TV. That's because there's a stand in the box that marries TV and soundbar together in one, which makes it look fantastic. If you don't have one of those TVs you still get a fair soundbar and subwoofer package, but other options would be more sensible.
That's because we found the soundbar sometimes a bit hit and miss, as stated in our LG USC9S review: "overall the USC9S's lacking in its headline features' capabilities – AI Sound Pro, WOW Orchestra – that's the biggest letdown. But let this soundbar run in a handful of modes and its wall-of-sound delivery is loud and robust, acting as an obvious albeit not class-leading audio upgrade."
Best for Dolby Atmos surround
When is a soundbar not a soundbar? When it’s a soundbar, a subwoofer and a pair of rear speakers with an all-in total of 22 drivers and over 600 watts of power, that’s when. Which is exactly what Samsung's HW-Q990D offers. At least its subwoofer and rear speakers are wireless, though, so the system’s not quite as ungainly as it might be at first sound.
The Q990D is an Award-winning 2024 flagship, which delivers 11 channels of sound (using angled drivers to create width and up-firing drivers for the height effect). Each rear speaker sits on short pedestal stands that neutralise potential colouration from whatever surface you’ve placed them on, and their top edges angle down at the front rather than being flat, to help push the sound from the up-firing drivers forward, and the subwoofer, well… it does that ideal subwoofer thing of delivering deep, taut bass without getting overconfident.
Working as a system, the Samsung combination manages to sound powerful and authoritative, yet detailed. The soundstage it creates is broad and, yes, tall, and there’s more than enough dynamic potency to bring movie soundtracks bounding to life. Add in a great feature set (including a pair of HDMI inputs, support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, wireless connectivity via Bluetooth and AirPlay 2) and the Samsung stops looking quite expensive and instead seems like a bit of a bargain.
Read our Samsung HW-Q990D review to find out more about it – but do note that, as this is a Samsung bar, it can't offer WOW Orchestra (TV speaker activation and sync) like with LG's flagship soundbar options.
Best for sound quality in a single box
Thanks to a complement of 11 speaker drivers firing at various angles, the Sonos Arc gets closer than any other affordable single-unit soundbar at creating a sense of width and height to Dolby Atmos soundtracks. Which should be enough of a recommendation in and of itself, as long as you have a TV of 55 inches and up (it's a big boy). But there’s more to the Arc than simple audio trickery.
It’s just a deeply impressive and thoroughly well-balanced speaker, no matter what you choose to listen to. Tonality is even and convincing for both music and movies, and by the standards of subwoofer-less soundbars it develops deep and substantial low frequencies (though can't truly match a subwoofer). Because it’s a Sonos, it’s simplicity itself to set up, and can be integrated into a multichannel or multiroom system in moments. The control app remains the finest example of its type, anywhere.
Downsides are remarkably few, but not exactly insignificant. There’s only a single HDMI socket, and no passthrough, so you’ll lose one of your TV’s HDMI ports by connecting the Arc – and if your LG TV can’t decode or pass through Dolby Atmos then there’s no Dolby Atmos for you. It’s a frankly bizarre state of affairs, but this is only a problem for older LG TVs.
Best build quality on a compact box
You'll often get the best results when you pair a soundbar and TV from the same manufacturer, and the LG Eclair SE6 should certainly have no problems getting connected to any LG TV you like. The usual HDMI, optical audio, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi options are here, along with support for Apple AirPlay and Google Cast, so you're certainly well covered.
It's one of the better soundbars we've seen in terms of build quality, and its compact size means it'll snuggle up nicely against your television. There's no subwoofer, so you don't need to find any extra room by your TV setup, and considering this is an all-in-one soundbar it manages to output an impressive amount of volume and bass. It's ideal for smaller LG TVs.
Audio optimisation to suit the layout of your room is simple to set up, via the accompanying app – and in general it's an appealing choice if you don't want to spend too much money, but do want a substantial upgrade on your television's built-in audio. It has the key features you're likely to need, while still staying firmly in the mid-range category.
Best budget soundbar with subwoofer
Get the Denon DHT-S316 underneath your LG TV, and not only do you have the peace of mind that comes with the Denon brand name, you also have a good value soundbar upgrade that's going to boost your TV's audio significantly without requiring you to spend over the odds. What's more, it comes with a sleek and stylish aesthetic design too.
You'll struggle to find many decent soundbars for your LG TV for less than the cost of the Denon DHT-S316, and yet despite its budget price, we found that it offers a full, expansive, and well-balanced soundscape. Ramp up the volume, and the soundbar continues to cope very well indeed, keeping the detail and depth in your audio no matter what the source.
Of course, at this sort of price point you're not going to get a host of advanced audio features to play around with, or more than three integrated speakers. However, if your main objective in looking for the best soundbar for your LG TV is to get the most bang possible for your buck, then the Denon DHT-S316 model is well worth shortlisting.
How to choose
There are, of course, some practical considerations when it comes to picking a new soundbar to partner your LG television: you need to set a realistic budget (and then stick to it) for example, and these soundbars vary significantly in terms of how much they cost. We've included a spread of prices in our list.
You also need to think about the design of your new soundbar – LG TVs tend to be sleek and minimal in appearance, and you don't want your soundbar ruining your decor. If your LG TV is wall-mounted, for instance, it's probably worth giving special consideration to soundbars that can be wall-mounted too.
If your TV stands on its feet, though, and the soundbar is going to sit below the screen, make sure there is enough clearance to prevent the soundbar from obscuring the bottom of the screen. It's important to consider the width of the soundbar, too – you don’t want it to be wider than the screen it’s serving.
Do you want a standalone soundbar or one with a subwoofer for additional wallop? Many subs are wireless (which makes them quite convenient) but can tend to be quite large (which doesn't). It's also worth checking to see if your favoured soundbar has Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi connectivity, for the purposes of streaming music.
Make sure your soundbar has all the connections you need, too. HDMI is the easiest way to attach your soundbar to your LG TV – and your TV is almost certain to be HDMI ARC enabled, meaning audio can travel in both directions along the HDMI cable. What's more, as LG is very keen on the Dolby Atmos audio format, its screens tend to have the eARC specification necessary to shift all that complex audio information from the TV to the soundbar too.
How we test
Our dedicated How We Test page tells you everything you need to know about how we weigh up the products that we come across – but in summary, we're comprehensive in everything that we do. Whether it's noting down physical dimensions or studying brightness levels, we're always thorough in what we do.
When it comes to soundbars, there's a lot to cover, from the audio performance to the available port connections. As you'll see in the reviews and summaries higher up on this page, everything you might need to know is included, helping you make the most informed decision possible.
We'll also try our best to put the consumer gadgets that we review into a wider context, whether that's in terms of their current pricing, or how they match up against other similar products. That can really make the difference in certain categories, where there are lots of similar products available.
