LG S75QR Soundbar Review

The LG S75QR soundbar is a simple all-black bar with two up-firing drivers on top. Touch-sensitive controls sit on top of the bar, with a display screen in front.

The subwoofer is mostly made of plastic, though fabric covers the front. The port is in the back.

The satellites have a similar build to the bar. They're mostly made of plastic, with fabric wrapped around the sides. They connect to a wireless receiver module, also made of plastic.

The LG S75QR is pretty wide, so it likely won't fit between the legs of a 55" TV stand. It isn't very tall, so it won't obscure the screen unless your TV sits flush against the table.

The sub is about the size of an average desktop computer. It connects to the bar wirelessly, so you have some flexibility when placing it in your setup, though you'll still need to plug it into a power outlet.

The satellites are a similar size to other satellites on the market. They're meant to sit upright and are taller than they are wide.

You can mount the bar to the wall using the included brackets. The satellites and the satellite receiver are also mountable, though the hardware isn't included with your purchase. You can see here that the wireless receiver has two holes underneath for wall mounting.

The LG S75QR has good build quality. The bar and the satellites are mostly plastic, which feels solid and durable. The metal grilles on top of the bar help protect the drivers inside, which is a nice touch. Meanwhile, the satellites' sides are wrapped in a tight fabric, which doesn't seem like it could rip, though it might collect dust or pet hair over time. The same issue could also occur with the fabric covering the front of the sub.

• Manual with Mounting template
• Remote with batteries (2x AA)
• 3x power cables (1x 3.2 ft / 1m and 2x 4.9 ft / 1.5m)
• Adapter for soundbar (cable length 4.9ft / 1.5m)
• HDMI cable (4.9 ft / 1.5m)
• 2x mounting brackets with screws (for the bar)
• 2x satellite speaker wires (16 ft / 4.9m)

The LG S75QR soundbar has a decent stereo frequency response. With stereo content like music, there's a little extra boom in the bass, resulting in a more bass-heavy sound. Still, voices and lead instruments remain clear and present in the mix thanks to the balanced mid-range. Subjectively, we notice a bit more treble than represented in the graph, to the point that it has a more V-shaped sound with music. There's a fair amount of low-bass, but its low-frequency extension isn't quite as impressive as more premium models, meaning you notice a touch less rumble in the bass with genres like EDM and hip-hop.

If you prefer a more balanced sound with stereo content, you can set the bass to -1 and the treble to 4. Overall, the bar's sound is more even, with less of a bass-heavy slope. You get less emphasis in the high-bass, and more balance in the treble range.

The LG S75QR soundbar has a decent stereo soundstage. The soundstage is perceived to be a tiny bit wider than the bar itself, but it doesn't have any tricks to make it seem wider than that. The focus is just okay, too, meaning that sound effects seem to come from a more general area in the mix rather than a pinpoint, accurate location.

The bar gets pretty loud, so it can fill up larger and more open spaces with sound. There's a little bit of compression when you push it to max volume, though, impacting the overall clarity of audio reproduction.

The bar has a decent stereo THD performance. Distortion falls within good limits at a normal listening volume, so audio reproduction is clean and pure overall. As with most bars, there's a slight jump in distortion when you push the bar to max volume. However, distortion is hard to hear with real-life content, so it's not a huge deal, especially if you don't want to crank up the volume.

This 5.1.2 setup has a discrete center channel designed to improve vocal reproduction in the mix. The frequency response on this channel is pretty even, especially in the mids, where most dialogue is reproduced. As a result, you can easily follow along with voices in your favorite movies and TV shows.

Compared to the LG S75Q, the LG S75QR adds two discrete satellite speakers that enhance the overall surround sound experience. You get a more clear and real feel as a result, with sound effects stretching into the space around your couch. The frequency response is okay, but the dips in the low-mids and the treble mean that some effects sound more thin, veiled, and weak in the mix.

The LG S75QR uses two up-firing drivers built into the bar to simulate height by ricocheting sound off the ceiling above you. The frequency response on these channels is a bit uneven, with a noticeable dip in the low-mid that makes some sound effects sound thinner in the mix. There's a good amount of bass, too, but not as much as with more premium models, which is noticeable in more action-packed scenes.

We subjectively evaluated the bar's performance with Atmos content to get a better sense of its soundstage and how immersive of an experience it provides. Overall, it provides a good listening experience, and the added rear speaker kit is a nice addition compared to the standalone LG S75Q. It does well compared to other bars in this price range, but it can't reproduce height or overhead effects with the same accuracy as more premium models like the LG S90QY with SPQ8-S Speaker Kit. Still, the sound is clean, and the details are pretty clear overall.

The LG S75QR soundbar has a pretty standard selection of sound enhancement features. It lacks room correction, typical for bars in its price range, meaning that the bar may sound a bit different depending on the acoustics of your space. However, you can manually make up for these differences a bit using the bass and treble adjustments and the EQ preset modes: Standard, AI Sound Pro, Cinema, Clear Voice Pro, Sports, Music, Game, and Bass Blast. As its name suggests, Clear Voice Pro doubles as a dialogue enhancement tool. If you own a compatible LG TV, you can connect it to the bar to enjoy TV Sound Mode Share. This feature is similar to others from different soundbar manufacturers, as the manufacturer advertises it to create a more immersive listening experience through the TV's speakers in tandem with the bar's speakers.

The bar connects to your TV over Optical or HDMI. It also has an HDMI In port, so you can use the bar as a hub between different devices to passthrough video.

Whether you like to watch content on streaming platforms or Blu-rays, this soundbar can playback many commonly-used audio formats, like surround sound and lossless and object-based formats.

This soundbar supports many common audio formats via HDMI In, too. It can playback 5.1 surround sound like Dolby Digital and lossless and object-based formats like Dolby Atmos, common on both streaming platforms and Blu-rays.

The bar supports both Dolby Digital and DTS content via Optical. Dolby Digital is the most common surround sound format, so it's on many different streaming platforms, while DTS is more common on Blu-rays.

The LG S75QR has relatively low latency, which is great for watching videos and movies. Since the audio is in sync with the video on screen, you don't notice lip-synching issues. Of course, some apps and TVs compensate differently, but if you run into any problems, you can always use the AV Sync feature in the app to manually adjust the delay.

The LG S75QR can passthrough some high-quality video signals found on devices like an Apple TV, like HDR10 and Dolby Vision. However, it can't passthrough virtual refresh rate technologies often used on consoles and PCs to ensure a tear-free gaming experience, which is disappointing.

You can wirelessly stream audio from your mobile devices to the bar via Bluetooth.

There's a small display screen on the front of the bar. It shows the settings you adjust, like the volume, the sound levels, or the preset. You can control whether the display stays on or off or dim the lights so the display is less bright.

On top of the bar, you'll find a few touch-sensitive buttons. You can turn the bar on/off, change the input, adjust the volume, and activate Bluetooth. The bar's other settings are accessible through the remote and the LG Sound Bar app.

The remote lets you control many of the bar's functions from the comfort of your couch. Also, you can use the LG Sound Bar app on your phone if you prefer.