LG SH7Q Sound Bar Review: Closed captions on

Pairing the SH7Q with an LG TV will yield the best audio results but you’ll probably want to keep closed captions on. Regardless of the setting, the connection cable, or the streaming service, dialogue is very difficult to hear. Utilising CINEMA and VOICE PRO mode can make it a touch easier, but I found myself needing to dial the volume way up to hear conversations. This can be especially problematic when using AI SOUND PRO through an LG television.

AI SOUND PRO is designed to emulate surround sound and add more dimension to the sound using the accompanying AI processor in said LG TV. In practice it does add more directionality to the audio - the rain in Bladerunner sounds like it is falling to the sides of the speakers for example, but it also emphasises the big, loud sounds more. In The Menu when Anya Taylor-Joy’s character Margot throws a keg down the stairs the clanging is intense and more pronounced in the mix. After needing to turn the volume up to the mid-70s to hear dialogue, it was just too much.

Without AI SOUND PRO enabled the soundstage is a lot thinner with most of the audio feeling like its coming from the centre of the speaker. Listening to Blinding Lights by The Weeknd, you should be able to hear the synths rolling across from one side of the speakers to the other. Devices with a wide soundstage will throw the audio like this, making it seem like the music is moving like a mexican wave - this isn’t the case with the SH7Q sound bar. While there is some rolling effect it is more like a mexican wave at a school assembly rather than a stadium. Testing showed the same in Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd.

Despite the subwoofer, the bass doesn’t have a deep resonance to it either. Carly Rae Jepsen’s I Didn’t Just Come Here To Dance and 3005 by Childish Gambino both have multiple levels of bass that reverberate on bassy speakers, and while you can still make out all the levels on these tracks they don’t vibrate through your body in the way deep bass is want to do. When connected with AI SOUND PRO they do get a bit deeper however. The mid tones, treble, and clarity are excellent using both the standard setting and AI SOUND PRO. Using the AI setting the clarity is slightly muddier, and the mids are less prominent but none of this is too noticeable unless you’re stress-testing the speakers.

Partnering the SH7Q sound bar with an LG television is going to give you the best audio experience by a slim margin, but the dialogue issue is a tough one to overcome. While the speaker performs well in our audio testing, chances are you’re going to spend more time watching shows and movies with this device than listening to music.

Regardless as to what you pair it with, LG SH7Q sound bar represents a big improvement on any integrated television speaker. It has great audio quality, and can do a pretty good surround sound impression coupled with an LG television with an AI processor. However the dialogue issues are tricky, and the sheer mass of the product might present a problem in some households.

There are plenty of soundbar options for less than the $799 price point that don’t have these same pitfalls, but you’ll likely need to make another compromise. The Sonos Ray for example is small, with a wide soundstage, and around $300 cheaper but doesn’t have a subwoofer or HDMI. 

Buying the LG SH7Q sound bar isn’t a bad choice - especially if you’re inside an LG entertainment ecosystem, but be aware of the caveats, and measure your entertainment unit first.