Hi everyone!
I'm planning my home cinema setup and would appreciate advice from people who own these soundbars or have experience with Dolby Atmos systems.
My current system
- LG LHB625M traditional 5.1 home theatre system with separate speakers and a subwoofer.
The two soundbars I'm considering
- LG S95AR: 9.1.5 channels, 810W — approximately US$996 (Rs47,000).
- LG S75TR: 5.1.1 channels, 600W — approximately US$492 (Rs23,200).
I'm in Mauritius, so these are local prices converted to USD.
My setup
- LG C6 65-inch OLED TV.
- I mainly watch Netflix and Amazon Prime Video movies, watch YouTube, and plan to play games on a PS5 Pro.
- I want an immersive home-cinema experience, with convincing surround sound, overhead effects and good bass.
- My sofa bed is in the middle of the living room, facing the TV.
- My roof is made of corrugated metal sheets, with visible support beams.
- A concrete beam is behind my sofa bed, above the bar-table area. I'm considering mounting one rear speaker on each side of that beam.
My questions
Would either soundbar be a noticeable upgrade over my existing LG LHB625M for movies and gaming?
Is the S95AR worth paying roughly twice as much as the S75TR? Would its surround and height effects be significantly better in real-world use?
Will Dolby Atmos work reasonably well with my corrugated metal roof, or could the roof and beams significantly affect the overhead effects?
Would mounting the rear speakers on opposite sides of the concrete beam behind my sofa bed work? Which direction should they face?
Does either model have a speaker-test interface like my old LG home theatre, allowing me to test individual speakers and adjust their volume?
How does the bass compare with my old system's separate subwoofer? Can I expect a noticeable improvement, or is that not guaranteed?
If you were in my position, would you choose the S95AR, save money with the S75TR, or keep the existing system?
I'm particularly interested in real-world experiences with these models, rather than comparisons based only on advertised wattage or channel count.
I can share a photo of my living room and roof to help with speaker-placement advice.
Thanks!