LG has announced its 2024 slate of soundbars a few weeks ahead of CES 2024 (as it’s prone to do). With them is promised an “elevated home cinema experience.” We’ll have to wait to pass judgment on that part until we get to hear them.
“LG has always been committed to delivering unmatched audio-visual experiences with superior quality, all to bring a better life to our valued customers,” Lee Jeong-seok, head of LG Home Entertainment Company’s audio business, said in a press release. “We remain dedicated to providing immersive home entertainment experiences through LG’s premium soundbar products, ensuring our customers enjoy the very best with further enhanced surround sound optimized for LG OLED TVs and LG QNED TVs.”
The new 2024 soundbars comprise a triad — the S95TR, SG10TY, and S70TY. The latter two bring wireless connectivity to the midrange for the first time, thanks to an updated WOWCAST (which is found across all three models).
The S95TR features five up-firing channels — 15 in all — and a total 810 watts of output. Its center up-firing speaker is calibrated to ensure a seamless audio-visual experience with precise elevation to the TV screen’s level. It also has improved tweeters and a passive radiator. The sound quality isn’t the only improvement, though, with a matte color palette and finish meant to cut down on any reflection that might take away from the viewing experience.
LG’s SG10TY aims to integrate itself perfectly with LG’s OLED televisions. It’s also wireless and includes a Wi-Fi connection for services like Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect, and has the full suite of WOW features, including WOW Orchestra, WOW Interface, and full WOWCAST for a cable-free installation.
The S70TY is built to be used alongside LG’s QNED televisions, complete with a custom bracket that allows it to effectively become a part of the QNET TV when it’s mounted on a wall. (You’ll have to buy the bracket separately, however.) It’s deemed “a convenient solution for direct attachment, eliminating the need to drill holes in the wall during installation.” You’ll also be able to mount it at different heights or locations, so there’s some flexibility as to how it all ends up being put together.
And helping tie everything together is the new AI Room calibration that will help calibrate the audio of the rear speakers.
In addition to the new soundbars, LG is also bringing new speakers and earbuds. Look for the LG X02 to build on the omnidirectional sound of the venerable LG XBOOM 360, adding 20-hour battery life, an IP55 rating against dust and water, and 360-degree mood lighting. And there’s also a new version of the LG TONE Free earbuds, with the T90S offering up improved Dolby head tracking and “refined” adaptive active noise cancellation. It also supports Plug & Wireless, so you can watch on non-Bluetooth devices by using the charging case as a Bluetooth transmitter.
No word yet on pricing or when, exactly, the new gear will be available. So stay tuned for that. Also, there is no word yet on any new televisions LG’s throwing all this audio gear at — but you know that has to be on the way.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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