macattackqc
Standard Member
Background/story
Unfortunately, for audiophiles, I believe most online reviewers don’t compare the sound system adequately. Most reviews don’t even use metrics, Rting uses them but they need to add calibrated results as well (like they do with monitors or TVs). Also, most of reviewers test a soundbar at a time and I believe it’s not the right way. You should compare the sound like you do food or wine tasting. Sound (like taste) is way more subjective than vision/image from my POV. Also, I’m not a fanboy of any brands here, I have a LG C9 65 but I don’t care about the brand, I care about getting the best product for my needs.
So, in order to make my decision, I bought the Q90R, LG SN11RG and the Sonos Combo (Arc + Sub + Rears) and compare each of them in the same living room with the same content.
Just trying to help, since comparing all systems in a store is not feasible these days. Even you can do it, you may not have access to the content you care about.
Methodology
I used this real-life content:
For each category, I will give a score (1 =worst, 2= average, 3= best). All reviews and methodologies are subjective so don’t kill the reviewer
Sound quality (front, rears, sub)
Sound Processing (the way the sound is distributed to each speaker)
Software
Atmos immersion
Connectivity and sound formats support
Upgradability/Modular approach
Value
Overall (using total score) and recommendations
Unfortunately, for audiophiles, I believe most online reviewers don’t compare the sound system adequately. Most reviews don’t even use metrics, Rting uses them but they need to add calibrated results as well (like they do with monitors or TVs). Also, most of reviewers test a soundbar at a time and I believe it’s not the right way. You should compare the sound like you do food or wine tasting. Sound (like taste) is way more subjective than vision/image from my POV. Also, I’m not a fanboy of any brands here, I have a LG C9 65 but I don’t care about the brand, I care about getting the best product for my needs.
So, in order to make my decision, I bought the Q90R, LG SN11RG and the Sonos Combo (Arc + Sub + Rears) and compare each of them in the same living room with the same content.
Just trying to help, since comparing all systems in a store is not feasible these days. Even you can do it, you may not have access to the content you care about.
Methodology
I used this real-life content:
- John Wick 2 tunnel + bar scenes
- Spotify music
- TV show - Modern family
- PS4 Game – Ghost of Tsushima
- Atmos demo files (not really real life but still good content to test)
For each category, I will give a score (1 =worst, 2= average, 3= best). All reviews and methodologies are subjective so don’t kill the reviewer
Sound quality (front, rears, sub)
- Q90R: 2 – great sound especially from the soundbar, dialogues are always clear. Rears are quiet – I believe this is due to processing (the way the sound is distributed to the speakers).
- LG SN11RG: 1 – good sound but the bass is missing and sound muffle in the rears and sub. It’s not terrible per say so don’t take 1 as being awful.
- Sonos combo: 3 – Sonos combo is different from the Samsung/LG since it’s NOT a ready and plug / all-inclusive package. It is a modular system and since it’s brand new, the Sonos combo is not optimized the same way the Samsung/LG are out of the box. I think the Rthings’s review/scores represents this well. They don’t optimize the sound before they do the reviews (part of their methodology which will change after posting this review – good for them, learning is key). The Arc, by itself, is not the best (yet) but, the dedicated rears are better than the Samsung/LG even though they lack of upward firing speakers. The sub is excellent…. you can feel the bass punch in your chest with every gun shots (JW2) or thunderstorm noises (Ghost of Tsushima). The audio clarity and the definition are a step ahead of the competition.
- Winner: Sonos combo – If you want the best sound quality, go with Sonos. If you want the most optimized sound out of the box package (minus Atmos), go with the Q90R.
- Q90R: 1 – the sound distribution is lacking to the rears.
- LG SN11RG: 2 – missing bass in the rears but manages to get better Atmos processing than the Q90R
- Sonos combo: 3 – No issue with processing.
- Winner: Sonos combo – If you want the best sound processing, go with Sonos. The fact that each component (Rears, Sub, front) is managed as a dedicated component vs a chain is a huge plus for the Sonos.
- Q90R: 1 – Worst app ever. Only use of the app is to update the firmware.
- LG SN11RG: 2 – Good app (combo of Google Home and LG speakers). Responsive and well organized.
- Sonos combo: 3 – Best app. Always updating. Missing some configurations (ex: center adjustment) but has balance control (which could be huge depending on your room setup).
- Winner: Sonos combo – If you want the best app, go with Sonos. If you don’t care about the software support, go with any of them.
- Q90R: 2 – Good immersion but lack of definition.
- LG SN11RG: 3 – Best Atmos immersion.
- Sonos combo: 2 – Good immersion + audio clarity/definition of the rears and sub make up for the lack of upward firing speaker effects.
- Winner: LG SN11RG – If you want the best Atmos immersion, go with LG.
- Q90R: 3 – HDMI inputs on the bar add to the expendability of the system. Support all sound formats.
- LG SN11RG: 3 – HDMI inputs on the bar add to the expendability of the system. Support all sound formats.
- Sonos combo: 1 – No Hdmi inputs besides eARC/Arc. Lack of DTS processing. LCPM support is yet to be released – pending a future firmware update.
- Winner: Tie Q90R or SN11RG – If you want the best connectivity/sound format, go with either of these 2.
- Q90R: 1 – You can’t modify the setup or upgrade a component.
- LG SN11RG: 1 – You can’t modify the setup or upgrade a component.
- Sonos combo: 3 – You can modify the setup in the future. If you ever move, you can decide to break apart the system. If Sonos releases a new speaker, you could upgrade a component.
- Winner: Sonos combo – If you want the best upgradability, go with the Sonos combo.
- Q90R: 3 – With value, comes Price and Resale value. If you remove the Resale value of YOUR equation, the Q90R at around $1,000 USD is the best value out there.
- LG SN11RG: 1 – You can find the LG at around $1,300 using Greentoe. Good value. Resale value will be lower than the Samsung (due to brand, recognition of its sound systems overall)
- Sonos combo: 2 – Most expensive out of the gate. You can buy 15% code online easily. The resale value will be the best of the 3 by far given the pool of people who want Sonos components (modular) is much bigger than the pool of people interesting only in soundbars.
- Winner: Q90R– If you want the best value, go with the Q90R. If you plan to upgrade a component or the system within the next 5 years, go with the Sonos Combo.
- Q90R: 13 – If your budget is closer to $1,000, this is the model to get and get it now before it’s too late. The Q950T is replacing this model. It looks like the 950T includes the same sub/rears, but the bar has 2 extra speakers, but it is $1,800 USD. At this price range, I would go for the Sonos.
- LG SN11RG: 13 – If you want the best Atmos immersion, go with the LG.
- Sonos combo: 17 – If you are an audiophile and wants the best bass and rears, go with the Sonos. The audio clarity and bass punch make the combo lives in a different class. The app, format support and the optimization between each component will improve over time. If you have a library of DTS movies, go with Q90R or LG instead. If you have a lot of inputs and can’t wait for a HMDI 2.1 splitter, go with Q90R or LG instead.
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