07 Oct
Blog

DJI OM 4 Review: A Simple Yet Cinematic Gimbal

dji om 4 review 2167

"The DJI OM 4 is beginner-friendly, but includes some advanced camera movements."

  • Easy to use

  • Fast magnetic attachment

  • Pre-programmed movements in stories

  • Good stabilization

  • Advanced app tools

  • Some modes are hidden

  • Follow mode does not use the full pan range

Gimbals mix stabilization with cinematic camera movement, but the combination often creates a system geared toward experienced users. However, this is not the case with the DJI OM 4. With the three-axis gimbal, which requires little balancing, even inexperienced users can work – literally or figuratively – in just a few short tutorial videos.

The DJI OM 4 was developed by a company known for its drones. In story mode, the OM 4 even adds cinematic camera movements with just a few taps of the finger, while modes such as dynamic zoom imitate advanced dolly zoom techniques. Gesture control with tracking even opens the gimbal for vloggers.

The DJI OM 4 offers the ideal mix of beginner-friendly features and advanced movie effects – but it's not quite perfect. As a photographer – not a videographer – I took out DJI's latest gimbal to see how re-friendly it is.

Technical data and features

The DJI OM 4 is a three-axis motorized smartphone gimbal that includes some improvements over the previous version, including a more powerful motor. It's compatible with any phone less than 3.3 inches wide and 10.23 ounces with an app for iOS and Android. (I tested the OM 4 with an iPhone 11 Pro).

The gimbal offers a good range of motion between approximately 333 degrees and 343 degrees on each of the three axes. The gimbal stops panning once it reaches the front of the gimbal handle, and it has a tilt range from the sky to the ground.

Hillary K. Grigonis / Digital Trends

The gimbal not only stabilizes videos, but also offers various modes to support creative recordings. Tracking mode follows a person or animal and can be activated when gesture control is activated by raising your hand with the palm of your hand towards the camera. Sport mode is designed to use the gimbal while it is active.

One of my favorite aspects of the gimbal is the different modes that make it easy to add professional looking camera movement. In Inception mode, the camera is rotated with the joystick instead of panning or tilting. Dynamic zoom or dolly zoom enlarges or reduces the subject, but keeps it in the same position and changes the background instead. Hyperlapses and time-lapse are included, as are panoramas, including the option to clone yourself into a photo.

design

The DJI OM 4 uses two different mounting options – a thin metal plate that stays permanently attached to the device, or a detachable smartphone clamp. According to DJI, the plate is faster and does not need to be rebalanced, but should not be used for a fall. I used the clamp option.

The spring-loaded clamp was impressively able to grip and balance my iPhone 11 Pro with its case. However, the clamp needs to be perfectly aligned to keep the horizon straight. I had to regularly nudge one side of the clamp to keep the phone perfectly balanced. The app also provides an option to rebalance the gimbal for phones that are tilted to one side despite being correctly oriented, and will likely be required to use accessories such as auxiliary lenses.

Hillary K. Grigonis / Digital Trends

Once the clamp or plate is in place, mounting the smartphone on the gimbal is as easy as aligning the two points on each magnet. I occasionally had to adjust the position of the clamp once it was installed to achieve perfect balance.

The handle offers an ergonomic design, with which almost every control is easily accessible. On the front there is the joystick for redirecting the gimbal, a record button and a mode button that switch between video and still images as well as from vertical to horizontal. Near the tip of the thumb, there is a zoom switch on the side of the handle. I could barely reach this knob without adjusting my whole hand, and users with small hands may not quite like this button position.

On the back is the trigger to lock the gimbal in one direction. Two taps on the shutter button re-center the gimbal, while three taps on the front facing camera toggle in the DJI app.

Once captured, the upper arm of the gimbal folds down on itself, shortening the overall height of the gimbal. At roughly 6.5 inches tall, the only bag it fits will fit oversized coat packages or cargo pants, but only add about 14 ounces to a bag. The gimbal also comes with an optional folding tripod base on which the gimbal can be used on a tabletop.

The DJI app: a cameraman in your hands

The controls of the gimbal were still transferred to the native camera app of the iPhone. However, the best features of the gimbal are contained in the DJI Mimo app. From in-app tutorials to automating camera tricks, the app is impressively well built and easy to use. Initial setup of the app was easy and didn't have the headache that some Bluetooth devices cause when they first connect.

For the most part, the app helps beginners get started quickly. Mimo starts with a built-in tutorial that walked me through the various controls and shortcuts. Then, if I inevitably forgot exactly where those controls were, I could turn to the tutorial section for a quick refresher.

However, the main part of the app is the camera mode. Many of the options and controls feel like using the basic camera app on my iPhone, including a mode slider under the record button and the same tap to focus and slide to adjust the exposure.

Story mode was my favorite part of the entire app – and I very rarely share social media stories. The feature uses the gimbal to create various motion effects that I wouldn't otherwise capture, and then merges it all into an edited, easily shareable clip of music. It's both a great way to create highlight clips for easy sharing and put together professional-looking video effects without knowing how to record or edit them.

With the story shortcut in camera mode, you can record and edit a video at the same time. In this mode, the app and gimbal work together to automatically create short, edited videos with motion effects based on the template you selected. For example, the gimbal can create a 360-degree video glitch, add tilt effects, or create motion blur between cuts with rapid gimbal movement.

Hillary K. Grigonis / Digital Trends

The app counts down to the start of the recording and then automatically moves the gimbal to achieve the effect. The process is repeated for each clip in the template. Some templates use camera tricks, while others just add music, text, and filters. The custom template option allows you to adjust the camera movement (unfortunately not factors like the length of the clip). Stories can be saved as drafts so that you can record the clips at different times of the day.

By accessing the stories from the home page, instead of using camera mode, pre-recorded videos are edited with templates that include clip transitions, music, filters and text. Although the camera effects are not added for you, this is the mode you want to use if you are taking a one-time shot because the shooting mode will count down and stop after a few seconds based on the number of template you select.

My only complaint about the app is that I wish Stories could do even more, including longer videos and custom clip lengths. When using Stories in Selfie mode, some movements are also reversed in ways that don't always make sense, e.g. For example, if you tilt the camera down instead of up when using the front camera.

user friendliness

As a photographer, rather than a videographer, I can count the number of gimbals I've tried on one hand. However, the OM 4 was easy to jump in and use right away. At the same time, thanks to the integrated tutorials and the various modes of the app, the OM 4 offers more advanced camera tricks that almost anyone can use to take photos.

I was ready to use the basic controls after just a few minutes of playing. The gimbal stabilization is excellent – I've used the OM 4 inline skating and even jogging backwards with excellent results.

The OM 4's ability to follow a subject in front of the camera is good, if not perfect. If a single topic remains in front of the gimbal, e.g. B. for vlogging or creating tutorial videos, the performance of the gimbal is excellent. However, the gimbal has problems following people who move to the side of the gimbal long before the swing limit is reached. When tracking people, the gimbal sometimes switched another person and followed her.

Hillary K. Grigonis / Digital Trends

That's not to say that a little practice and time with the gimbal won't be beneficial. The gimbal has several shortcuts to the same button and I had to take pictures with it a few times to remember them all. One click of the mode button changes the mode from photo to video, two clicks from vertical to horizontal and three switches to standby mode.

With a few tutorials, I was up and shooting with a little practice. However, access to the advanced modes required a lot of patience because they are not organized in a single location. Many of the advanced recording modes are in camera mode in the mode dial at the bottom of the screen. For example, to activate Inception mode and rotate the camera, you need to go to Settings and change the Follow mode.

Hillary K. Grigonis / Digital Trends

Others aren't even a labeled button or even part of the original in-app tutorials. When you switch to underride mode for low-angle shots, the gimbal turns upside down. The low-settlement mode, which was called up by holding the trigger and tilting the gimbal forward, didn't work for me. I couldn't adjust the angle of the smartphone to accommodate anything other than the ground.

The OM 4 was also not very tripod-friendly for third parties. While I had no issues with the included tripod, I encountered some challenges when using a full-height tripod. In story mode, some of the automated movements jolted the camera, a strange bug that didn't repeat itself when used on the included tripod. Tightening the tripod screw helped but didn't fix the problem. The patterned ribs on the underside of the gimbal also tore off the handle on the mounting plate of my tripod.

Our opinion

The DJI OM 4 is not just a smartphone gimbal – it is a tool that will add cinematic movement even for beginners. The well-designed app, simple mounting system, variety of shooting modes, and portable design make the gimbal simple and modern at the same time, a combination that is nearly impossible.

Although the DJI OM is 4 eons before the gimbals the company created a few years ago, it's not perfect. The modes could be more organized and some of the more advanced features require some digging. I couldn't get the low-angle shooting modes to work well, the follow mode didn't use the full pan range, and the OM 4 didn't play well with a third-party tripod.

Is there a better alternative?

Smartphone gimbals are becoming more common – and there is a bit of competition. However, none seems to be as beginner-friendly as the balanced design and intuitive app of the OM 4. The Zhiyun Smooth 4 is a bit cheaper, but has advanced controls. Advanced users will like the focus dial, as well as the other physical and app-based controls, but beginners can be more intimidated by the extras.

How long it will take?

The DJI OM 4 has already asked us to download a firmware update, a good sign that the OM 4 will continue to experience new improvements via software. Aside from major glitches, the OM 4 should last a few years thanks to these updates, a solid design, and a mounting system compatible with a wide variety of smartphones.

Should you buy it?

If you've never tried a gimbal but want to eliminate the shaking of your videos and add cinematic camera movements in a few simple steps, buy the DJI OM 4. The OM 4 is incredibly beginner-friendly and unbalanced. In-app tutorials and automated camera movements with stories.

Editor's recommendations




06 Jun
Blog

Sony A8H 4K HDR OLED TV Review | Cinematic Perfection

Sony A8H OLED

"It is by far the most accurate TV you can buy this year."

  • Beautiful design

  • Exemplary picture quality

  • Snappy user interface

  • Solid sound quality

  • Excellent HDR performance

I took a bold step last year and named Sony's A9G the best TV of 2019. Not everyone agreed that this was the right call, but I stand by it. With the A9G, Sony has been doing what it can do best for decades by making its image processing a star. LG makes the OLED panel, but Sony makes it even more amazing.

Now I have the Sony A8H OLED TV in front of me and I'm thinking about its place in this year's series of very exciting TVs. It's not a replacement for the A9G, which means it's not Sony's new flagship, but it definitely looks like it – anything but priced.

The A8H gets Sony's best image processor, a beautiful design with adjustable feet, and almost all the functions of the A9G – all for less – around $ 400 less for a 55-inch model at $ 1899.00 and $ 500 -Dollar less for a 65-inch model set at $ 2799.00.

Sony A8H OLEDDan Baker / Digital Trends

However, there is something that many might consider a blatant omission: HDMI 2.1 support. The A8H offers eARC through one of its HDMI ports. You won't find a variable refresh rate (VRR) or automatic low latency mode (ALLM), just two of many other valuable features that come with the latest HDMI standard. However, Sony tells me that this is not a problem for the target audience of this TV.

Is the Sony A8H in the running for the best TV of the year? Let's find out.

Out of the box

Sony A8H OLEDDan Baker / Digital Trends

The 65-inch Sony A8H that I received for review contained two surprises: a redesigned remote control and a new two-foot stand system.

The remote control hasn't been overhauled exactly, but is a bit slimmer than the Sony remote control we've seen in the past 5 years. On top of the remote control is a recessed area with a microphone, which is not only used for voice commands and the addressing of the Google Assistant, but also for calibrating the sound system integrated into the TV.

Sony has redesigned the stand, making it much easier and more versatile to set up. There are now two heights available, one that hurls the TV down and one that has enough space to place a soundbar between your feet without obstructing the view of the TV.

No screws are required to attach the legs to the TV. They just snap into the slots at the bottom of the TV and hold on. A bit of work is required to switch the legs to the higher height for the so-called "soundbar mode".

Be sure to have the installation guide ready as it contains valuable instructions for disassembling and then assembling the feet for a larger configuration.

Setup and settings

Sony A8H OLEDDan Baker / Digital Trends

The A8H has the latest version of Android TV and controls most of the on-screen setup process. There are some advantages to Android phones (faster Wi-Fi setup and phone-based control), but I would skip these options and follow the on-screen instructions. Expect to go through a number of terms and conditions and authorization requests. I also urge you to take enough time to review what you allow as multiple levels of data collection are requested, which has an impact on data protection.

Once the bureaucracy is complete, the wizard will ask you to calibrate the TV audio. This is done by sitting in the “sweet spot” of your viewing area and pointing the remote control openly at the TV while the TV is playing a series of tones.

Sony A8H OLEDDan Baker / Digital Trends

I found this calibration useful to balance the sound with the right amount of bass from the built-in "subwoofers" while making the TV sound more spacious by using the reflected sound from the side panels. Surround sound is not, but the calibration has improved.

In the SDR image settings, I waggled between the "Cinema" and "Custom" preferences for a while before choosing "Custom". Turning off Motionflow was the only adjustment I made to this preset before I decided that it was otherwise almost perfect. Yes, it's that good.

When the TV switches to HDR mode, all important settings from the custom preset are retained. When Dolby Vision mode is activated, you can choose between Dolby Vision Bright and Dolby Vision Dark. I chose the former because I preferred the additional brightness (luminance) even in a dark room.

However, here is the problem. Image settings cannot be made globally. So if you want your cable box to get the same picture settings as your Blu-ray player, you have to adjust each HDMI input individually. Likewise for onboard streaming apps like Netflix and Hulu. However, once you select settings while using one of these apps, this applies to all apps.

Properties and design

Sony A8H OLEDDan Baker / Digital Trends

The A8H is possibly the most beautiful television Sony has ever made. Aside from being incredibly thin, the materials used by Sony give the TV a really great appearance. The legs are made of strong metal with a matte black finish, the bezel of the screen is incredibly thin, and the Sony logo has been moved to the front and center to the left, while its gloss has been replaced by a much more stealthy finish. On or off, the A8H is breathtaking.

The user experience benefits greatly from using the same system on a Sony chip (SOC) in the A9G, making Android TV not only bearable but also enjoyable. Gone is the frustrating delay you normally would be waiting for the TV to catch up as you scroll. Apps also load quickly, which shortens the time for the latest episode of Ozark.

On or off, the A8H is breathtaking

HBO Max is also available, which is currently more than for Roku or Amazon Fire TV.

Sony A8H OLEDDan Baker / Digital Trends

However, the most important feature of the A8H is the Sony X1 Ultimate processor. Image processing is everything and it's also Sony's biggest complaint on TV.

Other TV makers have started giving lip service to honoring "The Creator's Purpose," but that's a drum Sony has been beating for several years. When Sony speaks in clever sayings like "From the scene to the screen" and "From the lens to the living room", it bends shamelessly.

Sony makes cameras that are used by Hollywood. The BVM-X300 OLV reference monitor is used to create and master Hollywood movies, and the televisions are designed to fit this reference monitor as closely as possible. When Sony tells me that it makes the most cinematic television there can ever be, I believe them.

Interestingly, Sony uses the same philosophy to explain the A8H's lack of HDMI 2.1 support. As representatives of Sony told me during a briefing call, the A8H is aimed at videophiles and cinephiles – people who need or want Sony doubts use 4K at 120 Hz, VRR and ALLM for games or the always elusive and absolutely not -in-existing 12-bit color.

Instead, Sony has spent its time, money, and hardware resources developing the most accurate television possible. I think Sony has achieved its goal.

performance

Sony A8H OLEDDan Baker / Digital Trends

I have a feeling Sony will launch a new flagship OLED TV later this year – that's where the product release cycle has moved in the past 4 years. If so, it has to do something magical to justify its existence alongside the A8H. This TV is so good.

Whatever you're looking for outside of image quality, the A8H can do it. It has a new black frame insertion feature that smoothes motion without overly darkening the screen. It has a pixel level contrast enhancer to ensure that the tip areas are applied to the right areas of the screen for maximum HDR effect.

Whatever you're looking for outside of image quality, the A8H can do it

The A8H also has a feature that allows you to adjust the TV's tone curve to preserve highlights and shadows, regardless of how light or dark the room is. The out-of-box color is excellent and a professional calibrator only needs to optimize very little. And I've never seen a TV that better eliminates annoying streaks of color in low bit rate streaming content.

All of these features are a feature of Sony's X1 Ultimate processor. The end result is an image so lush that you want to drink it like a fine craft cocktail. I will skip all adjectives and reduce the picture performance of this TV to one word: Excellent.

Sony A8H OLEDDan Baker / Digital Trends

The sound quality is solid for any television, let alone one so thin. Because the screen produces sound itself, you get compelling directional queues. Voices seem to come from the actors' mouths and explosions seem to come from the visual source. Such a good TV deserves a bigger system, but the onboard sound is absolutely respectable.

What is the entry delay? It does not matter. If you're looking for a gaming TV, consider the Sony X900H, which supports HDMI 2.1 and includes an ATSC 3.0 tuner. If you are looking for a premium TV, you can consider a LG CX OLED or Samsung QLED TV for your gaming needs.

If you want to know, the A8H probably has the same input delay as the A8G, which wasn't particularly good – around 31 ms for 4K at 60 Hz and 21 ms for 4K at 120 Hz.

One final thought about image quality is concern about branding and what Sony is doing to combat it. Sony has an automatic brightness limit (ABL) on the A8H, but so far I haven't been able to thoroughly test it to determine how much the image is dimmed and how long it is dimmed. I will update this review with this information soon. Subjectively, however, I have not yet seen any dimming with the content that I have seen so far.

Other efforts, such as pixel shifting, are not apparent, and I contacted Sony to clarify what measures are being taken to avoid burn-in. With that said, I'll repeat what I've said in every OLED TV test over the past two years. Branding is unlikely to affect most viewers.

When a branding occurs, it happens when you watch a specific channel with a static image (like a news ticker on CNN or Fox News) every day for several hours. If you tune the TV to such a station and leave it on for 6 to 8 hours a day, do not buy this TV. Look for an LED / LCD TV. The Samsung Q90T would be an excellent alternative to approach OLED image quality for a little less money.

Our opinion

The A8H OLED is an undeniable premium television with a corresponding premium price, which, however, lags somewhat behind the typical flagship prices of Sony. The investment required will be rewarded with one of the most cinematic televisions we've reviewed. The A8H is an excellent choice for videophiles and cinephiles. However, players should look elsewhere.

Is there a better alternative?

For gamers, we recommend a look at the LG CX OLED or the LG C9 OLED television from last year. For those looking for a little more style, LG's GX Gallery series is also very attractive and player-friendly. For purists who want the best picture quality of an OLED, the A8H is unbeatable.

You can find more options in our best TVs of 2020.

How long it will take?

The TV itself should last for many years, but the lack of HDMI 2.1 means that next-generation console and PC gamers will find it unattractive.

guarantee

Sony grants a one year warranty on its A8H series TVs if you buy the TV from an authorized dealer. The guarantee relates specifically to the storage of product packaging. So look at the fine print.

Should you buy it

Yes. For the best OLED TV picture quality you can find with a truly cinematic experience, the A8H is the first choice.

Editor's recommendations




31 May
Blog

LG SN11RG Soundbar Review: A Compact Cinematic Experience

LG SN11RG soundbar

"The LG SN11RG combines cinematic performance on the footprint of a soundbar."

  • Easy setup

  • Sleek design

  • Immersive audio experience

  • Handy Google Assistant

LG John Hammond from Jurassic Park drew our attention to us when building his new soundbar. That means they have spared no expense.

The new SN11RG soundbar from LG is a full 7.1.4 system with Hi-Res audio and Dolby Atmos support as well as other amenities such as the integrated Google Assistant and HDMI eARC. It's also $ 1,700. Let us find out whether the numerous functions of this bar compensate for the price.

design

The important things first. The SN11RG is long due to the lack of a more appropriate word. With a width of almost 57 inches, the Samsung HW-Q90R is nine inches larger, which is not a pipsqueak itself. In other words, you want to make sure you have a media stand that can hold this large bar. It's 2.5 inches thin and not overly heavy at 15.9 pounds, but the sheer width of the bar made it a bit of a nuisance when moving to access the rear ports.

LG SN11RG soundbarNick Woodard

However, big is not all bad, especially when the bar is as elegant and extravagant as the SN11RG. You don't necessarily want your soundbar to showcase your actual display. If you are someone who is on the market for such a setup, this is probably not a problem. For example, if you're a reviewer who combines the bar with a lower-end 4K TV, the difference in aesthetics is noticeable.

The control panel has a number of controls, including an on / off button, a function selection button, volume controls and playback controls, and two buttons for interacting with the soundbar's built-in Google Assistant support. They're handy for having them right at the bar if need be, but I've mainly used the associated remote or mobile app, which I'll access shortly.

The wireless rear speakers and subwoofer that round off the system are housed in solid black housings that outshine the satellites and woofers of the Vizio 5.1 system that I discussed earlier. However, compared to their more direct competitors, they are right in the stadium. You can still stow this submarine with little effort, and finding quarters for the rear speakers was no problem.

LG is relatively limited to specifications for the actual drivers in the system. Of course, the soundbar has high-powered drivers to add channels for the front height, while the rear speakers are equipped with high-firing drivers to restore the rear heights.

To install

An important selling point of most soundbar systems is the possibility of building the entire ensemble far more economically than a traditional home theater system. Since there are no A / V receivers and no long speaker cables, sound bars are generally more accessible to the ordinary listener to get them up and running.

LG SN11RG soundbarNick Woodard / Digital Trends

LG took this rule of thumb and optimized it. Commissioning your SN11RG starts with a three-step process that corresponds to the restrictions of an index card: Connect the soundbar to the power supply, download the Google Home app and set up your Wi-Fi connection. From there, you can stream music as you set up the rest of the system.

The rest of the process is just as simple. You need a connection between the soundbar and the TV. LG offers you HDMI and optical audio options. Both work, but note that optical audio connections don't support Dolby Atmos. If you go this route, you are limited to standard surround sound.

Both the subwoofer and the rear speakers are designed to automatically connect to the soundbar when connected to the power supply. However, LG has a failover in its manual if for some reason it doesn't. After taking the time to carefully unpack the individually packaged components, I connected the entire system in less than 10 minutes.

For me, the best benefit of the setup process is that the rear speakers don't have to be wired to the subwoofer, a common theme in other systems I've dealt with. This allows the subwoofer to be placed where it sounds best in your listening room, rather than being banished to the surroundings in the back of the room. You can even do classic sub-crawling, where you put the sub in your normal listening position and literally crawl around the room to see where it can perform best.

The same applies to the rear speakers, although they are somewhat limited by short power cables (5 feet). It wasn't a problem for me, but all I know is that you need a socket or two nearby.

LG also includes wall mounts for the soundbar and rear speakers, which is a cute addition. However, I have not touched them for the purposes of this review.

The "LG Wi-FI Speaker" app is an important part of the setup puzzle. It not only serves as an additional remote control if you have lost yours – or if it is sitting on your coffee table and you are too comfortable / lazy to reach for it. It is also your ticket to the operation of LG's A.I. Room calibration function that measures the room acoustics and adjusts your system accordingly. I will learn more about it later.

links

The connection will be a problem for some as the SN11RG only has a pair of HDMI HDCP 2.3 inputs. The home theater consumer nowadays has several devices to connect, including everything from 4K Blu-ray players to streaming devices like Rocus or Apple TVs to game consoles like a Nintendo Switch, which means that two HDMI inputs simply don't work seem to be sufficient for a soundbar that will surely weigh on your wallet.

LG SN11RG subwooferNick Woodard / Digital Trends

This can now be fixed easily if your TV has several available HDMI connections. However, if for some reason you have an older model (e.g. a Sony 65-inch 850E series display from 2017) that does not support Dolby Atmos playback, your only workaround is to connect your devices directly to it Connect the soundbar and run a cable from the soundbar's HDMI eARC output to your TV. In this case, the limited number of entries becomes a painful obstacle.

For reference, my personal Marantz SR5012 A / V receiver has seven HDMI inputs and was sold for $ 1,000 when it first came on the market. Admittedly, these are very different devices and it is not realistic to expect a soundbar to have seven inputs. The modern soundbar, especially one that costs $ 1,700, should be able to meet these connectivity requirements in a similar way.

There is also a USB port and an optical input on the back of the SN11RG. However, as I mentioned, you cannot get Dolby Atmos playback using optical playback. This type of connection simply cannot handle the data volume in more advanced audio formats, which means that you limit yourself to simpler surround sound formats like Dolby Digital 5.1.

Intelligent functions

Google plays a big role in the intelligent functions of the SN11RG, since both Google Assistant and Google Chromecast are integrated.

LG SN11RG soundbar remote controlNick Woodard / Digital Trends

Since I'm the Smart Assistant junkie, I've used Google Assistant most often, with some satisfactory results. Coming home and quickly immersing yourself in the music was as easy as asking Google, and changing titles while music was pumping through the soundbar was just as painless. The microphones built into the soundbar also recorded my voice well during music playback.

Even if my normal home theater setup is set up according to my wishes, I still have to do a few steps before I can order my Amazon Echo Dot to start playback on my receiver. Using the integrated assistant of the SN11RG was much faster, which is a kind of goal here.

When you're tired of repeating Google Assistant wake-up words, there's a button on both the remote and soundbar that you can use to access them. The soundbar also supports group play mode via Chromecast, although unfortunately I lacked the additional Chromecast-enabled speakers to try. After all, living from home has some shortcomings.

Sound quality

If the simple setup and sleek design were LG's raptors and omnivores, audio quality is the main attraction. It's the Tyrannosaurus Rex, if you allow me to continue referencing a 27-year-old film, and LG must have given it a lot of teeth to show off.

LG SN11RG soundbarNick Woodard / Digital Trends

It's not just Dolby Atmos and DTS: X support – or the vast amount of other supported audio formats – although they play a prominent role. This is the partnership with Meridian Technology, support for 24-bit / 192 kHz audio resolution, Bluetooth 5.0 technology or even LG's AI Sound Pro hardware. Suffice it to say that LG has left no stone unturned to make this soundbar system an absolute audio juggernaut.

After throwing all sorts of content on it for three weeks, I can say the following about the SN11RG: In the world of sound bars, it's this juggernaut.

The music playback provided the crisp, detailed sound you would hope for in such an expensive bar. However, it is the home theater realm where the SN11RG really gets its money's worth, especially when it comes to Atmos.

Auditioning a selection from a Dolby Atmos demo disc was an impressive experience that showed me that LG's drivers weren't a gimmick. There is also a hidden demo mode that was discovered by an early user. If you press "F" on the main unit for 5 seconds, the same demo tracks will be displayed. However, these short clips only made me want something more essential, so I looked through our top Dolby Atmos tips.

I started with Avengers: Infinity War and I could have called it very good here and there. Minutes after the film started, when Hulk raced to the ground and crashed into the Sanctum Sanctorum, I heard everything I needed to know. It is an impressive and entertaining experience to watch films with the SN11RG that plays the show acoustically to the point where I would have looked for a banner-sized hole in my ceiling if I hadn't known better. The subwoofer offers a significant breakthrough as a worthy buddy for the bar itself, and the rear speakers effectively envelop you in every scene.

I said earlier that I was going to A.I. Room calibration, and here we are. Together with the AI ​​Sound Pro from LG, which according to the company uses an adaptive tone control to automatically match the audio with the content, an excellent sound is generated for the set-it-and-leave-it types. If you prefer to tinker with the sound like me, LG allows that too. There are various sound effects for content such as movies and music, with the option to adjust the levels of each part of the system.

The app also has switching options for modes such as Night Time (softens larger sounds, increases dialogue) or Neural: X, with which content is assigned to the corresponding channels. There's even an AV sync option to fix breaks in the continuity between audio and video.

Put the sound in context

However, there is one limitation that may be somewhat unpopular in circles of soundbar enthusiasts. With as much technology and functionality as companies can build into sound bars these days, there is a point at which returns are falling. And it feels like LG has achieved it.

LG SN11RG rear speakerNick Woodard / Digital Trends

The possibility of testing this soundbar with a comparable home theater system also shows this. As pleasant as the sound of the LG SN11RG is, it will always be limited by the limitations of its design. There is no sound stage with a real separation from left and right, the abundance of floorstanding speakers or the swinging lower end of a beefy home theater submarine. As much as LG can try to virtually reproduce this sound – and believe me, it is trying – it just won't be the real deal.

Maybe you think the LG is unfair to you, and maybe you're right. LG appears to be developing this soundbar for a very specific group of consumers, and it is clear that this group will be thrilled with its performance. But get it straight to the point and you'll pay almost $ 2,000 for audio. Classified as a soundbar, it's objectively great sound. But open up the word for other options, and frankly, there are better ways to spend that kind of money. Your decision will depend on what your home theater room supports and whether you are ready to have problems installing a home theater setup with multiple surround speakers.

Our opinion

The LG SN11RG combines cinematic performance on the footprint of a soundbar, but is available at the high price of a complete home theater package.

Is there a better alternative?

The Samsung HW-Q90R, valued at $ 1,700, is likely to be as close in performance to the LG as in price. If you're looking for even more minimalism without sacrificing quality, the Sennheiser Ambeo for $ 2,500 is an option. Just not cheap.

For a Dolby Atmos soundbar that saves you a few dollars, Vizio's 5.1.4 system costs $ 1,000.

How long it will take?

The build quality of the LG SN11RG is exceptional and the hardware is not bad either. This bar should last many movie nights.

Should you buy it

Yes. It's a high price for sound, and you could build a better system with this type of coin. But for anyone looking for great performance in a sound bar and willing to pay for it, the LG SN11RG is the shortlist of premium options.

Editor's recommendations