What is Dolby Atmos FlexConnect? The latest 3D audio standard explained

LG just announced the world's first Dolby Atmos FlexConnect capable soundbar: the 'LG Sound Suite' H7 soundbar, M5 and M7 surround speakers, and W7 subwoofer.

For 2025, LG didn't update its best soundbar, the S95TR, as an iterative update to such a flagship product wouldn't have likely attracted a large enough customer base. The LG Sound Suite, however, changes everything for 2026 and beyond.

While the soundbar can be packaged as a full system – and I'm sure other manufacturers will be hot on the heels of this product with similar solutions – the beauty of it is the ability to continue to expand the system with additional components (multiple M5 speaker additions, for example).

Indeed, you can go all-in for a full-on 13.1.7-channel setup – meaning 13 channels catering for all your front (centre, left, right, sides), a central sub, and seven upfiring channels for height in a full surround format – but you don't need to start there, you can build up to it.

First: What's Dolby Atmos?

But let's back up a minute. Back in 2013 I first got to experience Dolby Atmos in the brand's reference cinema in central London. This was the full immersive experience – with support for up to 64 speaker channels.

What Atmos specifically changed about sound mixing, however, is that sound objects can be programmed to move around those channels, rather than rigidly be present in any one position, or flicking crudely from one channel position to another.

Dolby Atmos opened up the ability for sound to move through space, convincingly, with an increased focus on height channels in addition to an abundance of surround speakers. This was the reference setup.

That migrated to home theatre setups, then was dumbed down for pretty much any product – phones, tablets, laptops – where a pseudo three-dimensional sound was achieved through processing. It's why the Dolby Atmos label continues to confuse, for not being consistent across products.

Next: What does FlexConnect add?

In home theatre setups, Dolby Atmos can be delivered in a number of ways.

Typically, it means a soundbar has upfiring channels, to deliver height and use a room's space to reflect sound for a more immersive experience.

Other (lesser) solutions use pseudo surround processing to give the illusion of a wider soundstage – it works well, just not as well as systems with additional speakers.

The best-of-best, however, use additional speakers placed around the room. Rear speakers, including upfiring channels, can really deliver a full hemisphere of immersion.

However, such setups with physical speaker additions are fairly crude in their setup and placement. Which is what Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is here to rectify.

FlexConnect's main purpose is to remove the rigidity of speaker placement, by allowing you to place components anywhere within a room (within reason). These speakers will emit sound signals at setup so other speakers (and your compatible TV) know where everything is, to balance the sound perfectly related to a user's listening position.

Where is gets even more exciting, though, is that FlexConnect leans on Atmos' true theatre roots and opens a doorway to a similar reference level – but in your own home?

Atmos is compatible with up to 34 speaker channels (plus a sub, of 35 total). So if your soundbar setup caters for 11.1.4, you could buy additional components – such as the LG M5 or M7 speakers – to add in additional side/rear plus height channels. An additional pair could deliver 13.1.6, for example, and you can keep on going.

Sure, huge numbers of speakers is overkill for most people's setups, but if you're building a home cinema – in a dedicated space, realistically – then the ability to customise this as you go is an advantage.

What do I need to run Dolby Atmos FlexConnect?

Just like not everything can output Dolby Atmos, current Dolby Atmos products won't necessarily be Dolby Atmos FlexConnect compatible.

Everything in a FlexConnect system needs to 'handshake' with one another, so you'll need a Dolby Atmos FlexConnect compatible TV, soundbar and, as applicable, speakers.

In addition to LG's Sound Suite H7 soundbar, M5 and M7 speakers and W7 subwoofer – and the announcement that its 2026 flagship TV sets will also be compatible (CES 2026 will bring the announcement – TCL was the first brand to reveal a FlexConnect product in its Z100 speakers. All of TCL's mid 2025 TVs are also FlexConnect compatible.

Others will surely follow, although to what degree it's not yet clear. FlexConnect sounds like an ideal addition for Sonos to get in on, because with so many speakers in the range already it would promote additional purchase with purpose.

However, with Samsung having opted for Eclipsa Audio at the beginning of 2025 – that's Google's 3D audio format, though it's still not come to fruition – it's unclear if all brands are likely to chase the Dolby Atmos FlexConnect line or not.