Skip to main content

LG gets curvey with new Music Flow wireless sound bar

LG Electronics has let loose another piece in the company’s ever growing collection of wireless audio gear this evening, taking the tarp off the latest Music Flow sound bar, the LAS855M.

Styled with a curve to match LG’s collection of similarly curved OLED TVs, LG touts the LAS855M’s “graceful” style, while highlighting the bar’s significant power plant of a claimed 360 watts of muscle. That pushes four on-board drivers, as well as the system’s accompanying wireless subwoofer.

Recommended Videos

The bar can be wall mounted, though users will likely only want to follow that route if they’ve already mounted their curved TV — a sort of sculptor’s style entertainment system, if you will, popping off the wall from a side profile.

As part of LG’s Music Flow system, the bar works in conjunction with other Music Flow components as a multi-room home sound solution, similar to systems from Sonos, and others. This allows users to not only connect traditional hard-wired sources like a TV, but also utilize Wi-Fi to stream music from iOS or Android devices, PCs, Macs, or Chromebooks over Google Cast. Those with multiple Music Flow components could potentially create a wireless surround system, stream a single song to multiple speakers throughout the home, or stream different songs to each Music Flow piece, all from a central app.

While nearly everything about LG’s new curved bar screams state-of-the-art, the system is a little behind when it comes to supporting streaming services, boasting support for Google Play Music, Pandora, and Rdio, among others, but leaving Spotify and Apple Music off the list. We expect those services to come on board, though the Music Flow system as a whole has been around for about a year or more at this point.

Other features for the LAS855M include HDMI passthrough for easy connection of components like game consoles or Blu-ray players through the bar, Bluetooth wireless connection, compatibility with TV remotes from eight manufacturers, and LG’s i-Sound mode, which auto-adjusts DSP in accordance with the sound source.

LG’s LAS855M will be available in October, at a suggested retail price of $699.

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…
LG’s new true wireless earbuds self-sanitize when you charge them. Really
lg tone free true wireless earbuds 1

 

LG has officially entered the true wireless earbuds space with the announcement of its Tone Free HBS-FN4 and HBS-FN6 earbuds. The difference between the two is that the HBS-FN6 is considered a "higher-end" option, thanks to the inclusion of a self-cleaning case.

Read more
Ifi’s Up Travel is an audiophile-grade, pocket Bluetooth transmitter
Ifi Up Travel.

You'll find plenty of Bluetooth transmitters on Amazon that will let you connect your wireless headphones or earbuds to an airplane's seatback entertainment systems, but few do double-duty as a Bluetooth receiver, and I've yet to find one that offers the sheer number of codec choice as Ifi's new Up Travel.

At $99, the Up Travel is among the pricier options for this kind of device, and probably not the right option if you just need simple connectivity. However, if you're passionate about wireless audio quality, it could be money well spent. Inside the tiny, flip-open enclosure, which works like an automotive key fob, Ifi has used separate chips for Bluetooth transmission and digital-to-analog conversion (DAC) functions, plus there's a dedicated clock circuit, which can often be the weakest link in a digital audio signal path.

Read more
This AirPlay-friendly audio device is only $90 this week
The diminutive Wiim Mini network music streamer on a table.

Streaming your favorite artists, albums, and playlists is as easy as connecting your phone or tablet to a Bluetooth speaker, but what if you want to experience said tunes with the best sound quality possible? That’s where incredible audio devices like the WiiM Mini come into play. And today, you’ll be able to grab this component for only $90, which is a $10 markdown from its usual $100 price. 

Why you should buy the WiiM Mini 

Read more