IS BUILT-IN TV SOUND GOOD ENOUGH?

Obviously the term ‘good enough’ is highly subjective. For the most part, though, we’d say that no, with a few honourable exceptions the sound built into TVs isn’t good enough. At least in the long term. Despite the quality of TV sound improving gradually overall over the past couple of years. Getting good quality sound out of TVs has been an issue ever since the industry moved to LCD and OLED technologies. These flat screen formats just don’t provide enough physical room for the sort of large, spacious speaker designs usually associated with good sound quality. And nor, in most cases, do the speakers in modern TVs face directly forward, giving their sound a slightly swallowed, dislocated effect. The move towards ever-bigger screen sizes has given TV sound designers a bit more space to work with. Unfortunately, though, as pictures have got bigger and better, the relative smallness has become more noticeable. Innovations such as Sony’s Acoustic Surface system, which uses the screen on its OLED TVs as a forward-facing speaker and the external speaker ‘bars’ on Philips’ high-end TVs ensure there are a few premium TV options there that AV fans may feel happy to stick with as one-box solutions. Many TVs now boast Dolby Atmos sound, too. We’ve heard plenty of evidence, though, to show that carrying Dolby Atmos decoding is not by any means an automatic sign of great TV sound quality.

For most, even if they’re prepared to make do with a new TV’s integrated sound system for a while until their finances have recovered from the TV hit, putting up with a lopsided picture and sound experience will likely make adding a soundbar or some other external audio solution feel necessary sooner or later.

LG OLED77G2 Spending more gets you bigger screens, or better screens. Or, in the case of the dazzling OLED77G2, both. LG’s G2 OLED range for 2022 stands out from its 2021 predecessor and this year’s step-down C2 models by including a heat sink in its design. This helps the OLED77G2 produce pictures that enjoy significantly more brightness. The new brightness is achieved with no compromise to OLED’s beloved contrast and black-level talents, either. In fact, film and gaming fans alike should be warned that the experience of seeing this much picture precision and punch on a screen as big as a 77-inch one is so spectacular that you might never want to leave the house again. £4,499.99, lg.com

SONY XR-65A95K The 65A95K is the world’s first Quantum Dot OLED TV, combining the self-emitting pixels of OLED screens (with source light provided by blue phosphors) and the potentially purer colours associated with layers of red and green Quantum Dots. This approach avoids the white element normal OLEDs need, meaning bright colours look more vibrant and natural. All while the self-emitting pixels simultaneously deliver immaculate dark colours and detailing. The 65A95K’s new capabilities are fully exploited by Sony’s Cognitive XR processor, while the next-gen pictures are joined by impactful and well-rounded sound courtesy of Sony’s Acoustic Surface technology, where the screen itself becomes a speaker system. £3,799, sony.co.uk