LG Music Flow review – play music across your home with multiroom speakers

To achieve multiroom audio a few short years ago you needed to wire your whole house and have speakers in the walls and ceiling and a control panel costing thousands of dollars to control it all.

Today it’s a radically different story. And it’s thanks to the now common wi-fi networks in our homes and the devices that we’re all carrying around – our smartphones and tablets.

The other piece of the puzzle is the speaker itself and LG has joined the ranked of companies who are offering products in this space with its Music Flow range.

There are three wireless speakers – the H3, H5 and H7 – along with the HS6 soundbar.

These speakers are designed to be positioned around your home in different rooms and controlled wirelessly so they play independently or together as a group.

As you move up through the models, the higher the number the larger the size and power of the speaker.

Users can stream music from anywhere on their home network to these speakers for that multi-room audio set-up.

But these speakers also have Bluetooth connectivity so you’ll be able to stream music from your device directly to the speaker if you’re in range. It uses NFC and users simply tap their compatible device to pair.

Starting with the H3 ($249) it has a basic box shape that’s 12.5mm wide with volume and music controls positioned on a dial on top of the unit.

Moving up to the H5 ($399) – the speaker is almost three times the width of the H3 at 34cm wide.

At the top of the line is the even bigger H7 ($549) which is 37cm wide and has the same design as the H5 along with the same circular control on top of the unit as the H3 and H5.

Design-wise, the speakers all look like they’re from the same family with common styling and looks.

The smallest speaker, the 30-watt H3 is ideal for a bedroom or kitchen and offers impressive sound for a unit of this size. There’s plenty of detail and clarity and a respectable level of bass.

Moving up to the H5 (40-watts) and H7 (70-watts) – these larger speakers have an identical design with a large front grill that tapers to each side from a central ridge that runs vertically up the middle of the device.

The H5 is designed for a larger room with the H7 right at home in an even larger space.

Both deliver excellent audio quality that can be played at high volume with minimal distortion. The built-in subwoofers also provide a satisfying bass level.

The HS6 soundbar comes with a wireless subwoofer that can not only enhance your TV’s sound but also be used as part of the Music Flow ecosystem.

There’s even a home cinema mode so the Music Flow speakers can act as rear speakers for the soundbar at the front of the room near your TV.

You can also use two speakers in the same room as a stereo pair so one acts as the left channel and the other as the right channel.

But the strength of all of these speakers is the fact they can all be connected to your network and to each other.

This is achieved through the Music Flow app for iOS and Android devices.

If you are intending to have more than one Music Flow speaker in your home then you’ll need to purchase the LG wireless multiroom bridge which is priced at $79.

It creates a mesh network and combines it with your existing dual band wi-fi network for a more stable and reliable connection.

The multiroom bridge can be connected directly to your router with a cable to provide a solid connection point for your other speakers.

If you have a single speaker you can get away with not having the bridge but for true multiroom connectivity that’s easier and more reliable the bridge is well worth the extra investment.

Now linking the speakers to your network is all done through the Music Flow app and users are taken step by step through the process.

The app is easy to navigate and well designed.

Listeners can listen to the music on their device and stream it to any speaker on your network.

You can also access your streaming music services like Spotify, TuneIn Radio and Deezer. There could be greater support for the other popular streaming services but we’re assuming they are on the way.

All of the speakers are accessible through the app and you can also rename them according to the room where they’re located.

For our testing we had speakers labelled living room and bedroom.

Initially it took a few seconds for our music to reach the chosen speaker and start playing but after that initial connection it was much more responsive.

It’s possible to play different music to different speakers and you can also start playing music on one speaker and switch it to another.

When switching between speakers it only takes a second or two for the music to pick up exactly where it left off from the other speaker.

Another option is to have the same music playing out of multiple speakers. This is ideal for a party where you can have speakers across your home playing the same music.

From the app you simply touch the chain icon and tick the boxes of the speakers you want to tie together.

Adding more speakers is also simple. After choosing to add a speaker from the app, users simply have to press the Add button on the back of the speaker.

VERDICT

The LG Music Flow system is an affordable multiroom audio system that’s easy to set up and expand as your budget or needs change.

The speakers offer impressive quality and make it possible to have your music with you anywhere in your home with the ability to control it all through the smartphone app quickly and easily.

LG Music Flow speakers

Price: LG wireless bridge ($79), H3 speaker ($249), H5 speaker ($399), H7 speaker ($549), HS6 soundbar and wireless subwoofer ($799)