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TCL’s 2023 Soundbars Are Roku TV Ready

TCL’s 2023 Q and S-Class soundbars offer practical features to improve TV sound, but does their lack of support for Dolby Atmos matter?

Robert Silva

Updated

November 6, 2023

TCL is well known for its high-quality, yet affordable TVs, but they also offer soundbars as well.

For 2023, TCL has added five new premium soundbars across its Q Class (2 models) and S Class (3 models) product lines. TCL’s soundbar offerings are designed to complement its TV lineup but can be used with other TV brands as well.

While all 5 models support Roku TV, TCL has decided not to include support for Dolby Atmos. Although that sounds like a bad thing, it may actually provide more placement flexibility and sacrifice little in sound quality. Since Dolby Atmos systems require upward firing (or height) speakers, not having that feature means the soundbar could be hidden inside a media cabinet. Also, TCL’s three new 5.1-channel soundbar systems still provide surround sound effects thanks to their wired rear speakers and Dolby Digital decoding.

TCL Q6510 Soundbar System with subwoofer and rear speakers — TCL Q6510

Shared Features

All Q and S-Class TCL soundbars share the following features:

Roku TV Ready: This makes it easy to use the soundbars with a Roku TV, including access to select soundbar settings on the Roku TV screen.
Audio: Dolby Audio, Dolby Digital, DTS Virtual:X (None of the soundbars include Dolby Atmos)
Digital Audio File Compatibility: MP3, WMA, FLAC, WAV
EQ Settings: Standard, Voice, Music, Movie, Game, Sports
Connections: HDMI-ARC, Digital Optical, 3.5mm, 2.5mm, USB, Bluetooth
Onboard Controls: On/Off, Input Selection, Bluetooth, Volume
Remote Control: Included
Auto Room Calibration (AI Sonic): This feature matches the audio performance of the soundbar to your room (Q Class Soundbars Only).

Q-Class Soundbars

Here are features that are specific to each Q-Class soundbar model.

Q6310

For $199.99, the Q6310 is a 3.1 soundbar system that includes a subwoofer. The system provides 350 watts of power for the front 3 channels and subwoofer.

In addition to housing left and right channel speakers, the Q6310 also provides a built-in center speaker. The center channel speaker provides better dialog and voice presence.

The Q6310 soundbar unit is 36 inches wide and also comes with an external 6.5-inch wireless subwoofer.

Q6510

For $249.99, the step-up Q6510 soundbar ups the ante with 5.1 channels for an expanded surround sound experience.

The Q6510 provides 430 watts of total audio power for all 6 channels.

In addition to a 36-inch wide soundbar and wireless subwoofer, the Q6510 includes two wired surround speakers that can be placed to the side or behind the listening position. The surround speakers connect to the subwoofer.

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S-Class Soundbars

TCL’s S-Class soundbars include a lot of the same features and connectivity as their Q-Series brothers but feature a narrower width and thinner profile with an oval-edge design. They also provide less power output. This makes them a better option for smaller rooms and/or smaller TV screen sizes.

S4210

For $149.99, the S4210 is a 22-inch wide soundbar in a 2.0 configuration which is augmented by a wireless subwoofer featuring a 5.5-inch woofer. The 2.1 system would certainly make sense on a dresser in a college dorm room or smaller bedroom.

S4310

For $179.99, the S4310 includes a 31-inch soundbar housing left, center, and right channel speakers with a wireless subwoofer for a total of 3.1 channels. This system provides 240 watts of total audio power.

S4510

For $199.99, the S4510 is a 5.1 channel soundbar system that includes a 31-inch wide 3-channel soundbar, wireless subwoofer, and two wired surround speakers that connect to the subwoofer.

From Chris Hamdorf, Senior Vice President TCL: “Utilizing the best technologies for cinematic sound and leveraging more than 20 years of experience in building products for major audio and smart speaker brands, TCL’s dedicated team of audio engineers has invested extensive research, development, and passion into our latest sound bar solutions…As the official TV partner of the NFL and naming rights sponsor of the TCL Chinese Theatre, we take sports and movie watching very seriously and only the best picture matched with premium audio can truly deliver that stadium or theater experience in your living room.”