TCL Q6310 Soundbar Review: Solid Sound, Uninspiring

Swapping between the bar’s numerous inputs is barely additional intuitive, with a definite LED color assigned to each enter: HDMI ARC glows magenta, optical is yellow, the analog enter is inexperienced, and the USB enter is cyan. This color coding has develop to be additional frequent in A/V gear of late, usually seen in energetic/powered bookshelf audio system similar to the KEF LSX II the place space is at a premium. Inside the Q6310’s case, the bar’s center-channel speaker probably takes up the precise property a normal digital present might inhabit.

One different probably motive TCL punts on the seen present is that, as a Roku TV Ready soundbar, the Q6310 is designed to imply you’ll be able to administration and regulate some settings straight from a Roku-powered wise TV. That efficiency stems from an prolonged partnership between the two producers, with Roku taking the reins as a result of the wise interface in a number of TCL TVs (though TCL now seems to favor Google TV for its additional premium fashions).

Do you have to don’t have a Roku-powered TV, TCL’s app makes controlling the bar’s sound modes, amount, and totally different settings quite a bit less complicated by the use of an iPhone or Android gadget. Completely different app settings embody a Night Mode to take care of the dynamics in confirm when the family’s asleep, a Dialogue Enhance attribute, and digital embody sound administration.

There’s moreover a calibration attribute, AI Sonic, which makes use of your cellphone’s microphone to control the sound to your room, à la Sonos. That’s a formidable inclusion at this price, nonetheless the setup experience is type of loud and I couldn’t hear a variety of a distinction as quickly as accomplished.

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My first thought as soon as I started evaluating the Q6310 was that it doesn’t sound considerably higher than a number of high-end TVs I’ve auditioned this yr. The sound is obvious and forward, significantly for dialogue, nonetheless there’s a brittle, metallic top quality to the midrange and treble registers that will actually really feel as skinny as a result of the soundbar appears. To be trustworthy, a number of pricier TVs right this moment are outfitted with numerous audio system like soundbars are, so evaluating the two isn’t as enormous of a diss as a result of it as quickly as was.