TCL Q6310 Soundbar Review: Solid Sound, Uninspiring

Swapping between the bar’s a number of inputs is barely extra intuitive, with a distinct LED colour assigned to every enter: HDMI ARC glows magenta, optical is yellow, the analog enter is inexperienced, and the USB enter is cyan. This colour coding has grow to be extra frequent in A/V gear of late, often seen in lively/powered bookshelf audio system just like the KEF LSX II the place area is at a premium. Within the Q6310’s case, the bar’s center-channel speaker doubtless takes up the actual property a standard digital show would possibly inhabit.

One other doubtless motive TCL punts on the visible show is that, as a Roku TV Ready soundbar, the Q6310 is designed to mean you can management and regulate some settings straight from a Roku-powered sensible TV. That performance stems from an extended partnership between the 2 manufacturers, with Roku taking the reins because the sensible interface in lots of TCL TVs (although TCL now appears to favor Google TV for its extra premium fashions).

Should you don’t have a Roku-powered TV, TCL’s app makes controlling the bar’s sound modes, quantity, and different settings a lot simpler by way of an iPhone or Android gadget. Different app settings embody a Evening Mode to maintain the dynamics in verify when the household’s asleep, a Dialogue Improve characteristic, and digital encompass sound management.

There’s additionally a calibration characteristic, AI Sonic, which makes use of your cellphone’s microphone to regulate the sound to your room, à la Sonos. That’s a formidable inclusion at this worth, however the setup expertise is kind of loud and I couldn’t hear a lot of a distinction as soon as completed.

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My first thought once I began evaluating the Q6310 was that it doesn’t sound significantly better than lots of high-end TVs I’ve auditioned this yr. The sound is evident and ahead, particularly for dialogue, however there’s a brittle, metallic high quality to the midrange and treble registers that may really feel as skinny because the soundbar seems. To be honest, lots of pricier TVs today are outfitted with a number of audio system like soundbars are, so evaluating the 2 isn’t as huge of a diss because it as soon as was.