Swapping between the bar’s a number of inputs is barely extra intuitive, with a distinct LED shade assigned to every enter: HDMI ARC glows magenta, optical is yellow, the analog enter is inexperienced, and the USB enter is cyan. This shade coding has turn into extra widespread in A/V gear of late, often seen in lively/powered bookshelf audio system just like the KEF LSX II the place house 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 may inhabit.
One other doubtless cause TCL punts on the visible show is that, as a Roku TV Prepared soundbar, the Q6310 is designed to assist you to management and regulate some settings immediately from a Roku-powered good TV. That performance stems from an extended partnership between the 2 manufacturers, with Roku taking the reins because the good interface in lots of TCL TVs (although TCL now appears to favor Google TV for its extra premium fashions).
{Photograph}: Ryan Waniata
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 through an iPhone or Android system. Different app settings embody a Evening mode to maintain the dynamics in verify when the household’s asleep, a Dialogue Improve function, and digital encompass sound management.
There’s additionally a calibration function, 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 it completed.
Aluminum Punch
{Photograph}: Ryan Waniata
My first thought after I began evaluating the Q6310 was that it doesn’t sound significantly better than lots of high-end TVs I’ve auditioned this 12 months. The sound is evident and ahead, particularly for dialog, 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 as of late 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.
