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 change into extra frequent 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 true property a conventional 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 will let you management and alter some settings instantly 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 by way of an iPhone or Android gadget. Different app settings embody a Evening Mode to maintain the dynamics in test 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 telephone’s microphone to regulate the sound to your room, à la Sonos. That’s a powerful inclusion at this value, however the setup expertise is kind of loud and I couldn’t hear a lot of a distinction as soon as completed.
Aluminum Punch
{Photograph}: Ryan Waniata
My first thought once I began evaluating the Q6310 was that it doesn’t sound a lot better than a variety of high-end TVs I’ve auditioned this 12 months. The sound is obvious 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. To be truthful, a variety of pricier TVs lately are outfitted with a number of audio system like soundbars are, so evaluating the 2 isn’t as massive of a diss because it as soon as was.