TCL - S-Class S65K 5.1 Channel Dolby Atmos Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer (2026) - Charcoal

This soundbar truly has blown my mind. I’ve never had a soundbar and have always relied on tv speakers. I recently got a mini OLED tv and although the speakers are good I wanted better. This soundbar set up for $250 is truly unbeatable I feel. I got so lucky and somehow decided to buy a soundbar the day this product released cause I almost got the insignia house brand but I’m sure this is miles above. I also bought the universal insignia rear speaker stands - DO NOT BUY IT FOR THIS SET UP. I set the stands all up then last steps attatching the actual speakers. The rear speakers on this tcl setup connect from the bottom only. There is no way to do that with the “universal” stands it only has screws for speakers that have holes in the back. Bottom you mount it with sticky pads.. ridiculous. So I got shelves and hung them in the wall for the rear speakers to rest on which is better anyways cause they are much higher now at the proper height the stands would have just been blasting in my ears. Anyways, I definitely recommend this 5.1 soundbar set up. It’s truly amazing for the price I am blown away. I am extremely happy with this purchase it has really upgraded our viewing experience. The real proof to me was my girlfriend telling me hoe amazing it was and that she got scared there was a car crash outside because it all sounded so real and from behind her haha. Great soundbar for the price, must buy. I got it for $250 so it does go on sale but I would definitely pay $300 for this also if I couldn’t wait it is certainly worth that.

This system replaces a classic 5.1 surround system consisting of a Sony amp, a Pioneer sub, and a Technics center channel with 4 small satellite speakers, wired for front and rear. While I was a bit skeptical that a single soundbar in the front would provide the right amount of separation, I was excited about the prospect of not having all the cabling to deal with—even if that meant facing what I expected to be an arduous task of pairing everything. But TCL’s system surprised me on many fronts, the first being how easily and quickly it was installed. It literally took me 2–3 times as long to REMOVE my old equipment than it took to install and set up the new TCL system. Everything paired on its own right out of the box, and I just guessed that connecting to the TV via HDMI eARC was the right choice (spoiler: it was the best choice). I was truly impressed with how good the sound was at this price level. Crisp highs rounded out by full-bodied mids and a solid, punchy bass. Great separation both from the individual rear speakers and the soundbar handling front, center, amp, and crossover duties—all in one slim, wide package that fits great under the set. What I wasn’t prepared for was how much space it would free up in the bedroom where I installed it. I hadn't realized just how much space the old system took up (both physically and visually) and what a messy distraction the wiring was. With all of that gone, the room looks neater and the setup feels intentional rather than like a bunch of disparate components cobbled together. The aesthetics of the TCL S-Class S65K are just as much a standout feature as the sound quality, and it makes the room look awesome. My test movie for a new sound system is always the original Twister, and the TCL S65K did not disappoint. There’s a reason the sound and effects crews on Twister won awards, and that’s why I use it to demo new gear. Again, the surround sound—even without any tuning or enhancement—was head and shoulders above what I was used to in that room. I may be watching a lot more movies in bed now! I also liked having built-in Bluetooth so I can listen to music or stream ambient noise from my phone to sleep if the neighbors party a little later than usual. But the most surprising thing about the S65K is the price. For a little more than the cost of some familiar brands' standalone soundbars, you get a full wireless 5.1 system… with a subwoofer! It’s an insanely good value, though not entirely a surprise from TCL. Two years ago when choosing a new TV for my living room, I looked at a lot of sets at Best Buy, but the 65” TCL was the clear standout for picture and value. With the S65K, TCL has done it again. Highly recommended.

This TCL S65K soundbar provides better than average sound quality at this price point and would work well for most small to mid-sized rooms. It definitely gives you a more immersive sound quality over standard TV speakers. Using the TCL Home app you can use Ai Sonic to optimize the soundbar and remote speakers for your room. Setup is easy because the subwoofer and remote speakers pair with the soundbar automatically. When using the HDMI eArc functionality the soundbar can be controlled from your TV’s remote. On the downside the bass lacks umph when it comes to punchy bass sounds like explosions or drums. The highs can sound tinney at times losing some of the clarity. The mids and voice ranges are solid and are the soundbars strongest feature. The surround sound depending on the mode selected adds too much reverb to enhance the immersive effect giving it more of a concert hall echo vs true surround sound. The soundbar has an LED display to give you feedback on what the setting are, the volume level and the type of input it is receiving like Dolby Atmos or DTS-X. Overall it’s a good value for a home theatre solution on a budget or for a TV gaming solution. Setup: The soundbar, subwoofer and rear speakers all paired automatically and using the HDMI eARC functionality they powered on and off with the TV remote without issue. I downloaded the TCL Home mobile app on my iPhone and struggled to get the app to recognize the soundbar even though I could play music through the soundbar using just Bluetooth connectivity. Eventually the issues resolved and I was able to then update the firmware on the soundbar. Next I performed the Ai Sonic function which sets the speakers output based upon your room configuration. The Ai Sonic calibration uses the app and your mobile device’s microphone to measure the sound quality at your typical seated position. Lastly I went into the Sound settings and used the Custom Equalizer setting to set the 7 point equalizer to match my taste. TCL does include 6 preconfigured equalizer settings that are geared for the type of media you are playing.

The TCL S65K soundbar set gives quite a bit of sound for the low price. Was surprised to see the soundbar even has LED display built in behind the grille. I chose the S65K to pair with my TCL QM8K 65" TV to stay within the brand. The speakers are all sounding quite good after trying various settings. Out of the box and even after the Ai setup. I found I really preferred the "custom" EQ adjustments for more bass and center channel dialog. You can crank volume levels far above what typical size rooms can contain. At 1/4 volume, which is fairly loud, good channel separation for media and games. Even stereo gets upmixed to surround like audio. The whole system pairs quickly and speakers all synced on first try. Really is, plug it in, connect TV and listen. For finer points on this system, I included more info below. App: The TCL Home App is fairly feature rich to level each speaker. It requires a login, and on Android there is no dark mode. What I could not do with the remote and need the app for was to set the custom EQ. The remote has most of the settings on the buttons. Of course your TV remote can control volume if connected to the ARC HDMI port. Sound: This is very subjective to each person and their room and/or if you have neighbors close. I tried the following codecs (Stereo 2.0 - Dolby 5.1, Atmos, DTS) and all worked, DTS was the only one my tv showed on screen. Stereo sources upmixed to a pseudo surround and played through all speakers. In my house volume is between 20 & 30 and it is more than enough for full emersion. The soundbar does most of the work. For me, on "custom" EQ, dialog sounds very clean and full, there is setting to boost voices if needed. Bass from the sub is pretty good for the biggest booms, not quite enough to shake a room. The rear surrounds fill in nicely when action or music scores kick up. The S65K has bluetooth and can be paired for use as a stereo system separate from the TV. This feature is also a surprising bonus and works well to throw music all around you.

Being wireless it was very easy to setup out of the box. Once connected and powered up I was fairly pleased with both the volume and the amount of bass from the smallish subwoofer. The TCL app makes for easy fine tuning but I still struggle to get more mid range out of the system. I'm actually glad for the app as I find myself making adjustments depending on the material I am viewing. Still I find the sound quality pretty decent and being wireless to the sub and surrounds is awesome.