Sound Advice: TV soundbars enhance home theater experience

Q: I'm in the market for a TV speaker. Though I want clear voices, I am primarily interested in watching movies and sports with room-filling theater sound. The speaker or soundbar will be used with a new 55-inch TCL 5-series Roku TV in a room that is 12-by-15 feet. What can you recommend for under $200, and is Atmos something I should look for? I will play 4K Blu-ray, cable TV and Roku streaming (from the TV.)

A: It sounds like a soundbar is the best fit for you. While both speakers and soundbars improve voices, TV speakers have an emphasis on dialogue, while soundbars deliver more of a home theater experience.

I do recommend an Atmos soundbar. Dolby Atmos is at the forefront of surround sound technology, and many streaming channels now feature Atmos soundtracks, as do most UltraHD 4K Blu-rays.

Soundbars from TCL (tcl.com) would be a good match for your TCL TV (or any TV, really). I have tested several models of TCL soundbars and headphones and always have been impressed by the natural sound, which is a perfect complement to TCL televisions and their natural picture quality.

The $149 TCL Alto 8i soundbar fits your needs and budget. It incorporates two internal subwoofers and Dolby Atmos processing to create an expansive sound field, and built-in Bluetooth allows you to play room-filling music from your phone or tablet. You can't do better for the money, especially if you want Atmos capability.

If you can stretch to $299, consider the TCL 8+ 3.1.2, which adds a wireless subwoofer and incorporates a separate center channel driver and upward-firing Atmos speakers for an even more impressive home theater experience.

Connect the soundbar's HDMI ARC port to the television's eARC HDMI port. Connect the cable box and Blu-ray player to the other TV inputs, and all your sources will play the sound through the Alto 8i.

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