Hidden talents
TCL TS8132
soundbar + subwoofer
TCL here promises a 3.1.2-channel soundbar and subwoofer package, where Atmos processing makes the combo capable of delivering genuine height information from upfiring drivers. And there’s pleasingly little apparent PR guff here: the channel count is genuine, TCL doesn’t make outrageous claims, and it has a good few useful extras given the price of $699 (and we’ve seen it going for $500). It can, for example, be linked with Google Home and thereby stream music via Chromecast. It can be set up as an AirPlay speaker and stream from Apple devices that way. And there’s Bluetooth.
So in these ways it’s offering to double up as a system for your music, as well as fulfilling the fundamental soundbar purpose of delivering television and movie sound to a level that most TVs alone cannot achieve. Let’s check the detail.
Equipment
The TS8132 bar is a neat metre long, with a solid front and plastic underneath, all wrapped neatly in black cloth, so it’ll make no reflections from your TV. On top are basic press button controls for power, source input, volume and Bluetooth pairing, while round the back is a nicely large cut-out allowing the inputs rather more space than is usual on a soundbar. This area offers a USB slot which can play music (MP3 only) from sticks and drives, a digital optical input, and two HDMI sockets. One of
