Soundbars / TCL
TCL S55H
Room calibration and 220W for $139 — the most feature-dense budget bar.
Overall score 6.4/10
Pros
- + Automatic room calibration is genuinely rare under $200
- + 220W with a wireless subwoofer included
- + eARC rather than plain ARC
- + Works as one system with TCL and Roku TVs
Cons
- − TCL's own spec sheet says DTS Virtual:X while retail listings claim DTS:X — treat full DTS:X as unconfirmed
- − No HDMI input
- − TCL does not publish the Bluetooth version
- − Atmos is virtualised, with no up-firing drivers
TCL S55H review: what the specs say
Room calibration and 220W for $139 — the most feature-dense budget bar. At $139, TCL's 2024 model sits among the cheapest we cover — the soundbars we compare run from $129.99 to $1,999.99. It scores 6.4/10 overall, calculated from published specifications across 8 categories rather than from a subjective impression.
Its strongest showing is Value at 8.5/10 — performance and features relative to price. The weakest is Connectivity at 4.5/10, which is the trade-off to weigh before buying: if that is the specification you care about most, one of the alternatives below will serve you better.
Worth knowing before you buy: TCL's own spec sheet says DTS Virtual:X while retail listings claim DTS:X — treat full DTS:X as unconfirmed; and no HDMI input. Every specification on this page comes from TCL's own documentation or a verified retail listing — where a figure is not published, the table says so rather than estimating it.
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Full Specifications
| Channels | 2.1 |
| Total Power | 220 W |
| Subwoofer | Included (wireless), 120W |
| Rear Speakers | None |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes |
| DTS:X | TCL's own specification lists DTS Virtual:X; some retail listings claim full DTS:X, which is unconfirmed |
| HDMI Ports | 1 ports |
| HDMI Passthrough | None — eARC output only |
| eARC | Yes |
| Wi-Fi & Streaming | App control via TCL Home, but no Wi-Fi streaming protocols are listed |
| Bluetooth | Not published by the manufacturer |
| Voice Assistant | None |
| Connectivity | HDMI 2.0 eARC, Optical, Bluetooth, USB |
| Material | Fabric-wrapped bar with wireless subwoofer |
| Warranty | 12 months |
Compare TCL S55H With
Cheaper Alternative
Hisense HS2100 — $129.99
Premium Alternative
VIZIO SV210M-08 — $170.99