TCL shows off an incredible new Dolby Atmos soundbar at IFA 2019

By Josh Levenson September 5, 2019

There’s a new soundbar in town that vows to breathe cinema-like sound into your home entertainment setup. It’s called the TCL TS9030, it was showcased at IFA 2019, and it comes with all the features you could ever need from a soundbar, including Bluetooth, Dolby Atmos, and HDMI ARC.

Let’s start with Ray-Danz. No, that isn’t a sham pair of Ray-Bans you’d find on a stall on Venice Beach, but rather a new audio dispersion method that promises an immersive, ultra-wide sound stage, utilizing a host of reflectors to project sound around the room, and Dolby Atmos to tie it all together.

Using two side-firing speakers and an array of reflectors, Ray-Danz bends sound to fill the room, with a third, front-firing speaker delivering accurate voice positioning. The result is a larger sweet spot (that’s the area you need to sit in to be immersed in the action) that can span multiple people.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The rest is all rather basic. We’re looking at Bluetooth for streaming music from a desktop or mobile device; Dolby Atmos for infusing supported content with added depth on both the horizontal and vertical planes; and HDMI ARC for simplifying cable connections.

There’s also a wireless subwoofer included in the box, which adds floor-shaking bass to the mix. To be clear, wireless doesn’t mean that the unit is completely devoid of cables. That’s a common misconception. You still need to connect it to a power outlet; it just connects to the soundbar remotely.

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TCL Soundbar — Image used with permission by copyright holder

tcl ifa 2019 interview soundbar 3 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Measuring in at a colossal 41.3 inches, the TCL TS9030 is far from nimble or compact. TCL says it’s best when paired with at least a 55-inch television and we can see why — any smaller and the sound won’t feel proportional to the size of the picture. You need to strike the perfect balance between the two.

There’s no word on whether the TCL TS9030 will launch in the United States, or how much it will cost if and when it does. All we know for certain is that it’s headed to Europe, but again, there’s no word on pricing. Although, given the firm’s budget stature, we’d expect it to retail for around $350 to $450.

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