Sound quality: TCL's Alto 7 delivers sound quality that falls in the Fair range, meaning that it has sonic shortcomings that leave a lot to be desired when listening to music but don't rule it out for dialog. In the Music sound mode the bass is subdued, lacks impact, and doesn't go deep. The midrange is hazy and somewhat nasal and rough. The treble is smeared, subdued, and the upper treble is muted. The overall sound is congested, a bit constricted, lacks dynamics (is flat sounding) and the soundbar only does a so-so job of recovering room ambience (the sense of the acoustic space in which the music was recorded). With stereo program material the sound image extends a bit above, but not beyond the sides of the soundbar, and lacks depth. With Dolby Digital multi-channel program material the sound image gets a bit taller, but otherwise is similar to the stereo image. Compared to the Music sound mode, the Movie mode makes the sound a bit louder; in the News sound mode the volume is slightly reduced and the bass is even more subdued, and the midrange gets a bit more nasal. There was no significant difference between the HDMI, analog, optical, USB, and Bluetooth inputs. The system can provide satisfying volume in a medium sized room.
TV setup and ease of use: Very good overall Setup: The instructions that come with the soundbar clearly indicate that HDMI CEC activation is done on the connected TV and not on the soundbar; no deactivation instructions are provided so it's left up to the user to figure out how to turn the feature off if needed. Soundbar volume (but not mute) can be controlled by the remotes of TCL brand TVs; this feature is always active. All appropriate cables for TV connection included. Ease of Use: This model can respond to the volume and mute commands of HDMI CEC compatible TVs when connected via the HDMI ARC ports with and HDMI cable once this function is set up on the TV. It also automatically responds to the volume commands of many TCL TV remote controls. Its own remote control's buttons are clearly labeled, but the arrangement is fairly jumbled, and the buttons are not differentiated by size, shape, or color. The console's power, source, and volume controls are adequately identified and are located on the top of the soundbar where they are easy to see and access. Although the console lacks a mute button it can be unmuted by pressing one of the volume controls. The display shows power status, the source indicator consists of a persistent color coded light to indicate the selected input; a removable sticker that provides a color legend is on the console, but it is not permanent so it can't be relied on to remain in place. If it is removed the user will need to refer to the instruction manual to decode the source indicator light. The volume muting status indicator is highly visible and persistent; there is a momentary indicator to show if volume is being changed, but it does not show the volume level. The DSP effects mode indicator consists of a momentary unlabeled color coded light to confirm the mode selected; pressing a DSP button to recall the indicator may change the setting.
Features setup and ease of use: Good overall. Setup: Bluetooth pairing is very easy - if no Bluetooth device has previously been paired, or the paired device does not have Bluetooth activated, the unit is automatically in pairing mode once the console or remote's Bluetooth source selection/pairing button has been pressed. Ease of Use: The remote control's buttons are clearly labeled, but the arrangement is fairly jumbled, and the buttons are not differentiated by size, shape, or color. The console's power, source, and volume controls are adequately identified and are located on the top of the soundbar where they are easy to see and access. Although the console lacks a mute button it can be unmuted by pressing one of the volume controls. The display shows power status, the source indicator consists of a persistent color coded light to indicate the selected input; a removable sticker that provides a color legend is on the console, but it is not permanent so it can't be relied on to remain in place. If it is removed the user will need to refer to the instruction manual to decode the source indicator light. The volume muting status indicator is highly visible and persistent; there is a momentary indicator to show if volume is being changed, but it does not show the volume level. The DSP effects mode indicator consists of a momentary unlabeled color coded light to confirm the mode selected; pressing a DSP button to recall the indicator may change the setting.
