The TCL Alto 7 has two combinations, one with a subwoofer and one without. Is this soundbar worth your money? Or are you better off spending it on a more well-known brand such as Sony or Samsung?
To answer your question, our experts have put together a detailed TCL Alto 7 Review that will both cover the 7 and the 7+ with a subwoofer.
TCL’s Alto 7 and 7+ are currently unavailable in the market and restock updates remain uncertain. For the same value for money, consider these excellent soundbars, all under 200 bucks!
What We Like
- Can come with a sub
- Loud sound
- Minimalist design
- Specially-tuned
- Distortion-free
- 3 sound modes
- Dialogue clarity
- Deep bass ports
- Cables and wall mounting kit included
- Bluetooth enabled
- Tweeters for high notes
- HDMI ARC
- IR pass-through
- Control panel on top
What We Don't Like
- No Wi Fi
- HDMI ARC needs to be enabled to work
TCL Alto 7 Design
The Alto 7 and 7+ are both the same sound bar with the difference being an additional subwoofer with the Alto 7 Plus, making it a 2.1 system. The construction of the sound bars are sturdy with a mix of plastic and metal.
On the middle of the grille you can make out the TCL logo and on top of the surface you can see a control panel that has easy-to-read buttons. On the sounding bar, you can easily set your device with the power button, Bluetooth pairing button, and volume control.
The Alto 7 soundbar has a minimalistic design that suits any interior and is designed to be wall-mounted or placed on your entertainment unit. The subwoofer with the Alto 7 Plus is just a regular box shape. It also has a minimalistic and unassuming wooden design and blends in with the Alto 7 sound bar.
All the connections are located on the back of the bar and wireless subwoofer. The Alto 7 soundbar measures in at 36.1 inches or 91 cm, and is a great fit for larger TVs such as your TCL TV.
Features of the TCL Alto 7
Sound Quality
A soundbar on its own or a sub combo is only as good as the sound standard. The soundbars are Dolby Digital compatible, but they do not support Dolby Atmos. Don’t be discouraged however, because even when played at loud volumes, the audio is crisp, clean and precise without any distortions.
Both the Alto 7 and Alto 7+ soundbars were specially tuned to ensure powerful and clear audio at any volume level. The soundbars will do what your TV speakers couldn’t, and enhance all the dialogue and sound effects.
The frequency range of the soundbar for both the 7 and 7+ is between 58.2 Hz to 18 kHz, which is not bad, but our experts wish they could have gone lower on the bass frequencies. That said, the soundbar on the 7+ can take care of the low tones.
Even without a built-in sub, the bass notes from the 7 is still audible. The soundstage created by the sounding bar is a wholly encompassing one with the help of the left and right speakers, the audio emitted from this product is quite impressive.
Although it doesn’t possess much in terms of advanced audio technology, like the Sony S-Force Technology in Sony HT C180, the 7 and 7+ soundbars do have dialogue enhancement for clearer speech.
Sound Modes
Our team enjoyed the optimization from the sound mode features. Audio modes are preset adjustments you can refer to for specific content. For example, the TCL Alto 7 soundbar has movie, music and news modes.
The news mode is where you can find the speech enhancement mentioned above. Movie mode will improve the sound effects in your favorite films and music mode will take care of all the beats in your favorite tunes. Compared with music mode, movie mode will have better sound quality. The audio modes can be easily accessed with the included remote control with your purchase.
TCL Alto 7 Subwoofer
Just to be clear, the Alto 7 doesn’t have an included wireless subwoofer, but the Alto 7+ does. If you like having heavy bass, our experts recommend going with the Alto 7+ as it’s a 2.1 channel or add external subs like Polk PSW108 and PSW10. The one behind the decimal refers to how many subwoofers are included.
As we review TCL Alto 7+, we found that the sub that accompanies the Alto 7+ is by no means outstanding, but it does help elevate the bass tones. It works a lot better and packs more of a punch than built-in subwoofers.
Surround Sound
As mentioned, the Alto 7s do not have advanced technology for surround sound unlike Roku Smart Soundbar that can become an actual true surround sound system. The soundbar is Dolby Digital compatible, however, which can help with the overall surround sound effect.
To get true surround audio, a soundbar system requires at least 5 different channels and a subwoofer. The 5 channels include the center channel speaker, right and left ones as well as rear satellites.
Connections
This soundbar system offers both wired and wireless connectivity technology just like the Samsung HW-KM36. If you have read our reviews before, you will know our experts are big fans of HDMI and HDMI ARC. This type of digital connection is always recommended by our team. It’s the easiest form of connection for a quick setup and the HDMI cable is already included in your package.
HDMI is easy to use and is a plug-and-play design. However, if your TV or media device does not support this form of connection, the Alto 7 soundbar also has an IR passthrough, digital optical, and aux ports.
The aux cable is analog and doesn’t support digital content. Since most music, movies and 4K TV shows have digital audio frequencies, our team suggests going with HDMI first and digital optical second. Again, the HDMI and optical cable needed for your specific connection is included with your system.
Wireless Connectivity
Other than wired connections, the soundbar supports Bluetooth but does not support Wi-Fi. Bluetooth connection is the best when it comes to wireless streaming. Most top-rated 2.1 wireless speakers and sounbars support Bluetooth pairing. To connect your soundbar using Bluetooth, simply enable Bluetooth on both devices, wait for them to pair, and you can start playing your favorite music.
Wire-free connections are always the easiest and the most seamless when the system is hooked up. It also allows greater range than cable connections, which offers more placement flexibility.
Our experts advise that Bluetooth performance is dependent on range, so don’t place your devices too far apart. Anywhere within 30 feet is a good distance to enjoy clear and stable connection.
TCL Alto 7 Setup
The setup for the Alto 7 is as simple as setting up the Samsung SWA-8500S, which makes the device easy to use. It comes with everything you need including the wall mount kit and remote.
What our experts liked is that the remote control is not a flimsy one. It’s not a thin and small remote with hard to press buttons. It’s of quite a substantial size and can make sure you get great sound from your system with the right settings.
If you want to adjust the soundbar with your TV remote, it’s also easy to configure. The user manual will walk you through all the steps to take.
The sub is a plug and play design and you can go from unboxing to enjoying better overall sound in a matter of minutes. The sub doesn’t require much effort to set up and connects automatically when the sub is turned on. If you like a straightforward setup, you will like the 7 and 7+.
Warranty
Our team always suggests making sure of the warranty [1] parameters. For technological devices, a warranty is important just in case something goes wrong with your TCL soundbar or you receive a faulty device.
TCL Alto 7 Price
For the price, you get a soundbar speaker and your choice of subwoofer. Most give the 7 pretty high marks, and so does our team.
The price varies if you decide on the 7 or 7+, but the difference is minimal. If you have the budget, our team would strongly suggest going for the 7+. You will be able to enjoy watching movies, listening to music with much better bass easily adjusted through the volume control.
TCL Alto 7 Review Conclusion
Our experts’ TCL Alto 7 review is a highly positive one. Even if you don’t go for the subwoofer combo, the audio is impressive from the device.
Tons of products produce muddy sound at a high volume, but the volume level of the Alto 7 and 7+ will not affect the quality. At an affordable price, the Alto soundbars feature an HDMI connection capable of the highest quality relays to create an enveloping viewing experience.
Looking for a compatible subwoofer for your TCL Alto 7? Check out our best small subwoofers under 500 here.
