The TCL S45H is a 2024 standalone soundbar model with a simple 2.0 configuration. It's very similar to the TCL S55H, which includes a bass module. Aimed as an affordable upgrade to your TV's speakers, it offers a few welcomed features like room calibration (called AI-Sonic Adaptation) and support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, albeit with a necessary downmixing. Let's see what the budget tier offers these days and answer if this soundbar is worth getting above some of our best sounding TVs.
Our Verdict
The TCL S45H is okay for mixed usage. As a stereo soundbar, it compromises the fidelity and immersiveness of surround sound and object-based audio formats like Dolby Atmos by downmixing them. Like many all-in-one soundbars, it can't fully reproduce bass frequencies, even if you max out the bass adjustment, so music and low-pitched sound effects lack rumble. Dialogue and vocals sound forward in the mix, though somewhat uneven, and the soundstage is about as wide as the bar itself. You get a solid number of sound enhancements like room correction, EQ presets, bass and treble adjustments, and different listening modes. It also gets louder and compresses less than most built-in TV speakers.
Several enhancement tools to tailor the sound.
Great dynamics and compression performance.
Lacks deep bass due to its all-in-one design.
Poor height and surround sound performance.
The TCL S45H is alright for dialogue and TV Shows. It's a stereo soundbar that supports many common formats like Dolby Digital and DTS with eARC and Optical ports at fairly low latencies. Mids and treble are emphasized, albeit a bit unevenly, for clear dialogue. The lack of full bass extension robs soundtracks and action flicks of sounding balanced, though. However, there's a room calibration tool, and you can use EQ presets, bass and treble sliders, and a Dialogue mode to tweak the sound. It also gets louder and compresses less than most TV speakers.
Several enhancement tools to tailor the sound.
Great dynamics and compression performance.
Lacks deep bass due to its all-in-one design.
Poor height and surround sound performance.
The TCL S45H is okay for music. It produces lead instruments and vocals reasonably clearly in the mix, and there's a bit of boom on kick drums, but it's not very balanced. Due to the absence of a subwoofer, it can't reproduce bass frequencies with great depth, so heavier music sounds thin. It's a stereo soundbar, as is most music, but concerts in 5.1 and Dolby Atmos are downmixed to stereo. The stereo soundstage is alright, but not notably spacious and wide. That said, it gets loud enough to fill a room with minimal compression, and you get a handful of tools to adjust the sound to taste. It also offers several ways to connect your music.
Several enhancement tools to tailor the sound.
Great dynamics and compression performance.
Lacks deep bass due to its all-in-one design.
Poor height and surround sound performance.
The TCL S45H is unremarkable for movies. It gets louder with less compression than most built-in TV speakers and is an upgrade to the average TV speaker, though not a considerable one. It's still a stereo soundbar that downmixes Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround audio, so it's not very immersive and lacks much height. It also can't reproduce bass frequencies with ample rumble, which weakens the reproduction of soundtracks and sound effects. That said, dialogue is mostly clear in scenes without many competing sounds. There's support for DTS and Dolby formats. Plus, you get room calibration, EQ presets, and bass and treble adjustments to carve out the sound somewhat.
Several enhancement tools to tailor the sound.
Great dynamics and compression performance.
Lacks deep bass due to its all-in-one design.
Poor height and surround sound performance.
Changelog
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Updated Dec 02, 2024:
The Best Buy-exclusive variant, the TCL S4BH, was added to the Differences Between Variants box.
- Updated Nov 13, 2024: Review published.
- Updated Nov 05, 2024: Early access published.
- Updated Oct 25, 2024: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The TCL S45H comes in one color, 'Black' (check out the label for our unit), though a press release shows it in other colors like green and navy, which may subsequently become available. It's also known as the TCL S4XH in some regions. The TCL S4BH is also the same soundbar, but sold through Best Buy. It's very similar to the TCL S55H but performs a bit differently because it has an integrated bass port, while the TCL S55H has a dedicated subwoofer instead.
If you come across another variant, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
In the budget range, the TCL S45H bumps up against the likes of the Vizio M Series M213ad-K8, which also supports Dolby Atmos, but importantly, the Vizio's stereo response sounds more balanced out of the box with better low-end than the TCL. That said, if you're setting it against previous affordable models like the TCL Alto 8i, the S45H includes more user-friendly features like room correction but lacks an HDMI In port and as much bass.
Still, if you're looking at the affordable options on the market, check out the best budget soundbars, the best soundbars under $200, and if you simply just don't want a subwoofer, consider the best all-in-one soundbars.
Whether the TCL S55H or TCL S45H is better depends more on whether you have room for a subwoofer more than on their performances. Their performances and capabilities are nearly identical, except that, unsurprisingly, the TCL S55H, with its dedicated subwoofer, sounds better with a fuller bass response.
The TCL S45H is better than the Sony HT-S100F. Both budget all-in-one 2.0 soundbars lack a full-sounding bass, but the TCL offers greater audio format compatibility and lower latency, in addition to room correction. It's more consistent sounding across stereo, surround, and object-based formats than the Sony, which is limited to EQ presets and doesn't support DTS or Dolby Atmos.
For most people, the Hisense HS2100 is better than the TCL S45H. The Hisense sounds much more balanced throughout the range, including a greater bass extension due to the outboard subwoofer. It's also low latency across various audio formats and connections. However, the TCL offers an app with more tuning options, like EQ presets, listening modes, and a room correction tool. Its dynamics are better, too. The TCL also supports Dolby Atmos, but it downmixes it to stereo. It's mainly impeded by its weak bass response.
The Roku Streambar is better for small spaces than the TCL S45H, and if you don't need much in the way of support for formats like DTS and Dolby Atmos but plan on listening to wireless music. The Roku also comes ready for streaming on the Roku platform, which may be a determining factor for some folks. On the other hand, the TCL gets much louder and is capable of filling out a larger space while retaining dynamics better at max volume. It also supports far more formats, though it downmixes them to stereo.
Test Results
