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Tom's Guide
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
I test TVs for a living and I'd happily pay more for this one feature — but it isn't OLED
TVs have come so far in the last decade. These days, we've got OLED TVs with higher levels of brightness, Mini-LED backlights in budget LCD TVs, and companies like Samsung and Hisense pushing the boundaries with their new Micro RGB TVs. Unfortunately, despite all these advancements in display technology, TV makers are still skimping on internal speaker systems, leaving a lot to be desired in the audio department. It's one of the most common complaints we have in our TV reviews, even on some of the best TVs. It's a total shame. If you're already paying over $1,000 for a TV, audio performance should be just as important as picture performance. While some TV makers are putting in the effort, like Panasonic, Sony, and Hisense, more should follow suit. Before I complain too much, I want to at least acknowledge that there are some manufacturers who are upping the ante when it comes to their built-in speakers. Case in point is the brand new Panasonic Z95B OLED TV. Panasonic stripped away the internal design on its predecessor and reworked everything from heat ventilation to speaker placement so that the audio could truly perform at its peak. It's pretty ingenious when you look at its underlying design. The up-firing and side-firing speakers are positioned closer to the top of the frame and wider apart, allowing for a wider soundstage. It's also equipped with a 30W subwoofer, which isn't particularly common on most TVs, as they will usually add to the overall weight. While the Hisense U8QG is a definitive highlight for bombastic audio, last year's Hisense U9N Mini-LED TV is also a notable for its side-firing speakers built directly into the TV. Hisense also hasn't skimped on its audio design, adding punchy subwoofers to its displays. While the Hisense U8QG is a definitive highlight for bombastic audio, I think last year's Hisense U9N Mini-LED TV is also a notable entry here, not just for its subwoofer but also for its side-firing speakers built directly into the TV. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. These angled, side-mounted speakers not only look cool, but gives the TV punchy, realistic sound. The speakers are kitted with an aluminum bezel and positioned in such a way that allow sound to be emitted directly toward the viewer, showing that audio performance for Hisense is just as important as picture quality in the design of its displays. OK, now that we've talked about the innovators, let's talk about the problem with TV speakers: Most of the time, they're underpowered and sound awful. Manufacturers can do a lot with Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and beam-forming, but when the whole system is powered by two-inch 10W drivers, there's just not enough power there to drive immersive-sounding audio. Sure, these TVs can technically decode Dolby Atmos, but there's no way you're going to hear nuanced spatial audio with a two-channel 10W speaker setup. What's particularly egregious is when you see manufacturers slapping Dolby Atmos stickers on the boxes of their TVs with the 10W speakers. Sure, these TVs can technically decode Dolby Atmos (and hopefully pass it to a soundbar or AV receiver), but there's no way you're going to hear nuanced spatial audio with a two-channel 10W speaker setup. I'm not calling out anyone in particular here, but most budget QLED and QNED TVs fall into this category. I know, it sounds crazy, but hear me out. Sony makes some of the best OLED TVs, so it should come as no surprise that Sony has some great-sounding TVs, too. And that's largely due to their design, which uses a special feature called Acoustic Surface Audio+. Sony TVs with this feature, like the Bravia 8 II OLED, have special actuators placed behind the screen that vibrate the panel for added effects that are dynamically connected with what's visualized on the screen. They also are equipped with two subwoofers for even punchier, grittier audio that you can literally feel. Acoustic Surface Audio+ is the beating heart of what makes Sony TVs some of the best in terms of audio functionality. You can even connect compatible speaker systems, like the Sony Bravia Theater Quad, and use the TV as a center speaker, which is pretty neat. Not everyone needs to follow suit (Acoustic Surface Audio actually requires an OLED display to function properly) but Sony's showing that it's possible to think outside of the box to deliver great sound. So what's the downside of better audio in TVs? Unfortunately, the reason most manufacturers opt for low-quality speakers is to save on cost. And I get that. Picture quality should be the top priority. There are ways of amplifying the TV audio but there's no way to significantly boost picture quality once you've purchased your TV. If you're buying a TV that costs several thousand dollars, chances are that you're also buying (or already bought) one of the best AV receivers and paired it with compatible speakers and a subwoofer. That's the end-goal for AV enthusiasts. Unfortunately, in this economy, not everyone wants to spend several thousand dollars on this kind of setup. Even full soundbar systems can be pretty expensive. Our top-rated soundbar, the Sonos Arc Ultra, costs $1,000. Add that with a Sonos subwoofer and two Era 100 speakers, and you're looking at spending over $2,000 just on your amplified speaker array — about as much as a 65-inch Samsung S90F OLED TV on Amazon. This is exactly why I'm loving how TV brands like Panasonic and Hisense are thinking outside of the box when it comes to TV audio. TV speaker systems should compliment the display. Sound is, after all, an important facet to our entertainment. The compromise? Better-sounding built-in speakers that add a nominal cost. If it saves me having to spend over $500 on a discrete system (and time setting it all up, too), I'm more than willing to spend that extra cash for better TV audio.
Tom's Guide
21-06-2025
- Tom's Guide
I test TVs for a living — and I recommend these 2 TVs above everything else
I've been testing TVs now for several years and I've come to realize there's still one major issue plaguing most sets, even those launching in 2025: good audio. It's a complaint I hear from many friends and family after buying a new TV. It's also something I run into a lot when testing TVs, and leads me to always recommending one of the best soundbars for an amplified soundstage. Despite all the noise, TVs can be improved. We've already seen some stellar sets out of Hisense and Panasonic that feature nifty speaker specifications and built-in audio software that make Dolby Atmos all the more rewarding. More TV makers should be taking notes. Hisense has been kitting out its TVs with better, more amplified audio systems. Last year's Hisense U9N Mini-LED TV is a major step forward thanks to its dual side-firing speakers that offer a crisp, punchy sound stage. The 2025 Hisense U8QG Mini-LED TV improves on the older modek, with a similarly advanced audio system that varies depending on the TV size. At 65-inch, the configuration we tested in, Hisense has designed it with a 4.1.2-channel system at a 72W output. The latter specification is amplified to 82W in sizes from 75-inch to 100-inch. This means you get better audio output in higher sizes, particularly in terms of the maximum power the speaker can handle before the sound gets distorted. It's not every day you see a brand new 2025 model getting a major discount on the heels of its release, but the U8QG is an icon in this regard (and many more). It's bound to be among our favorite gaming TVs this year thanks to its slew of gaming features built on a 165Hz refresh rate. It's also got the best brightness in the TV game, owing to its Hisense lineage. Like the U9N, the Hisense U8QG also has side-firing speakers and a subwoofer all built into the screen, netting you incredible audio coverage that fills the whole room. Few TV makers are putting this much emphasis on the underlying specifications that make up their TV audio. Meanwhile, most TV brands are adding more AI integrations. It's a sad state, especially given that most audio can't be made much better when the hardware is fundamentally limited from the outset. Mini-LED TVs are one side of the spectrum, but it's proving especially true even for more premium sets among the best OLED TVs. Panasonic returned to the U.S. TV market last year in bombastic style with its Z95A OLED TV. Its audio specs even put the Hisense U8QG to shame, pushing out a 160W output on a 5.1.2-channel system. That's more than enough coverage for most people, but what makes it really stand out is the immense out of control Panasonic allows it with ingenious software. One of the niftiest new features found on Panasonic's OLED TV from last year was Sound Focus and Space Tune, software suites that allows you to customize how the audio reverberates from your TV in a variety of different ways. The key settings include Area, Pinpoint, Ambient, and Spot. These options gives you tons of versatility in bringing your home entertainment setup to life. It helps that Panasonic has kitted its Z95A with a serious audio system and it seems like its 2025 TV will be even more powerful. The Panasonic Z95A is an exceptional OLED TV that wrangles together some of the most advanced specs in the space yet. It commands a 160W speaker Dolby Atmos system and a 144Hz refresh on LG Display's MLA panel. It also comes equipped with the range of HDR formats and while it might only have two HDMI 2.1 ports, it does have a sophisticated gaming dashboard, which gives you some easy tweaks to the screen. Following a briefing with Panasonic at its offices in Newark, New Jersey, we got a taste of what we can expect from its new Z95B OLED TV against its predecessor. While crisper colors and deeper blacks are one thing, a more improved speaker system gave way to out-of-the-box surround sound that feels much richer. If there's anything I can say thus far about the Panasonic Z95B OLED TV, it's set to have an even wider sound stage — and that's saying something given the high praise we gave its 2024 model. Panasonic has repositioned the speakers within its panel for an improved experience that you can not only hear but feel. TV speakers should be doing more. Look around and you'll find that most TV makers are over-relying on AI to get improved audio on their sets versus actually building out feature-rich hardware and software suites for more immersive audio. Hisense and Panasonic aren't alone. TLC is also finding new avenues for building better audio experiences for its TVs, teaming up with Dolby in the design of FlexConnect. This new feature allows users to place their speakers practically anywhere in their home for a truly immersive auditory adventure, and it's only available on 2025 TCL TVs. This still requires additional speakers for improved audio support, but it's a start. More TV brands should be finding ways to make their TVs sound better as opposed to slimming them down. It's the difference between having an all-around entertainment system versus just a mere screen that requires a soundbar or AVR speaker, which can not only cost thousands but be complicated to setup. With some of the best TVs in their wheelhouse, Panasonic and Hisense are pioneering a new era for TV audio and hopefully more follow suit.
