Move over LG, TCL's new TVs have Bang & Olufsen sound to blow you away

It's TV season right now, with many of the best TVs about to imminently launch – and TCL is in on the action, too, having just revealed its European range (which largely differs from the 'QM' models revealed at CES 2025 and earlier this month).

I'm reporting from TCL's launch event in Paris, France, where its latest Mini-LED models – the TCL C6K, C7K, C8K, plus C9K and X11K (but that final pair not for the UK market) – are each on display in all their glory, including a 115-inch C7K!

But there's one feature that's really taken me by surprise – especially as I'm currently testing an LG OLED G5 and, while I'm super-impressed by its ultra-bright image quality, its sound isn't all that. TCL, however, has an 'Audio by Bang & Olufsen' partnership with its top sets.

So what does that mean exactly? Taking to the stage, Duncan McCue, Vice President Business Development & Strategic Partnerships at Bang & Olufsen, revealed how the brand has worked with TCL "product by product" to improve performance – stripping down TVs to ensure production reduces or removes vibration for an improved audio performance.

Not all models get the Bang & Olufsen audio upgrade, though, it's reserved for the C7K (in all but the 115-inch model, where it's Onkyo instead) and above, featured in a 6.2.2 channel arrangement for each.

That means six speakers to cover centre, left and right; two woofers for bass; and two upfiring channels for three-dimensional sound output. It's the exact kind of Dolby Atmos output you'll want without the need to add one of the best soundbars on top.

TCL isn't the only brand to do this, of course, with other TV-makers reaching out to various assistive audio companies. Panasonic's Z95B, for example, uses its Tuned by Technics experience. Philips' OLED+910 partners with British audio brand Bowers & Wilkins in its take. But that's what helps these brands stand apart from, say, your LG or Samsung.

Ignoring the sound for one moment, though, and how is it that the C Series models differ? It's all about overall brightness – from 3000 to 6500 nits maximum – and precision, as owed to number of zones, which increases up the range (and, for said zones, as panel sizes increase too).

While the UK won't get the X11K – which is only available in 85- and 98-inch scales – the LG C6K's pricing starts at £799 for the 55-inch; the C7K starts at £799 for the 50-inch; while the C8K starts at £1,599 for the smallest 65-inch model. Each will be available in April or May 2025.