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TCL S55HE 2.1 soundbar with wireless subwoofer, 220 W review

A 2.1 set with HDMI eARC at a low price — eARC is the connection that carries lossless and object-based audio, and finding it here is unusual.

The bottom line The connection specification that matters, at a price where it usually does not appear — with a power figure that means as little here as everywhere else on this shelf.

The specification worth the money

HDMI eARC. It carries lossless and object-based audio back from the television, which ordinary ARC cannot. At this price that is genuinely unusual, and it is the feature that stops the bar being the weak link when a disc player is connected through the set.

What the channel notation says

2.1: two channels and a subwoofer. Dolby Atmos appears in the specification because the bar decodes it; there is no third number, so there are no height drivers. Height is rendered by processing.

The power figure

220 W, summed and unconditioned. It is not comparable with a measured rating, and this page treats it as an indication of class rather than of capability.

The separate subwoofer

Wireless and in its own cabinet, which reaches lower than a bar with the driver inside — and can be moved, which matters more than its specification.

What to check on installation

That the television port you use is the one labelled eARC. Usually only one of them is, and connecting to the wrong one silently falls back to ordinary ARC.

Availability

On sale at around 99 € on the German, British, Italian and Spanish Amazon stores at the time of checking.

Not found on the American and French Amazon stores, where the buy link falls back to a local search rather than to a page that does not exist.

Prices and availability are what Keepa reported on the date this page was updated; both move.

Prices quoted in this text were read on 4 September 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.

What we like, and what we don't

Strengths

  • HDMI eARC at this price, which is the connection that carries lossless and object-based audio from a television
  • A separate wireless subwoofer rather than one built into the bar
  • Wall mounting stated, so it can go under a wall-mounted television

Compromises

  • "220 W" is a sum across channels without stated conditions
  • 2.1 with Atmos decoding but no height drivers — the badge is decoding, not rendering
  • No centre channel

Specifications

Channels2.1 — stated; no height channels
SubwooferWireless, separate — stated
Power220 W — stated without conditions, summed across channels
ConnectionsHDMI eARC, USB, optical — stated
FormatsDolby Atmos, DTS Virtual:X — stated
WirelessBluetooth 5.3 — stated
Amazon referenceB0D96Q5P49 (same reference on 4 Amazon marketplaces)
EAN2220009582989

Questions people actually ask

Why is eARC worth looking for?

Because ordinary ARC cannot carry lossless or uncompressed multi-channel audio. If a disc player is connected to the television rather than to the bar, eARC is what lets the full soundtrack reach it. On streaming, ordinary ARC is sufficient in practice.

Is 220 W meaningful?

As a comparison, no. It is a sum across the bar and subwoofer without stated conditions, and it cannot be placed alongside an RMS figure measured into a stated load. It tells you the class of product rather than its capability.