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TV manufacturer TCL offers 'youth' headphones at CES 2019

TCL has debuted a range of headphones it hopes will turn the heads of millenials at CES 2019.

Ty Pendlebury Editor
Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He majored in Cinema Studies when studying at RMIT. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
  • Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
Ty Pendlebury
2 min read
tcl-socl100
TCL

TCL is best known for its budget TVs , but the company is hoping to catch the imagination of millenials in particular with a range of headphones at CES 2019.

The company has announced five new series of headphones which cover everything from the youth market to the audiophile sector. The headphones are: the SOCL in-ears, the MTRO in/on-ears, the ACTV in-ears and the hi-fi ELIT in-ears.

The SOCL series features a "unique transparent housing with a gradient color treatment" in a choice of four bright colors paired with "powerful speaker drivers".

  • SOCL100/ SOCL100BT
  • SOCL200/ SOCL200BT
  • SOCL300/ SOCL300BT
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TCL

The MTRO line looks like it's going after Beats fans with a "powerful bass driver with extended low sound frequency" as well as a "comfort-fit noise isolating design [that] ensures the bass performance is further enhanced". The MTRO line features both in-ear and headband styles in wired and wireless options.

  • MTRO100/ MTRO100BT
  • MTROL200/ MTRO200BT
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TCL

For active users the company has the ACTV headphone. This is an IPX4 rated (protection from sprays and splashing of water in all directions) in-ear which is made of "sweatproof materials". Both wired and wireless options use a "secure-fit" hook design.

  • ACTV100
  • ACTV100BT
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TCL

The ELIT series are Hi-Res certified and feature in-ear designs. According to the company the "Traveler Edition" offers active noise cancellation technology "without compromising the sound quality". It offers a "long battery play time, a fast charging feature and compact foldable design".

  • ELIT200 
  • ELIT100 
  • ELIT300

It's not over-stating the case to say that the headphone market is completely saturated with models right now, and so TCL will have a fight as a TV brand to get its products noticed. Especially when the company hasn't released its previously announced audio product, the TCL Roku Smart Sound Bar.

TCL's top-of-the-line ELIT headphones, along with the rest of the line, will be available by summer 2019. The wired in-ear and earbud headphones will be available Feb. 1, with the other models launching in the months following. Pricing is yet to be announced.

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