Samsung HT-E6500 review

We were interested to see how the vacuum tube-equipped HT-E6500 sounded, although the included speakers have a big part to play in the overall experience. The front speakers are barely any larger than a coffee cup, but the rear satellites are around twice as large. The centre speaker carries over the same design, but is intended to lay horizontal rather than stand vertically.

The player wasn’t especially fast to load Blu-ray discs, taking around 30 seconds, but once running we were reasonably impressed with its audio capabilities. The system could fill our test room with sound at only half volume, with no indications of distortion or sharp notes. The speakers produced superb, clear audio, creating a warm sound that preserved plenty of detail in more hectic film scenes, but kept sound channels isolated for accurate surround effects.

Bass was reasonable, although the passive subwoofer certainly can’t match an active powered unit. At the default settings, we could feel the booming gunshots and explosions of Casino Royale, although you’ll have to push it to its limits to concern the neighbours.

There aren’t a huge range of image options to adjust, so you’ll need to make most major tweaks on your TV. There aren’t even that many audio options, beyond dynamic range control and audio synchronisation settings, although there is an option to calibrate your speaker setup using the bundled microphone.

At £600, the HT-E6500 is by no means cheap. It’s barely any cheaper than an entry level separate amplifier and speaker combination, so if you already own a high-end Blu-ray player there may be better alternatives to choose from. However, if you’re starting from scratch its excellent connectivity and internet functions, capable sound and gorgeous design make it a serious contender for your next home cinema upgrade.