Samsung HT-C6500 review

DLNA access over a home network was generally good. Our media server appeared on the player automatically, and navigating our large music library was reasonably quick. Video format support was excellent, but slideshows were once again interspersed with a blank screen between each photo and photos tagged as portrait-shaped weren’t rotated.

A calibration microphone is included to set the relative speaker levels to match their position in the room, but after using it, we found that both films and music were lacking in bass. Restoring the subwoofer level from –5dB back up to 0dB quickly fixed it. From then on, sound quality of the C6500 was impressive, with deep, powerful bass and plenty of high-frequency sparkle. This gave film soundtracks some serious bite, but at times we felt that high frequencies weren’t quite as smooth or as clean as they needed to be.

Ultimately, what you need the system for will help make your choice. If you don’t care about having other inputs, the Panasonic BTT350 is a good choice as it’s got great sound quality and is cheaper. If the ability to plug in other devices is important, the two HDMI inputs on offer here make the HT-C6500 a better choice that’s got a degree of future proofing.