Verdict

Pros

• Outstanding features for the money
• Stylish design and robust speakers
• Powerful, exciting sound quality

Cons

• Misses the top layer of detail
• Could be a little more composed at times

What is the Samsung HT-F6500?

It’s a one-box Blu-ray home cinema system that incorporates many of the innovative features of the flagship Samsung HT-F9750W, but with two big differences – firstly, it replaces the imposing towers with stylish compact speakers, and secondly it’s yours for a much, much lower price of just £400 rather than £1,500. It’s a promising combination.

Samsung HT-F6500 – Design

As is often the case with Samsung’s home cinema gear, the Samsung HT-F6500 is a handsome-looking system. Predominantly clad in an alluring gloss black finish, all of the components are sleek and swanky, guaranteed to add a splash of glamour to even the most depressingly decorated living space.

The shapely front and rear speakers boast gloriously curvy cabinets, fatter at the bottom than the top and blessed with a big round back end. They’re gorgeous, and with each one measuring just 175mm high you’ll have no trouble organising them around existing furniture.

We’re also impressed by the heavy, robust build quality, which is far superior to many one-box system speakers. They’re fitted with a large silver midrange driver and dome tweeter above it.

The centre speaker continues this theme with its similarly curvy and compact gloss-black cabinet, but it’s horizontally shaped for convenient placement under your TV and sports two smaller silver midrange drivers either side of the tweeter.

Compared with the egg-like satellites, the subwoofer’s boxy MDF enclosure is a bit of a let down, but its black finish is tasteful and its compact dimensions make it easy to accommodate.

The slim main unit feels a little plasticky but looks stunning. What
catches the eye is the curved right-hand corner, a common theme across
Samsung’s current Blu-ray range.

It follows the curve of a porthole on
top that shows off the red-glowing valve amplifier that powers the
system. This lovely feature is joined by touch-sensitive controls on the
front edge and a USB port hidden behind a flap.

Samsung HT-F6500 – Connections

On the back is a generous array of sockets, headlined by two HDMI inputs that allow you to play other HD sources through the system. You also get HDMI output that supports 3D and ARC, optical digital and analogue stereo inputs, an FM aerial port and Ethernet. There’s also wireless connectivity thanks to its built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.