Linsar X24-DVD: Sound Quality

If the X24-DVD’s picture quality is nothing special, its sound quality certainly is. In fact, we’d almost go as far as to say it’s ridiculously good for a TV of the X24-DVD’s size.

Even when asked to cope with full-on action scenes from Blu-ray the speakers never start to sound distorted, overloaded or harsh, while the speaker bar and screen are so robustly made that they never succumb to buzzing or rattling noises even at extreme volumes.

Voices are always clear and well-rounded, treble detail is extensive without becoming dominant, and best of all there’s actually quite a bit of bass to underpin the soundstage. A soundstage which, by the way, enjoys a scale and presence well beyond the size of the screen it’s accompanying.

Basically we’ve heard many big-screen TVs from much more ‘household name’ brands that can’t hold a candle to the audio you get from the Linsar X24-DVD.

The X24-DVD’s sound quality is even good enough to make it a genuinely satisfying speaker for Bluetooth music players, which has to be an all-time first for a speaker system built into a small TV. This feature alone could well make the X24-DVD a firm favourite with people looking for a TV for a kitchen or child/teenager’s bedroom.

Other Things to consider

The X24-DVD’s operating system isn’t the best. The remote control is big and spacious, but its layout is rather random, making little effort to prioritise the most important buttons. The onscreen menus are pretty bland too – though on the upside, they are easy to read (which certainly isn’t the case with all small-screen TVs).

It’s also a bit of a faff – albeit an unavoidable one – that you have to have two separate remotes to use the TV and the Roku Streaming Stick. Having mentioned the Roku system, though, it’s worth adding that this is actually an exceptionally easy streaming service to set up and use. Once you’ve managed to cram the Stick and charging cable into the HDMI socket, anyway…

The X24-DVD clearly has potential as a gaming screen, so it’s pleasing to report that we measured its input lag (the time the screen takes to render images after receiving image data at its inputs) at just 32ms. This is a very respectable result that shouldn’t significantly hamper a typical gamer’s skills.

Should I Buy a Linsar X24-DVD?

For many people looking for a second- or third-room TV, the X24-DVD has a lot going for it. Its outstanding audio system and Bluetooth connectivity enable it to double up as a more than passable speaker for a smartphone or digital music player, while its built-in DVD player and (currently) included Roku Streaming Stick functionality allow it to offer a startlingly broad range of integrated video content choices without the need for messy external gubbins.

The X24-DVD’s picture quality is not, in truth, particularly strong. Especially if you intend to use that integrated DVD player for lots of serious film viewing. What picture strengths it has, though – brightness, a bold approach to colours – do make it a decent option for a bright environment.

Verdict

The X24-DVD is an impressively eye-catching way for Linsar to make its test debut on Trusted Reviews. It offers a well thought-through and genuinely unique proposition that suggests the Brits behind the brand have a good handle on what they need to do to establish themselves in the UK’s notoriously tough TV marketplace. Yes, picture quality could be better, but for once this isn’t enough to stop us recommending the X24-DVD on the basis of its unique practical and audio charms – especially if you snap one up while the Roku Streaming Stick deal’s still on.

Trusted Score