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Samsung HT-D6750W review: Samsung HT-D6750W

Gone are the days when home theatre systems simply delivered 5.1 channels of sound; this Samsung system does much, much more than that.

Nic Tatham
4 min read

Design and features

This system's feature list is about as long as it gets with current home theatre gear, so we'll concentrate on the main ones. The HT-D6750W is essentially an all-in-one BD system, capable of playing back 3D Blu-ray software as well as incorporating Samsung's latest 3D sound signal processing and loudspeaker technology. It comprises the BD head unit, two pairs of column speakers, a small centre channel speaker and a passive subwoofer. The rear speakers are driven wirelessly with an accompanying transmitter/receiver, and the main front columns feature "vertical surround", which is an additional driver that can be angled upwards, reflecting sound off the ceiling and providing the so-called "3D sound" modus operandi.

7.4

Samsung HT-D6750W

The Good

It's got the lot — Wi-Fi, Smart Hub, AllShare, Anynet+. Superb video playback on all formats. 3D sound actually works.

The Bad

Poor subwoofer. Bright-sounding super tweeters. Major dust magnet.

The Bottom Line

Gone are the days when home theatre systems simply delivered 5.1 channels of sound; this Samsung system does much, much more than that.

The slim head unit incorporates all sorts of technological goodies, including built-in Wi-Fi, 2D-to-3D conversion, the Smart Hub internet portal, 2GB of local storage, twin HDMI outputs — and on and on goes the list. Its networking ability is equally extensive, with AllShare DLNA support, and when teamed up with a display such as those in Samsung's latest-generation smart TVs (we used the rather excellent Series 7 55-inch 3D LED), you've got just about every networking base and media stream covered.

Aesthetically, it's all slimline and high-gloss black, which looks great until the dust starts settling on the fingerprints. Which is as soon as everything's switched on. The head unit's LED display doubles as the touch controls for the basic disc commands, and discs slide smoothly in and out of a hidden slot.

The onscreen menus are simple, colourful and easy to navigate, albeit a bit pedestrian when compared to some. First up, the system auto-calibrates itself, which takes the hassle out of that chore, and then you're ready for some wireless 3D action.

Surround performance

Anyone who's got this sort of system at home is going to be using it 99 per cent of the time in a surround sound mode, so that's what we kicked off with. With a clutch of conventional 2D Blu-rays as well as a few 3D titles, watching movies is what this system's all about. We dived straight in, loading up the wonderful 3D version of Ocean Wonderland. Such a visual movie; the 3D image quality was mesmerising with the HT-D6750W's 1080p output superbly rendered on the Series 7 screen. The TV's only as good as the source, and we've got no complaints about the 3D image that this player delivers — the level of detail is almost off the scale combined with pin-sharp resolution. We didn't detect any ghosting, and, overall, motion was handled super smoothly. The coral reefs displayed the fine mix of colours and natural hues that make up the Samsung TV's palette, and the same applies when it's up-scaling DVD or Blu-ray from 2D to 3D.

It's hard to draw your attention from such a breathtaking picture; however, the system in 3D sound mode has a pretty good stab. The speakers easily filled our large listening room, and the "vertical surround" genuinely works — movie soundtracks were delivered with plenty of power and precision, with a keen sense of space and depth. Avatar's loud, surround-infused sequences are dished up with the sort of dynamics required to impress, and the 3D sound keeps you in the centre of the action.

As with most all-in-one systems such as this, the Samsung has its limits. The subwoofer is the main culprit, sonically bailing out when you give the volume a healthy nudge. It's a boomy- and chuffy-sounding unit as well, lacking the genuine depth, control and speed of a decent active subwoofer.

Stereo performance

Appreciating the finer musical nuances of a JS Bach clarinet concerto is not what this system's about. Sure, it'll play stereo music from all sorts of different digital formats, and there's even an iPod/iPhone cradle included, but serious music gets a bit short changed. The super tweeters tend to sound too harsh and bright, while the subwoofer's boom makes music sound sluggish and laboured. For background tunes, or for streaming some compressed MP3s, WAV or WMA files, it sounds OK, and, with a few tweaky audio features and DSPs, it can sound quite good — as long as you don't expect audiophile performance.

Conclusions

By far, this system's biggest appeal is its vast array of networking and streaming features. Gone are the days when home theatre systems simply delivered 5.1 channels of sound; this Samsung system does much, much more than that. Picture quality is superb, the 3D sound works, but a weak subwoofer and fizzy treble let it down, sonically speaking.