Philips HTS6500
Editors' rating: 7.3
The good: The Philips HTS6500 is a high-style virtual-surround home-theater system that offers upscaling DVD playback via its HDMI output. In addition to DVDs and CDs, it plays a wide variety of file formats including DivX; MPEG-1, -2, and -4; MP3; WMA; and JPEG files. Front-panel USB and mini-jack inputs offer easy hook-ups for portable music players.
The bad: The HTS6500's passive subwoofer lacks precision and punch, and you can't independently control the subwoofer's volume. Sound customization options are very limited. The virtual-surround effect doesn't match the surround-sound capabilities of a true 5.1-channel setup. The remote control can't be programmed to control other devices such as your TV.
The bottom line: The unremarkable sound quality of the Philips HTS6500 is outweighed by its winning combination of slick aesthetics, impressive features and affordable pricing.
Photo by Amazon.com
