Samsung UN55ES8000 LED LCD HDTV Review

Audio Quality

For all of its bold new innovations, the ES8000 isn't much improved from previous years' Samsung flagships, and still features just two 10w speakers that do their job, but nothing else. The volume scales from 0 to 100, and you can crank it up using the standard remote, the "smart" remote's touch pad, gestures, or voice controls. But no matter the manner by which you heighten thine volume, it's just nowhere near as good as a surround sound system. But for the low expectations we hold for the standard audio components on modern HDTVs, the volume's good enough for a single person, or a quieter group of 3-4.

As for surround sound mode, just forget about it. Every now and then, we'll review a TV that has a noticeable, working surround sound simulator. But for the most part, surround sound modes on TVs don't seem to do much at all, even in a small room. The ES8000 is--unfortunately--just so.