The Philips 65OLED935 is a classy looking set. HDR formats HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ĭimensions (hwd) 93 x 145 x 30cm (with stand) They never go as far as to sound messy, but a feeling of unease tints the overall sound when the speakers are stressed in this way.(Image credit: Future / Modern Love, Amazon Prime) Regardless of amplifier, we notice the speakers struggle to maintain their organisational ability when asked to replay a really complex piece of music. We swap around amplifiers and find something livelier such as Naim’s Nait XS3 works better than smoother sounding alternatives, but it still doesn’t quite solve the issue. This takes the edge off dynamics and makes vocals sound less expressive and emotive than they should. They’re not the most exuberant performers we’ve heard at this level, sounding a little restrained through the midrange and upwards. Make no mistake, these are pleasing and accomplished speakers – but they’re not quite fully rounded. There’s a good amount of insight here: the speakers dig up a fair bit of detail and organise it in a musical and entertaining way. We switch to Massive Attack’s Heligoland to give the Opticons a chance to show off their rhythmic cohesion and pleasing detail recovery. The highs here are nicely blended and, if anything, slightly on the understated side. Those looking at two tweeters and expecting an excess of high frequencies are in for a surprise.

Tonally, things aren’t particularly neutral, but there’s enough in the way of balance to avoid serious complaints. We’re impressed with the overall refinement, as well as the Opticons’ refusal to sound aggressive even when provoked with high volume levels or strident instrumentation. Large-scale dynamic swings are handled with composure with little sense of the speakers having to strain to punch out the extremes. Unusually for this price level, Dali makes its speakers in matched pairs to ensure that the performance is as consistent as possible between channels. There are three finish options – satin white, satin black and tobacco oak. The cabinet corners are crisp and the standard of fit and finish is high. Such an arrangement gives a wide, expansive and reasonably balanced presentation. We find them to work best when placed well out from room walls and firing straight ahead rather than pointing towards the listening position. These floorstanders need a bit of space to breathe, too. Of course, like most good speakers at this level, the Opticon 6 Mk2 have plenty of stretch and deliver more if fed a better signal.

We suggest something like the Cambridge CXA81 (£999, $1299) as a good starting point, though spending more on the likes of the Naim Nait XS3 (£1299, $2999) will reap obvious sonic benefits. These Opticon 6 Mk2 are reasonably sensitive at a claimed 88dB/W/m, but the nominal impedance of 4 ohms suggests that they need an amplifier with a bit of muscle.

Review film 5cm