Loewe L26 Freeview review

German screen sculptors Loewe may be renowned for their high-end, high quality fashion TVs but now they’re aiming for der volk – with this £1000 26in LCD.

Looking good

The Concept L26 may not live up to the gorgeous aesthetic standards of its most expensive stablemates but the looks are sleek and the construction solid. Lovers of all things shiny will also be pleased to hear that the company plans to introduce gloss black and silver finishes of the model.

But Loewe TVs aren’t just about price tags and pretty lines. The German manufacturer is renowned for the high level of tech specs it offers and the audio-visual quality of its sets.

The Concept L26 doesn’t disappoint in the first regard: there’s HDMI connectivity, component and twin Scart sockets, a resolution of 1366 x 768 and a painless set-up procedure.

Sweet sounds

But where it really stands out is with its all-round performance. Loewe has long won plaudits for the way its TVs caress the ears and the L26 is no exception in this regard.

Dialogue is crystal clear, with no harshness to the treble even when pushed pretty far, and there’s a surprising amount of bottom end to balance out proceedings too.

Bursting with colour

The visual performance is, if anything, even stronger – producing natural yet vivid colours and a lifelike, three-dimensional images.

Watch the lift shoot-out scene in Mr and Mrs Smith and, if you can tear your eyes away from the action/Angelina Jolie, you’ll notice incredible detail levels in the bad guys’ black suits.

After spending time with this set it’s hard to find anything to criticise other than the steep asking price for what is, after all, a pretty small screen.

It’s got good looks and the kind of capabilities that put even more expensive sets to the sword.