The clarity of the Individual package is what I noticed first. It revealed all of the fine detail in Twilight's soundtrack without ever sounding tinny and directional. The dialogue from the TV's speakers isn't a perfect match; if you really want a coherent front soundstage, you'll need to pick-up a dedicated Individual centre speaker as well. The subwoofer does its part, but overall, it's more about crunchy mid-bass than warm, bassy depth.

The Auro preceiver is perhaps the weakest link in the chain. The in-built DVD player is woefully inadequate with no video upscaler, or even an HDMI output to send the signal to the screen – I had to use the component input instead. In this day and age, when you can buy an upscaling HDMI-equipped DVD player for £50 or less, that's pretty galling.

You really should try and keep everything in the digital domain to maximise picture potential. In an ideal world, the Loewe would be offering the faithful a Profile 2.0 Blu-ray player. But it isn't.

Balancing act

I get the impression that Loewe is trying to strike a balance between design-led European brands like Bang and Olufsen and the performance-led ethos of Pioneer, and, to an extent, it's on the right track.

The Art panel TV has an eye-catching form factor, and the ability to spec a built-in HDD recorder and DVB-S tuner increases its appeal, too. Yet picture performance struggles to match its high-end rivals, and the brand's current video components are inadequate. Still, the brand is clearly cutting a dash.