Sony 65ZD9 or the XE9305?

[nugget2014]

I am planning on upgrading my tv to a high end one that I can keep for a few years without wanting to upgrade. I did decide on the xe9305 but I want a 65" and it currently retails for around £3200. I like to get it when it's cheap as possible and nearly coming to be discontinued. Should I just pay a couple hundred pound more and get the zd9 if it's worth it?

from what I have read it has better brightness. Still keeps 3D for what that's worth now and also has 648 zones and is FALD. I think it came out in September of 2016 so that means I would have to buy it around October perhaps before it's not sold anymore? I wonder if it would drop to £2000-2100 as most TVs drop around 50%. I had a discount of around that for both my Sony w905 and Samsung js8500.

does the 9305 have any advantages over the zd9 at all?

 

[Son_of_SJ]

I think it came out in September of 2016 so that means I would have to buy it around October perhaps before it's not sold anymore? I wonder if it would drop to £2000-2100 as most TVs drop around 50%. I had a discount of around that for both my Sony w905 and Samsung js8500.

"Most TVs drop around 50% (around the time that the next year's model is introduced)"?? I'm really not sure about that, I think that you are being optimistic. The really high-end sets hold their value pretty well, certainly NOT dropping by anything like 50% before they vanish from the stores. One example of not a particularly high-end set is my own Full HD Sony KDL-75W855C. That started at £2,200, I bought it from Richer Sounds in February 2016 for £2,000, and it was last seen from one of the regular shops at £1,800 late last year. It's now available online only, but still for very close to £2,000. Not much of a reduction at all.

And look at proper high-end 4K televisions, like Samsung's JS9500 models from about 20 months ago. They did reduce in price when they were replaced by the KS9500 series last year, but not by anything like 50%.

I would love you to be correct, I myself am waiting for the price of the Sony 75ZD9 to drop, but having started at £7,000 about seven months ago it's now still as high as £6,600.

 

[Leeps]

If you check out Richer Sounds' clearances on 2016 TV's for example, typically open-box ones can be discounted by around a third. The first three months of the year seem to be when you get your best deals just before 2017 stock begins to hit the showrooms.

FWIW I've seen the Sony 9305. Coming from plasma, it'd be one of the few LED TV's I'd seriously consider. Many LED's seem to over-egg the colour palette so they 'pop' in a showroom, but give you a headache after a while because the colours are just so unnatural. But Sony really have the colour balance spot-on IMO. Quality-wise, I'd be as happy as Larry with the 9305. Really impressed with it. The central stands (if you're not wall-mounting) are far better than competitors (Panasonic stands are just stupid, with huge areas behind the screen needed for the stand so you can't back it up flush to the wall). And the minimal black bezel also looks so much better than the cheap n nasty fake chrome of their competitors.

Actually, I'd be happy with the even cheaper XE9005 which still has full LED backlighting. Trying to save you money!

The main thing worth bearing in mind with buying a TV now is Dolby Vision. Will the TV you're looking at be Dolby Vision ready? If not, have the manufacturers committed to downloadable Dolby Vision firmware updates? If DV isn't important to you, fine, but something to check out before you hand over the readies.

 

[Son_of_SJ]

Excellent post, Leeps *clapping*.

 

[nugget2014]

Well the Samsung ue55js8500 started at £2700 and it went down to around £1200 before it was discontinued I believe and I paid £1468 6 months after it came out. So I will continue being optimistic. End of the day if it doesn't drop enough I'll have to get the 9305. Which isn't ideal. Although still a nice upgrade but the zd9 would be the tv that would be good enough to not be outclassed for a while.

 

[bigboss]

55-inch TVs are made in much larger numbers, hence tend to drop more in price as opposed to 65 and 75 inch TVs.

 

[nugget2014]

Maybe they'll release a successor in a 55" size at ifa 2017

 

[Deleted member 2457]

http://www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk/p-9909805-sony-kd-65zd9-65-4k-uhd-led-tv.aspx

 

[Native_bon]

http://www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk/p-9909805-sony-kd-65zd9-65-4k-uhd-led-tv.aspx

you can get one brand new unboxed at Selfridges London for that price. I would buy one around £300 less than the 3000