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Post by Martin on May 19, 2019 18:03:29 GMT
The creeping black shadow is getting worse on my 6 year old 55” Sony, so went looking again this weekend. To cut a long story short, the 2019 models haven’t moved things forward (picture quality), but the new QLEDs are now very close to the best OLEDs. Having looked at all the contenders in JL/Richer/Sony shop, our favourite was still the 65C8. Was tempted by the Samsung 8k at £3k, but the picture isn’t as good as the C8 and it doesn’t make sense with so little content. The price off the 65” C8 has dropped quite a bit since looking 6 months ago, it’s now £2k and Lindsay can get 5% off instant JL vouchers through work, so we’ve got it for £1900. I’m not around all week, so getting it delivered on Saturday.
With the £1300 I’ve saved over buying the new C9....time to upgrade the surround sound system. We’ve currently got a Sony BDV IZ-1000 which is a one box 1000w 5.1 system with 3D Blueray player and wireless rear speakers. It was £1000 about 8 years ago and is very good for what it is (not a proper separates system), but I fancy an upgrade. Had a look at Atmos soundbars in JL and then spent some time in Richer Sounds with the very helpful manager. The soundbars, even the ones around the £1k mark are out, but we want something with smaller speakers really, fitting in a full size centre is the biggest issue as we’d need to wall mount the TV to create space which I don’t want to do.
Based on his recommendation and despite their size, had a demo of the Cambridge Audio Minx Min12 and X201 sub. They are amazing for their size and while they may not look it, felt like good value for £600 all in. I’ve been really happy with the Cambridge Audio soundbase we have in the bedroom, so shouldn’t have been a huge surprise. Having some doubts on how well they would work in our Living Room, so currently thinking of going for the X301 Sub and Min22 speakers. Roughly double the cost of the Min12 and smaller sub, but should be a decent difference, especially the sub. Going to get the Sony STR-DN1080 amplifier and the Cambridge Audio stands to complete the system, then there’s decent speaker wire to add.....that’s the budget blown!
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2019 18:40:47 GMT
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Post by Martin on May 19, 2019 18:43:31 GMT
The OLEDs are still the way to go until MicroLED is up and running and affordable with it. If there any fillums you like to watch more than once then a 4K disc player blows any streamed 4K stuff into the weeds. I have a pretty good internet connection that exceeds 4K streaming specs but the same stuff on disc is so much better. Fave demo disc: Sicario. The picture is astounding on UHD Blu-ray. Thanks Simon. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on May 19, 2019 20:16:22 GMT
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Post by Andy C on May 19, 2019 20:52:48 GMT
The creeping black shadow is getting worse on my 6 year old 55” Sony, so went looking again this weekend. To cut a long story short, the 2019 models haven’t moved things forward (picture quality), but the new QLEDs are now very close to the best OLEDs. Having looked at all the contenders in JL/Richer/Sony shop, our favourite was still the 65C8. Was tempted by the Samsung 8k at £3k, but the picture isn’t as good as the C8 and it doesn’t make sense with so little content. The price off the 65” C8 has dropped quite a bit since looking 6 months ago, it’s now £2k and Lindsay can get 5% off instant JL vouchers through work, so we’ve got it for £1900. I’m not around all week, so getting it delivered on Saturday. With the £1300 I’ve saved over buying the new C9....time to upgrade the surround sound system. We’ve currently got a Sony BDV IZ-1000 which is a one box 1000w 5.1 system with 3D Blueray player and wireless rear speakers. It was £1000 about 8 years ago and is very good for what it is (not a proper separates system), but I fancy an upgrade. Had a look at Atmos soundbars in JL and then spent some time in Richer Sounds with the very helpful manager. The soundbars, even the ones around the £1k mark are out, but we want something with smaller speakers really, fitting in a full size centre is the biggest issue as we’d need to wall mount the TV to create space which I don’t want to do. Based on his recommendation and despite their size, had a demo of the Cambridge Audio Minx Min12 and X201 sub. They are amazing for their size and while they may not look it, felt like good value for £600 all in. I’ve been really happy with the Cambridge Audio soundbase we have in the bedroom, so shouldn’t have been a huge surprise. Having some doubts on how well they would work in our Living Room, so currently thinking of going for the X301 Sub and Min22 speakers. Roughly double the cost of the Min12 and smaller sub, but should be a decent difference, especially the sub. Going to get the Sony STR-DN1080 amplifier and the Cambridge Audio stands to complete the system, then there’s decent speaker wire to add.....that’s the budget blown! Can I come round to watch Creed 2 on blu Ray ? sounds amazing martin, both tv and audio |
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Post by Martin on May 19, 2019 21:14:04 GMT
Any time Andy!
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2019 6:17:15 GMT
The OLEDs are still the way to go until MicroLED is up and running and affordable with it. If there any fillums you like to watch more than once then a 4K disc player blows any streamed 4K stuff into the weeds. I have a pretty good internet connection that exceeds 4K streaming specs but the same stuff on disc is so much better. Fave demo disc: Sicario. The picture is astounding on UHD Blu-ray. Be interesting to see about longevity. My brother's LG is having issues after just over a year, though this is not necessarily indicative.
Still have a hankering for the next size up, but the prices are still falling and I know it makes no sense to change just yet. Unlike me to be rational.
Enjoy the TV Martin, but a 4k BR player is definitely the way to go. Even though my TV (super though it is!) isn't 4k, I went down that route so I could start buying 4k discs - no point in buying them twice.
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Post by alf on May 20, 2019 8:35:41 GMT
Are OLED's not supposed to last as long then?
When I moved out last summer I went for a 49" LG from the (then) top of the range standard LED ones (with the OLED processors and so on) for my new house as I had got used to the LG smart TV setup, which is very nice to use. I liked it for films/streaming in HD but don't love the SD picture or the overly warm colour cast in some normal programmes - I have to say that I prefer my GF's 55" Samsung picture quality (also from last summer, but was a £500 ish one not a grand like mine) and am surprised just how different the colour casts and so on are even if you play with the settings a lot. I do prefer the Samsung look, though tend to start with the Cinema picture settings as it is the opposite of LG - very harsh and white as standard.
I did buy a couple of UHD Blu Rays just to try on the LG (playing through the XBOX) as I agree the discs look better, even standard Blu Ray on quite an old Panasonic player always look really good (if a recent film) with great rich and deep colours. I only had a quick demo watch before moving in with my new other half (where, as she has 6YO twins, I don't want the XBOX connected to the main TV as the kids would get too into it) but UHD discs did look amazing.
The LG now lives in the kitchen, it has amazing sound for a TV so right now I'm WFH in that room and using it as a radio.... the Samsung has sound that is nowhere near as good so I may introduce the sound bar or proper stereo at some stage into the lounge... The sound bar would be safer for now as the speakers will probably get pencils through them.
I'd love to see/hear a proper setup but watch very little TV so it's unlikely to be a priority for some time...
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Post by Tim on May 20, 2019 12:25:23 GMT
Eh? to all of that!
We bought a 40" Sony at the weekend for £350.
It only took 5 minutes to get me onto Netflix.
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Post by Martin on May 20, 2019 12:28:50 GMT
5 year warranty with JL, which is fine, so not worried about panel life.
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Post by PG on May 20, 2019 13:36:15 GMT
We've got Cambridge Audio Minx Min21 speakers (which the Min22 have replaced) and an X200 (I think) sub, driven by a Marantz all in one system. We play the TV (Samsung OLED) back through it as well as it being a music source and CD / digital / web radio. The sound is pretty good. It replaced a dead NAD + separates + Mission speaker set up that I'd had for years. There is not as much depth to the sound as before but that's to be expected with small speakers, whatever the sales pitch says.
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2019 TVs
May 20, 2019 13:41:44 GMT
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Post by Andy C on May 20, 2019 13:41:44 GMT
My Oled is 3 years old and have had no issues
I have a 6 year guarantee with RS anyway.
I’m tempted by a 4K one but the pic is so good and where I sit I’m not sure I’d notice much difference .
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Post by Martin on May 20, 2019 14:26:37 GMT
We've got Cambridge Audio Minx Min21 speakers (which the Min22 have replaced) and an X200 (I think) sub, driven by a Marantz all in one system. We play the TV (Samsung OLED) back through it as well as it being a music source and CD / digital / web radio. The sound is pretty good. It replaced a dead NAD + separates + Mission speaker set up that I'd had for years. There is not as much depth to the sound as before but that's to be expected with small speakers, whatever the sales pitch says. Interesting. From what I’ve subsequently read, the larger subwoofer makes a decent difference. Not placed the order yet, but pretty sure I will, just need to figure out when I can be at home to take delivery. |
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Post by racingteatray on May 20, 2019 14:34:11 GMT
Not sure on QLED vs OLED.
I'm perfectly happy with our 6yr old Panasonic HD plasma, the quality of which still seems pretty damn good to me. But recently in Curries for something else, Mrs Racing was swooning over the new TVs, so I had a look.
It must be said that some of them had amazing picture quality but they all seemed to cost an absolute fortune. I simply couldn't justify spending over £1k on a TV - we don't watch it enough.
Plus I wasn't at all convinced by the Samsung ones (can't remember if they are the OLED or QLED ones). Yes, the picture quality was very crisp but they all had something slightly odd about the lighting levels which just made them look slightly unnatural, like you are watching exceptionally life-like animation rather than actual real-life footage.
The better non-Samsung ones (ie with the other technology) just had much more life-like picture quality.
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Post by Martin on May 20, 2019 15:40:26 GMT
Not sure on QLED vs OLED. I'm perfectly happy with our 6yr old Panasonic HD plasma, the quality of which still seems pretty damn good to me. But recently in Curries for something else, Mrs Racing was swooning over the new TVs, so I had a look. It must be said that some of them had amazing picture quality but they all seemed to cost an absolute fortune. I simply couldn't justify spending over £1k on a TV - we don't watch it enough. Plus I wasn't at all convinced by the Samsung ones (can't remember if they are the OLED or QLED ones). Yes, the picture quality was very crisp but they all had something slightly odd about the lighting levels which just made them look slightly unnatural, like you are watching exceptionally life-like animation rather than actual real-life footage. The better non-Samsung ones (ie with the other technology) just had much more life-like picture quality. I thought the same when looking at the QLED screens, the way it was lit looked amazing at first glance, but a bit artificial. Both Samsung and LG had a uniformed representative in JL, so I know that changing the settings helps make it more natural (switching off the enhancement modes), but I still preferred the LG C8. |
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Post by alf on May 20, 2019 16:42:30 GMT
Not sure on QLED vs OLED. I'm perfectly happy with our 6yr old Panasonic HD plasma, the quality of which still seems pretty damn good to me. But recently in Curries for something else, Mrs Racing was swooning over the new TVs, so I had a look. It must be said that some of them had amazing picture quality but they all seemed to cost an absolute fortune. I simply couldn't justify spending over £1k on a TV - we don't watch it enough. Plus I wasn't at all convinced by the Samsung ones (can't remember if they are the OLED or QLED ones). Yes, the picture quality was very crisp but they all had something slightly odd about the lighting levels which just made them look slightly unnatural, like you are watching exceptionally life-like animation rather than actual real-life footage. The better non-Samsung ones (ie with the other technology) just had much more life-like picture quality. Most TV's in shops are using settings designed to grab your attention under bright Neon lighting, with excessive contrast and overly "cold" but saturated colours, most setup recommendations are to get away from these standard modes ASAP. If you look at the flesh tones and whites on the TV then around the room you are in you can normally see how artificial they are. it's down to you whether you like that or not. I've been fiddling with both LG and Samsung settings today (LG give you a lot more to play with) and the LG "expert bright room" and "expert dark room" are pretty good if you like quite warm colours. Personaly I seem to prefer the Samsung overall look, I start with the Cinema settings and "warm 1" tone and fiddle with it from there. The settings are often quite tricky yo use - some eco/energy saving modes and dynamic contrast settings really mess with the brightness for example... On the LG's if the energy saving is on medium or high they are really dark in a brightly lit room whatever else you do... But Racing, it sounds like you would like LG's and you can get decent "superUHD" ones in a good size for half your £1k concern... |
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2019 17:01:54 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2019 17:07:13 GMT
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Post by Martin on May 20, 2019 17:30:26 GMT
Interesting. From what I’ve subsequently read, the larger subwoofer makes a decent difference. Not placed the order yet, but pretty sure I will, just need to figure out when I can be at home to take delivery. I find my sub/sat system fine for movies, but pretty poor at doing music. Not sure whether that is a speaker issue or an AV amp one, but it's something I'd like to rectify one day. Will try some hifi speakers first and if it still sounds a bit crap I can just add a stereo amp for not a lot of money. It will only be used for TV/Films |
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2019 18:02:55 GMT
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Post by Martin on May 20, 2019 18:52:00 GMT
That's OK then! I went with Q Acoustics over the Cambridge Minx jobbies as I thought they sounded better and they were cheaper, too. I think is was the Q Accoustics 7000 with a slim subwoofer that I listened to. It was a bit better than the m12 setup in terms of sound and volume, with larger speakers but a slightly smaller (150w) sub. I’m assuming the bigger sub (x301 is 300w) and larger speakers (m22 vs m12) will be better again. Maybe. The full Q Accoustics set was £799 iirc so better value. |
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2019 18:04:16 GMT
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Post by Martin on May 24, 2019 9:33:32 GMT
Decided to place the order today for delivery next week, logged onto the RS website, checked my saved basket and the total cost has come down by £200.
Happy days...order placed for delivery next Friday as I'll be working from home!
TV is being delivered tomorrow.
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Post by Tim on May 24, 2019 10:52:56 GMT
Are these things bluetooth connected or do you have to bugger about with wiring? |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on May 24, 2019 11:21:21 GMT
We've just bought a Samsung 55" QLED, I think it is the 2018 model, with the near invisible cable and One Connect box. Amazing picture and we got a half-price £1k Samsung soundbar - the HWN850. When those dragons in Game of Thrones give it full belt it fair loosens your bowels. www.richersounds.com/tv-projectors/all-tvs/samsung-qe55q7fn.html |
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2019 15:34:12 GMT
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Post by Martin on May 28, 2019 12:38:55 GMT
I’m really happy with the new TV, picture quality is superb, even standard HD looks better than it did before. I had to connect the SKY box directly into the TV as my surround system doesn’t do 4K passthrough, so the sound is via the TV and HDMI rather than optical. I don’t think that’s the reason, but whatever it is, the surround system has had a new lease of life.. Really hoping the new system is even better.....
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Post by Martin on May 31, 2019 20:21:17 GMT
The Cambridge Audio / Sony surround system arrived today, got it all set up and it’s brilliant. We’re really happy.
Just a 4K Blu-ray player to order and then we’re all set.
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2019 20:39:41 GMT
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Post by Martin on May 31, 2019 21:14:28 GMT
Perfect for occasional use, thanks! Sony UBP-X700 is the likely choice, not had a demo but it’s top of the What Hifi list and reasonably priced. |
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