Samsung Q80T or Sony HX9005?

[Harleyboy]

Hi, am really struggling to decide which of these to go for. They’d be 65” and used for general TV and movie watching. Not a lot of sport and no gaming.

Both have 5 star what hifi reviews. Sound is important as probably won’t have a sound bar.

Any real life experience welcome please?
Thanks

[ChocolateFrog]

I've got the Q80T and have no issues with it.

Hard to say how it compares to the Sony. I get the impression the Samsung is a good all rounder but loses out a little to the Sony and LG on picture quality.

The Samsung was cheaper than the other two when I looked along with the user interface of the Samsung swung it for me.

[Junior Bianno]

Do you mean the Sony XH90? I've got the 65" and the 75". They're brilliant for the money I think - no complaints at all. Can't compare them to the Q80T as I've never seen one.

The sound is OK but not spectacular. You would probably want a soundbar or home cinema setup to maximise the experience, but I'm fine with it.

[Harleyboy]

Yes, I did mean the Sony XH90

Thanks for the feedback. The Sony is marginally cheaper than the Samsung (£999 vs. £1058)

Might wait till next week and try and go and actually see them

[7n8n]

I've got the XF9005 which is the older model. The picture is very good and Sony are excellent at motion handling and upscaling of lower resolution sources. Have had a couple of irritating bugs where it would disconnect from my soundbar (which got fixed by a software update) and dropping WiFi (worked around by setting separate 2.4 and 5G bands on my router). Sony seems good at picture quality but not so good at software.

[JatHanspal]

I just made a similar call between a Sony and Samsung. I went Samsung, with the Q80T. Whilst the Sony has a small edge on paper/lab tests for image quality, so many other factors like screen reflection, ambient light in the room etc etc weight in. If either has a slight edge, it doesn't diminish that both sets are fantastic. I would argue that I'm some cases, the differences are not even going to be noticeable in the home - especially since you won't ever have the two sets side by side in your lounge etc.

I was swayed to Samsung since it came with Apple TV, vs Sony with Android. We are an Apple household. Also my last TV is a Samsung and it has done well for over 10 years with no issues.

For sound, I really think you need to get a sound bar as a minimum.

Good luck with whatever you select, I am sure neither will disappoint.

[Harleyboy]

Thanks all, I think I’m leaning towards the Samsung. I hadn’t twigged the Samsung/Apple thing - we are an Apple household as well.

I noticed in the Q90T that an anti reflective screen was listed as a feature. I have a real issue with the battle of mood lighting (mostly wife driven) vs optimum TV viewing. Guess who wins?

As mentioned, I think I’d have no idea of the differences between the two. My current Sony LED is over 10 years old and 50” so anything will feel a significant upgrade

[Harleyboy]

Slight update, am going for the Samsung Q90T now I think. Like the idea of improved sound over the Q80T and the anti reflective screen.

Feels like it will be massive but imagine will get used to it very quickly.

[Japcreation]

Just as a little extra note, and not to sway your decision, but Sony also has AppleTV.

This was a requirement for me when I purchased a few weeks ago and the Sony that I bought does everything I need it to with all of the apps available. I am brand loyal and have bought Sony for more years than I can remember, but my previous TV did let us down on the app front. Sony have moved away from their own OS and gone Android which gives them the same as other manufacturers.

All catch up services, Netflix, Disney+, AppleTV, Red Bull TV, Prime etc. all work perfectly.

[paralla]

65' Q90T here. Seems great compared to the 40' 1080p LCD it replaces, so much brighter, so much more colour, so much more definition and so much blacker. I was blown away when we first turned it on.

There's some good 4K HDR content on youtube to showcase what the telly can do. I upgraded my Netflix account to premium so I get 4K and HDR streaming for programs that offer it.

It's a bit of a shame to not have at least a soundbar with such a nice telly. I have a full 5.1 system using an AV amp and thin speakers that are installed/hidden away so they don't dominate the room.

[hoegaardenruls]

Similar to above, but went for the 65" Q95T - the built-in speakers are surprisingly good at normal volumes, even though the screen is wall mounted.

I do normally use a full 5.1 system though, but compared to the 55" C800 it replaced, the in-built speakers are a massive improvement - I used to hook up a Bose desktop system as a temporary measure while setting up or replacing the amp, but I wouldn't bother now.

Edited by hoegaardenruls on Thursday 15th April 11:21

[paralla]

I just checked the pics, mine is also a 95T with the silver metal remote

[Harleyboy]

Thanks guys, I understand the Q90T is pretty much identical to the Q95T but without the separate control box. Good to get the feedback from owners.

I know the lack of sound bar is probably a mistake but going from 50 to 65 seems a big change and then adding a sound bar as well might seems too much. I might need to let my wife get used to it and then sneak one in later

[JatHanspal]

Harleyboy said:

Thanks guys, I understand the Q90T is pretty much identical to the Q95T but without the separate control box. Good to get the feedback from owners.

I know the lack of sound bar is probably a mistake but going from 50 to 65 seems a big change and then adding a sound bar as well might seems too much. I might need to let my wife get used to it and then sneak one in later

Buy one at the same time, and say it 'comes with the TV'

[hoegaardenruls]

JatHanspal said:

Harleyboy said:

Thanks guys, I understand the Q90T is pretty much identical to the Q95T but without the separate control box. Good to get the feedback from owners.

I know the lack of sound bar is probably a mistake but going from 50 to 65 seems a big change and then adding a sound bar as well might seems too much. I might need to let my wife get used to it and then sneak one in later

Buy one at the same time, and say it 'comes with the TV'

It seems to be a fairly standard deal at Richer Sounds, for either a free or discounted soundbar with these, and as it happens there is an offer running now

https://www.richersounds.com/samsung-qe65q90t.html

[MJNewton]

JatHanspal said:

Harleyboy said:

I know the lack of sound bar is probably a mistake but going from 50 to 65 seems a big change and then adding a sound bar as well might seems too much. I might need to let my wife get used to it and then sneak one in later

Buy one at the same time, and say it 'comes with the TV'

Yes, can also confirm that this works - particularly if the soundbar is from the same manufacturer. It is even permissible to say 'they don't use speakers inside the actual TV these days' and if you ever find yourself in court over the matter the line you need to take is that by 'they' you didn't mean TV manufacturers, you meant 'guys in AV forums on the Internet' and there'll be no case to answer.

[Harleyboy]

So, plot twist! Finally got around to ordering the Q90t Samsung with a soundbar. We have a voucher discount scheme through work with gave me 6% cash back in Curry’s vouchers. So I ordered the maximum £1000 and then Curry’s had no stock left! So I’m left with £1000 of vouchers and they don’t have the TV I want. They’d also price matched John Lewis for the bundle deal.

I thinking about going for the Q700t 8k model which they should price match the JL price which makes it £80 more. I know there is almost no 8k content but other than that is there a downside? I keep my TV’s for 10 years or so.

Thanks!