Hey everyone! I ended up doing a full review of the HT-A9. That will go up next week, so keep an eye out. Doing a couple of resets yielded some interesting results, and I was able to test with and without S-center speaker. I think you’ll wanna see it!
I have had two Sonys in my life and BOTH times they exceeded the reviews I read about and saw. The colors were rich and vibrant AND the Tvs lasted at least 10 years each at which point ( 10 years later ) The picture was still comparable to any much newer equivelent model by any brand.
After trading in my X90J for the X95J (65 inches), I will say I am satisfied overall. My only gripes would fall into the category of enthusiast gripes. The TV is objectively exceptional. The hardware profile doesn't flash the fancy specs of some others, but I equate to a team that doesn't have a flashy star player that still wins a championship. It just does all the small things it needs to exceptionally well out of the box with minimal user intervention. I find myself smiling while watching content and truly enjoying the cinematic experience. For me, this TV is an 8.5/10.
what made you trade your 90J, i just got mine and to me it's crazy dim.. like someone invented a "mute" button for color instead or sound and pressed it on this tv. very disappointed in the lack of brightness... and I had just returned a samsung qn90a for being eye blindingly bright
@@phillipsbyrd224 I traded it in because of viewing angles. My living room needs a TV with a wider viewing angle. I never had any issues with brightness, colors or color accuracy on my old X90J. If I recall, I did bump up the color on the Custom mode to 52 or 53. For brightness on the X90J, I did some experimenting with the local dimming. I found that medium was the best compromise. Some of those settings that try to minimize blooming and produce inky blacks will also sap the life out of some of the other aspects of viewing such as brightness. One thing I tried on the X90J that also worked out well was to start with Standard, change the color temperature to a warmer setting, reduce the motion smoothing and some other small things here and there. I also found some things liked with that course of action as well.
Your comment about watching Dune in the theatre vs home was so relatable. The theatre I saw Shang-Chi at was also pretty weak and I thought to myself “this would look so much better on my X900H”. lol
@@Caleb_Denison I was waiting for your outlook on this x95j. I think I'm going to pass on this.. I wish my water main didn't burst on my house and costing me $4,300 to fix because the 77" a80j is definitely just jumped to the top of my list. Once I can save some money back up and recover from my house issue's.. as always love the review keep up the good work..
I recently upgraded from a Bravia 55X900C. What can I say just, wow what a difference! We got the x95j75 and my wife said we should have forked out the extra for the 85". I did lots of reach and thanks to fomo I found an amazing tv. I'm happy w the 75 lol
I have the 85” X95J and it’s paired with the HT-A9. I use settings almost identical to your preferences. None of the backlight stuff bothers me in real life. I absolutely adore the picture on this tv, for both movies and for gaming. I also think it sits wonderfully and looks premium in my room. I don’t hear what you’re describing with the A9’s at all. Maybe something weird going on with yours. I will say that I’ve had a ton of issues with hdmi connectivity between the X95J and the various things I’ve hooked up to it, but I think I’ve sorted that out. Overall I’m very pleased, considering I swapped out the QN90A and matching soundbar for it.
Hey Jeff I’m also Curious why you swapped out the Qn90a for the X95J? I’m looking to pull the trigger on one of those TV’s in the 75” mostly cable watching and some Netflix , 0 gaming. Thanks
@@samsacket4130 The picture quality of the Q90A was fantastic, I had a bunch of QA issues with mine though. The stand didn't sit straight which was maddening, and the TV would randomly turn off for no reason. Then the soundbar just stopped working completely one night. I have the A80J in another room and really loved the look of the XR processor so I decided to give the X95J a shot when I returned the Samsung.
@@JeffreyParsons i noticed that to LOLOL literally there freaking tv stands don’t even sit on it straight🤣 mike’s slightly tilted to make screen straight that’s pathetic
Very informative review. Dune on my A8H was amazing, my favorite movie of the year so far. Shang-Chi is next on my list then No Time To Die. If I was in the market, the X95J would be at the top of my list.
I paid $5350 ( £4000) for the 85" in the sale ( yes the UK sucks! ) but even at half the price I would have still returned it fomo , unfortunately the backlight grid seeping through the panel is unacceptable , so distracting during sports . 950h was a better panel imo .
Great review. I think "the great question" for most people is QN90A vs X95J. Would love to see more thoughts from you on that, which is the better TV or for which scenarios etc.
@@TechCody113 love my 85qn90a - no complaints - black details could be better when samsungs local dimming kicks in but for the most part im still amazed by the tv every day - and i have LG Oleds in my house as well
@@meeehau subtitles to me seem fine , sometimes in other dark scenes though you’ll see the algorithm try to correct the white parts of the scene for a moment - it’s usually only a few seconds but i can notice it - my wife claims she doesn’t see it lol but my subtitles have looked fine - i know there have been other people that have said there’s had some blooming though - def worth considering
Thank you Caleb for finally dropping this review. It was everything I was hoping for! I can corroborate your claims of backlight issues. I'm currently on my 3rd X95J panel. Each panel has had some significant dirty screen and backlight control issues. Worked with Sony to fix, but they didn't provide any solution or answers other than replacing the TV, which was great. However, current TV isn't much better than the previous 2, but definitely the best yet. Maybe you guys will have better luck in the panel lottery. Like Caleb states in this video, maybe I'm being overly critical and expecting too much from this price point. But idk, 3k for a TV seems premium to me, and I don't think we should give Sony a pass on this subpar backlight control. Otherwise, TV performs well. Love Google TV integration. If I had to do it again, I'd probably pass on this TV and just pay extra for the A80J. Best Buy is currently selling A80J for the same price I paid for X95J. I should have waited.
@@swervobandz3932 Nope, it was a free replacement. They delivered, unboxed and set up new TV, as well, packaged and took the old one. It was pretty solid service. Prior to delivery, I did however have to provide images and videos of the defective screen. And then wait about 2-3 weeks for customer support to review and respond, and forewarning, Sony takes FOREVER to reply. But they did their best to make my situation right, despite the technology still being the actual issue.
@@reviewforthetube6485 test patterns definitely exaggerate the issue. However, the panels I've experienced demonstrated backlight issues in normal viewing conditions. Mainly scenes that display lots of similar color, such as a wall in a house, or a sky. Also, scenes that pan from left to right. I could literally see the backlight working/ or not working, and I could also see the grid pattern of backlights.. it was pretty bad.
@@ThomasMoralez yeah man compeltely understand and I'm sure there are some issues. But I've still yet to find a backlighting system/fald that doesn't have an issue. That's kind of the norm now. Tbh the x95j dies a great job in so many areas like the way it allows brightness and apl to stay normal unlike other led tvs that crush and even dim highlights in dark scenes. So I mean there are trade offs with all of these led tvs. But I think they did a much better job with the x95j they they have in years with a tv. Now if sony would go back to what they did with the z9d we would see another new king of led tvs they just need to use alot of songs like they did there and with the new algorithm idk how any odd could compete. I feel like sony doesn't want to do that as there led tvs may actually compete with there oled tvs at that point and imo they should want that they could cover the whole market that way. I would love to see a new z9d like with the new stuff it would be amazing. Next level 💯 good lol.
Thanks for the review Caleb. I have been looking forward to your review of this TV. Is there any for you to compare this versus the A80J please? Since the price of these two sets are so close, I'm having a hard time deciding between the two. Thanks again
I still love this TV, (that's why i'm still watching X95 videos) but I bought the 65"A80J plus the geek squad insurance when the price dropped well below the X95J price. I actually don't like an overly bright TV(or any screen) and it's in a relatively dim room, so the A80J has been an unbelievable upgrade over my former 50" 1080p Sony from 2013.
Dude I literally did the same thing. I came from a 2014 ish Sony led that was just standard 1080 nothing fancy. I went an hour away to another Best Buy to look at the X95J(mine didn’t have a display model) and as I was looking at I noticed the A80 by its side. That’s when I looked down and saw the A80J for 1800 bucks in the 65 inch. I was so shocked I thought for absolute sure it was a mistake or some kind of deal where you buy the display model. I ended up becoming an OLED owner the next day and man oh man no regrets whatsoever. Even in non 4K content the OLED is absolutely beautiful. I watch in dark room and I prefer the perfect black and accurate colors any day. OLED picture quality wise feels like going from a corvette to a Ferrari. Nothing wrong with the corvette but it ain’t a Ferrari
@@fishels3895 that tv could have been perfect if it wasn’t for the temporary imagine retention that goes away after a few seconds when on white or blue screen and the dimming when watching sports.
I saw these two side by side for two hours at Best Buy and could have got whatever I wanted but I just didn’t get that pop on the a80j that the x95j had. I had went to BB with my mind made up to buy the A80j because Everyone had me convinced and hyped up that the A80j was superior by far and I just couldn’t see it. The contrast was a lil better on the A80j for sure but there’s lots of dimmed shadow detail compared sided by side plus the A80j had alot more studder so I went with the x95j and am more than happy
Shang-Chi was my favorite movie of 2021 I love martial arts movies & combining that & Marvel style was really cool. I like the homages to Jackie Chan & the early 2000's movies like Crouching Tiger.
Have to say this, you are the only person on TH-cam who has had these problems with the HT. Everyone and I mean everyone I've watched has raved over how amazing that system is. You might need to find out what you did wrong. Also you raved over the vizio elevate and this soundbar is more trouble than it's worth. It randomly disconnects audio and makes me turn it off and back on and a host of other problems. Your opinions in audio is super sus. But I love your takes on tvs. Good review overall.
A easy fix for subtitles blooming would be to make them light grey instead of bright white I don't know why I never see the option to change them on TVs but I don't use subtitles myself but sometimes company want them on
For all of you complaining about blooming on the X95J, set your tv gamma to -2, black adjust on high, adv. contrast enhancer to low or off, auto local dimming on high (a must), color temperature to warm or expert 1. Now lower the brightness until you're satisfied. If this still doesn't satisfy your blooming eyes, set motion flow clearness to 2 or max. Your tv will be as black and DIM as OLED 😵💫 but...with the option to boost brightness (and leave it there) without the fear of burn in. You can even fall asleep with the TV on after watching on Max Brightness 😆 FALD 👍> OLED 🤮
Yes, but right after that he says that he doesn't see the as much blooming in "normal" viewing... implying that watching with subtitles is not normal viewing.
I just want to point out that Caleb listens to some pretty awesome music. In his demo's he shows bands like CHON, Polyphia, and in today's video he has my favorite band Between the Buried and Me!
I kinda feel like Sony is the Apple of TVs in the sense that they may not always have the most advanced features, but the features they do offer are reliable all across.
These are great videos and I ALWAYS watch them. I'm looking for an 85" tv for a living room and I am debating between OLED and QLED.. The brightness vs pure black so it's tough. It's for movie and tv watching, not gaming, so I am looking forward to this video. Keep up the great work.
I have the 85in x950h b/c it’s bigger than the 77in OLEDs and I liked it better than the Samsung. The panel does bloom quite a bit. Makes me hate it. But just like last year when I bought mine, I think at 85in, only the x95 makes sense.
Great review as always. I was on the fence on the 65" X95J, but after your review I'll wait till CES 2022 (Jan. 5th) just to be sure if Sony will do a better job with VRR (and maybe better backlight, offer the backlit remote on the 65" size like they do in Europe, and also maybe more HDMI2.1 ports). Depending what Sony shows for their flagship LCD for 2022 will make me either buy the X95J or wait for its successor. Really, only the way Sony is doing VRR is what makes me hesitant because what if Sony actually fixes VRR and other minor issues and announce that at CES? My TVs purchases last me a looong time so waiting a few weeks to make sure doesn't seem so crazy. My current Bravia is 11 years old and still like brand new.
@@josephdubiel7129 I don't know if it is a noticeable difference or not, but if you can then wait for next year's models (2022) because the infamous MediaTek chip has finally been upgraded. Turns out the current HDMI 2.1 TVs aren't really full HDMI 2.1 specs... We'll know what the line up is on Jan. 5th at CES so not too long from now. Then it will be clearer if we should just buy the X95J or wait for its successor.
@@Z4d0k 1 big problem for me is the X95K Is most likely gonna be in the area of $1100 to $1500 More then the currant price on the X95J. What could be so much better to justify that much of a price difference.
I had this model for a few days and I agree with you, it has great colors, great picture but it struggles with black levels, I noticed a lot of blooming on many scenes, it’s missing some gaming features as you mentioned but I also had problems with sound while using my ps5, it wouldn’t work if I enhance the hdmi port, I also had problems with the remote to the point that I had to unplug the tv from power and restart it. So I don’t think the high price tag justifies buying this tv at all.
My 65 inch has awesome black levels. Best I ever had in a led lcd hands down. Also when comparing side by side the A80j had way more studder and I can’t stand that and it has less pop in hdr than the x95j did
Having bought X95j. I fully agree with everything you said. Too bad I can't wait another year for a TV as I already waited a year without it. Here in Canada's x95j 75 inch is 3000. 75 qn90a is 4500 and 77 A80j is 4200. This makes X95j a no brainer for a bright living room
@@gerrylopez9060 if i am looking for a tv now? I probably would wait for Black Friday this year for TV. Honestly last year's non OLED was pretty generic and not exciting. I definitely feel this year's line up is alot better especially from TCL. I would wait and see honestly. But I needed a TV last year so it was worth it at the time of purchasing
The issue with the A9 was you likely hooked it up to to the headphone jack, not the center channel jack which is above the headphone jack. Many have been confused by that.
Nice review Caleb I have watched for a while but never wrote a review I’m in the market for a new tv from my 70in Panasonic 3D tv of 6 years ago and the Sony x95j sounds like the one you have talked me into thanks for the help
I got my X95J and started to test some apps to include Netflix. One thing I found was that the movie Space Sweepers is very pixelated. Not sure why it happens on the X95J. I have tested the same movie on my TCL and it's clear. By the way, this movie is good to test Atmos and Vision.
The thing is with Black Friday sales I can buy a 65 inch C1 for $2000 CDN (which I did) vs this set at the same size for $2500 CDN. Given the price I am going to pick OLED every time.
Every time he has a complaint about light control with LCD TVs he complained about light control on the Hisense Dual Cell. In the words of Goldmember: "so, there is no pleasung you."
75" X95J at Best Buy for $2300 as of now. My 77" A80J is set to be returned this week. Tired of fighting settings. The OLED is simply too dark. I watch a lot of sports that have the static score displayed and the auto dimming function continues to darken the picture. Who cares about great contrast if everything is dim and the black crush kills any detail in dark areas. The OLED really struggles with motion also. I tried to go OLED, not for me. The thing I will miss the most is the speakers on the A80J. I will be ordering the X95J in the next day or so.
@@gerrylopez9060 I was in the same boat and then I went with the x95j because it had more pop side by side at Best Buy. So when I took it home in the dark. The blacks were grey and blotchy and the colors weren’t even close to my x950g from 2019 i paid 1,399 for and also the blooming was worse than the 950g also side by side. So after 3 weeks I decided to return it to Best Buy so I went from the 950g to then Best Buy geek squad upgraded me for free to the x95j and then a supervisor upgraded me to the A80J even swap for the x95j and I’m def happy especially getting it for $1400 lol. I went with the oled even tho I was anti oled and am super worried about Burn in. Yeah it’s slightly darker but only in sdr. Hdr has a lot of pop. Thing is my living room has shutters so I can control the light. Oled not good for brighter rooms. Sorry so long.
@@Jordanfiend361 But how does the A80j look in bright rooms cause during the day there's sunlight in my leaving room and evenings my kids watch movies but with some light's on. They don't like watching movies in the dark.
@@Jordanfiend361 I'm confused too. So did u returned the A80j or the x95j!. Cause u said that u will miss the sound on the A80j and that u will be ordering the x95j
It's missing the mini LED like the qned90 and Samsung QN90A still great but qned90 and qn90a do a excellent job on back light control also so, don't see no good movies yet now that I think about it now that I think about it Godzilla vs kill Kong
Gonna be a hard buy on the X95J at this point, especially with no good sales since it just recently came out. We’ll know the successor’s specs (possible named X95K?) in about 2 months time, give or take.
at the 9:16 mark -- How did THIS sound on the X95J? Thank you for the review! I'm About to head up to the store to purchase EITHER X90J, the X95J, or the A80J... Right now i'm leaning toward the X95J... but it has caused me to watch like 900 of your videos about all these tv's specifically, but also, about the screen technologies and stuff. So useful, thank you!
Hi Caleb, I like your reviews. Do you think you will do X95J and XH95 comparison video? That would be high on a lot of people's list of videos most wanted.
this is the TV that I've been waiting for as I'm still conflicted about getting an OLED tv because of possible burn-in and I'm not sure if how the lower brightness would work on my place ... unfortunately this model is not available here in the Philippines, the highest full frame LED tv available here for Sony is the X90J ... I guess I have to go with LG C1 OLED
The question of OLED is a simple one: Can you afford a to get rid of your OLED and buy a new one every ~4 years and you aren't bothered about babying your OLED and dance around it all the time to prolonge the immanent burn in date? If yes, get an OLED. If that sounds silly, stick with LCD till burn-in is completely solved. And I say 'get rid of' because what use is a burned in OLED? Also, stepping backwards is annoying. So if you get an OLED you'll get used to the black levels so if you go back to LCD you'll be annoyed. It's like if you go back to a smaller TV. Personally, I keep my TV for a decade before upgrading so OLED is out of the question for me.
@@shmookins I got 3.5 years out of my LG signature series OLED before the dreaded burn in. I spent over 5k , I'll be going back to LED hopefully not for good...🤞...
@@shmookins you make a bloody good point! And that is just keeping me on the edge. I saw both and OLED simply blew my mind. But this Burn-In crap really is in the back on my mind. On the other hand, X90J looks compelling but the I didnt like the blooming part of it.
The X95J and the A80J are adjacent to each other at the Best Buy store. There is no comparing the rich colors, contrast and deep blacks of the OLED to this LCD set. Since the superior image can be had for $200 less, it's a no-brainer for our family to choose the A80J OLED. You should compare the two technologies in a new video Caleb.
But you can’t ignore the crushed out details in the shadows with the OLED. This is why I choose FALD over OLED. Yes, the blacks and robust colors are nice and vibrant, but not by that much and at the cost of significant detail.
I'm glad you talked about the backlighting performance. Please do this for all your tv reviews. Would it be possible in the future to show us some color and brightness/contrast test patterns as well as backlight zone patterns to count the zones of backlight? This really helps people in deciding to purchase the right tv for their needs and even companies to see what is important to the customer. Thanks for the review!
I had the same problem with my Sony Tv and tech support was clueless. I did manage to figure it out on my own ( only after hours and hours of trying possiable solutions). The Key is IF you are using any web browser on your computer (with your computer being a non apple brand) The computer WILL NOT cast to Your TV UNLESS you are using a google chrome browser. Once you download Google Chrome Browser to your computer you should be able to cast to your tv.
See the backlight imo was one of the better of led tvs I've seen. I'm not the only one who thinks so. I mean choose crushing or choose retaining brightness while keeping apl and highlights. Imo they all have some slight backlight issues all led tvs lol. What I find funny is when putting the x95j side by side the z9j the x95j keeps black letterbox bars blacker imo. Also testing may have issues but as you stated in real content it isn't there. So thank you for pointing out that in actual content it wasn't noticeable which is why testing and numbers don't tell you everything. Both the z9j and x95j have issues with such titles. Also it's very bright yes the z9j is Def brighter but the x95j imo is controlled very well and people putting it side by side other led tvs from this year are finding its just as bright. The mind plays tricks until you put tvs side by side. You then realize woe wtf was I thinking haha. Sucks to hear the ht a9 gives you a boxy sound lol. Also please cover how vrr disabled local dimming on almost all led tvs with vrr. People really pay attention to sony without realizing vrr in general has issues. It just specifically on led tvs with local dimming. This whole let's blame it on sony is bullcrap when people who actually know of vrr know it's buggy af on all tvs the lg oled tvs do it best but even there we have people complaining about flickering and other issues. But there led tvs have vrr issues tcl has vrr issues. All led tvs have vrr issues not 1 does it would local dimming being turned off or issues haha. Also put it side by side the z9j you may be surprised lol.
I really love mine with the A90J. I commented above about the center channel as it’s an easy mistake to make (I made it along with several others at AVS). I’m not an audiophile so take that for what it’s worth, but the system just works for me. It gives big sound if you want it and it’s turned our living room into a home theatre.
I’m going to mostly agree here. The HT-A9 does some remarkable things. I mean, really impressive. I would just say that if you buy it without the sub, be prepared to go spend some more money.
@@Caleb_Denison agree with that. I get why Sony goes the À la cart method (extra sales for those that can’t use a sub & smaller price to entry) but it needs that extra oomph to get the full experience.
Thanks for the review Caleb. Honestly, I think I might wait until next year. I'm still using a 65" Sony 930E which contines to be a great TV. Our room does have a lot of light during the day... that's something that's kept me from taking the OLED plunge. Still, was considering the X95J or the A80J if I would pull the trigger.
My room that has the A80J also has lots a light and I love the A80J, it's way better then the X95J so clean blacks are so good contrast and so on it's a great panel!
@@jamesvolpe3581 isint it a dimmer tv. I've battled with the decision between the X95J & A80J &.finally just ordered the X95J. I was just to worried about the dimmer picture overall. It leaves like a dull look to me & I can't stand it. Bold & Bright is a must but other then that & other complaints I've heard from others about being dissapointed on the dull picture. I would of tried the A80j if it wasent for that.
Nice review please Can you give your thoughts regarding Sony X90J vs X95J as you have reviewed both TVs! is the price difference of £800 justified? Thanks!
The lg c1 at 65' ia $300cheaper currently and is far superior across the board. Without the sale both tvs are the same price. If ur in the market I'd do my research on the C1 an make the purchase while it's still cheaper! Best of luck!
Im glad i still have my 950G still look amazing and solid in picture quality and motion i more play my PS5 on sony than my CX because i miss alot of shadow details on oled, good review.
I swapped out my 950g for this and am def happy. My 950 g was great no doubt about it but the blooming and viewing angles alone we horrible compared to this. I will say the 950g got slightly brighter and had a hair more pop in colors but I like the x95j better especially with all the new gaming features which is a must for me having a ps5 and a series x Guess it’s all about tradeoffs. .
Also, I'm coming from an LG B6 oled 65 inch. So I was considering oled. I was luckily able to demo the x95j right next to the a80j, and both playing the same demo content. Surprisingly, I really liked the x95j. Seemed to be a better balance or brightness and blacks. The oled obviously has the best blacks, but can make brighter scenes more gloomy looking. Also compared to Samsung qn90a, something kept drawing me back to the x95 j. Very happy with the sale price also.
For the center channel you were plugged into the wrong spot on the back of the TV. Sony’s labeling on the back is bad and I did the same thing and thought I was crazy for about an hour. Plug it into the jack above the one it looks like it should go in and voilà!
Thanks , this is really helping me make a decision on which Sony tv to buy, but let me tell you you guys in the US are fortunate with price, down here in Australian you pay an extra USD400 equivalent on top of the USD $2000!! We really do suffer from price discrimination here… 😥
I am waiting for 2022 to see what TVs will be on offer. At the very least I'd imagine they upgrade the SoC to the new MediaTek pentatonic 2000. That should be able to do 4HDMI 2.1 and likely proper 120Hz VRR with HDR without compromise of local dimming etc.. But I feel Sony needs to do something more. They can't offer the same TV every year.. They have had the same 60 local dimming zones on the 95 series going back 5-6 years now. I mean seriously, we know they can do more. So actually DO IT.. Imagine an X95K with 120-180 zones (still little but double and triple zones) and new SoC that can handle VRR from start and so on.. The X95J algorithm improved with more zones and the black levels and detail would be better. Heck even MiniLED if they can do it right.
I own the 75" version and the X95J has many strengths and one big weakness. Pros: - The best overall picture/color quality I have ever seen on a 4K LCD panel - It gets plenty bright in a room with a lot of daylight - Sony's motion handling and upscaling is the best on the market - 4K/120Hz gaming capability - Impressive bass for built-in TV speakers - Great black levels for an LCD, while preserving excellent shadow detail and highlights - Decent reflection handling - Dimming zone processing and blooming control is better than competing brands Cons: - The big one. A faint DSE grid is visible on solid color backgrounds. WHY SONY? It's most noticeable during panning shots in sports (Motorsport tracks, football fields, ice arenas, sky, etc.) - Only two out of the four HDMI ports support 2.1, including the eARC port - There is blooming in some instances, such as loading screen icons for certain apps/games. However, it's not an issue during actual video content. While OLEDs are similarly priced and have much higher contrast and perfect blacks, I still picked the X95J because I prefer the higher brightness and better shadow detail. The X95J was _so close_ to being the perfect TV to rule them all, but the DSE grid effect can be enough to spoil its otherwise phenomenal picture quality and processing performance. I'll give it some more time to see if I eventually stop caring about DSE grid, but if it still bothers me I might consider exchanging it for the A80J, which is a shame.
@@blackboy6thst1 it's on all 85" models, inherit in the panel. Severity does fluctuate, as does people's own tolerance to the defect. I had my retailer inspect 3 what would have been replacements before despatch and unfortunately all had the grid affect. Maybe a better choice at 65" .
Favorite movie of the year, well due to the pandemic, I only saw No Time To Die. I really enjoyed it. Might be just the fact that I actually went to a theater for the first time in forever. Gotta say, I missed being able to pause and grab a snack and use the restroom. Maybe I'm just getting old. Speaking of old, I have an older 3D Samsung TV that by today's standards probably doesn't rate. I've got a bunch of 3D movies though. Am I going to have to do a projection system to see them in the future you think? How about the short throw laser projectors???
I also have a 3D blu-ray collection, and still enjoy watching them. If you're looking for something a little newer perhaps, you can shop around and still find used 3D TVs for sale. I picked up a Sony 850C (2015 4K model) a few years ago at the local repair shop that was basically refurbished like new. I believe 2016 was the last year flat-screen TVs were sold (I also have a Sony 930D from that year).
Great video, so we have perfect white vs perfect black :) I will go with A90J all the way, check at 21.00 difference between those TVs - for me in dark room (my room) its no contest!
The 75" is not 3k Best Buy has it on sale for $2300 right now. Also, I would opt for the X95J over the QN90A. I walked into Best Buy to see it and the backlights on the QN90A display model had burnt out, yet they kept the set up on the wall. Apparently they never shut it off, kept the TV in vibrant mode but still inside a year the backlights burnt themselves out constantly hitting that 1800 nits peak brightness. That along with DSE banding which you can find documented on youtube made the X95J superior in terms of quality. The $700 price cut imo makes in a no brainer if you're focused on the high end LED LCD segment. The QN90A looks beautiful but I noticed a lot of black crush, so perhaps their mini led algorithm needs some work. The crisp HDR pop is incredible though but for me those issues were too much.
@@michaeldavis6550 I’m not sure, hopefully commonsense prevails at launch, and it really priced close to the old model. Who knows with Sony, we have to see some great reviews that the tv is worth the extra coin
@@brynsmith414 it's a bad time for me to need a tv really bad lol. The choices for 2021 year models based on reviews for the top tv's just have features missing that other cheeper models have & samsung no dolby vision & sony no VRR. Be amazing to see the outcome if very few people bought tv's in 2021. I would love to see the result of that. What a loud statement that would make to manafacturs!!!
turned out it has even worse blooming / local dimming, slightly worse contrast and motion...but on the flip side (much) better color reproduction. still never worth almost double the pricetag.
I have a A80J 77" and I have to say the whole "don't buy an OLED if you have a bright room" is definitely over played. I have three 8' foot windows that hit it directly and three 8' windows that hit it indirectly. I would 100% recommended the A80J to anyone looking for a basically impeccable picture in any setting. I painted the 12' tall wall that it's mounted on black which looks amazing!
@@juvonycool the bright room isn't the issue. Any light that reflects off the screen such as a lamp, ceiling fan light, if an open area the kitchen lights etc are the issues.
@@show2ime I understand what you are saying but it really isn't a problem to me. There's always going to be some sort of reflection or small distraction with the lights on with any tv but never enough for me not to recommend a great OLED TV. Just not having any light or ghosting bleeding through the blacks is a huge win for me but I definitely respect your opinion 👍
I bought the A80J for the impeccable picture quality of this oled and amazing sound (the TV screen is the speaker). Most of our movie watching is at night with the lights off (just like in a theatre) and once you experience the colour contrasts and deep blacks of the A80J, you won’t go back to LCD/LED. I also ordered the HT-A9 and SW5 sub which when paired with my A80J, I’m hoping will completely transform our movie watching experiences.
Thank you, Caleb, for this very informative review. No standout movies for me, but I did like No Time To Die since this will be the last Daniel Craig as James Bond film. I am disappointed with the misses that you mentioned, sound has to be as close to perfect as possible. You need to judge this TV as critically as you do. Sony needs to get these items right, no excuses. Thanks. Take care.
Totally agree! I love Sony TV and with their premium prices in comparison with other TV brand they definitely need to be reviewed completely and critically as possible especially from technical point.
Hi Caleb, was local dimming set to high? I saw in your settings video that you kept it on medium. That should’ve maybe alleviated the backlight issues you were experiencing. Thanks
Hey everyone! I ended up doing a full review of the HT-A9. That will go up next week, so keep an eye out. Doing a couple of resets yielded some interesting results, and I was able to test with and without S-center speaker. I think you’ll wanna see it!
great one, thanks 🙂🙂🙂
Can you show your settings for the x90j please
Did you use the green jack instead of the yellow one? Lol. Also, the boxy effect may be the audio DRC or having enabled the voice button
Let me know if you find the X95J as center a bit too sibilant like I did?
I have a question that might be silly. Is it possible to connect 2 subwoofers to the ht-9a?
I have had two Sonys in my life and BOTH times they exceeded the reviews I read about and saw.
The colors were rich and vibrant AND the Tvs lasted at least 10 years each at which point ( 10 years later )
The picture was still comparable to any much newer equivelent model by any brand.
Best Buy has this tv on sale for the next 7 hours as of right now 7/31/2022 @ 3:25pm. $1300 for the 65 in. $2200 for 75 in. $3000 for 85 in.
Just got the 65 inch of this tv at BB open box for $1100. Couldn't be happier with the picture quality.
Thank you so much. I've been waiting for this specific review for many, many, moons.
In fact, I ran out of moons a long time ago from waiting.
After trading in my X90J for the X95J (65 inches), I will say I am satisfied overall. My only gripes would fall into the category of enthusiast gripes. The TV is objectively exceptional. The hardware profile doesn't flash the fancy specs of some others, but I equate to a team that doesn't have a flashy star player that still wins a championship. It just does all the small things it needs to exceptionally well out of the box with minimal user intervention. I find myself smiling while watching content and truly enjoying the cinematic experience. For me, this TV is an 8.5/10.
what made you trade your 90J, i just got mine and to me it's crazy dim.. like someone invented a "mute" button for color instead or sound and pressed it on this tv. very disappointed in the lack of brightness... and I had just returned a samsung qn90a for being eye blindingly bright
@@phillipsbyrd224 I traded it in because of viewing angles. My living room needs a TV with a wider viewing angle. I never had any issues with brightness, colors or color accuracy on my old X90J. If I recall, I did bump up the color on the Custom mode to 52 or 53.
For brightness on the X90J, I did some experimenting with the local dimming. I found that medium was the best compromise. Some of those settings that try to minimize blooming and produce inky blacks will also sap the life out of some of the other aspects of viewing such as brightness.
One thing I tried on the X90J that also worked out well was to start with Standard, change the color temperature to a warmer setting, reduce the motion smoothing and some other small things here and there. I also found some things liked with that course of action as well.
Zach Snyder's Justice League & Dune are my two favorites of 2021 so far.
Today’s the last day to stream DUNE (for NA) until early 2022 for Physical release and back on HBOmax. Gonna be a couple of months.
Your comment about watching Dune in the theatre vs home was so relatable. The theatre I saw Shang-Chi at was also pretty weak and I thought to myself “this would look so much better on my X900H”. lol
Man, thanks for that comment. What a disappointment. I know it is kind of my fault? But also kind of not.
@@Caleb_Denison I was waiting for your outlook on this x95j. I think I'm going to pass on this.. I wish my water main didn't burst on my house and costing me $4,300 to fix because the 77" a80j is definitely just jumped to the top of my list. Once I can save some money back up and recover from my house issue's.. as always love the review keep up the good work..
I just got this as a open box for 850. I can’t wait till I get it up and running
Based on your opinion I went to a store & had a look at this tv.I was blown away by the quality so I purchased the 75inch,amazing picture quality
it is stunning as for all this blooming stuff , total crap imo , pq is jaw dropping
I recently upgraded from a Bravia 55X900C. What can I say just, wow what a difference! We got the x95j75 and my wife said we should have forked out the extra for the 85". I did lots of reach and thanks to fomo I found an amazing tv. I'm happy w the 75 lol
i got the 65 thinking it would be too big , tbh i wish i'd gone for the 75 now lol
Picking this up in the summer. Cannot wait!
Just picked up a 65" after this review !! thanks Caleb!!!!! 😁
I have the 85” X95J and it’s paired with the HT-A9. I use settings almost identical to your preferences. None of the backlight stuff bothers me in real life. I absolutely adore the picture on this tv, for both movies and for gaming. I also think it sits wonderfully and looks premium in my room. I don’t hear what you’re describing with the A9’s at all. Maybe something weird going on with yours. I will say that I’ve had a ton of issues with hdmi connectivity between the X95J and the various things I’ve hooked up to it, but I think I’ve sorted that out. Overall I’m very pleased, considering I swapped out the QN90A and matching soundbar for it.
Interesting. What made you get rid of the QN90A?
Hey Jeff I’m also Curious why you swapped out the Qn90a for the X95J? I’m looking to pull the trigger on one of those TV’s in the 75” mostly cable watching and some Netflix , 0 gaming. Thanks
@@samsacket4130 The picture quality of the Q90A was fantastic, I had a bunch of QA issues with mine though. The stand didn't sit straight which was maddening, and the TV would randomly turn off for no reason. Then the soundbar just stopped working completely one night. I have the A80J in another room and really loved the look of the XR processor so I decided to give the X95J a shot when I returned the Samsung.
@@JeffreyParsons i noticed that to LOLOL literally there freaking tv stands don’t even sit on it straight🤣 mike’s slightly tilted to make screen straight that’s pathetic
when that dubstep loop droped at the start you can tell that Caleb will not joking around, nice review!
The 75" X95J is currently marked down to $2,300 which makes it a pretty enticing option over the 77" A80J OLED at $3,000
The X90J is 1599, I don't think the x95J is 600 dollars better.
@@DoobSac Found a $1300 open box for the 75" X95J display model at a local Bestbuy. Def rushing there asap. It's the RED's that I love this line for.
@@baselkhan3231 $1298 new right now lol
Very informative review. Dune on my A8H was amazing, my favorite movie of the year so far. Shang-Chi is next on my list then No Time To Die. If I was in the market, the X95J would be at the top of my list.
We are in agreement - the X95J street prices will be priced below the QN90A and that's where it should be!
In Europe right now I can get the 75X95J for 2300€ and the 75QN95A for 3300€.
@@vascosol7541 can u give hint where such prices in Europe are? In my country it's something like 3000€ for 75x95j...
Why did you steal the white glove idea from the massive TH-cam channel called relaxing end? Everyone knows.
£2000 for the 65X95J and £1800 or under for the 65QN95A!
Sony A80J 65 inch £1800
LG C1 65 £1600
I paid $5350 ( £4000) for the 85" in the sale ( yes the UK sucks! ) but even at half the price I would have still returned it fomo , unfortunately the backlight grid seeping through the panel is unacceptable , so distracting during sports .
950h was a better panel imo .
I recently bought a TCL 75R635 from Amazon for $1300 and am quite pleased with it.
Dune was a spectacle! Absolutely my favorite movie of the year.
Great review. I think "the great question" for most people is QN90A vs X95J. Would love to see more thoughts from you on that, which is the better TV or for which scenarios etc.
only think x95j has over qn90a is black details are seen better in dark areas, and motion, other then that not much is better
@@TechCody113 love my 85qn90a - no complaints - black details could be better when samsungs local dimming kicks in but for the most part im still amazed by the tv every day - and i have LG Oleds in my house as well
@@devonnecopeland8364 i have a problem. Get samsung qn91a or sony a80j? Any blooming on subtitles in qn90a?
@@meeehau subtitles to me seem fine , sometimes in other dark scenes though you’ll see the algorithm try to correct the white parts of the scene for a moment - it’s usually only a few seconds but i can notice it - my wife claims she doesn’t see it lol but my subtitles have looked fine - i know there have been other people that have said there’s had some blooming though - def worth considering
@@devonnecopeland8364 lol dude thanks. I watch a lot of stuff with subtitles. This helps a lot.
Thank you Caleb for finally dropping this review. It was everything I was hoping for! I can corroborate your claims of backlight issues. I'm currently on my 3rd X95J panel. Each panel has had some significant dirty screen and backlight control issues. Worked with Sony to fix, but they didn't provide any solution or answers other than replacing the TV, which was great. However, current TV isn't much better than the previous 2, but definitely the best yet. Maybe you guys will have better luck in the panel lottery. Like Caleb states in this video, maybe I'm being overly critical and expecting too much from this price point. But idk, 3k for a TV seems premium to me, and I don't think we should give Sony a pass on this subpar backlight control. Otherwise, TV performs well. Love Google TV integration. If I had to do it again, I'd probably pass on this TV and just pay extra for the A80J. Best Buy is currently selling A80J for the same price I paid for X95J. I should have waited.
When they replaced your tv did u have to pay anything?
@@swervobandz3932 Nope, it was a free replacement. They delivered, unboxed and set up new TV, as well, packaged and took the old one. It was pretty solid service. Prior to delivery, I did however have to provide images and videos of the defective screen. And then wait about 2-3 weeks for customer support to review and respond, and forewarning, Sony takes FOREVER to reply. But they did their best to make my situation right, despite the technology still being the actual issue.
He said it was only in test patterns but in content it wasn't noticeable lol.
@@reviewforthetube6485 test patterns definitely exaggerate the issue. However, the panels I've experienced demonstrated backlight issues in normal viewing conditions. Mainly scenes that display lots of similar color, such as a wall in a house, or a sky. Also, scenes that pan from left to right. I could literally see the backlight working/ or not working, and I could also see the grid pattern of backlights.. it was pretty bad.
@@ThomasMoralez yeah man compeltely understand and I'm sure there are some issues. But I've still yet to find a backlighting system/fald that doesn't have an issue. That's kind of the norm now. Tbh the x95j dies a great job in so many areas like the way it allows brightness and apl to stay normal unlike other led tvs that crush and even dim highlights in dark scenes. So I mean there are trade offs with all of these led tvs. But I think they did a much better job with the x95j they they have in years with a tv. Now if sony would go back to what they did with the z9d we would see another new king of led tvs they just need to use alot of songs like they did there and with the new algorithm idk how any odd could compete. I feel like sony doesn't want to do that as there led tvs may actually compete with there oled tvs at that point and imo they should want that they could cover the whole market that way. I would love to see a new z9d like with the new stuff it would be amazing. Next level 💯 good lol.
Thanks for the review Caleb. I have been looking forward to your review of this TV. Is there any for you to compare this versus the A80J please? Since the price of these two sets are so close, I'm having a hard time deciding between the two. Thanks again
I still love this TV, (that's why i'm still watching X95 videos) but I bought the 65"A80J plus the geek squad insurance when the price dropped well below the X95J price. I actually don't like an overly bright TV(or any screen) and it's in a relatively dim room, so the A80J has been an unbelievable upgrade over my former 50" 1080p Sony from 2013.
Love this!
Dude I literally did the same thing. I came from a 2014 ish Sony led that was just standard 1080 nothing fancy. I went an hour away to another Best Buy to look at the X95J(mine didn’t have a display model) and as I was looking at I noticed the A80 by its side. That’s when I looked down and saw the A80J for 1800 bucks in the 65 inch. I was so shocked I thought for absolute sure it was a mistake or some kind of deal where you buy the display model.
I ended up becoming an OLED owner the next day and man oh man no regrets whatsoever. Even in non 4K content the OLED is absolutely beautiful. I watch in dark room and I prefer the perfect black and accurate colors any day. OLED picture quality wise feels like going from a corvette to a Ferrari. Nothing wrong with the corvette but it ain’t a Ferrari
@@fishels3895 that tv could have been perfect if it wasn’t for the temporary imagine retention that goes away after a few seconds when on white or blue screen and the dimming when watching sports.
@@Jordanfiend361 mine doesn't dim in nfl games. Madden? Yes. But literally the only game it's happened in
I saw these two side by side for two hours at Best Buy and could have got whatever I wanted but I just didn’t get that pop on the a80j that the x95j had. I had went to BB with my mind made up to buy the A80j because Everyone had me convinced and hyped up that the A80j was superior by far and I just couldn’t see it. The contrast was a lil better on the A80j for sure but there’s lots of dimmed shadow detail compared sided by side plus the A80j had alot more studder so I went with the x95j and am more than happy
I think the X95J is great. I just wish they made it in a 50 or 55 inch size. Great review my friend.
Just bought my 75 inch 95J and this is the best tv I have ever viewed! Ps5 sync is nuts!
Does it compensate for the lack off VRR?
Shang-Chi was my favorite movie of 2021 I love martial arts movies & combining that & Marvel style was really cool. I like the homages to Jackie Chan & the early 2000's movies like Crouching Tiger.
Have to say this, you are the only person on TH-cam who has had these problems with the HT. Everyone and I mean everyone I've watched has raved over how amazing that system is. You might need to find out what you did wrong. Also you raved over the vizio elevate and this soundbar is more trouble than it's worth. It randomly disconnects audio and makes me turn it off and back on and a host of other problems. Your opinions in audio is super sus. But I love your takes on tvs. Good review overall.
A easy fix for subtitles blooming would be to make them light grey instead of bright white I don't know why I never see the option to change them on TVs but I don't use subtitles myself but sometimes company want them on
I’m buying this tv for my living room when prices go down to less than $1500. Convinced my sister into getting a x950h and it’s just amazing.
Pulling the trigger on the 85”
Sony tvs are amazing with googletv I bought the x90j, enable motion smoothing with some clarity added makes it look wonderful.
For all of you complaining about blooming on the X95J, set your tv gamma to -2, black adjust on high, adv. contrast enhancer to low or off, auto local dimming on high (a must), color temperature to warm or expert 1. Now lower the brightness until you're satisfied. If this still doesn't satisfy your blooming eyes, set motion flow clearness to 2 or max. Your tv will be as black and DIM as OLED 😵💫 but...with the option to boost brightness (and leave it there) without the fear of burn in. You can even fall asleep with the TV on after watching on Max Brightness 😆
FALD 👍> OLED 🤮
No
agree totally , oled is all hype imo
Nice to see you test the local dimming with subtitles for us who watch foreign movies.
Yes, but right after that he says that he doesn't see the as much blooming in "normal" viewing... implying that watching with subtitles is not normal viewing.
I just want to point out that Caleb listens to some pretty awesome music. In his demo's he shows bands like CHON, Polyphia, and in today's video he has my favorite band Between the Buried and Me!
I have to point out that my friends/pro producers - the ones who shoot these videos - chose and turned me on to those bands!
Looks like I have some listening to catch up on.
And I did notice the cool music in this video particularly more than before.
I kinda feel like Sony is the Apple of TVs in the sense that they may not always have the most advanced features, but the features they do offer are reliable all across.
These are great videos and I ALWAYS watch them. I'm looking for an 85" tv for a living room and I am debating between OLED and QLED.. The brightness vs pure black so it's tough. It's for movie and tv watching, not gaming, so I am looking forward to this video. Keep up the great work.
I have the 85in x950h b/c it’s bigger than the 77in OLEDs and I liked it better than the Samsung. The panel does bloom quite a bit. Makes me hate it. But just like last year when I bought mine, I think at 85in, only the x95 makes sense.
Thanks Greg! That is a tough choice and personal preference matters a ton!
Great review as always. I was on the fence on the 65" X95J, but after your review I'll wait till CES 2022 (Jan. 5th) just to be sure if Sony will do a better job with VRR (and maybe better backlight, offer the backlit remote on the 65" size like they do in Europe, and also maybe more HDMI2.1 ports).
Depending what Sony shows for their flagship LCD for 2022 will make me either buy the X95J or wait for its successor.
Really, only the way Sony is doing VRR is what makes me hesitant because what if Sony actually fixes VRR and other minor issues and announce that at CES? My TVs purchases last me a looong time so waiting a few weeks to make sure doesn't seem so crazy. My current Bravia is 11 years old and still like brand new.
I have a ten year old Sony Bravia myself. They just don't miss a beat do they? Still beautiful and reliable. I am eyeing this X95 J myself.
@@josephdubiel7129 I don't know if it is a noticeable difference or not, but if you can then wait for next year's models (2022) because the infamous MediaTek chip has finally been upgraded. Turns out the current HDMI 2.1 TVs aren't really full HDMI 2.1 specs...
We'll know what the line up is on Jan. 5th at CES so not too long from now. Then it will be clearer if we should just buy the X95J or wait for its successor.
@@Z4d0k 1 big problem for me is the X95K Is most likely gonna be in the area of $1100 to $1500 More then the currant price on the X95J. What could be so much better to justify that much of a price difference.
I had this model for a few days and I agree with you, it has great colors, great picture but it struggles with black levels, I noticed a lot of blooming on many scenes, it’s missing some gaming features as you mentioned but I also had problems with sound while using my ps5, it wouldn’t work if I enhance the hdmi port, I also had problems with the remote to the point that I had to unplug the tv from power and restart it. So I don’t think the high price tag justifies buying this tv at all.
My 65 inch has awesome black levels. Best I ever had in a led lcd hands down. Also when comparing side by side the A80j had way more studder and I can’t stand that and it has less pop in hdr than the x95j did
Having bought X95j. I fully agree with everything you said. Too bad I can't wait another year for a TV as I already waited a year without it. Here in Canada's x95j 75 inch is 3000. 75 qn90a is 4500 and 77 A80j is 4200. This makes X95j a no brainer for a bright living room
So is the x95j worth it!
@@gerrylopez9060 if i am looking for a tv now? I probably would wait for Black Friday this year for TV. Honestly last year's non OLED was pretty generic and not exciting. I definitely feel this year's line up is alot better especially from TCL. I would wait and see honestly. But I needed a TV last year so it was worth it at the time of purchasing
The issue with the A9 was you likely hooked it up to to the headphone jack, not the center channel jack which is above the headphone jack. Many have been confused by that.
Yes get in, nice one, love it. BOOM!!
Nice review Caleb I have watched for a while but never wrote a review I’m in the market for a new tv from my 70in Panasonic 3D tv of 6 years ago and the Sony x95j sounds like the one you have talked me into thanks for the help
I got my X95J and started to test some apps to include Netflix. One thing I found was that the movie Space Sweepers is very pixelated. Not sure why it happens on the X95J. I have tested the same movie on my TCL and it's clear. By the way, this movie is good to test Atmos and Vision.
But it's not in 4k
Picking up 85X95J in the next few days. And waiting for HT-A9+SW to be back in stock. Then dumping the premium samesng soundbar in the rubbish.
how would you compare the backlight control with the x950h?
The head in a trash can was lit😂😂😂😂😂😂
I’m glad at least one person enjoyed it. Doubtful Sony does, though.
The thing is with Black Friday sales I can buy a 65 inch C1 for $2000 CDN (which I did) vs this set at the same size for $2500 CDN. Given the price I am going to pick OLED every time.
Every time he has a complaint about light control with LCD TVs he complained about light control on the Hisense Dual Cell.
In the words of Goldmember: "so, there is no pleasung you."
Great review as always. I’m stuck between the x95j and a Lg c1.
Darius is not wrong there. Tough call. I know which I would get though’
C1
@@Caleb_Denison I was leaning Sony but now I think the c1 at $200 cheaper is the way to go. Thank you for the response.
@@kraken9883 now the 75” X95J is $600 cheaper than the C1 at Best Buy.
I love my 75in x95.. better than the qn90 and the a80j 77in I returned for the x95
Thanks for doing the reviews
75" X95J at Best Buy for $2300 as of now. My 77" A80J is set to be returned this week. Tired of fighting settings. The OLED is simply too dark. I watch a lot of sports that have the static score displayed and the auto dimming function continues to darken the picture. Who cares about great contrast if everything is dim and the black crush kills any detail in dark areas. The OLED really struggles with motion also. I tried to go OLED, not for me. The thing I will miss the most is the speakers on the A80J. I will be ordering the X95J in the next day or so.
How did you like the x95?
Wich one is better x95j or A80j! I don't know wich one to buy.
@@gerrylopez9060 I was in the same boat and then I went with the x95j because it had more pop side by side at Best Buy. So when I took it home in the dark. The blacks were grey and blotchy and the colors weren’t even close to my x950g from 2019 i paid 1,399 for and also the blooming was worse than the 950g also side by side. So after 3 weeks I decided to return it to Best Buy so I went from the 950g to then Best Buy geek squad upgraded me for free to the x95j and then a supervisor upgraded me to the A80J even swap for the x95j and I’m def happy especially getting it for $1400 lol. I went with the oled even tho I was anti oled and am super worried about Burn in. Yeah it’s slightly darker but only in sdr. Hdr has a lot of pop. Thing is my living room has shutters so I can control the light. Oled not good for brighter rooms. Sorry so long.
@@Jordanfiend361 But how does the A80j look in bright rooms cause during the day there's sunlight in my leaving room and evenings my kids watch movies but with some light's on. They don't like watching movies in the dark.
@@Jordanfiend361 I'm confused too. So did u returned the A80j or the x95j!. Cause u said that u will miss the sound on the A80j and that u will be ordering the x95j
It's missing the mini LED like the qned90 and Samsung QN90A still great but qned90 and qn90a do a excellent job on back light control also so, don't see no good movies yet now that I think about it now that I think about it Godzilla vs kill Kong
Wow, on those side angle clips of Dune that you show, you can see the backlight!!
Gonna be a hard buy on the X95J at this point, especially with no good sales since it just recently came out. We’ll know the successor’s specs (possible named X95K?) in about 2 months time, give or take.
I want it and more now after this review. Good job 👍
Thanks, Mark!
at the 9:16 mark -- How did THIS sound on the X95J? Thank you for the review! I'm About to head up to the store to purchase EITHER X90J, the X95J, or the A80J... Right now i'm leaning toward the X95J... but it has caused me to watch like 900 of your videos about all these tv's specifically, but also, about the screen technologies and stuff. So useful, thank you!
Hi Caleb, I like your reviews. Do you think you will do X95J and XH95 comparison video? That would be high on a lot of people's list of videos most wanted.
5:08 Between The Buried And Me, very nice choice.
Ultimately I went with LG C1. fantastic tv.
Own the 75, loving it.
Do you see any DSE? Banding? Grid Pattern?
this is the TV that I've been waiting for as I'm still conflicted about getting an OLED tv because of possible burn-in and I'm not sure if how the lower brightness would work on my place ... unfortunately this model is not available here in the Philippines, the highest full frame LED tv available here for Sony is the X90J ... I guess I have to go with LG C1 OLED
Exactly same problem! But I didn't find the sound of c1 good as compared to sony
@@sidharthg lol, really, you buy a Sony TV and use the onboard sound?
The question of OLED is a simple one: Can you afford a to get rid of your OLED and buy a new one every ~4 years and you aren't bothered about babying your OLED and dance around it all the time to prolonge the immanent burn in date? If yes, get an OLED. If that sounds silly, stick with LCD till burn-in is completely solved.
And I say 'get rid of' because what use is a burned in OLED?
Also, stepping backwards is annoying. So if you get an OLED you'll get used to the black levels so if you go back to LCD you'll be annoyed. It's like if you go back to a smaller TV.
Personally, I keep my TV for a decade before upgrading so OLED is out of the question for me.
@@shmookins I got 3.5 years out of my LG signature series OLED before the dreaded burn in. I spent over 5k , I'll be going back to LED hopefully not for good...🤞...
@@shmookins you make a bloody good point! And that is just keeping me on the edge. I saw both and OLED simply blew my mind. But this Burn-In crap really is in the back on my mind. On the other hand, X90J looks compelling but the I didnt like the blooming part of it.
Great as always. Gonna go LG C1 for the sales because moneys
5:35 The X95K with its mini LED technology is proof that you were right.
The X95J and the A80J are adjacent to each other at the Best Buy store. There is no comparing the rich colors, contrast and deep blacks of the OLED to this LCD set. Since the superior image can be had for $200 less, it's a no-brainer for our family to choose the A80J OLED. You should compare the two technologies in a new video Caleb.
But you can’t ignore the crushed out details in the shadows with the OLED. This is why I choose FALD over OLED. Yes, the blacks and robust colors are nice and vibrant, but not by that much and at the cost of significant detail.
$1499.99 is the price I paid for my Sony Bravia XR 65 X95J on April 29, 2022 at Best Buy. It's the same on Sony website at this date, May 2, 2022.
How do these guys have not reached 1M subs?! Come on guys whoever has not subscribed, go do it now!
Yes! This! Thank you :)
You have the S-center cable plugged into the wrong input on the TV... :) And/or aren't enabling it in the TV...
I'm glad you talked about the backlighting performance. Please do this for all your tv reviews. Would it be possible in the future to show us some color and brightness/contrast test patterns as well as backlight zone patterns to count the zones of backlight? This really helps people in deciding to purchase the right tv for their needs and even companies to see what is important to the customer. Thanks for the review!
U wanna know how many zones this tv has?
I had the same problem with my Sony Tv and tech support was clueless. I did manage to figure it out on my own ( only after hours and hours of trying possiable solutions).
The Key is IF you are using any web browser on your computer (with your computer being a non apple brand) The computer WILL NOT cast to Your TV UNLESS you are using a google chrome browser. Once you download Google Chrome Browser to your computer you should be able to cast to your tv.
See the backlight imo was one of the better of led tvs I've seen. I'm not the only one who thinks so. I mean choose crushing or choose retaining brightness while keeping apl and highlights. Imo they all have some slight backlight issues all led tvs lol. What I find funny is when putting the x95j side by side the z9j the x95j keeps black letterbox bars blacker imo. Also testing may have issues but as you stated in real content it isn't there. So thank you for pointing out that in actual content it wasn't noticeable which is why testing and numbers don't tell you everything. Both the z9j and x95j have issues with such titles. Also it's very bright yes the z9j is Def brighter but the x95j imo is controlled very well and people putting it side by side other led tvs from this year are finding its just as bright. The mind plays tricks until you put tvs side by side. You then realize woe wtf was I thinking haha. Sucks to hear the ht a9 gives you a boxy sound lol. Also please cover how vrr disabled local dimming on almost all led tvs with vrr. People really pay attention to sony without realizing vrr in general has issues. It just specifically on led tvs with local dimming. This whole let's blame it on sony is bullcrap when people who actually know of vrr know it's buggy af on all tvs the lg oled tvs do it best but even there we have people complaining about flickering and other issues. But there led tvs have vrr issues tcl has vrr issues. All led tvs have vrr issues not 1 does it would local dimming being turned off or issues haha.
Also put it side by side the z9j you may be surprised lol.
Is this worth an upgrade from X950H?
The HT A9 is quickly missing in many stores and I need a quick feedback on how your experience goes.
I really love mine with the A90J. I commented above about the center channel as it’s an easy mistake to make (I made it along with several others at AVS). I’m not an audiophile so take that for what it’s worth, but the system just works for me. It gives big sound if you want it and it’s turned our living room into a home theatre.
Buy it if you see it. It's that good
I’m going to mostly agree here. The HT-A9 does some remarkable things. I mean, really impressive. I would just say that if you buy it without the sub, be prepared to go spend some more money.
@@Caleb_Denison agree with that. I get why Sony goes the À la cart method (extra sales for those that can’t use a sub & smaller price to entry) but it needs that extra oomph to get the full experience.
The HT-A9s are certainly the talk of the town. Sony has sent these things to everyone.
Thanks for the review Caleb. Honestly, I think I might wait until next year. I'm still using a 65" Sony 930E which contines to be a great TV. Our room does have a lot of light during the day... that's something that's kept me from taking the OLED plunge. Still, was considering the X95J or the A80J if I would pull the trigger.
My room that has the A80J also has lots a light and I love the A80J, it's way better then the X95J so clean blacks are so good contrast and so on it's a great panel!
@@jamesvolpe3581 isint it a dimmer tv. I've battled with the decision between the X95J & A80J &.finally just ordered the X95J. I was just to worried about the dimmer picture overall. It leaves like a dull look to me & I can't stand it. Bold & Bright is a must but other then that & other complaints I've heard from others about being dissapointed on the dull picture. I would of tried the A80j if it wasent for that.
Look at "Gaming & Tech" x95j vs lg OLED comparison. The x95j holds up very well and not far from oled levels
Nice review please Can you give your thoughts regarding Sony X90J vs X95J as you have reviewed both TVs! is the price difference of £800 justified? Thanks!
For most buyers - no
Red Notice action and funny. Thanks for the review.
The lg c1 at 65' ia $300cheaper currently and is far superior across the board. Without the sale both tvs are the same price. If ur in the market I'd do my research on the C1 an make the purchase while it's still cheaper! Best of luck!
Im glad i still have my 950G still look amazing and solid in picture quality and motion i more play my PS5 on sony than my CX because i miss alot of shadow details on oled, good review.
I swapped out my 950g for this and am def happy. My 950 g was great no doubt about it but the blooming and viewing angles alone we horrible compared to this. I will say the 950g got slightly brighter and had a hair more pop in colors but I like the x95j better especially with all the new gaming features which is a must for me having a ps5 and a series x Guess it’s all about tradeoffs. .
Another great review
I have been waiting for this and actually skipped the XH95 for the same reason. But now I'm in doubt ..
Just bought the x95j 75 inch from best buy $2300. Nice sale price 👌
Also, I'm coming from an LG B6 oled 65 inch. So I was considering oled. I was luckily able to demo the x95j right next to the a80j, and both playing the same demo content. Surprisingly, I really liked the x95j. Seemed to be a better balance or brightness and blacks. The oled obviously has the best blacks, but can make brighter scenes more gloomy looking. Also compared to Samsung qn90a, something kept drawing me back to the x95
j. Very happy with the sale price also.
For the center channel you were plugged into the wrong spot on the back of the TV. Sony’s labeling on the back is bad and I did the same thing and thought I was crazy for about an hour. Plug it into the jack above the one it looks like it should go in and voilà!
Shhhhhhhhh!!!! I know. I know. Embarrassing. Good to know I am not the only one.
Thanks , this is really helping me make a decision on which Sony tv to buy, but let me tell you you guys in the US are fortunate with price, down here in Australian you pay an extra USD400 equivalent on top of the USD $2000!! We really do suffer from price discrimination here… 😥
I am waiting for 2022 to see what TVs will be on offer.
At the very least I'd imagine they upgrade the SoC to the new MediaTek pentatonic 2000. That should be able to do 4HDMI 2.1 and likely proper 120Hz VRR with HDR without compromise of local dimming etc..
But I feel Sony needs to do something more. They can't offer the same TV every year.. They have had the same 60 local dimming zones on the 95 series going back 5-6 years now.
I mean seriously, we know they can do more. So actually DO IT..
Imagine an X95K with 120-180 zones (still little but double and triple zones) and new SoC that can handle VRR from start and so on.. The X95J algorithm improved with more zones and the black levels and detail would be better.
Heck even MiniLED if they can do it right.
Unfortunately, the pentatonic is only available in the 2023 models
Thank you for the review, appreciate it! Dune has been the best movie so far, need to watch the Bond still.
I own the 75" version and the X95J has many strengths and one big weakness.
Pros:
- The best overall picture/color quality I have ever seen on a 4K LCD panel
- It gets plenty bright in a room with a lot of daylight
- Sony's motion handling and upscaling is the best on the market
- 4K/120Hz gaming capability
- Impressive bass for built-in TV speakers
- Great black levels for an LCD, while preserving excellent shadow detail and highlights
- Decent reflection handling
- Dimming zone processing and blooming control is better than competing brands
Cons:
- The big one. A faint DSE grid is visible on solid color backgrounds. WHY SONY? It's most noticeable during panning shots in sports (Motorsport tracks, football fields, ice arenas, sky, etc.)
- Only two out of the four HDMI ports support 2.1, including the eARC port
- There is blooming in some instances, such as loading screen icons for certain apps/games. However, it's not an issue during actual video content.
While OLEDs are similarly priced and have much higher contrast and perfect blacks, I still picked the X95J because I prefer the higher brightness and better shadow detail. The X95J was _so close_ to being the perfect TV to rule them all, but the DSE grid effect can be enough to spoil its otherwise phenomenal picture quality and processing performance. I'll give it some more time to see if I eventually stop caring about DSE grid, but if it still bothers me I might consider exchanging it for the A80J, which is a shame.
What did you end up doing? Did the grid effect ruin it for you?
You ended with a80j?
Had the same issue, grid 😫. Returned it . Shame as it was a nice tv , but that grid !
@@iansteventon4221 from what I read the grid isn’t there on every x95j just an issues similar to the qn90a DSE issues
@@blackboy6thst1 it's on all 85" models, inherit in the panel.
Severity does fluctuate, as does people's own tolerance to the defect.
I had my retailer inspect 3 what would have been replacements before despatch and unfortunately all had the grid affect.
Maybe a better choice at 65" .
Favorite movie of the year, well due to the pandemic, I only saw No Time To Die. I really enjoyed it. Might be just the fact that I actually went to a theater for the first time in forever. Gotta say, I missed being able to pause and grab a snack and use the restroom. Maybe I'm just getting old. Speaking of old, I have an older 3D Samsung TV that by today's standards probably doesn't rate. I've got a bunch of 3D movies though. Am I going to have to do a projection system to see them in the future you think? How about the short throw laser projectors???
I also have a 3D blu-ray collection, and still enjoy watching them. If you're looking for something a little newer perhaps, you can shop around and still find used 3D TVs for sale. I picked up a Sony 850C (2015 4K model) a few years ago at the local repair shop that was basically refurbished like new. I believe 2016 was the last year flat-screen TVs were sold (I also have a Sony 930D from that year).
Please compare it to the A80J
2021 X95J is good but not great like the previous 2020 X950H and... that's a problem !
I can only imagine what sony can do with miniled if their local dimming is this good with not a lot of zones
Sony is about to push the envelope to the maximum!
Great video, so we have perfect white vs perfect black :) I will go with A90J all the way, check at 21.00 difference between those TVs - for me in dark room (my room) its no contest!
The 75" is not 3k Best Buy has it on sale for $2300 right now. Also, I would opt for the X95J over the QN90A. I walked into Best Buy to see it and the backlights on the QN90A display model had burnt out, yet they kept the set up on the wall. Apparently they never shut it off, kept the TV in vibrant mode but still inside a year the backlights burnt themselves out constantly hitting that 1800 nits peak brightness. That along with DSE banding which you can find documented on youtube made the X95J superior in terms of quality. The $700 price cut imo makes in a no brainer if you're focused on the high end LED LCD segment. The QN90A looks beautiful but I noticed a lot of black crush, so perhaps their mini led algorithm needs some work. The crisp HDR pop is incredible though but for me those issues were too much.
I've heard reports of some sort of grid being visible in the background.
Now we just have to see how good the X95K is over the J model, the addition of Mini LED and BMD is exciting
How the hell is it gonna be worth roughly $1200 more. That's just crazy.
@@michaeldavis6550 I’m not sure, hopefully commonsense prevails at launch, and it really priced close to the old model. Who knows with Sony, we have to see some great reviews that the tv is worth the extra coin
@@brynsmith414 it's a bad time for me to need a tv really bad lol. The choices for 2021 year models based on reviews for the top tv's just have features missing that other cheeper models have & samsung no dolby vision & sony no VRR. Be amazing to see the outcome if very few people bought tv's in 2021. I would love to see the result of that. What a loud statement that would make to manafacturs!!!
turned out it has even worse blooming / local dimming, slightly worse contrast and motion...but on the flip side (much) better color reproduction. still never worth almost double the pricetag.
Would love to see a direct comparison with A80J. They are similarly priced here so i wonder what to pick. Coming from X900f
A80j reflects any light way too much. You turn a lamp on and it is like a mirror on the tv. They recommend a dark room for oleds for a reason
I have a A80J 77" and I have to say the whole "don't buy an OLED if you have a bright room" is definitely over played. I have three 8' foot windows that hit it directly and three 8' windows that hit it indirectly. I would 100% recommended the A80J to anyone looking for a basically impeccable picture in any setting. I painted the 12' tall wall that it's mounted on black which looks amazing!
@@juvonycool the bright room isn't the issue. Any light that reflects off the screen such as a lamp, ceiling fan light, if an open area the kitchen lights etc are the issues.
@@show2ime I understand what you are saying but it really isn't a problem to me. There's always going to be some sort of reflection or small distraction with the lights on with any tv but never enough for me not to recommend a great OLED TV. Just not having any light or ghosting bleeding through the blacks is a huge win for me but I definitely respect your opinion 👍
I bought the A80J for the impeccable picture quality of this oled and amazing sound (the TV screen is the speaker). Most of our movie watching is at night with the lights off (just like in a theatre) and once you experience the colour contrasts and deep blacks of the A80J, you won’t go back to LCD/LED. I also ordered the HT-A9 and SW5 sub which when paired with my A80J, I’m hoping will completely transform our movie watching experiences.
Thank you, Caleb, for this very informative review. No standout movies for me, but I did like No Time To Die since this will be the last Daniel Craig as James Bond film. I am disappointed with the misses that you mentioned, sound has to be as close to perfect as possible. You need to judge this TV as critically as you do. Sony needs to get these items right, no excuses. Thanks. Take care.
I still have to see this!!!
Totally agree! I love Sony TV and with their premium prices in comparison with other TV brand they definitely need to be reviewed completely and critically as possible especially from technical point.
@@Caleb_Denison is it possible to do a comparison with X950H from 2020?
@@ryanmw64 Sorry Ryan, but the X900H is long gone I’m afraid.
I'll never understand why a manufacturer would put the feet on the very ends of the TV making it impossible to use on 80% of TV stands.
Hi Caleb, was local dimming set to high? I saw in your settings video that you kept it on medium. That should’ve maybe alleviated the backlight issues you were experiencing. Thanks
Like for the BTBAM clip!
I didn’t watch it video but I’m pretty sure this guy probably loves Sony 95J because he has already acknowledged that he loves all Sony TVs