Thankfully, there's good news: Sony’s X1 Ultimate processing engine is a piece of work, in all the very best senses of that phrase. The subwoofer is already synced in the box, so I didn’t have to mess around with that, and it’s mostly just a matter of plugging in the included HDMI cable and the power cables. There’s also USB, 3.5mm and digital optical inputs as well as an ethernet connection. Like the X900F, they can be reversed. © 2021 9298-5266 Quebec Inc. All Rights Reserved. Unfortunately, there's a lot of blooming that's especially noticeable around subtitles. For instance, dark scenes, especially with HDR images, tend to look rather grey thanks to the screen’s difficulties with hitting a really deep black color. The Z9D is a bit better in a dark room, as it has a better contrast ratio and better local dimming feature, but the image degrades rapidly when viewed at an angle. Sony once again flexes its processing might with its latest soundbar, the HT-Z9F. Due to the HT-Z9F’s driver configuration, Sony is calling this the world's 1st 3.1 soundbar. The Vizio P Series Quantum is a bit better than the Sony Master Series Z9F for most people. The on-screen display is packed with features. The Sony HT-Z9F is a 3.1 channel Dolby Atmos soundbar that claims to provide 7.1.2 channel effect using Sony's Virtual Surround sound technology. Sony ZF9 vs Samsung Q9FN: Recently unveiled in New York, the Sony ZF9 is the eagerly awaited successor to Sony’s much-loved ZD9. 160 St-Viateur Est, Suite 408, Montreal, Canada, H2T 1A8. 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On its back are two HDMI inputs and a HDMI output with ARC support, so it can receive sound from your television. This is true, though, of every other TV on the market right now (and probably right through until the latter part of next year). Like most Sony TVs, there are no ads, but there's suggested content in the home menu. In our side-by-side tests, it performed worse than the Z9D, with more noticeable blooming around bright objects. There’s also USB, 3.5mm and digital optical inputs as well as an ethernet connection. Older, 480p digital content looks good, with no obvious upscaling artifacts or oversharpening. Also, the Q900R has a much better black frame insertion feature and supports FreeSync to ensure tear-free gaming with the use of compatible hardware. If you find HDR content too dim, setting the Contrast and Gamma to their maximum values, and setting Contrast enhancer to 'High' will boost the brightness across all scenes, as shown here. The Sony Z9F is a great TV for most uses. The Z9F is great for sports fans. The Sony HT-Z9F is a good mixed usage soundbar. Keep reading our Sony HT-Z9F review to find out. Its black level may be not as deep as Z9D that makes its performance is less superior to Z9D when used in a dark room, but its performance in a dark room is still acceptable. There is also a 75-inch Sony … The frequency response is average. Excellent TV for gaming in HDR. There’s scarcely any aspect of TV picture quality that it doesn’t touch and improve. From the moment Sony revealed that it was finally going to introduce a sequel to what is arguably one of the most important TVs of all time, the ZD9 series, we’ve been counting down the days waiting for the first ZF9 model to arrive. 62,990, the Sony HT-Z9F is an expensive but well-equipped soundbar. 62,990. of all taxes) Buy. The system ran much more slickly and quickly than the previous Android implementation too. This tool will clearly show you the differences, Not sure how big of a TV you should buy? Because the 65ZF9 joins the ZD9 in using a direct lighting system (where the LEDs sit right behind the screen), it should put out a similar performance. On its back are two HDMI inputs and a HDMI output with ARC support, so it can receive sound from your television. The Sony Z9F is a great TV for most uses. Design TL;DR: Although it’s not the most stylish TV in 2018, the Z9F is well built, and its finish is promisingly ‘serious’. The 0.1 is the subwoofer which is quite a hefty bit of kit (H: 38.2 / W: 19 / D: 38.6 - 8.1KG). Types of Sony soundbars. Excellent HDR brightness, similar to the X930E, Z9D, and Vizio P Series Quantum. It isn't very effective or powerful but works to turn the TV on or change the channel, input or volume in a pinch. With one of these plugged into your telly box, it won't feel like you're really compromising at all. The Sony Z9F uses PWM to dim the backlight, but at a very high frequency that shouldn't be noticeable to most people. All test scores and pictures have been updated. The 65" Z9F we tested was manufactured in Aug. 2018. The Samsung Q9FN QLED is the screen to beat in 2018. The European variant of the TV is also known as the ZF9, and we expect it to offer the same performance. This converter works great in most ways, opening up the color palette without making it look forced or uneven, and doing an intelligent job of extending the image’s light range in only the right places and to just the right degree. Another possible factor that contributes to the 65Z9F’s black level and blooming issues is actually one of its most ground-breaking strengths: its exceptional viewing angle support. There's noticeable stutter on the Sony Z9F, like during slow panning shots in 24p content, which may bother some people. For the full ranking, see below. The package comes with the sound bar, subwoofer, remote control (batteries included), mounting hardware, Demo DVD, 4K HDMI cable, & … The overall amount of THD produced at 80dB SPL is within decent limits, except for the 7kHz area. There are some minor changes to the user interface, and support has been added for Apple AirPlay and Dolby Atmos via the TV's speakers. The Sony Z9F and the Samsung Q900R both have very similar performance and both support a viewing angle enhancing technology. There's a built-in mic and direct access to Google Assistant. The LG E8 is better than the Sony Z9F for most people, unless the possibility of burn-in is a concern or you have a bright room. They use the … Good. But it’s pretty clear that this isn’t enough to compensate fully for the loss of so many dimming zones. The Sony Z9F has the lowest input lag of any of the high-end Sony TVs. The Q90R can deliver a slightly better dark room performance thanks to the higher contrast ratio and better black uniformity. The Z9F also has faster smart features, running a newer version of the Android TV operating system. Please refresh the page and try again. Update 02/27/2019: Retested with the 'Gamma' setting set to '0', rather than '2' as it is by default, so the TV better tracks the 2.2 target gamma; as a result, the score has increased significantly. This may be a result of the new optical layer, which you can see in the pixels photo here. LG SL10YG is far better than Sony HT-Z9F, I suggest to all that don't buy Sony HT-Z9F soundbar if you buy you will be regret. It was discovered that system sounds must be disabled for it to work. The 65Z9F’s handling of HD sources is outstanding. Simple Sony Style The Z9F embodies the same stark, minimalist design Sony uses for its smartphones, tablets, and e-readers. Sony introduces Master Series A9F and Z9F. put them under the same test bench, 3.1H DOLBY ATMOS®/DTS:X™ SOUNDBAR WITH WI-FI/BLUETOOTH® TECHNOLOGY | HT-Z9F Product Reviews. The White Balance dE and the Color dE are quite low, so only enthusiasts will notice those inaccuracies. Like many LCD TVs, it can't produce very bright blues. White balance and color dE are nearly perfect, and any remaining imperfections are completely imperceptible. The Samsung Q80/Q80R QLED is a slightly better TV than the Sony Z9F. Its color range is colossal too. You will receive a verification email shortly. Bravia Sync control must be enabled for ARC to work. Our Verdict The compact Sony HT-ZF9 is the Penn and Teller of Dolby Atmos soundbars. Good color volume. These are high figures bettered only by a handful of rivals - and our best guess is that the lower brightness of the Standard mode reflects the fact that Sony is trying to strike a good balance there between brightness and limiting the screen’s backlight issues. 68,828 as on 3rd January 2021. The LFE (low-frequency extension) of 113Hz indicates a bass that produces no thump, rumble, or punch, which is important for bass-heavy film scores and video game sound effects. We believe that the low contrast ratio is caused by the new X-Wide Angle optical panel. The Sony Z9F supports Dolby Vision, but due to the way it was implemented, external devices must be updated to support it. There was a problem. The picture modes behave differently to the previous 2018 and 2017 Sony TVs that we have reviewed. The back half is metal and has a nice finish. The Sony Z9F has better local dimming, which is great for movies and wider viewing angles thanks to the 'X-Wide Angle' technology; something which the X950G offers only at the larger models. There’s good news and bad news here: The bad news is that the 65Z9F relies on Android TV for most of its smart functionality. Sony's A9F OLED and Z9F LCD are part of the company's new Master series of televisions. Outstanding accuracy after calibration. It has a good stand that supports the TV well but is quite large. The Sony HT-ZF9 soundbar is the first we’ve come across that puts a question-mark in the final box rather than a tick. Yes, its slightly textured finish is quite smart, and the way channeling in the TV’s feet and a selection of detachable rear panel covers keep all your cabling tucked neatly away is pretty neat, but there’s anything particularly glamorous about its dark grey frame and slightly chunky rear. Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. Sony has a serious winner on its hands with the new X1 Ultimate processor. It has excellent low input lag and an extremely fast response time, so motion is fluid and responds quickly to every button press. The viewing angles are just okay, but it's better than most VA panel TVs. Like the Z9D, there are covers on the back that hide the connections. It's especially well-suited for playing video games, and it's a good choice for use as a PC monitor. However, the bump around 200Hz compensates for this lack a little and makes the sound a bit fuller. HT-Z9F in the US and HT-Z9F in Europe is a more affordable version with optional rear speakers, which was one of our main gripes with the flagship model. Have spent hours on the phone with SONY support and their response is that will offer me a Z9F for $2900. 720p content looks good and is displayed without any obvious issues. Tested here is the 65-inch version, the Sony KD-65ZF9. SONY Z9F INITIAL VERDICT Soundbars are all about compromise: you buy one because you don't have room for a full surround sound setup, and you expect a narrower audio experience as a result. The Z9F has the same, somewhat dated remote found on the other high-end Sony TVs like the X900F, although not as good as the A8F. The Z9F is available in 65-inch ($3,500) and 75-inch ($6,000) screen sizes, both with full-array LED backlighting and Sony’s X-Wide Angle optical design, which reduces the loss of color fidelity when the screen is viewed from off axis. Also corrected an error in the real scene brightness; the previous value of 1498 cd/m² was a mistake. The Z9F doesn't have the burn-in risk that the Sony A9G has. The P Series Quantum performs better in a dark room, as it has better native contrast and better black uniformity. Please note: Some product variations and/or features mentioned within Product Reviews may not be available in all countries. Here is our review of Sony HT-Z9F. HD/SDR Performance TL;DR: Fantastic upscaling makes every sub-4K source look much better, and makes good quality HD sources actually look almost 4K. 4.3 based on 52 customer reviews. Available in 65- and 75-inch screen sizes, called the XBR-65Z9F and XBR-75Z9F respectively, the Z9F uses Sony’s new X1 Ultimate imaging processing engine, which was also found in the Sony X900F earlier this year. Update 09/27/2018: 1080p @ 120Hz was erroneously listed as required a forced resolution. You can see our recommended settings here. Spotify and Google Chrome… Available in both 65” and 75” sizes, there’s no wish for smaller sizes from Sony’s top tier televisions. Footprint of the 65" TV stand: 12.3" x 47". Spotify and Google Chrome… It has an extremely fast response time and excellent low input lag, so it feels responsive. This isn't noticeable under normal circumstances. The speaker justifies the price but when it comes to the true Dolby Atmos surround effect the 7.1.2 channel output from a 3.1 or 5.1 channel setup seems to be a gimmick. It produces superb images, with enhanced off-center viewing so all guests will be happy at your next Super Bowl party. 52. Outstanding gradient performance; the best we've ever seen on a 4k TV. Good. But thanks to Sony’s best-in-class processing, it’s able to provide an immersive wall of sound that goes out the sides and up above your TV. Shares. It has a wide color gamut, and HDR content is extremely bright, making highlights pop. On one hand, Sony’s new X1 Ultimate processor is terrific, delivering numerous subtle but cumulatively outstanding improvements to TV picture quality. In the second image, you can see that there's less dark crush on the Z9F than on the Q9FN. The Sony A9G is an OLED TV that displays perfect blacks in a dark room, has excellent wide viewing angles, and it is a better choice for watching movies or HDR movies in a dark room. The 2018 Z9F has much better motion handling, with significantly faster response time and less input lag, great for gaming. Written by Nandagopal Rajan | New Delhi | July 28, 2019 6:30:33 am The HT-Z9F has the design of a regular soundbar, though a bit larger than some others we have seen. To provide 7.1.2 channel effect using Sony 's Virtual Surround sound technology can help isn. Except for 4k at 120Hz important for producing clear and understandable dialogue, but worse than any IPS TV status. We expect it to offer the same stark, minimalist design Sony uses for its,... Most informed community and take advantage of our advanced tools to find.. Test pattern ratio and better black uniformity and an extremely fast response time the inputs are on televisions... 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Reviews from our users bigger and more shadow detail forced resolution that claims provide! 65 '' TV stand: 12.3 '' x 36 '' the real brightness! Are completely imperceptible Sony support and their response is that will offer me Z9F... Legs are very similar performance and both support a viewing angle with our new test ; the best on. Products we currently have for sale side of the normal Sony … Keep reading our Sony soundbar..., expert reviews, user ratings, and excellent low input lag is excellent ethernet.

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