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Sony BRAVIA KDL-52XBR9 Review
Sony BRAVIA XBR Series KDL-52XBR9
Sony’s XBR models are usually its best and most expensive - the latter of which is definitely a fact for the Sony KDL-52XBR9. As for being one of the best, the KDL-52XBR9 may not match the LED-lit KDL-55XBR8, but offers a ton of excellent features of its own to justify its price and status as a flagship model.
Design
With its invisible speakers and a slim, black frame bordered by a shiny silver strip and interrupted only by the white glow of the Sony logo - which can be disabled - and a pair of indicators, the Sony KDL-52XBR9 is a more attractive set than its XBR predecessors, which sport side-mounted or bottom-suspended speakers and thick frames. The matching stand still doesn’t swivel but remains simpler and more stylish, nonetheless.
Unfortunately, the clicker that comes with it remains as the same as that of previous models - a rather large piece which sports a faint blue backlight. In spite of its size, the buttons are small and mostly crowded at the top portion and around the main cursor control, making them hard to reach. The PS3-like on-screen menu is more user-friendly, with the picture settings and other more important controls grouped together, a shortcuts menu and helpful explanatory text, although there are two or three menu options too many, making the straightforward menu system of Samsung’s flagship models more desirable.
Screen/Picture Clarity
XBR models have been known to excel in terms of providing superb picture quality, and the KDL-52XBR9 does not disappoint. Its black levels, though not as impressive as those on LED-lit models, are deep enough to match the best a conventional LCD can produce while the rest of the colors, especially the primary ones, are rich and generally accurate, with only a barely perceptible tinge of blue in dark areas. Its matte screen handles reflections exceptionally well, too.
Like most of Sony’s expensive HDTVs, the KDL-52XBR9 comes with a 240Hz refresh rate, that allows it to deliver excellent motion resolution. Unfortunately, to see its full effects, you have to engage both the dejudder processing and antiblur mechanism, which cannot be engaged or turned off individually. It passed all resolution tests with flying colors, as expected.
Features
The features of the Sony KDL-52XBR9 are pretty much the same as those of the KDL-52Z5100, which means it also offers interactive widgets, built-in capability to access online videos, like those on YouTube or Amazon Video on Demand and DLNA compatibility which allows you to stream photos, music and videos from your computer network. There are also plenty of picture controls available, such as three picture modes, four aspect ratio modes and four color temperature presets, while its connectivity suite consists of four HDMI inputs - three on the side panel and one on the rear - a PC input and a USB port to name a few.
While the KDL-52XBR9 may not be as good as the KDL-55XBR8, it certainly holds its own - as much as a conventional LCD HDTV can do against an LED-lit model - and it is much less expensive, too. True, its price is still quite steep, but its amazing picture quality, sleek style and numerous features will give many buyers reasons to make room for the Sony KDL-52XBR9 in their budget and in their homes.
<< Click HERE to Read The Latest Sony KDL-52XBR9 User Reviews >>
I upgraded from a 42″ TV. WOW what a difference. I was worried it would be too big. however after having the TV for a few months now I can say it’s a perfect size. Delivery was simple and easy. They called a few days out and gave me a few options of delivery days/times. They took the TV out of the box and set it up on the stand for me. Normally they would test it, but since it was cold out i signed a waiver that they did not test the TV and that if I had any issues once the TV warmed up they would come back and return the TV. Luckily there were no issues at all.
The internet widgets are really useful. I like that I can stream netflix to my TV and do not have to use my xbox to do this. The interface is simple and easy for netflix/ streaming video. I have a cable box , but was interested in the built in tuner/ TV guide function. It took about 15 minutes or so to scan all my channels. I picked a good amount of HD channels(QAM). The tv guide interface is slick and makes navigating the channels like having a cable box. Very cool feature. Picture quality via built in tuner is better than my Scientific Atlantic cable box over hdmi (I blame my cable box on this)
I do not use built in sound but tried it out for a bit. The built in sound sounds good for what it is, but if you are going to spend this kind of money on an HDTV you might as well pickup a surround sound setup. It was simple to shut off the built in speakers and only use the digital from TV to send to my receiver.
The picture quality on this TV is amazing. Bluray looks amazing. THe opening scene in the dark knight filmed in IMAX at full 16:9 is jaw dropping! The depth and clarity/color is stunning. Motion blur is reduced vs my previous 42″ tv. There are a few clear frame/stabilization modes. Standard is the best option in my opinion. If you have it set to high it changes the intent of what a director wants you to watch the movie. For sports / reality shows I can stand the high mode, but for movies I had to switch it off.
There are different scene presets which are great! You can tweak the settings for each type of viewing mode. IE sports, gaming, movies, pc connection, etc etc. This is very useful. My TV is in a bright room (reason i got this over the sammy with a glossy screen) and during the day it’s nice to have the presets for different lighting conditions/viewing content etc etc. I use the sports mode for my daytime viewing (back light / color all the way up) During the evening for TV content I use the general setting and tweaked the back light/color to be better for low light viewing. For movie watching (all lights off) I have the “theater” mode tweaked / tuned via THX optimizer (Terminator 2 bluray). TV came really close to THX spec only a few settings needed to be tweaked.
Overall I really am satisfied with this purchase/experience from amazon.
The TV was very good.I opted for the bundle - TV + home theater for $1999
While mounting it on a swivel stand I noticed that out of the 4 bolt holes (on the back side of set) one hole is missing its thread. It is not the screw.bolt. I had M6 screws. Amazon couldn’t provide me a replacement because they ran out of stock. I checked with Sony who suggests that the best bet would be to return to Amazon. Now that Thanks Giving sale is over, I can’t get that kind of TV at that price. I am stuck with a big TV stand which I bought just to house that TV.
This is my second Sony XBR purchase. This tv rocks! I own an older and smaller XBR2 40 that is amazing and problem free. The XBR9 is also half as thick as the XBR2. I cant say enough good about this tv!
I cant wait for the XBR10 to come out and the price to come down. Rumor has it that the 10 is only 30mm thick and 8lbs lighter.
I will for sure buy again!
I spent a long time deciding on which TV to get. I was initially deciding between the Samsung LED 7000/8000 Series and this Sony XBR9 LCD.
yes, the Samsung LED is bright and thin, but the overall appeal you get is just not the same. the sound isn’t that great, either. and after i searched around online for any problems related to the Samsung LED, i found a few regarding corner brightness. I did not, however, find anything related to XBR9.
Sony XBR9, although not as thin, is very impressive. the sound is great and the picture quality is top-notch. seriously, unless you are going to hang ur TV on a wall, or you’re going to display your TV outside your house for everyone to admire the thinness of it, the “extra slim” feature doesn’t really mean anything.
i’ve had this TV for almost a month now and i look at it everyday and think to myself, “yes, i’ve made the right decision!”
it’s a beautiful piece of equipment that further beautifies your room
This is one terrific TV. The 240 MHz refresh rate makes the picture perfectly smooth…no studdering during fast action scenes. The colors are bright and very realistic. I haven’t purchased a blue ray DVD player yet but the non blue ray DVDs are just fine.
The hook up went without of hitch..I did not mount the TV on my wall.
One issue I had was with the shipping. While I was tracking the shipment to Chicago, I saw a notation “package damaged”. I immediately called Amazon and they in turn, called the carrier. The carrier told them it was a bit of water damaged but that it should not be a problem. Amazon also told me that if I had any issues when it was delived, I could refuse delivery. When the package arrived, there was no water damage visible but there was a hole punched in the side, apparently by a fork lift. I peered in the hole and there did not seem to be any damage. The delivery folks unpacked it, set it up and went through the initial set up. So far, the TV is working just fine. A bit scary but all seems well.
From what I have noticed with other LCDs is the picture looks too defined. It ultimately makes non-HD content look fake. This TV does not do that, however adjustments are necessary. I have owned another Bravia from the previous a generation and it is awesome. The sound from the TV is better than average and really a great quality sound, but get a 5:1 or better sound system for your movies. I also own a Aquos which is equally comparable to the Bravia, but the Aquos is from the 1st generation of LCD TV.
So if you don’t want to plunge into LED just yet; I suggest the XBR Bravia line. There’s great features in this model for connecting to on-line content, however no web browser. There’s several widgets and plenty of internet feeds to wet your whistle (i.e. U-Tube…). Definitely get it if you want some internet TV… it’s not blazing fast but you can still receive regular broadcasts during widget operation, incredible! But no web browser, new feeds and widgets are created and occasionally there are connection issues with widgets (it was really bad when I first got the TV but it is much better now).
Everything with this TV is so nice! HD upgrade from satalite or cable is a MUST, the SD channels are only ok once you see football on this in HD you expect every channel to look so good. It’s a SONY of my ONY!
WOW!! I think that every time I turn on my new 52XBR9. The colors are absolutely astounding. I’ve researched HDTV for several years and waited till the price on this model came down to my acceptable price range. I didn’t want to settle for something less than top quality (I just retired a Sony WEGA XBR, so I’m a bit spoiled). There’s no need for me to repeat all the technical attributes mentioned in other reviews. This is simply as good as a TV can get.
I was in the high-end stereo/tv business for ten years so I have some background in this area. But you don’t need a technical background to make a decision about this television. It is simply stunning. I really didn’t think that it would offer a significantly better quality picture than the Samsung DLP unit that it replaced, but it is no contest. Stunning HD clarity. Absolute simplicity to use. It works in perfect concert with my SONY blu-ray player, making it really simple for my AV-challenged wife to watch her videos when I am out with the boys. As far as network connectivity goes, I cannot comment; I don’t give a hoot so I haven’t even tried it. I bought a calibration disc, but I haven’t even opened it since the picture was just so good right out of the box. I ordered this tv through Amazon; it arrived in a week in perfect condition; it took all of ten minutes to hook up. I opted for LCD to avoid the glare that I saw on all of the plasmas in the stores; this was an important issue for me. If you are dithering about which tv technology to go with, just stop here at the SONY. (I can’t believe I am writing this; when I was in the stereo business SONY was a laughingstock, in audio, at least. I feel so dis-loyal. A Joe Lieberman moment.)
We got this TV at a great buy of 1700$ which included BD player and Home theater system, got carried away by the price, I switched my mind from Samsung B750 to buy this XBR9.I got this TV and plugged in my DirecTV and was watching for 2 days and it wasnt very impressive, sound is great but the picture looks grain or blurry. I try to change a lot of settings like Backlight, gamma and hue, so I made it a little better still it is not like awesome and impressive.On top of this the TV went blank and it wont come up until I plug the power out and power back in. I called SONY customer service and their service was great and filed as a defective TV and took it to the store and returned it and bought SAMSUNG B750.After booting up my Samsung, wow what a difference in Picture quality and you can see a 3D effect on the figures.Even the non HD chanels are better looking that sony HD channel.I made a right decision else I would have been stuck with this poor SONY TV and be regretting for that.If you are looking for a good picture quality to show yourself and your friends please dont buy this TV, then you will get mad everyday.
Pros : SONY Support, Sound,
Cons : Bad Picture Quality, Grains and no sharpness on the image, blurry
I got this tv as part of a Bravia package… and WOW!
Everyone knows it has great picture. Let me focus on the real value add here…
The LAN port. It works awesome with Netflix instant queue. If that alone is not enough - it acts as a total media center when you have a server on your home network running windows media player 11+.
I can access my entire mp3 library with my remote control, and blast it out my 5.1 surround sound. They even add some visual candy on-screen while you listen. I can browse my plethora of digital photos and view them in clarity never before seen. I can watch recorded TV or other mpegs from my server PC.
This TV is now a priceless tool in enjoying the investments I have already made.
Upgraded from a Sony Wega 32 inch CRT that we bought in 2004. Paired up the XBR9 with a Sony BDP360 Blu Ray, a Pioneer 1019AH and an XBOX360. Also purchased a universal remote to control all the above.
Cons:
1. We have not been able to get Netflix to work. Both times we tried it the TV froze and then re-started itself. Not sure if that is a Netflix issue or a Sony issue. We were able to watch Netflix through our Xbox 360 so I havent followed up. The Amazon seems to work although I have only watched previews.
2. Reflection: this may be a standard LCD issue but we were surprised by how much the tv reflects. At night it reflects our track lighting like a mirror so we watch TV with the lights off in the TV room but keep the lights in the adjoining room on and it is perfect.
3. Connections: These are at the back of the TV and hard to reach when the TV is already mounted. Might have been easier if they were at the bottom of the TV or closer to the bottom.
Pros:
1. I generally agree with all the positives on this tv. It has a great picture and is good looking.
2. I am impressed by the way it interacts with the different devices. I think the HDMI technology allows more dynamic thinking, for e.g the TV switches off the TV speakers automatically when it senses a receiver. My old school 2004 TV did not do that.
I purchased this TV in November 0f 2009 and finally got a chance to set it up for the new year. Of course we all know the pain of disconnecting everything you own and setting up something new. The picture on this will blow your mind. HDMI is also so much easier…fewer cables, but that doesn’t mean there still won’t be a lot of them. However, setting this all up is well worth the effort.
Setup…simply easy! Using HDMI and staying with SONY, absolutely brilliant. It all integrates and works well together. (Not like the old S-Link). Plug in a SONY HDMI compatible component and hit the ‘SYNC MENU’ button and you can set it all up. Now I hit one button and on goes the TV, on goes the Directv Salletite DVR HR-21 and the Sony HTCT100 Sound Bar with Subwoofer. It’s great. And the HTCT100 is just right for a small room (if you don’t really need surround sound it’s perfect!)!
The picture quality on this is SIMPLY AMAZING!!! Yes, there might be a few sets out there with slightly better blacks…
I must say, I had not seen this TV in person before buying and I don’t think it will disappoint.
Thanks SONY and Thanks Amazon. Got free delivery with Amazon and they had my delivery scheduled within 72 hours of my order.
Had this TV 3 days (not purchased from Amazon) and verticle RGB lines half the width of the screen developed. See my Customer Discussion/Forum post: “Sony Bravia(s) Verticle Lines Issue”. I will not buy another Sony HDTV. Great picture (while it lasts), but WAY too much money invested in something that’s gonna breakdown. See these reviews & pay attention to the times of most breakdowns:
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and/or read the 1 star reviews of the: Sony Bravia KDL32XBR4 before you purchase a Sony. 20 percent of the reviews were 1 star.
Greetings.
Since his first check is the best thing sony could have created.
Thank you amazon for having the product and make my dreams come true.
To you my happiness and can see my movies in blu ray is better.
Keep going.
After significant soul-searching over what I wanted out of a TV, I could not be happier about my XBR9 purchase! As other reviewers have accurately said, the picture quality is simply outstanding. I have FiOS as a source, which is almost unfair, and has inspired envy from friends and family. The thin bezel makes it look as impressive when it’s turned off as when it’s on.
If I must offer some criticism, as other reviewers have mentioned, it would be the “glow” in the upper corners during pitch-black scenes. For those who are black-level geeks, this will almost certainly be a deal-breaker for you. I, however, am not. I prefer to enjoy sports and content with some degree of light/color to it, so it’s a non-issue. Again, the quality and COLOR is mind-blowing! The 240Hz is money… I’m glad I didn’t compromise on refresh rate, because I can clearly see the difference from 60Hz and even 120Hz LCD screens.
Admittedly, I didn’t buy this TV thru Amazon, but I did a majority of my research here, so I feel justified leaving a review. I was lucky to find it on sale at a brick-and-mortar store for under $1500, so it was a no-brainer, but even at $1800 this is a heck of a deal. Point, click, ship!! You’ll love it.
We bought this on warehouse deals it had a scratch on the back. We love it. Easy to Use, Picture awesome and sound excellent. Streaming video from net awesome can watch youtube. Netflix and purchase movies off amazon to upload immediatly. We got it for 1/2 of what it would have cost new.
I am writing a review here, because you will never read about my problem with a model that is no longer for sale. So before you plunk down your hard earned money for a Sony (a premium brand) for an XBR model (their premium model), think about this: I like many others bought a Sony Bravia XBR KDL-32XBR4 32″ LCD HDTV from Amazon. After 2 years and 5 months, this premium model from a premium brand FAILED while I was watching it. Just a white screen with multicolored stripes. Sony refuses to admit the problem, and refuses to help people like me. So before you spend your hard earned money - I thought I should let you make an informed decision - just read the 1 star reviews for the Sony Bravia XBR KDL-32XBR4 32″ LCD HDTV
Being a long-time Sony customer, I went on to buy a Sony’s top end line - XBR, hoping that it will last me for many many years. Only after one and a half years, the TV had a panel failure (according to the Sony authorized repair tech). Sony will not help you correct the issue. They have lost me as a customer.
I bought my new Sony 14 months ago. Two months in the Ceneter speaker went out. 4 weeks later i got the system back from Warrantee repair shop. Back to normal and off nad running. A few months after the Screen got a black line down the right side, which promptly went away. Some where along the this time frame the HDMI ports stopped working. I troubleshot this through my Cable provider as we both thought is was the cable box and not the TV, since switching to coax connection resolved the sound out problem. Just after the 14 month period the black line came back, this time for good. Sent in to service center. “Sorry it is out of Warrantee, and repairs will cost twice the original purchase price to repair. All attempts to get any help from Customer Relations were futile……….The System is now in the Landfill.
I purchase this tv in December of 2009. One month later the tv went black. Great sound but no picture. I have been battling with Sony for over two months and the TV has not been repaired and they do not seem to care. The sony Customer service is the worst i have ever experienced. I have been a long time fan of Sony and I would never buy another Sony product again.
The TV arrived on time but the box appeared to have been opened and dropped. I accepted delivery after openning the top portion of the box with the delivery person present and making note of the condition on the paperwork. (Only one person delivered the rather heavy box.) The styrafoam was broken into numerous pieces however the TV looked intact. After lifting the item from the box I noticed the bottom right corner of the Bravia front bezel was chipped and broken (obviously from being dropped). I did not persue hooking the Bravia up to see if it even worked. I took pictures of the TV and the sequence of openning the box in case there was any question about returning the item. There was not. Amazon coordinated to have the Bravia picked up and returned. All costs were reimbursed to me after Amazon received the TV back at their location. I was dissappointed with the shippers, but very pleased that Amazon honored their return product policy due to the condition of the set. Thank you Amazon.
Update: 5/13/2010-Just received a call from Sony “Customer Relations” today. It’s offical. They don’t stand behind their products-they just lost a loyal customer. No more Sony products in my house. They will not pay for the cost of their defective LCD panel since it’s out of warranty(1 year) after 1 year and 4 month of service. So if you buy a Sony TV and you have a defective panel after 1 year of use then you can just throw that TV in the trash because the panel itself cost $2886.35 from Sony not including $350 for labor + local tax to put it in. Unbelievable, the only reason I brought a Sony XBR is that I thought it would last 5 or 10 year not after 1 year. Good luck on buying a Sony LCD TV because you going to need it-and looks like from my research, I am not the only customer that have a defect LCD panel after 1 year
5/11/2010 update: Today the tech came and verified that the LCD panel has gone bad after 1 year and 4 months of service. In the tech’s own word-the panel is defective since it should not failed with just a little over 1 year of service and that I should call Sony and see they can reimbruse the cost of the panel. I am so disappointed on the product since I did not just buy any Sony TV but the top of the line XBR series TV. I called Sony and told them the whole story but they did not tell me that they will reimburse the panel but fax all the documents -receipt and repair cost to Sony. I will wait and see what happen - but at this point I am really disappointed and frustrated with the whole thing!
I brought the Sony XBR series TV on Amazon about 1 year and 4 months ago and now the TV has failed. The picture quality was amazing until just yesterday the picture started to degrade and now it has green clouds and rainbows around the pictures. I just call the authorize tech service from Sony and it will cost me $75 for the in house service since it’s out of warranty. They also said that if it’s the LCD panels has failed then it would cost as much as the TV itself. This is my first LCD from Sony but I have 3 other Sony TVs- 1 30″ Sony CRT, 1 47″ XBR rear projection and 1 65″ XBR rear projection TV. All the previous Sony TVs had no problem at all and I am still using the 65″ rear projection TV. What happen to Sony’s quality and reliability product? I guess it went to the same place as other first rated Japanese products like Toyota. They are just too busy on cutting cost and lower their reliabilities so they can rack in the billion dollars profit. So if you like the picture quality of Sony TVs; be advise to buy their extended Warranty. I wish I did since my LCD is just a big 52″ black picture frame hanging on the wall if the LCD panel is dead. If you have to get their Sony TV then I would recommend to get 5 years extended warranty plan for $299-it will save you alot of frustration. And after 5 years, you will probably do a upgarde anyway.
I’ve had my TV for about a year and have no problems whatsoever with it. The picture quality is simply amazing- in my opinion it definitely beats the competition and is worth the higher price.
Here’s my story, hope someone can learn from my tragic mistake. Furthermore, I just realized the LCD panel is actually made by Samsung NOT Sony. If you buy a Sony TV; why is the LCD Panel (the most important and expensive part of the TV) is made in Korea by Samsung. The picture might be good but how long will it last…..for me it only lasted 1 year and 4 months. Also If you do a simple search on Amazon you will find that Amazon does not sell Sony XBR LCD TV directly anymore since I guess they have so many complaints from their customers on the Sony LCD TV. Go ahead look and see you can find Amazon selling Sony XBR LCD TV directly…Amazon actually refer you to another brand like LG or other brands when you are looking any Sony XBR LCD TVs…..and my Full Story below:
5/9/2010- I brought the Sony XBR series TV on Amazon about 1 year and 4 months ago and now the TV have failed. The picture quality was amazing until just yesterday the picture started to degrade and now it has green clouds and rainbows all over the pictures. I just call the Sony authorize tech service from they said it will cost me $75 for the in house service since it’s out of warranty. They also said that if it’s the LCD panels has failed then it would cost as much as the TV itself. This is my first LCD from Sony but I have 3 other Sony TVs- 1 30″ Sony CRT, 1 47″ XBR rear projection and 1 65″ XBR rear projection TV. All the previous Sony TVs had no problem at all and I am still using the 65″ rear projection TV. What happen to Sony’s quality and reliability product? I guess it went to the same place as other first rated Japanese products like Toyota. They are just too busy on cutting cost and lower their reliabilities so they can rack in the billion dollars profit. So if you like the picture quality of Sony TVs; be advice to buy their extended warranty. I wish I did because if the LCD panel failed then my LCD TV is just a big 52″ black picture frame hanging on the wall. If you really, really have to get a Sony XBR LCD TV then I would recommend to get 5 years extended warranty plan for $299-it will save you a lot of frustration. And after 5 years, you will probably do a upgrade anyway.
5/11/2010 update: Today the tech came and verified that the LCD panel has gone bad after 1 year and 4 months of service. In the tech’s own words-the panel is a factory defect since it should not failed after just a little over a year of service and that I should call Sony and see they will reimburse the cost of the panel. I am so disappointed on the product since I did not just buy any Sony TV but the top of the line XBR series TV. I called Sony and told them the whole story but they just told me to fax all the documents -receipt and repair cost to Sony and they will evaluate it. I will wait and see what happen - but at this point I am really disappointed and frustrated with the whole thing!
Update: 5/13/2010-Just received a call from Sony “Customer Relations” today. It’s official-Sony don’t stand behind their products. They will not pay for the cost of their defective LCD panel since it’s out of warranty (1 year) after 1 year and 4 month of service. They just lost a loyal customer. No more Sony products in my house. Sony customer relations representative even has the nerve to offer me $900 reimbursement on a $$3517.75 repair cost. That’s right-I will have to pay $2617.76 to fix my $2018.88 LCD TV. So if you buy a Sony TV and you have a defective LCD panel after 1 year of use then you can just throw that TV in the trash because Sony will tell you go F yourself and trash the TV. Good luck on buying a Sony LCD TV because you going to need it-and looks like from my research, I am not the only customer that have a defect LCD panel after 1 year. In fact, the LCD panel is not even made by Sony but Samsung made in Korea. Samsung LCD Panels have notoriously for premature failure of their LCD panels. So no more Sony LCD for me or should I say Samsung LCD TV ….