On today ’s variant of You ask : Will Sony exchange the A95L next year ? What ’s the undecomposed soundbar for the buck ? Plus , we ’re come up up on the one - class anniversary of You Asked , and I ’ve commence some fun stuff planned that you ’re going to require to hear about .
Before we get started with our first dubiousness , I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has beam in questions in the former weeks . I love hearing from all of you , and I appreciate the fact that you take clip out of your solar day . And I know you read that I ca n’t maybe answer every undivided question that comes in — but what you may not acknowledge is that out of 100 e-mail that I get coming in , only about 20 of them are good campaigner for consideration . So , what split the form of doubtfulness Icananswer versus the kind that I ca n’t ?
Well , the introduction is a big clue : I like to aid youand otherswho have similar tech questions . That means that I ’m after questions that lots of folks might have . The more spacious the question , the better . Conversely , the more specific or hyper - personal they are , the less probable I ’ll be able to answer .
So , motion around getting good strait without upsetting the neighbors ? That ’s an government issue a lot of folk shin with . see out whether to use a TV ’s eARC port or go straight to a soundbar or receiver with a secret plan console table ? Lots of kinsfolk are plausibly struggling with the same determination . Questions around whether premium cable are a sham ? Those form of topics are nifty .
Should I buy Sony A95L now or wait?
Adam Taylor writes : I ’m looking to get a nice TV and 5.1 surround system for my new flat . I ’m really wanting to save up for the Sony A95L since it seems to be undefeated as the best TV for HDR movies , my primary exercise . I ’ve used LG and Samsung before and while their current OLED offerings are enceinte , I ’d like to pass more and get The King . Do you think Sony will give up a heir to the A95L next year ? And if it does , will it have any worthwhile or meaningful improvements ? Or should I just get the A95L later this year and be happy ?
You are not the only person enquire whether Sony will release a heir to the vauntedA95L QD - OLED . Before I reply , I want to be clear that what I ’m about to say is civilize guesswork . I do not have any secret info from Sony when piddle these guesses .
With that clearly understood : My guess is that , yes , Sony will replace the A95L in 2025 . And , if it does , I do not expect to get wind about it until possibly March 2025 . This is not an announcement Sony is likely to make at CES — although that would certainly thread a lot of attention at the full-grown craft show .
The grounds I think Sony is likely to supersede the A95L is dual .
First : The only reasons Sony would not replace the A95L is if the Bravia 9 was so good that sustain a QD - OLED was irrelevant . And while the Bravia 9 is a great mini - run TV , it does not make OLED irrelevant . The demand for something like the A95L is still there . Second : It is virtually unheard of to have a product cycle that survive more than two years . We ’ve seen that happen with some outrageously expensive 8 K OLED tv . But for something like the A95L , it ’s just cash in one’s chips to reckon indolent on Sony ’s part if it does n’t replace it within two years . And that ’s even if the existing A95L ’s performance is so good it still beats the competitions ’ new telecasting .
But remember that the Sony A95L — while teased much in the beginning — was n’t available for preorder until August 21 , 2023 . Deliveries did n’t happen for some weeks after . So the A95L is n’t even a year old yet and will turn 2 in September 2025 . So its replacement could be as far as 14 months out .
As for how much better this conjectural new model may be ? There are a couple of thing to consider here . One is that the A95L uses Samsung ’s first - generation QD - OLED panel , so the new Sony would have at least the second - gen gore , like the Samsung S95D does . 2nd is that Sony is always pluck its processing , and it has an chance to pair that Modern panel to an optimized processor that works well with that panel and with the Pentonic organisation on a chip . That is assuming that Sony sticks with that SOC .
I know a lot of folks would get it on to see Sony goggle box with four HDMI 2.1 ports , but MediaTek has to make one Sony can use with its XR processor . So perhaps that could be another featured betterment ?
So , to twine it up : Will there be an A95L switch in 2025 ? I would bet money on yes . Will it be good than the A95L ? Yes , I think it will be bright and it might be optimized for the anticipatedPS5 Pro console . It might even get four HDMI 2.1 port wine , but that ’s kind of a stretch . Is it worth wait 14 or more month to get it — and likely paying significantly more for it ? Only you could make that decision .
Best do-it-all soundbar for apartment?
Cast Iron Eric writes : What ’s a outstanding soundbar that does n’t come with a sub or artificial satellite speakers ? I ’m in an flat and need to just get something that ’s good than my LG G4 internal loudspeaker .
This is a great example of a question whose answer will be helpful to a stack of kinsfolk . A mess of the great unwashed want an all - in - one soundbar and need to get pointed in the right focus .
I pass out to my brother Simon Cohen , and we bat this around a number . His No . 1 pick for an all - in - one soundbar is theSennheiser Ambeo Plus , and I have to concord with him . Nothing does phantom environs verbaliser placement well , and the low final stage is very good on that soundbar . It ’s also the most expensive of the options I ’ll recommend here at $ 1,200 .
Down the price pole we have theBose Soundbar Ultraat $ 900 , or theBose Smart Soundbar 900at $ 700 . Both of those are substantial . And then there ’s theSonos Arcat $ 900 , or theSonos Beamat $ 500 . The Beam is less punchy and less all - encompassing , but it is still very telling and offers a good experience than the LG G4 ’s build - in speakers .
TheSamsung S60B , at $ 300 and alteration , is a great path to go if you need to keep the budget closely . I ’m not trusted you could get honest speech sound from a soundbar at that terms point .
And … below $ 200 ? Well , Sony has the $ 100HT - S100F. But I ’d only get that if the speaker on your telly are just truly horrific . Otherwise you ’re not looking at much of an rise .
