Sony BRAVIA KD-65X9005A Pro Reviews

Produces stunning Ultra HD images and unparalleled upscaling for lower resolutions; it’s superb

Even without native 4K content to play with, it's difficult not to become a little infatuated by the KD-65X9005A – it really is an outstanding television. Indeed, it may well be the best the brand has ever made. From design to usability, audio to video, it's just a treat to use. If this model is anything to go by, the super-large TV scene is going to become very interesting over the next 18 months. Even if you have no plans to buy right now, track down a 4K audition sooner rather than later. It's always nice to be in at the start of something big.

The X9005 is stunning to look at and is easily one of the most attractive TVs we have ever seen. The entire TV is beautifully designed with a lovely gloss black finish, incorporating a single sheet of glass at the front and sitting on a chrome circular stand. The build quality is excellent and Sony hasn't been afraid to use a deeper chassis in order to improve the audio performance. As a result the X9005 has front firing magnetic fluid speakers and the best sound we've heard from a TV in a long time, although making the speakers detachable would make more sense at this price point. There's a reasonable set of connections at the rear and the X9005 ships with two remote controls, one of which includes Near Field Communication (NFC) allowing instant mirroring of your smartphone, and four pairs of passive 3D glasses.

The KD-65X9005A is flat-out the most exciting big-screen TV released this year. With stunning design and advanced picture processing, this 4K debutant impresses with photographic-like image quality, the best consumer 3D we've ever experienced and a top class sound system. As the harbinger of a new era of broadcasting, it's also surprisingly relevant to today's TV world.