Sony has unveiled its latest Bravia 8 and 9 projectors, and while the naming convention is a little confusing – as there are also Bravia 8 and Bravia 9 TVs – they certainly look interesting, based on our brief time with them at the launch event.
Read our staff writer Lewis Empson’s Bravia 9 projector hands-on and you’ll see that, despite it being way too soon for our final verdict, they have left a very strong opening impression. His early verdict says it all:
“While it may not look like anything new on the outside, the upgraded processor and new picture features certainly appear to give this new flagship projector a boost in the picture department, with the inclusion of HDMI 2.1 being the cherry on top. Sony's latest step-up projector makes a dazzling debut.”
Outside of new Taylor Swift songs, he doesn’t often give praise like this. Trust me.
But for me personally, as much as I’m excited to get the new projectors into our dedicated viewing rooms for their full reviews, there’s another projector I have my mouse cursor floating over the buy now button for. Specifically, the Sony VPL-XW7000ES projector the Bravia 8 is set to replace.
Why am I so interested in an outgoing model you ask? There are two simple reasons. First, because it is still an exceptional projector. It not only earned a five-star rating when we reviewed it, but also picked up a What Hi-Fi? Award last year.
Which is why it’s still used as a benchmark and comparison point when we review projectors. On top of that, having sat in our viewing rooms helping review new projectors more times than I care to count, I can personally confirm it’s still a stellar performer. It offers stunning levels of contrast and exceptional light control that make everything from gloomy horrors to blockbuster action movies look excellent. Make no mistake, even now it will delight any home cinema fan with the cash to spare.
Speaking of cash, that brings me to my second reason – price. Projectors at this level never come cheap, and even at launch the VPL-XW7000ES was very expensive, retailing for £14,999 / $27,999 / AU$25,499. But, it’s now shedding thousands and is looking more tempting than ever. The newer Bravia 8 replacing it in November will retail for £15,999 / €15,999 but the VPL-XW7000ES is now seeing some hefty price drops thanks to the imminent arrival of the new unit. I’ve already seen some shops, including Peter Tyson and Amazon, offering it for £12,999 – a £2000 saving on its regular retail price.
With the VPL-XW7000ES set to be sent to the farm, I can see retailers dropping prices even further in the not too distant future. This is the standard pattern I’ve seen time and time again with outgoing home cinema hardware, having covered the industry for nearly two decades.
If it goes down in price even further, say to £11,999 or £10,999, this would make the VPL-XW7000ES one of the best deals to appear this year. And with the yearly sales bonanza, Black Friday, set to land the same month that the VPL-XW7000ES officially retires, I can see exactly that happening. Which is why I can’t help but get a little excited and wholeheartedly recommend any home cinema fan looking for a cracking projector for movies keep a close eye on its price over the coming months.
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