General opinions needed on Loewe...

...have one last dilemma: Vitros 6381ZW basalt with 5 year warranty OR Aconda 9381ZW high gloss black with 2 year warranty (may extend it later)? Opinions...

[SteveCac]

Aventos?

Unfortunately I decided just to go on aesthetics! I know, I know but I thought if you're gonna buy Loewe...

[SteveCac]

Good point, if your spending the cash, you might as well have some say on what it looks like.

I've had a 9381ZW for just over a year and have to say it is fantastic. Picture quality is just superb. I drive it through Sky+ or Arcam DV88.
It does get a little carried away sometimes with the screen format switching - it is too clever for its own good. The most obvious case is when a TV show is reviewing a film and showing the odd 5 second clip. The Aconda bounces between different aspect ratios as the clips switch between TV and film. This is rare and doesn't spoil an otherwise excellent viewing experience.

Mick,

I've just bought a silver Aconda 9381ZW from John Lewis for £1480 (price matched) including a 5 year guarantee. I don't know if the glossy black is the same price.

Let me know if you're still interested in the Aconda and require more details.

[Markmw]

Originally posted by Mstislav
Mick,

I've just bought a silver Aconda 9381ZW from John Lewis for £1480 (price matched) including a 5 year guarantee. I don't know if the glossy black is the same price.

Let me know if you're still interested in the Aconda and require more details.

£1480? Good grief! Which JL and who did u price match with? I spent a ** long ** time unsuccesfully looking for a reasonable price match. Ended up getting a deal (not price matched) from HoF for £1520 for the Silver 9381 (older chassis).

Have seen the gloss black both cheaper and more expensive than the stratos silver in different shops. They are basically the same price but different retailers charge differently, claiming the finish is the differentiator.

Mark

[mansell]

£1474.99 inc VAT at bestpricetv.com !!!!!!!!

[ianbe]

Originally posted by Eakley
It does get a little carried away sometimes with the screen format switching - it is too clever for its own good. The most obvious case is when a TV show is reviewing a film and showing the odd 5 second clip. The Aconda bounces between different aspect ratios as the clips switch between TV and film. This is rare and doesn't spoil an otherwise excellent viewing experience.

This feature is known as 'Automatic Movie Detection' or AMD and can be turned off if necessary. I've turned it off on my set since it often kicked in incorrectly during particularly dark scenes.

By the way, I've had my Aconda for a year now and I'm still as impressed with it now as I was the day I bought it.

[Markmw]

Originally posted by mansell
£1474.99 inc VAT at bestpricetv.com !!!!!!!!

Saw them, but since they didn't appear (from their website) to have a walk-in shop as such, I doubted that JL would price match them. Would be interested to hear if people think otherwise.

Thought about tvandvideodirect.com - £1,438 + £40 delivery - but decided not to bother with the price match.

Mark

[Wilbur]

Hi Mick,

If aesthetics are your number one priority, the other Loewe to consider would be the Articos (here comes the shameless plug) mine is currently up for sale on the classifieds section as I've made the move to plasma. I won't go into the details here (immaculate condition, 14 months warranty etc etc )

Kind regards,

Wilbur

That's a good offer but unless you offer finance I will have to reject!

[Pete Callan]

Hi Mick

Got yr e-mail, sorry for late reply but my ISP's been down all w/e.

Anyway, if you haven't already bought it, I'd definitely recommend the Vitros in basalt. As you say, shops only ever display the silver ones. I don't know why and you're right to think about buying black, particularly if all your other equipment is black.

I will say this: the basalt is without doubt the most beautiful TV I have ever seen, absolutely stunning. I'm not a big fan of silver TVs, DVDs, etc so when I bought new hifi/audio equipment last summer, I decided to go all black, and I don't regret it a bit. Its not what I'd call a shiny glossy black, which I have seen on some other Loewes. Personally, I prefer the Vitros basalt to the shiny ones, but its subjective I guess, although how anyone can disagree with me, I really don't know!

Funnily enough I've had a few problems with my Vitros recently and HoF are now replacing it with a brand new one. (Needless to say, I recommend buying from HoF or JL, just in case!) My old one is a Q24 and the new one will be a Q25, so I guess I'll lose the DMM (whatever that is, can't say I'm really much of a gadget man). I'll also lose some of the PIP extras, but then again, after the 1st week, I've never used PIP or S/S.

Let me know how you get on.

[telboy]

Had my Articos a year and still find the picture quality and design top notch.

However I think a plasma will soon replace it

Pete - thanks fro the reply. I have now ordered the Vitros in basalt and it will be here in afew weeks, so can't wait really. How long have you had yours now and what problems have you had with it recently?

Cheers