I too dithered between this and the 8-series, but couldn't work out what the difference was. I am delighted with this television. The quality of the HD picture is staggering. I find the perfect viewing distance is about 6', for me. 3D is interesting but a bit of a gimmick at the moment. Note contrary to what the description says, mine came with one set of 3D glasses. I can't comment on the sound because I route it through an AV amp. I was so impressed I ordered the Samsung Blu-ray player the next day, and that surpassed my expectation too. It's a TV of beauty too; amazingly light and thin, and is a joy to look at. It was easy to assemble the stand, then I switched it on and it set itself up. Nice remote too.