I’ve reviewed a slew of dwelling theater projectors within the final 18 months, and lots of of them had been excellent. The VPL-VW325ES, fairly merely, blows all of them away. And it’d higher, as a result of it additionally prices 5 occasions as a lot as most of these projectors.
LikeStunning imageStunning distinction ratioRelatively quiet
Don’t LikePriceyNot very brightLacks the colour of lasers
While there are a lot of causes the VPL-VW325ES performs in addition to it does, the primary one comes down to 2 easy phrases: distinction ratio. Using a trio of 4K SXRD liquid crystal on silicon chips, the VPL-VW325ES places out a distinction ratio that is 60 % higher than the next-best projector I’ve measured just lately, and greater than 10x higher than many of the different projectors I’ve reviewed. That distinction permits the Sony to create a picture that appears considerably extra practical, with extra obvious depth, than something that prices much less. And quite a lot of projectors price much less. You may purchase a superb used automotive for lower than this projector. I do know, I’ve. And regardless of the excessive value, this Sony shouldn’t be notably vivid. A couple of years in the past its 1,500 lumens would have been wonderful, however nowadays 2,500 is widespread and over 3,000 is not exceptional. Because of its wonderful distinction ratio, nonetheless, the VPL-VW325ES nonetheless blows away brighter PJs just like the Epson 5050UB, however you want complete gentle management in your room. Otherwise its exceptional black stage is wasted.
You can consider the VPL-VW325ES is the OLED TV of projectors. It seems to be gorgeous in each approach, but it surely’s additionally very costly and completely wants heavy curtains no less than, blackout curtains ideally. For the choose few who can afford it, and have a room that fits it, it is unbelievable.
Sony VPL-VW325ES: This is what a $5,500 projector seems to be like
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By the numbersResolution: 4,096×2,160 pixelsHDR-compatible: Yes4K-compatible: yes3D-compatible: NoLumens spec: 1,500Zoom: Motorized (x2.06)Lens shift: MotorizedLamp life (Normal mode): ???The 325ES is a “true” 4K projector, within the digital cinema sense. It sports activities a decision of 4,096×2,160, an additional 552,960 pixels over these wimpy Ultra HD projectors and their 3,840×2,160 decision. However, until you ship the projector 4,096×2,160, it is solely utilizing the 3,840×2,160 portion of the chip, with black bars on both aspect. However, the black stage is so good you’ll be able to’t actually discover these bars until you are actually searching for them.And why is that black stage so good? The 325ES makes use of a special know-how than most projectors. Epson, as an example, makes use of LCD chips, much like most TVs. Nearly all different projector producers use DLP chips made by Texas Instruments to create a picture. Sony makes use of SXRD, their very own model of a tech referred to as liquid crystal on silicon. This is a much more costly know-how and is barely present in high-end projectors like Sony’s personal and JVC with their D-ILA variant. However, LCoS is able to considerably larger distinction ratios than the opposite two, which is by far a very powerful facet of general image high quality, as we’ll talk about in a second.
Read extra: DLP vs LCD vs LCoS: Projector tech professionals and consThe huge bucks for the 325ES additionally get you a motorized lens with in depth shift and zoom choices. You can transfer the picture vertically +85% and -80%, and horizontally +/-31%. This means you’ll be able to match the 325ES in all kinds of setups, together with ceiling mount, shelf behind your couch, and extra. The 2x zoom vary means you’ll be able to fill a 2.35:1 display for film nights, then zoom down and simply fill the middle 16×9 portion for TV watching. At first look the lumen spec shouldn’t be spectacular. For $5,500 I’d have hoped for extra gentle, and you should purchase a far brighter projector for much much less cash. As we’ll talk about within the comparability part, this does not matter as a lot as you’d assume, but it surely does restrict how massive a display you’ll be able to have, and it means you completely should have complete gentle management in your room.Sony being Sony, they do not reveal how lengthy the lamp within the 325ES will final. This is… peculiar and slightly baffling. My Sony projector, an older however costlier mannequin, had misplaced vital brightness after 3,000 hours, sufficient that I felt the necessity to substitute its lamp. So be at liberty to make use of that as a tough estimate. At 4 hours an evening, that is about 2 years of use.
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
Connect your moviesHDMI inputs: 2PC enter: NoUSB port: 1 (0.5A energy)Audio enter and output: NoDigital audio output: NoInternet: LAN (for management)12v set off: YesRS-232 distant port: YesRemote: BacklitBefitting a projector designed for dwelling theaters, the 325ES has a restricted suite of connections however plenty of management choices. No legacy connections both, simply HDMI. Honestly, that is wonderful. I’m all the time stunned to see analog connections on a projector nowadays. What you do get is quite a lot of connections to manage the projector with a house automation system, together with RS-232, LAN, and even an IR enter. There is a USB connection, but it surely’s solely able to 0.5 amps, which will not energy most streaming sticks. Again, that is wonderful as should you’re spending 5 grand on a projector I’d hope you’ve one thing leftover within the funds for a receiver.
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
Picture high quality comparisons
There is not quite a lot of competitors on this value vary, but it surely’s worthwhile to match the 325ES to some latest, cheaper, and fairly good projectors just like the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB and the LG HU810P. Even a passing look can see the 325ES blows them away, however is it almost twice pretty much as good as the value implies? We shall see. I related all three by way of a Monoprice 1×4 distribution amplifier, and considered all aspect by aspect by aspect on a 12-foot-wide, 1.0-gain display. The Sony is, as you’d hope, on an entire different stage. Even at roughly half the brightness of the opposite two my eye saved coming again to it. The distinction ratio is simply that intoxicating. Compared to the Epson, in that projector’s highest distinction mode, the Sony’s black ranges are only a bit deeper, and its highlights only a bit brighter, so there’s noticeably extra depth and realism to the picture. The highlights simply pop, but the blacks are so deep as to look to lack gentle. In the Epson’s larger brightness mode, it is after all far brighter than the Sony may ever hope to be, however in that mode the black stage is way larger, so black letterbox bars, for instance, are way more noticeable. The Epson’s picture is nice, however the Sony’s is bigger.Contrast ratio is to projectors and TVs what velocity is to a race automotive. Sure, it might need pretty curves and brighter lights, however when it comes right down to it, the quickest automotive wins. This is why OLED TVs almost all the time win multi-TV shootouts and countless editors’ selection awards. LCOS is the OLED of the projector world. What stunned me is the element. This is partly on account of Sony’s elaborate picture processing, which you’ll disable, and likewise the distinctive distinction and having 3,840×2,160 discrete pixels. The Sony seems to be extra detailed than the Epson and much more than the extra-sharp LG. There is a few movement blur, which the LG lacks, besides it nonetheless seems to be very, very detailed. Where you discover it probably the most, like hairs and wrinkles on a face, the Sony does 4K element extra justice than the opposite two.That highly effective processing, much like what’s present in its high-end TVs, additionally permits for much, much better HDR processing than most different projectors. All projectors that may assist HDR have to switch that sign to work, since no projector has the brightness or dynamic vary to completely deal with HDR. There’s sufficient processing energy within the 325ES to remap the HDR sign and create a picture largely freed from artifacts or extreme clipping, each of which I’ve seen on lesser projectors.
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
There is one facet the place the Sony is merely “really, really good” and LG comes out on prime and that is with colour. The Sony is able to exceptionally correct and lifelike colours… with HD. It does not have almost the depth of colour of the LG and its laser-powered rainbow of HDR flavors. Deeper crimsons, violets and greens are on faucet with the LG. The Sony seems to be good, however much less spectacular for positive. Even the Epson, in its wider-gamut mode, can produce deeper colours than the Sony. However, I needs to be clear that is simply with the broader colours accessible with HDR. The Sony is extra correct than both the LG or the Epson in the case of non-HDR/WCG colours. Which is to say, with all content material the Sony will look nice, however with HDR/WCG content material the colours will likely be higher on Epson and LG. Not an enormous deal, however a 325ES-like projector with a laser gentle engine could be unbelievable. Sony does make these, however they price $20,000.So is it doable to get a better-looking projector? Sure, however you’d must spend much more cash.Theater in your homeSuperlatives fail. The 325ES is way extra cinema-like than any projector I’ve reviewed just lately. Would I purchase it? That’s the actual query, proper? $5,500 is some huge cash. That’s an honest used automotive, a bit of a down fee on a home, or roughly three months of touring anyplace on the planet. The picture high quality you will get from the Epson 5050 is superb, and that projector shouldn’t be solely $2,500 cheaper but additionally considerably brighter. So as a lot as I really like how unbelievable the 325ES seems to be, I do not assume I’d spend my very own cash on it. But then, I’m only a lowly (Amazon bestselling) author who spends his cash on journey and vehicles he by no means drives. I’m positive there are many you studying this who would not blink at spending $5,500 for the picture high quality doable with the 325ES. If you’ll be able to afford it, that is the Porsche of the projector world — and man, is it candy. Geek Box
Test
Result
Score
Black luminance (0%)
0.014
Good
Peak white luminance (100%)
126.2
Average
Derived lumens
1136
Average
Avg. grayscale error (10-100%)
1.696
Good
Dark grey error (20%)
0.861
Good
Bright grey error (70%)
1.936
Good
Avg. colour error
1.666
Good
Red error
3.109
Average
Green error
1.387
Good
Blue error
1.774
Good
Cyan error
1.421
Good
Magenta error
1.257
Good
Yellow error
1.048
Good
Avg. saturations error
1.45
Good
Avg. colour checker error
1.4
Good
Input lag (Game mode)
36.4
Average
Measurement notesThere’s not a lot to say concerning the VPL-VW325ES, it is simply good in no matter mode you need to use. I discovered the Reference image mode to be probably the most reference-like, and on this mode each the first and secondary colours had been spot on their Rec 709 targets. Easily probably the most correct projector we have measured in recent times.There wasn’t a lot variation in complete gentle output throughout the totally different modes, so I caught with Reference and measured 126.2 nits, or roughly 1,136 lumens. For comparability, within the Epson 5050UB’s most correct mode, it was able to 192.3 nits, or roughly 1,732 lumens. The Low lamp mode dropped the sunshine output by roughly 30%. The Bright TV mode was about 10 nits brighter with barely worse colour accuracy.Contrast ratio, after all, is that this projector’s energy. In the identical mode that places out 126.2 nits, the black stage is 0.014 for a distinction ratio of 9,014:1. Across its varied modes, it averages 8,327:1. For comparability, the subsequent closest projector when it comes to distinction ratio is the Epson, which averaged 5,203:1. The common for all of the projectors we have reviewed within the final yr, not together with the Sony and Epson, is 660:1. Though, admittedly, they’re all considerably cheaper than the 325ES.