DLA-X590R / DLA-RS440U

Just so you are aware, projectors basically never are useful at their maximum brightness, and the Horizon 20 Max is no exception. It is extremely noisy and has terrible colors at its maximum brightness. Real world is closer to 3,000 ISO Lumens. Which is likely more where your BenQ probably worked at. I do think that the major players are playing catch up. Epson, BenQ, and Optoma are way behind. Epson especially with their lamp-based projectors still on the market, while every other brand, for the same money, has gone to LED or laser setups. But, the lifestyle models from a long list of companies are doing a very good job of giving us the quality we should expect. I watch videos here for some of the best reviews: [www.youtube.com/thehookup](http://www.youtube.com/thehookup) I also read reviews and feedback from owners as best as my time allows to stay informed. Companies like JVC and Sony still do well at the high end with their laser driven LCoS projectors. But, those remain quite expensive and do require sources to be connected. But, that's what they were designed for. I've run into issues with control of a Valerion projector that doesn't power on/off when the Denon receiver it is connected to powers on and off. This is the type of headache that smaller brands like this deliver. It should not be that way, but it is the headache of these smaller companies as well.

I use a JVC DLA-X590 on a daily basis, but just installed the Valerion Max at my brother's home. I put the JVC up next to the Valerion and the Valerion was a great deal brighter and had a super punchy image. I would likely buy something like the Horizon 20 if I were looking to buy a new projector right now. I do think it's a really great buy.

I've tested a lot of projectors (written reviews for some) and seen many others. I had a Epson 5050 and JVC RS420 before this one. I also have a Nexigo Aurora Pro MKII in for review right now. N5? Are you in Europe? I know the NX5 was called the N5 over there. I think the NZ500 is a pretty big jump over the bulbed JVCs. Contrast in mixed scenes is quite a bit better and it'll stay brighter over the long haul due to laser. I also really don't like the dynamic contrast on previous JVCs but it is pretty good on the NZ500. On the NX and NP models it clips too much and makes people look like wax in dark scenes

People pay professionals good money to help them with answers to your questions. Equipment choice alone is barely half the equation. Good design and good integration are critical to achieving high performance. This isn’t something you should just freestyle, as there are many tradeoffs to manage based on your subjective preferences. Design informs equipment choice. It’s an iterative process as you converge on design and equipment choice simultaneously. Long throw projectors generally offer better image quality than UST at the same price point. UST are nice if you’re worried about people casting shadows or if this is a general entertainment space hosting karaoke night and dance parties. If it’s just for watching motion pictures while seated then get a long throw projector. For $5k I’d try to score a deal on a B-stock Sony VPL-XW5000ES or a lightly used JVC D-ILA projector, preferably with laser light source but if you’d rather spend less then a bulb is fine. You can find some screaming deals if you don’t mind bulbs and fake 4K pixel-shifting. If your viewing distance is >10ft then it shouldn’t matter. https://www.avsforum.com/forums/front-projector.252/ Fixed screens are cheaper than motorized screens. Acoustically transparent screens are nice because you can place the LCR speakers behind the screen, which not only looks better but sounds better. But this is also where you need to be careful as there is interaction between viewing angles/ screen size and speaker positions and seating distance. All have to be in harmony. Woven screens usually look and sound better than perforated screens, but this depends on the exact screen material, budget, viewing distance and preference. Like I said, there’s lots of tradeoffs to manage. I’d recommend minimum 7.1.4 speaker configuration, even if you have to built it in stages as funds allow. My preference in that size room is 9.1.6 but that’s going to break your budget in terms of AV processor capability, speaker count and amplification requirements. You’ll want a minimum of two subwoofers. What exactly do you mean by “sound conditioning is already taken care of?”

Black level champ, it's lcos jvc.

Get a JVC D-ILa with that budget. Contrast is everything. I have JVC N7 but thats an old model. Put also some money to darken the movie room. Others are only trying to sell their projectors so they could buy Jvc.

this is probably the unpopular opinion on here and i get why, but having seen a lot of projectors (all the way up to the new Bravia 9 from Sony, and most JVC DLA) in action, and having also seen the 97" G5 and Hisense 116 RGBmini in person, the 97" G5 is the most impressive. is it extremely expensive? yes. but if you love OLED and want that exact quality in the biggest size you can, i say go for it if money isn't your biggest concern.

1000% would be one of the JVC DLA projectors.