Valerion - VisionMaster Max

Ignore those deluded Valerion fans. Tbf if you only consume non subtitle dark content then maybe Valerion ebl will be the better choice for you. Assuming you're not sensitive to rbe, under $3k the best is dangbei s7 ultra max, then it's a tossed up between xgimi horizon 20 max and nebula x1. For ust, nexigo ap mk2 is better than valerion and has no rbe / speckle issue too.

Valerion Max yes for contrast due to iris but not the pro2, xgimi 20 max is like 50% brighter along with same contrast. Also, has h+v lens shift.

Fyi there's a downside to low fan volume, the likes of Valerion get the low fan noise via limiting the fan (1600 rpm instead of 2500 rpm) and instead throttle the laser (can drop 30-40% kind). Some of their users are resorting to adding an extra fan / modding a replacement to reduce the throttling. So it depends which you prefer, as higher fan noise can be distracting too.

The color drift so it's not stable, affects the white balance and it may get dimmer.

It did got beat by dangbei s7 ultra numbers, ~38% brighter too. You might want to temper your max expectations. It's a dimmer pro2 with ~2x contrast. The jump from pro2 will not be really big. For max iris 6, just dim your pro2 to laser 2-4 and imagine darker black due to ~2x contrast.

Lol agree with the echo chamber. You post negative things on their avs thread and fb page, they'll call you trolling with fake account haha. I got banned from both for pointing out their bias. Valerion fanbois are also big fans of dynamic contrast as they don't seem to use subtitles. You can see their comparison videos / pictures showing ebl and how great it is are all without subtitles, which is fine for americans who only watch english content. Think you might saw my comment on x1 with iris having better contrast but the gap is not that big and it's due to valerion max throttling iirc. Valerion does have upside with ebl (if you don't use white subtitles), global support, english menu with google tv, faster chip compared to x1, rbe reduction, ks price is fair. Downside, it's losing in terms of brightness (up to ~38%) to newer ones like nebula x1, jmgo n5, viddda c5 and dangbei s7. X1 is sharper too. Valerion retail price is unnecessarily high too. Their support is non existent and feels like abandonware. Pro2 only has 1 fw update in ~9 months and still got plenty of bugs. For users sensitive to rbe and want English menu, global warranty support and want snappier built in google tv, Valerion seems to be the only option for tri laser. Don't buy retail price though. If you can get the max @ks price and sensitivity to rbe, max is the best option. However if you're not sensitive to rbe, for half the price of retail max you better get dangbei s7 and a streaming stick.

Iirc nexigo has something similar to fixed iris as it limits the brightness. I prefer ust due to better and easier choice of alr screen. Xgimi 20, nebula x1 are different than nexigo alpd ones fyi. So your sensitivity to rbe and speckle matters in such choice. It's not that nebula x1 doesn't suffer sub issue, it's inherent to all dynamic dimming and nebula has one too. However, if you disable nebula subpar dynamic, then their native contrast with iris won't have such issue. Native contrast in the nebula x1 has the advantage over Valerion whose advantage is the ebl which works great if you don't use subtitles. Nebula version of ebl is not great so it's not really a loss for users using subtitles. Nebula x1 lens is sharper but cpu is laggier and has more rbe than the significantly more expensive valerion max though.

Nahh nebula x1 has better native and dynamic contrast. Valerion advantage is dimming.

Marketing contrast numbers are just nonsense. The valerion max native contrast at fully open iris is ~2000:1, and fully close at ~4000:1. Their dynamic contrast can reach 30k:1 means it can dim the laser and lower the black level in dark scenes. The native contrast remains the same fyi so you won't actually see 30k:1 contrast. Hence, some say infinite dynamic contrast when it can turn off the laser. -  1. You need to specify your throw range. 2. Most modern projectors handle 4k content fine, do you mean 4k output? 3. You prefer laser, have you seen the various kind of laser? There's single, dual and tri lasers with option like alpd. All different pro & con of laser. 4. For gaming, how about vrr? Lower lag may also mean lower resolution iirc.

You can consider nebula x1 and valerion max (if you can get it for less than $3k) as they have iris. Lasers get dim over time too. Imo best is for you to sample or demo them as tri lasers have issues such as rbe and speckle which bother some people. If you're sensitive to rbe then you will have to consider alpd laser projector or 3lcd like epsons.

Main difference - Xgimi: - has both vertical and horizontal shift - ~20% brighter even with Valerion iris fully open. - significantly cheaper at retail price - vrr for gaming Valerion: - has iris that trades brightness for contrast - better dynamic contrast dimming (ebl) but it only works if you don't consume content with subtitles - has rbe reduction feature that has high pitch noise though. - Valerion at retail price is absurd but it's ebl is nice if you don't consume content with subtitles and the rbe reduction feature is useful. Xgimi is a lot brighter, cheaper and has more features but the contrast is not as good due to lack of iris. Imo it depends on the price gap that you can get either one, and if you value contrast or brightness more. Also, check your sensitivity to rbe as this tri laser have issues with that and Valerion rbe reduction may not be enough for you if you're very sensitive to rbe.

For projector the black level is subjected to your room. So reflection from the room floor, ceiling, walls will bleed the black and raise it. Hence, ppl recommend alr screen for non ideal room (need to sample first as it has own sets of issues). Once you get the projector, you can try to see how bright content like animation don't change much between dark room and room with ambient light but then when you watch dark scenes it will look way better without the light bleeding the black. On/off your room light for bright and dark content, bright one will still look good in comparison to dark content. The valerion max with iris closed down will have the better black, up to 2x better contrast. However, this is subjected to your room. In a dark cave dedicated theater I would say pick the Valerion max but for regular room use, get the brighter and cheaper xgimi. However, if you still prefer native contrast then in the end it's Valerion due to iris.

Slight correction, there's no dynamic iris on Valerion max. It's dynamic contrast which uses dimming (and gamma correction too) and they call it EBL. Fyi, iris on Valerion max is currently only static and manual, Valerion did initially marketed dynamic iris but the plan has been cancelled, supposedly the feature was removed due to stability issues with Google TV.

This was almost certainly written by AI. You can't convince me this was written by a human: "This means that during sustained use, the red laser dims to protect the hardware, directly impacting color balance and perceived brightness—an unacceptable defect in a "premium" machine." or "We’ve been told the Max is a “home theater game-changer,” but when you look past the marketing gloss and into the real user comments—like the one in this thread—the story changes dramatically." What is with all the random references to "real user comments on this post?" What is this even talking about? The post was written before any comments were even there? That, along with no posts or comments in 3 years until today, is bot behavior. Regardless, here is my response to the criticism in this post: * **Lumens:** No projector ever hits its advertised brightness in the most color-accurate mode. The 3,500 ISO lumens is based on the brightest possible mode, and every review I’ve seen confirms that number is accurate. If you are going to complain about the calibrated brightness on the max, then that means every projector is just as guilty. * **Dynamic Iris:** The Max doesn’t have a dynamic iris yet. That’s coming in a future update. The claims in this post saying that it has poor contrast without it are ridiculous and uninformed; this seems to be a theme in this post. * **Thermal Throttling:** I’ve seen no reputable reviews or users reporting red laser thermal throttling on the Max. That seems completely baseless. Feel free to prove me wrong on this. * **Chromatic Aberration:** I have also seen no reviews or users mention chromatic aberration being an issue. Even if it were noticeable in extreme torture tests, it doesn’t matter for normal movie watching. * **Gaming:** The 4K/60Hz input lag is 15ms, which is very good, even for competitive gaming. (which you shouldn't do on a projector anyway). Criticizing the 1080p/240Hz 4ms spec is weird since 1080p is still the most common gaming resolution, over 53 percent of Steam users play at 1080p, and all modern consoles run it fine. There are good reasons to criticise the max, such as the price, low native contrast, laser speckle, brightness pumping, EBL issues when using subtitles, and color accuracy issues during warm-up, to name a few. The criticisms in this post are just plain stupid.

I got my max this week, and it has been phenomenal. I am probably in the group that glazes on valerion a little too hard, but there is a good reason for it. Previously, I have tried projectors like the Epson 5050ub and BenQ HT2060, and I have viewed over a dozen high-end projectors in demo rooms. For me, the valerion is my perfect projector. I don't have the room or the budget to go with a huge JVC, Sony, or Epson, but I also don't feel like I need to. I don't have any RBE sensitivity, and I am working on a strict budget. Maybe I don't have a well-trained eye, but at EBL low with the IRIS dialed in, the black levels are so low that I can't imagine watching anything and thinking I would need more contrast. But contrast isn't my favorite part about the max; it is the colors. Watching movies on this projector feels like I am watching them with fresh eyes; it is an absolute joy. I hear that virtually all triple laser projectors produce colors like this, and I haven't actually seen any other triple laser projectors in person, so maybe that is the real game changer for me. Regarding this person's criticisms, they don't feel unbiased to me. There isn't any projector that matches the advertised lumens in the most color accurate mode, the max can achieve 3500 lumens in a less color accurate mode, it isn't deceptive at all. OP also doesn't even realize that dynamic iris isn't included in the max yet; that is coming in a future update. And then the throttling and chromatic aberration claims are completely baseless in my experience; I haven't seen anyone who is experiencing those issues on the Max. Doesn't feel genuine to me.

I have the valerion visionmaster max and I highly recommend it and with a 100 dollar deposit, you can get it for only 4000 before novenmber 2nd. only downside is there is a waitlist, so probably a long shipping wait.

I have the valerian max, projected on a white screen, it’s very bright, almost too bright even with iris cinema 2 on, but for a best of both worlds situation, I put the iris on cinema 1 mode for a balance of great contrast and great highlights. On a grey matte screen, Cinema 2 is just a little too dark for me on some movies. It is plenty bright for the max, also with 120 inch screen, you won’t lose much lumen output because of how near the screen you will be. At least that’s the theory anyway. Mostly the bigger the screen the less the iso lumens. But I did order a light rejecting grey screen, which should help with dark richer blacks for contrast. Honestly super impressed with even how dark it could get on a white screen, but I sampled some high contrast screens, looks like an OLED level black, but the highlights are lost and dull because of how much darker the material is. As far as screens go, I hate speckle on these tri- laser projector, so I look for anti-speckling screens that give me good contrast as well. A matte grey screen works very well for its value, but I did order a ventricular clr screen that is a darker grey with light rejecting features, and 95% speckle reduction. Should be delivered soon. Update later.

Yes it’s double the price. All I can say is the iris on the valerian makes the difference, not a difference, THE difference. So if the xgimi doesn’t have iris, it’s gonna be like if the max iris is off, which is just a darkish grey instead of very dark almost black. Just don’t skimp out on a nice screen to compliment the projector’s capabilities cause that affect how dark and how bright you can go of course.

Nexigo Aurora Pro Mk II + an ALR screen (Nothing projector makes a seamless 132 inch if that fits on the wall, or a 120). A side benefit is that you wouldn't have to rip out the ceiling lights and fans since the projector would be on the floor in front of the screen. Without building a fake wall in front of the window you can't have an in-wall center anyway so you don't need something like a perforated screen. If you can't fit bigger than 120 (or less) I'd concur with ProjectionHead (aka Brian from Projectorscreen) that a floor-rising motorized ALR screen that comes up over the window would let you keep this room way more general use and then have a fantastic home cinema time anyway. You'd need blackout curtains over the window(s) instead of actually doing work to seal them. Alternatively if you prefer longer throw, a Valerion Pro 2 or Max, with the appropriate fresnel based ALR screen they sell. There are somewhat better projectors around the $5 grand mark but you're not buying just half the solution, you need to factor in the screen which can run $1-2 grand (or vastly more than that, you want a Screen Innovations Black Diamond in their Zero G motorized form it's more like five figures). But sure, you could go with a white screen and black everything but imo you absolutely don't need to. The clincher in my view is the available wall real estate you have to work with. If you could fit a 150, 175 or some other honking huge screen then a long throw and black walls would be the way to go. If you're limited to sub-150 anyway, why not UST?

Since I really like UST projectors I'd have said "Nexigo Aurora Pro MK II" - $3 grand + $1 grand for an UST specific ALR screen, but with the ceiling mount and screen already there I guess that's out. Although not necessarily, still; it's still $4 grand and you could just dismount that screen and remove the ceiling mount. For long throw the Valerion projectors are hard to look past at this price point, they're embarrassing more established brands right now. However, I'd still replace the screen with Valerion's long throw Fresnel ALR screen. Also, what is that, a screen for mice? 100 inches in that space? Get a 150 and drop it low. This screen is mounted too high anyway.

The Valerion Max has a mode where they increase the speed of the color shifts. According to Chris Majestic that caused his projector to emit a buzzing noise but it also baslically eliminated RBE. But the Max is also quite expensive. But still a really cool projector, not least because you can put an anamorphic lens on it and project in 21:9 if you so wish. I'd wish... if I were in the market. Which I'm not right this second.

The QB1000 is ludicrously overpriced for what it is, an LS12000 with tweaked dynamic contrast and slightly more light. Also, the Valerion Max makes it look bad, especially at thousands less in purchasing cost.

Valerion Visionmaster Pro 2 visits a 320 inch cinema: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTPAM13Lon0 - so of course it depends on what level of lumens you really want, but I wonder just how much a Valerion Visionmaster Max could do. Certainly it would shit on the likes of an Epson QB1000 which is just a minimally uprated LS12000. The Max claims 3500 lumens, and the 3000 the Pro 2 has looked like that on 300+ inches. Even a JVC only hits 2000 or 2300 lumens. Here's Youthman shining the Pro 2 at a wall at 300: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhVqxINzqxs So yeah, obviously I'm just spitballing here. I don't know what you deem acceptable either. But the Max with an anamorphic lens (which is in the works, I believe - the Max has interchangeable lenses) on a 180 inch 21:9... I can't imagine that would disappoint. The Max also has the Iris to further get black level and contrast, it does something like 25000:1 which a big JVC will obviously beat... but not by as much as one might imagine, I believe. But, good luck figuring out which way to go. But it sounds kind of silly to say, but to me the Valerion Max has kind of rendered most other consumer long throws irrelevant. I have an Epson UST, and nothing Epson has in the sub-$10 grand range makes any sense vs the Max. JVC's D-ILA models, sure, you give up brightness but gain contrast and absolute black level, and lower brightness is an issue if you want to go large.

You'd probably be better off with a 5050ub even though it's bulb fed. It has considerably better black levels. They're cheaper too (well.. same ballpark). Or, you could look into the Valerion projectors, the Pro 2 model almost certainly gives you a better image in just about every way. Or the Max, better yet. Since you're talking about in-wall speakers, UST projectors are out (can't combine UST ALR screen with perforations) otherwise one of those would have been a choice, at 120 inches; a $2000-ish Nexigo Aurora Pro provides a better image and better dark room viewing than the LS11000 (haven't seen it with my own eyes, have seen a comparo online by The Hook Up). Epson projectors also all have loud fans; I'm an Epson owner myself. I have to run mine on 70% power to shut the fan up otherwise it sounds like a vacuum cleaner.

That's your call, obviously, pick what you think is the best choice for you. Personally if I could have one handed to me for free, the Valerion Max or a QB1000 I'd pick the Valerion 11 times out of 10 at this point. The QB1000 is an LS12000 with slightly better dynamic hdr processing - and I do better dynamic HDR processing with madVR filters already - and they're very similar. Fine projectors (like I said, I have an Epson, not like I dislike the brand or anything) but imo value for money with the QB1000 is absolutely not there. You're just a hair's breadth away from JVC's entry level.

Image quality wise, they're outstanding especially the Pro 2 and the Max. Price-wise they've gone up a bit. Quality wise... that's where it may start to get lackluster, they're still Chinese and AWOL which is the sister company (or some such) to Valerion hasn't exactly covered themselves in glory these past few years in that department. Mind you this is just me speculating, don't really have any data to back it up, for all I know they're great at that too. I somewhat doubt it. But the top models can go toe to toe with pricier models on image quality. If you do go that route, I would personally also cough up the dough for Valerion's fresnel based ALR screen for them.

Not true "all DLP projectors have it" Seen any IMAX or Dolby movies lately? No RBE there. They use DLP. Rainbow effect is caused by single chip DLP (one chip for all colors) and the use of a Color wheel to split the light into RGB, or in Valarion's case an RGB laser that modulates between the 3 primary colors. The color wheel is the worst, and RGB laser light tends to be better, but still shows up in very dark scenes with super bright highlights, during fast motion. Now not all Epson projectors have no RBE, but what are you looking for if you don't want that is 3 Chip products. The home cinema Epson uses 3LCD panels. JVC projectors use D-Ila panels (again 3, 1 dedicated to each color) All theater projectors and high end home models will use DLP chips but have 3, 1 for each color and do not have any issues with RBE. DLP isn't the problem. That being said, I own an Epson 3800, BenQ tk850, Optima HD27, JVC-Nz700, and the Valiaron Pro2 and MAX (not yet released) I currently have been using the Pro2 for everything and absolutely love it. Yes it's worth it and best in its class.

Yeah I don't have my MAX yet. but reviews have been very good on its RBE reduction. Black levels are really good on the Pro2 but supposed to be also even better with teh MAX. JVC is a great projector but its also a lot louder and kind of needs to be put in a doghouse. ( box enclosures ) But at this point its just not worth the Money when I can get almost as good for a 1/3 the price. ( even cheaper for me because I got it for the Kickstarter price of $2k)

Valerion is Chinese, they are a subsidiary of awol vision.

The valerion Max is the best overall projector picture for projectors under 10k that you can buy without having to go through the Chinese marketplace (some newer Chinese projectors may compete with, like Dangbei s7 ultra max and vidda c5 boundless master, but no support for them outside of China yet) Iris 5 or 6 and EBL is unbeatable, EBL is currently the best dynamic dimming algorithm that exists in any projector. That being said, Valerion is releasing firmware updates much more slowly than more established brands like Anker's Nebula X1, their marketing is out of sync with the actual engineering as they state it has speckle reduction which it doesnt (Rbe only) and they have been silently removing any mention of dynamic iris without specifying if it will be provided in the future (right now its only manual). So, after sales service TBD, maybe in the future another brand catches up but for now they have the best mid range projector you can buy and get service for outside of China. YMMV.

We have a 65 inch oiled in the living room. I got a Valerion vision master max and a 150 inch screen in the loft about 2 months ago. I have not been to the living room in 2 months. 😂

None of those projectors have native 4k resolution The cheapest projector which is a very good option that is native 4k is the Sony VPL-HW 5000ES. I would not recommend it right now due to panel degradation and manual controls at that expensive price point. For a $3,000 price point, don't buy projectors like the Hisense or short throws that have no lens shift. Keystone is BAD IF and only IF your ceilings are at a good height where this projector won't hang too low, then go for the XGIMI Horizon 20 MAX. Also if you plan to place it on a table/not mount it this is a good option. If you don't want that, the number 1 projector I am recommending due to the deal right now is the Epson LS11000. I can't justify why the LS12000 (Slightly upgraded model), is so expensive. Nevertheless, the LS11000 is a great projector with lots of flexibility and at a decently decreased price point NEVER utter the words Optoma lol The newer version of the HT4550i is the W4100i. I like Benq for Home theater, but the fan noise is quite high. I would NOT spend $3000 on the W4100i, instead a GREAT option would be to buy the $1,300 refurb HT4550i from Ebay. This is the best bang-for-your-buck option and is amazing Again, projector lens shift is SO useful, so the only Valerion I would consider would be the MAX 99.99999999% of home theater projectors can project 120 inches +, that is not a good question. The other percent is a cardboard toy. Even the cheapest projectors can probably do 150 if all lights are off I don't like ultra short throw, my opinion is that you will regret if you buy it. Many things need to be perfect for it to work out well. $1,300 refurb HT4550i from Ebay would be the best option as it has 3d support and is very affordable so you can put budget elsewhere If your space permits, then you could go for the XGIMI, but I wouldn't because for half the price I can get a projector that's as good or better refurbished. Consider the Benq W2720i also but I wouldn't go with it

The max is good, don't like the pro 2. I've seen both the Pro 2 and the LS12000, and both on default settings, the LS12000 destroys the pro 2. I like the Hookup, but I don't like the screens he uses, because it doesn't show the true sharpness and black level. I would choose the LS11000 over the 12000 AND the Max. The LS11000, Horizon 20 max, and refurb HT4550i are all projectors I would choose over any of these. Maybe just me, but I would buy all these over the max.

Another quality video from Rob. I’ll never be able to afford a JVC or Sony but was curious how the Valerion would compare. I backed the Valerion Max at the Kickstarter price of $2200 so if it’s just a little better than the Pro 2 I will be VERY happy. It’s going to have a better lens and some other upgrades so should be great for the price I got it at.

I pledged for the Valerion Max because of the Kickstarter pricing, as an early adopter I’m all in for around $2K. If I had your budget I’d probably go for the LS12000. Proven performer, solid company with worldwide support, parts. Epson is in the holy trinity of HT projector manufacturers for good reasons.

Valerion will offer great 4k/60hz gaming experience with good colors and contrast. But if you want to get 4k/120hz then it's either Epson or JVC/Sony and those will be above 4-5k if new and slightly lower if used. I would probably get Valerion unless you 100% need 120hz and have spare cash to burn.

One thing many people miss is the terrible uniformity of large TV's including OLED's but LCD based models are even worse. If you have ever noticed dirty screen effect of vertical banding a 98" TCL will look like a nightmare, if you don't notice those then it could be a n option if you want a lot of pure brightness and above 60hz refresh rate at 4k. On projector side something like Valerion visionmaster max or a JCV will give you the best picture quality without the issues of large TV's, the only real downside will be significantly lower max brightness and theoretically lower contrast but in real life it will look almost as good or even better.

Wait for Valerion visionmaster max to go on sale, it's so much better than pro 2.