XGIMI - HORIZON S Max

I have been using [this](https://www.amazon.com/XGIMI-Horizon-Max-2024-Projector/dp/B0DL5NRP4H?crid=3FCPNLTJA55Y0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Yv3s7gF_nFl4lRi2JNyX05inJ9iS2wbWpXBA-Z1WEa31fmeDifhhHpfi1PAwBV_WDURnVDj_V833SjxWpudZxPbnPF59z0SIDPH3y6xoAX5DJz5daTcL9M388a3GXsXz6Dfv7cU7pzUUTLz8bgpxqf0m6EHeTe1MXK4tpxxkqJslwYpw1ZeSm934SB7E7NeTqvuKSel1gu-4HU1m-5Oi2Y9O8iDApE94dzVXNet5dMw.ewd_OwqWS4VDfGNgvT0DPaDDAUYYe_VccopmfFWqjxY&dib_tag=se&keywords=Xgimi+HORIZON+S+Max&qid=1751015156&sprefix=xgimi+horizon+s+max%2Caps%2C341&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=grok43-20&linkId=d3403e62693594772d23d37a9c7d3a95&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl) from xgimi and it has been working great for me so far, I would highly recommend it

Yes, • Lumen output • Triple Laser vs Laser/LED Hybrid • Increased color performance, contrast • More I/O ports • Motorized Zoom, Focus, and Lens Shift • Google TV UI compared to Android TV The Horizon S Max is still a great unit!

It's a great piece of tech. I own both the S Max and the older Horizon model. Since it isn't very big, you might need to move to another location for a day, so having good speakers also pays off. I think it's a solid choice.

The Epson 5050UB is in a completely different class than the Xgimi Horizon Ultra, Horizon Max, or the VisionMaster Pro 2. It is not a small step up. It is a different category of home theater entirely. The things that matter most for picture quality are brightness, real contrast, lens quality, color accuracy, motion handling, and black levels, and the 5050UB beats these small DLP units in every one of those areas. The 3D performance on the 5050UB is also unreal. It is bright, clean, and almost completely free of crosstalk. The depth feels better than what I get in most theaters that still run 3D. I use mine daily and the RF LCD glasses alone make the flimsy disposable theater glasses look like trash. This is where the cheap DLP units fall apart. The rainbow effect, the low native contrast, the fake inflated contrast numbers printed on the boxes, the weaker lens systems, and the shallow sense of depth all become impossible to ignore once you have lived with a true 3LCD projector. The 5050UB makes most LED and laser DLP units feel like kids toys. On contrast, the 5050UB has roughly four to six times the native contrast of the Horizon Ultra, Horizon Max, or the Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2. DLP projectors in this price range tend to sit around five hundred to nine hundred to one native. The Epson sits around three thousand to one native and goes much higher with its dynamic iris, which is a huge part of why movies look deeper, darker, and more cinematic on it. Color accuracy follows the same pattern. The Epson uses full three chip LCD imaging, so there is no color wheel and no color brightness penalty. The Xgimi and Valerion models use a single DLP chip with wheel sequencing or heavy pixel shifting, which lowers color brightness and makes HDR and animation look flatter. The Epson keeps brightness balanced across all color channels, so the image looks richer and more natural. Lens quality is another major difference. The 5050UB has a large, high quality glass lens with excellent zoom and lens shift, which lets you place it almost anywhere in a room. The Horizon Max and VisionMaster Pro rely on tiny fixed lenses with minimal digital shifting. Digital shift reduces real resolution, so you lose detail immediately. The Epson never needs that kind of compensation. Motion handling also favors the 5050UB. DLP can show strong single frame sharpness, but it often struggles with stutter or micro jitter during panning shots. The 5050UB looks smoother and more film accurate in normal viewing. Brightness and HDR performance are also very different from what is printed on the marketing sheets. The Horizon Ultra and VisionMaster Pro list inflated lumen numbers, and their real usable brightness is much lower. The 5050UB is honest with its brightness and remains strong even in calibrated modes. When you look at real color brightness instead of only the white peak values, the Epson pulls far ahead. For 3D there is no real comparison. The 5050UB is one of the best consumer 3D projectors ever made. The Xgimi and Valerion units either struggle with crosstalk, dimming, or simply do not support 3D at all depending on the model. Gaming is the one area where DLP usually wins on paper, but even then the Horizon and Valerion models do not get close to a proper gaming monitor. The 5050UB in fast mode is perfectly usable for RPGs or casual gaming, but the strength of this projector is movies and cinematic content. Build quality and longevity round out the differences. Epson’s three chip LCD system has years of proven reliability and replacement lamps are cheap. LED and laser DLP models often claim very long life but the color wheels, fans, and light engines are not easy to repair, and when they age the uniformity and color accuracy fall off quickly. So even though the Xgimi Horizon Max and the VisionMaster Pro 2 look impressive in YouTube reviews or marketing pictures, the actual image quality is not in the same league as an Epson 5050UB. If you want real home theater performance, real contrast, better blacks, better color, a superior lens, and incredible 3D, the 5050UB wins every time. Though one big difference is obvious being portability as this unit is large. The cinema it produces tho olike on Avatar 2 was insane in 3d. https://preview.redd.it/jjw86wdrgy1g1.png?width=2543&format=png&auto=webp&s=a39fb5fa061a513c50ec70e5f2c941958684c2c8

These "lifestyle" projectors are replacing large dedicated HT projectors. Id take any of these over my 30lb panasonic RZ470UK. Xgimi max may need firmware updates to correct some issues but thats basically how any new technology is. I beta test alot of robots and even at release there are still firmware updates being pushed out. Hardware you can't change the xgimi seems to have the "best" Hardware of these projectors. Its also $2700 cheaper than the valerion max

If you need the swiveling 360 possibilities, and arent mounting it.. the c2 ultra is fantastic. Buuut for me the rainbow effect on mine can drive me nuts depending on the content. Sometimes it's all I see, and other times it's non-existent, and like everything else on it, I can't figure out why.. so the xgimi horizon s max, might be better if rainbow effect drives you nuts. But ya lose out on some things... If ya don't need the 360 gimbal stuff, or ya just want to dish out extra money on an add on gimbal, the valerions are a good bet. If I had $5000 lying around I would got the top of the line valerion... but I didn't have the extra $2,500 for 15% better images. The c2 is solid in image quality and sound. I use the built in speaker more than my AVR because it doesn't drive everyone in the house insane, and its more than adequate. So if ya don't have a great sound system where you'll use it, thats something to consider. I'm sure the valerions are OK too. C2s seemingly have a high probability of having really annoying light bleed though... (mine is awful, I've seen one with worse, and more than a few that are about the same. But can be fixed with some tape and a card.. ) I have a love hate with my c2.. some times I'm in aw by it, and other times I wanna throw it out the window, but its almost all software related issues.. like on tvs, where one setting disables another and doesn't say which one, and its a never ending quest to figure it out. (Just disable everything and youre usually good).

Much better than the 3800. For the 5050 you would have to step up there higher end models of Valerian like the Pro 2 or the Xgimi Max. Although the Max still has the dynamic dimming problem so for me I would not purchase it until an update has occurred and user feedback is available regarding the update

For what you paid this is a fantastic deal. At its retail price of $3300 I would not recommend. The motorized lens is amazing and this still has some of the best contrast at its price point. The problem is: it’s 6 years old. In tech that’s a lifetime. It’s still using lamps, it’s not true 4K, it’s HDR tone mapping is several generations behind at this point. Hell— it doesn’t even switch to HDR automatically. At this point for $3000+ you can do a better. The BenQ W4100i is $3000 and has 2 way lens shift. It’s a manual lens not motorized but the BenQ has a solid state 4LED light source, HDMI 2.1 with ALLM, true 4K resolution, dynamic tone mapping for HDR and even features Android TV built in. I’m using one now and despite the lack of iris (blacks can’t get as black) it still has the better image owing to that HDR tone mapping. Then there’s the new Xgimi Horizon Max. Also available for $3000. Reviews are limited right now to a handful of influencers but the buzz is super positive. This model has motorized 2 way lens shift and a fairly insane lumen rating of 5700 from a tri-laser light engine (doubt that’s usable lumens but it’s still going to be a light canon in it’s usable modes). It’s basically a full fat home theater projector masquerading as a lifestyle projector complete with built in sound system and google Tv.

Happy to see that your review falls in line with my experience with the unit. It’s a really versatile projector!

It’s a great unit. For the discounted price that it’s currently at it’s worth the investment especially if you’re looking for a projector with a small physical footprint. Laser based, runs cool, rotatable stand on both axis, great speakers can easily fill a bedroom to living room. Low input lag, runs android tv.

If you purchase the unit via the website directly it will include a streaming stick, which has access to Netflix and a floor stand. I confirmed with another subreddit member that Netflix is accessible on the streaming stick. [Available for $1,609.00 via XGIMI](https://us.xgimi.com/products/horizon-s-max)

Keep in mind that Epson has been around for far longer than XGIMI and Valerion. And while it means it’s a reliable brand, it also means there are far more people knowing Epson than the other. You are therefore going to get more positive reviews for Epson, which does not necessarily mean those other two are not great as well. And please disregard the EpsonGPT posts below… completely irrelevant. Before buying my projector I was lucky enough to be able to compare an Epson, a ViewSonic and a Xgimi in the same price range. I ended up buying the Xgimi (Horizon S Max) as it was simply the best picture to my eye. Full stop. And No, the performance stated by those newcomers in the laser projectors segment are NOT just marketing. Those are truly impressive pieces of equipment at a very aggressive pricing. Only your eye can decide for you, and for many Epson might be a winner. But one thing has been clear for me: once you have experienced DoVi, it’s very hard to come back.