SonyVW325ES 4K HDR Home Theater Projector VPL-VW325ES, Black

A superb projector with amazing color, brightness and contrast. Compared to my previous projector, the Epson 5040UB (which was a fantastic projector as well), the 325ES blows it out of the water when it comes to color and contrast. On paper it has a lower lumen output than the 5040, but I have complete light control in my room, with no windows and walls painted black, so it actually looks brighter than the 5040 when both are on low power due to the better HDR processing and contrast. If you don't have complete light control and watching with bright ambient lighting, you may have some trouble getting it bright enough to cut through. The HDR and color on the 325ES appears richer and brighter than the 5040 thanks to the SXRD panels and not needing a color filter which the 5040 uses on some picture presets to improve color accuracy but at the expense of brightness. The native 4K resolution makes UHD content very sharp and crispy, noticeably sharper than the pixel shifting the 5040 uses. As an added bonus, the Reality Creation feature adds some extra enhancement to give things a little more pop and realism. I've added some off-screen shots to help show the contrast, brightness and color qualities, but of course they can't fully replicate the image quality that you see with your own eyes. The 325ES is pretty pricey, especially when compared to the Epson 5040/5050 which is still a great value projector. But if you're willing to pay a premium price, you'll get a premium picture quality that'll be worth it.

After purchasing a 4-year-old house that had a custom media room with middle-of-the-road professional equipment (22K install) I had numerous issues with the current installed Epson Pro Cinema 6040UB projector that was not 4K native ready. The main issue was a lack of clear focus and shortly after as moved in things started to go wrong with its optical system. I had started to look for a new 4K projector and came across this new model. My A/V dealer recommended this projector as a base entry to the Sony 4K projectors.I purchased on Amazon thru Gramophone and had it shipped across the country by UPS. Only complaint was that it was not in a protected outbox protecting the factory shipping box.This projector is freaking amazing for the price point. Yes, it’s expensive, but if you want to get into the new current release of Sony 4K projectors, this one is the way to go. Vivid, extremely sharp, and amazing detail. It was less light our point the our old projector, but you would never know by watching on a good basic level screen from 2017 (2K). Now I want to upgrade my screen to a new grey light reflecting 2.35:1 wide angle screen. This projector accepts all screen settings, although I think there is not a memory setting to go from one version to another without scrolling thru the aspect settings.Disney movies, sports, streaming TV and movies, and Nintendo switch games are world class. If your budget is between 5 to 6K, I think this is one of the best projectors currently available. I hooked it up to a new Yamaha Yamaha Aventage RX-A6A. It’s singularly outstanding. Gramaphone was great to deal with and expertly guided me thru the selection and installation process. The proper mounting bracket was another $200 I think and utilized my current ceiling drop pole.

I am not reviewing the VPL-VW325ES Sony projector shown for supplier substituted with the VPL-XW5000ES. The 5000ES outward apearance to me was ugly compared to Sony's original designs such as the 325 or 915 models. The 5000 was 1.5" longer, 2-5" wider and 2.25" higher. This for me was a problem for my pre-built enclosed basket-shelf space, was forced to modify. Was told by the supplier the 325ES was no-longer available. I ordered the VPL-VW915ES, in all my research; was an awesome machine and of the style I liked. Found on E-Bay for half the price. When I receiver the 915ES and discovered it was a monster in size; huge! Was definitely not practical for my shelf space and home theater size. The 915ES is a very, very awesome projector for larger home theaters. Would highly recommended it if you have the room to accommodate its size and afford its high price.