Epson introduces its most advanced Laser Projector to Date: Epson Pro Cinema 4K PRO-UHD LS12000 (2 Viewers)

[JasonRoer]

And BTW @JasonRoer , what I keep saying about Marantz equipment is, it just works. A LOT of gear these days doesn't quite work right.

Agreed. This will be my 3rd Marantz receiver in a row. I absolutely love the sound.

 

[JasonRoer]

Long story short - my 5050 projector order was cancelled by best buy. It seems to be way out of stock. Not on Amazon either. The LS11000 dropped to $3500. So - 11000 or do I bite the bullet and grab the 12000? I mean, 1500 is still a lot of money. Is the 12000 worth the extra $? Or will I love the 11000? Just when I think I have it all worked out, yeah?

 

[JohnRice]

@John Dirk , @Josh Steinberg …

 

[DaveF]

Long story short - my 5050 projector order was cancelled by best buy. It seems to be way out of stock. Not on Amazon either. The LS11000 dropped to $3500. So - 11000 or do I bite the bullet and grab the 12000? I mean, 1500 is still a lot of money. Is the 12000 worth the extra $? Or will I love the 11000? Just when I think I have it all worked out, yeah?

My original recommendation was going to be for the LS12000. But by the time I saw the thread you’d already decided on the 5050.

But you’re reconsidering. So I’ll say it: Get the LS12000. Unless you really want to save money, then stay with the 5050. But I think the LS12000 with its contrast ratio, brighter output and lower heat and fan make it a winner if you’re shopping the $5000 range. (The JVC NP5 is also a great choice with superb black floor and contrast but the downside of a bulb and increased heat/noise.)

I’ve had some decent demos of the LS12000 and it looks great. And I’ve read a lot about it with users confirming the great picture. And reportedly If you’re willing to spend a little more money on some extra hardware and put some DIY time into futzing with settings, you can extract even more HDR-quality.

That said, you’ve never really given a budget, so I don’t know if $5000 too much for your goals and tastes.

 

[JasonRoer]

My original recommendation was going to be for the LS12000. But by the time I saw the thread you’d already decided on the 5050.

But you’re reconsidering. So I’ll say it: Get the LS12000. Unless you really want to save money, then stay with the 5050. But I think the LS12000 with its contrast ratio, brighter output and lower heat and fan make it a winner if you’re shopping the $5000 range. (The JVC NP5 is also a great choice with superb black floor and contrast but the downside of a bulb and increased heat/noise.)

I’ve had some decent demos of the LS12000 and it looks great. And I’ve read a lot about it with users confirming the great picture. And reportedly If you’re willing to spend a little more money on some extra hardware and put some DIY time into futzing with settings, you can extract even more HDR-quality.

That said, you’ve never really given a budget, so I don’t know if $5000 too much for your goals and tastes.

I can afford $5k, but I was hoping not to spend that much since I was upgrading other bits of the system as well, and there's lots of other life-stuff going on.

Do you feel the LS12000 is worth the extra $1500? The LS just dropped that extra $500 today. I just don't know if there's a giant leap forward for the 1500 or a slight leap forward.

If it is worth the extra 1500, I'm definitely fine with it. I just want to make sure the extra cost was warranted or if I'd be happy with the 11000

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Any of these three options are an improvement over what you have, and without having all three side-by-side to make you second guess yourself, you’ll have a great time with any of them.

I’ve never seen the LS11000 in action but if I’m remembering correctly the reviews at the time put it more or less on par with the 5050 - some things it improved on, others weren’t as good. By comparison, the LS12000 seemed to solve those shortcomings in reviews and make it seem a more clear choice over the 5050 if - as you’ve agreed before - 3D isn’t your thing.

Both the 5050 and the LS11000 are yesterday’s tech. I think the 5050 at $2400 is a phenomenal deal, and if the two machines are more or less equal in the end, $3500 for the LS11000 isn’t as much of a deal.

My recommendation remains either doing the 5050 or the LS12000. The LS12000’s improvements over the LS11000 make it a better long term value in my opinion. You’re not necessarily paying the extra money solely for performance today but also compatibility and longevity that will make having the LS12000 as your projector in five or ten years still a worthwhile thing.

But as to whether any of this is a giant leap forward - ultimately you get out of these machines what you put into them. The better quality your input sources the more pronounced the differences become. If you primarily watch DVD and Blu-ray, the machines will all perform very very well for those sources. If you primarily watch 4K UHD with HDR (whether streaming or on disc), the LS12000 has an edge. And since 4K with HDR is becoming more and more commonplace, having a projector that handles it well makes it more useful going into the future.

Depending on what you watch and think you will watch later on, it could very well be that the $3500 LS11000 does everything you need and you’re all set for the next ten years. Or you could find you want better HDR performance, contrast, etc., in five years, and wind up spending another $5000 to upgrade those things. And that’s not really a question anyone can answer for you.

Whatever you pick, once you do it, don’t look back. Don’t browse sales, don’t look up reviews, don’t drive yourself crazy over whether you made the right choices. Setting up a theater room is always a compromise in some way or another and you don’t do it in a vacuum, you do it with real life going on in the background and you just have to make the best decision you can in the moment and then let it go.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

As another option: The 5050 will come back into stock, or there could be another LS12000 sale, and there is nothing wrong with having first upgraded all of your audio and changing the projector later. Maybe three or six months or a year from now, the choice of a projector becomes more clear to you. For what it’s worth, don’t spend money just to spend money, don’t buy a new machine just to buy a new machine. Figure out what you want to get from the purchase first and then get what fills that need. I hope I’m not overreaching or overstepping but it feels that you’re putting a lot of pressure to make a decision you’re not completely convinced of. There’s nothing wrong with waiting if you’re not sure today.

 

[JasonRoer]

As another option: The 5050 will come back into stock, or there could be another LS12000 sale, and there is nothing wrong with having first upgraded all of your audio and changing the projector later. Maybe three or six months or a year from now, the choice of a projector becomes more clear to you. For what it’s worth, don’t spend money just to spend money, don’t buy a new machine just to buy a new machine. Figure out what you want to get from the purchase first and then get what fills that need. I hope I’m not overreaching or overstepping but it feels that you’re putting a lot of pressure to make a decision you’re not completely convinced of. There’s nothing wrong with waiting if you’re not sure today.

Thanks again for your thoughts replies. I definitely want the 12000. I think it's best for all reasons you stated. I was just trying to figure out whether or not that new price on the 11000 (1500 less) made it a good deal. But I think the 12000 is probably better for me for the long term. I'll sleep on it and make certain that's what I want. Thanks again!!

 

[DaveF]

Do you feel the LS12000 is worth the extra $1500?

Yes.

 

[DaveF]

But if you’re comfortable with spending $3500 and not with $5000, then buy the LS11000 without regrets. It will also be a great projector. What’s “worth it” is subjective. I spent $4000 on a used JVC NX7 as a way to get an affordable high-end projector to figure out what I really cared about before jumping into the $5000+ price class.

 

[John Dirk]

I can afford $5k, but I was hoping not to spend that much since I was upgrading other bits of the system as well, and there's lots of other life-stuff going on.

My advice is to always buy the best you can afford at the time of upgrade since these windows don't come along all that often and the last thing you want is regrets. In your situation the LS12000 seems to be the best choice. I've also seen it in action and doubt you'll be disappointed.

 

[JasonRoer]

The LS12000 it is! I ordered it and it will ship later today. Thanks all for your help. It was what I wanted to begin with, but was not sure I wanted to spend that much money presently with all the other expenses I noted in an earlier post. But yes, It'll give me likely about 10ish years of happiness give or take. I'm hoping everything will be here (Cinema 50 and projector) within two weeks. But with holiday shipping, it could take longer. The 6 surrounds will be here today. I'll set those up this weekend so they'll be ready to go. Frankly, it's likely going to be the longest part of the process since there are 2 ceiling speakers to install.

Anyway, thanks again! You've been very helpful.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

When all is said and done, the final piece of the new theater package (the projector) should arrive for pickup on Friday, Dec 8th! By then, everything will be set up (speakers/Marantz sound calibration/etc), and all I'll need to do is plug the projector in, calibrate, and we're a go.

One thing about that. Since you're upgrading from what sounds like an entry level BenQ 1080p PJ, it probably isn't quite as simple as "plug" and play, heh.

How do you currently have the old PJ physically installed/mounted?

The Epson is probably quite substantially bigger/heftier than your old PJ. You might well need a new/diff physical installation than before. The nice thing about the Epson (over your old BenQ) will be all the extra flexibility w/ its programmable/memory, motorize zoom-and-shift lens (that probably offers much greater zoom and shift capabilities).

_Man_

 

[John Dirk]

The Epson is probably quite substantially bigger/heftier than your old PJ. You might well need a new/diff physical installation than before.

The LS12000 should ship with an included ceiling mount. One of the advantages it has over the 11000.

 

[JohnRice]

The LS12000 should ship with an included ceiling mount. One of the advantages it has over the 11000.

That has to be worth a few hundred $.

 

[JasonRoer]

The old BenQ is sitting on a shelf. The 12000 will be sitting on a significantly bigger, sturdier shelf.

I broke the wall down between the theater room and the guest bedroom closet behind it to expand the theater space. However, the sliding closet doors in the guest bedroom are still there. We positioned a giant bookshelf in the guest bedroom in front of the closet. So, I'm going to place the 12000 on that bookshelf, approx. 5 feet up. It will be approx 10"-1' off center, however, with the lens shift, it should be fine. I just wanted to have the projector back further from the screen, about 14'-15'. If it's centered in the actual theater space, it would only be 11' from the screen, and consequently, I wouldn't be able to fill the full 120" of the screen. I believe the minimum distance for the 12000 to fill a 120 is 11'9". Anyway, when we slide open the closet door, the 12000 can shine it's glory to the screen from 14'-15' back!