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Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 : One minute review
The Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 is a very capable projector. It comes in one of the more stylish designs I’ve seen for this class of projector, separating itself even from the latest group of more design-conscious models.
The Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 features a powerful RGB laser projection system that beams a bright enough picture for use in different environments. Its color is excellent, and it benefits from an optical zoom for more flexible placement.
For gamers, the VisionMaster Pro 2 can switch to a low-latency mode or even drop down to 1080p resolution to run at 240Hz. Alas, its speakers don’t quite live up to the visual performance, but that’s typical even for the best projectors.
All that capability comes at a price, with the VisionMaster Pro 2 listed for $2,999. This places it on the high end for this type of compact enthusiast home projector, even surpassing the Hisense C2 Ultra, which is nearly as capable and features an integrated gimbal stand and an additional speaker. Because of that, I’d point most people to the Hisense instead, but the VisionMaster Pro 2 still has the edge in terms of connectivity and looks, and it doesn’t disappoint when it comes to picture quality.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review: Price & release date
- Release date: December 2024
- Price: $2,999
The Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 was released at the end of 2024. It launched with a price of $2,999, but has seen some discounts since then, including the July Amazon Prime Day sales event, where it dropped to the $2,599 range. The VisionMaster Pro 2 is available directly from Valerion as well as from Amazon.
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review: Specs
|
Screen sizes supported: |
40-300 inches |
|
Brightness (specified): |
3,300 ISO lumens |
|
HDR support: |
Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG |
|
Optical technology: |
Three-laser DLP |
|
Smart TV: |
Google TV |
|
Connections: |
2x HDMI 2.1, 1x HDMI 2.0 (with eARC), 1x USB-A 3.0, 1x USB-A 2.0, Ethernet, 3.5mm audio out, optical digital audio out |
|
Dimensions (H x W x D): |
7.30 x 10.20 x 9.20 inches |
|
Weight: |
15.4 pounds |
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review: Design & features
- Elegant design with a simple kickstand
- Built-in speakers and Google TV
- Optical zoom
The Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 is gorgeously built. It has a metal chassis with ribs wrapping all around the sides and top of the device, giving it the appearance of a metal heat sink. The front and back are simpler, flat slabs of what feels like high-quality plastic (almost to the point that it could be glass).
Interestingly, Valerion includes a cover on the back to conceal its ports. This does give it a cleaner look, but only when it’s not in use, as you can’t even plug in the power if the cover is in place.
The VisionMaster Pro 2 includes a simple, heavy-duty foot underneath near the front that can prop it up to adjust the angle, and the back has two more little feet that can screw out to adjust the tilt. This isn’t quite as useful as the gimbal stands found on some competitors like the Hisense C2 Ultra, but Valerion does sell a quality metal unit of its own (a $139 option) that can attach to the VisionMaster Pro 2 and give it full-range tilting capabilities, and even the option to flip completely upside-down — helpful if you’re doing a mantel or bookshelf placement).
While the gimbal or foot can help adjust the projection somewhat, the projector’s optical zoom can be even more useful. This lets the VisionMaster Pro 2 shift from a 0.9:1 throw ratio up to 1.5:1. The projector can perform plenty of automated setup adjustments, like focus, keystone correction, and obstacle avoidance as well.
The VisionMaster Pro 2 supports the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ high dynamic range formats and is IMAX Enhanced. The projector offers Wi-Fi 6E connectivity for fast and stable wireless networking, though Ethernet is also available.
For this class of projector, the VisionMaster Pro 2 has a surprising selection of ports. Where many competitors would offer just two HDMI ports, the VisionMaster Pro 2 has three: two HDMI 2.1 and one HDMI 2.0 with eARC support. There’s also a 3.5mm audio jack, an optical digital audio output, and two USB-A ports for data or powering dongles.
Like other laser projectors, the VisionMaster Pro 2 has an eye protection feature that is meant to dim the laser if someone stands in its path. But this feature proved incredibly inconsistent in my use. Sometimes the system’s eye protection feature activates for no reason, and other times it’s not nearly sensitive enough about things obviously out in front of it. Even when it seems to be working as intended, it’s rather slow to kick in.
To get up and running quickly, the projector offers Google TV and has a pair of built-in speakers, giving you everything you need to start streaming. And since this is the kind of projector you might take on the go, Valerion has included a carrying case made out of rigid styrofoam.
Valerion has put a bit of extra effort into its remote control, which is larger and more polished-looking than you’ll typically find on Android and Google TV projectors. It offers the standard navigation controls, a Google Assistant button, volume buttons, shortcuts to a handful of streaming services, and a dedicated input source button. There’s even some backlighting, but it doesn’t cover all of the buttons. The volume buttons are also not differentiated from a handful of other buttons, so you can’t just feel them out without also memorizing where they are.
The projector can also listen for voice commands, responding to a quick “Hey, Google.” And if you don’t want the projector to listen, there’s a mute switch on the top.
- Design & features score: 4/5
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review: Picture & sound quality
- Bright and colorful picture
- Strong contrast
- Smooth-running operating system
The Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 beams an excellent-looking picture. It’s plenty bright for even fairly well-lit rooms, though dark scenes don’t look as good. It also has strong contrast that can be further enhanced by changing some of the default picture settings.
The triple-laser light source has the same advantages I’ve seen from other projectors like the Hisense C2 Ultra and Hisense PX3-Pro, giving the picture the potential for truly dazzling color. The VisionMaster Pro 2 isn’t inclined to overdo the color in its main HDR and SDR picture presets, however, instead keeping it more balanced and natural.
Like many other projectors, the VisionMaster Pro 2 comes out of the box with some unfortunate motion smoothing enabled. This may serve to smooth out panning shots in movies, but it also introduces so many weird motion artifacts that it calls for disabling. The lowest motion setting, Film, avoids the most distracting artifacts while still looking smooth with camera movement. The projector also provides an option to customize the motion smoothing with two adjustable settings, letting you dial it in as you like.
Black levels are decently low, but not low enough that the letterbox bars in widescreen movies look truly black. But with a few tweaks to the settings, specifically enabling active contrast and dynamic laser luminance, the overall brightness can dim down for wonderfully deep black levels in dark scenes. This doesn’t play well with subtitles, however, as they’ll sometimes brighten the picture up.
The display is also up to snuff for gaming. It can deliver 4K 60Hz with reasonably low input lag in its game mode. And for those who want to really dial up the gaming performance, it can drop down to 1080p and run at up to 240Hz for ultra-smooth visuals.
The speakers inside the VisionMaster Pro 2 aren’t bad, putting out enough sound to fill a small room. They sound fairly full, too, but there’s little getting around the narrow soundstage they present. Even simple stereo sound isn’t presented well. And occasionally, deeper voices can sound a little resonant, giving them an unnatural quality.
One easy-to-overlook aspect of projector performance that the VisionMaster Pro 2 deserves credit for is its operating system. It runs Google TV like many other projectors, but appears to have a faster processor and more memory to help it run smoother than some of its competition. This makes it much easier to use the projector, whether you’re browsing Google TV or just want to quickly switch over to another input.
- Picture and sound quality score: 4/5
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 review: Value
- Highly integrated package
- On the expensive end for projectors in this class
- All-in-one design enhances value
The Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 is expensive, but you get a lot for that money. It presents a more colorful and bigger image than most TVs, and compared to 100-inch TVs, it’s not so expensive. That said, it is on the expensive side for this category of projector. The Hisense C2 Ultra is just as pricey, though it has an integrated gimbal stand. It has also seen more discounts in the time since its launch than the VisionMaster Pro 2 has.
Still, the VisionMaster Pro 2 can do plenty. Its projection system is flexible, and it’s good for casual viewing in bright rooms, while delivering cinematic quality in dark rooms. You can opt for 4K with broad HDR support or zoom along at 1080p 240Hz for high-speed gaming. Also, having the Google TV smart TV system baked in never hurts, especially when it runs as smoothly as it does here.
It’s just a shame the VisionMaster Pro 2’s speakers aren’t better, and that it doesn’t come with a more adjustable stand.
Should I buy the Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Design and features |
Simple but elegant design, and packs plenty of features for a fully-integrated system. The remote could be better, as could the eye protection |
4/5 |
|
Picture and sound quality |
An excellent picture with plenty of tools to adjust it to your liking. It even runs Google TV well, but the speakers don’t keep up |
4/5 |
|
Value |
Faces the diminishing returns of high-end products, but is still a good value thanks to its ability to beam a huge, bright, and colorful image from an all-in-one device. |
4/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 |
BenQ GP520 |
Hisense C2 Ultra |
JMGO N1S Pro 4K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Price: |
$2,999 |
$1,499 |
$2,999 |
$1,999 |
|
Screen sizes supported: |
40 to 300 inches |
50 to 180 inches |
65-300 inches |
85 to 180 inches |
|
Brightness (specified): |
3,000 ISO lumens |
2,600 lumens |
3,000 lumens |
2,400 lumens |
|
HDR support |
HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision |
HDR10+, HLG |
Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG |
HDR10, HLG |
|
Optical technology: |
RGB Laser DLP |
LED DLP |
RGB Laser DLP |
RGB Laser DLP |
|
Smart TV: |
Google TV |
Google TV |
Vidaa OS |
Google TV |
|
Connections: |
2x HDMI 2.1, 1x HDMI 2.0 with eARC, 1x optical, 1x 3.5mm |
2x HDMI 2.1 (1 with eARC), 1x USB-C (PD Out, DP In, 2x USB-A 1x 3.5mm |
2x HDMI 2.1 (1 with eARC), 2x USB-A, 1x S/PDIF, Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm, Bluetooth |
HDMI x2 (x1 eARC), USB-A (power), 3.5mm |
How I tested the Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2
- Tested at home in multiple, real-world viewing conditions
- Presented the display with a variety of media and formats
- I have tested numerous projectors and displays over the last half-decade
I tested the Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 at home, in real-world conditions. This saw it faced with ambient light coming in from numerous windows, in-room lighting, as well as ambient noise that both the projector and speaker systems had to overcome. The projector was tested both against a bare, white wall and an Akia Screens CineWhite screen. It was presented with streamed nsd Blu-ray content, HDR and non-HDR, and PC gameplay.
My testing evaluates the projector’s performance with respect to its price and competition from other models I and colleagues at TechRadar have tested.
I have been testing projectors since 2021 and displays for even longer.
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