Excellent Image Quality, But Short On Features

The last two years have seen an unexpected renaissance in projectors, with new triple-laser DLP models delivering incredibly bright and sharp picture quality. The last of these is XGIMI’s Titan Noir Max, a sleek projector that emphasizes reference-level picture quality while eschewing specs like external speakers and smart TV streaming.

In addition to features like IMAX certification, a dynamic dual iris, and Dolby Vision 4K 60fps, the Titan Noir Max offers simple and flexible setup. It also comes with built-in Harmon Kardon audio and 1ms gaming latency. However, at nearly $6,000 MSRP, it’s also one of the most expensive long-throw consumer DLP projectors available. It’s worth it for some buyers, but most people would get more bang for their buck with competing models.

The Titan Black Max has a subtle and elegant design with a gray metal chassis, front grille and a discreet red ring around the lens, as well as Harman Kardon and gold “IMAX Enhanced” logos. The projector is about the same size as its rival Valerion VisionMaster Max, but sits on tube-shaped legs that give it a slightly alien appearance. It comes with a sleek carrying box and comes with a nice silver accented remote control.

I set up the Titan Noir Max in my living room with a 120-inch matte projection screen to avoid “laser spots” that can occur with ALR (ambient light reflecting) screens. With a 0.98-2.0x zoom lens, this projector offers a very flexible setup distance of 8.7 to 17.4 feet from screens up to 300 inches. It also supports a wide lens shift range (50% horizontal and 130% vertical), so you can shift the projector without needing to use distorting digital keystone correction.

At the same time, it has an automatic keystone setup that allows you to simply point the projector at the middle of your screen and press a button to adjust the image if you don’t want to bother. This worked well for me, but first I had to adjust the image to be relatively close to screen size. Automatic screen adjustment was easier with Anker’s Nebula X1 or the VisionMaster Max, working on both of those models as long as the image size was larger than the screen.

The Titan Noir Max comes with three HDMI 2.1 ports, including one with eARC for a soundbar, as well as optical S/PDIF, USB-A, 3.5mm audio output, and a Gigabit Ethernet connection. It doesn’t have the liquid cooling of the Nebula

Unlike its competitors, the Titan Noir Max doesn’t have Google TV or another smart TV service built-in. To use platforms like Netflix and Disney+, you’ll need to purchase an Apple TV 4K, Google TV, or another streaming device. This didn’t bother me because I had a spare Google TV stick, which I prefer anyway because the Google TV interface built into some projectors can be slow. However, lack of access to streaming may push some people to opt for another model.

The XGIMI Titan Noir Max promises “reference quality” video quality and it delivers, beating every other luxury projector I’ve tested recently. It doesn’t use the larger, sharper 0.78-inch DLP chip in the original Titan, however. Instead, XGIMI opted for Texas Instruments’ latest 0.47-inch “SST” DLP, which allows for a superior blend of brightness and contrast. Combined with the bright RGB triple laser engine, it can produce over 5,000 ANSI lumens.

At its finest setting in Filmmaker mode, the Titan Noir Max achieved an impressive 4,320 lumens according to my Calibrite Display Plus meter, higher than any projector I’ve tested to date. This increased further to just over 5,000 lumens when I used Laser 10+ mode for maximum brightness, but with a considerable loss in color accuracy.

The Titan Noir Max also promises high native contrast via its dynamic dual iris with manual aperture control. When testing at maximum normal brightness, I noticed a contrast ratio of 2000:1: an exceptional result. This can be increased to an incredible 6,000:1 with the iris set to the maximum f7.0, although brightness drops to 800 lumens. The dynamic iris setting offers the best compromise with a 4,500:1 contrast ratio and 2,900 lumens of brightness, although I noticed some brightness “pumping” typical of dynamic iris projectors. This can happen when the projector’s iris changes noticeably for a scene.

In addition to standard SDR, the XGIMI Titan Noir Max supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and IMAX Enhanced HDR modes. The company claims 110% BT.2020 color coverage, and I measured just a shade short of 100% with an accuracy of around five percent – ​​another exceptional result. The projector also includes a very effective anti-rainbow feature that eliminates DLP color fringing, which I’m quite sensitive to.

Right out of the box, I was incredibly impressed with the image quality. Brightness was high enough in standard mode to watch movies, TV shows, and sports like tennis in broad daylight without needing to lower the blinds. In a dark room with Dolby Vision, I was blown away by the brightness and color fidelity of films like F1, Interstellar And Avengers: Endgame. The excellent contrast allowed me to see shadow details in delicate scenes like the black hole entrance in Interstellar this may appear too dark on some projectors.

The XGIMI Titan Noir Max is the best projector I’ve tested so far for gaming, with 1080p at refresh rates of up to 240fps (with VRR support) and a very low latency of 1ms. While it doesn’t support 4K at 120fps due to limitations of DLP chips, it can handle 4K gaming at 60Hz with an impressive 3ms input lag. This is significantly better than the 15 ms of the Valerion VisionMaster Max.

These specifications allow me to play without compromise with titles like Cyberpunk 2077 And Hollow Knight: Singing. At the same time, the huge screen, color accuracy and bright image provide deep immersion that you simply can’t get on a smaller screen.

The Titan Noir Max features a built-in 24-watt Harmon Kardon audio setup, with 12 watts per speaker. It offers clear mids, natural vocals, and a decent soundstage, but frankly, the bass is weak and the sound system lacks power overall. If you’re spending that kind of money, you’ll want to splurge on a dedicated surround sound system with DTS:X support, because Dolby Atmos isn’t an option.

In comparison, the Nebula X1 gives you the option to purchase optional Bluetooth stereo speakers that connect automatically. For less than the price of the Titan Noir Max, you can also get the Nebula X1 Pro, which comes with a giant sound system and supports Dolby Atmos.

XGIMI’s flagship product, the $6,000 Titan Noir Max, uses the latest projector technology to provide moviegoers with the best possible picture quality. It set new benchmarks in my testing for brightness, color accuracy, and contrast, but it’s very expensive. Unlike its main rivals, the Valerion VisionMaster Max and Anker Nebula X1 Pro, it doesn’t have built-in smart TV features or bespoke audio options.

Unless you’re obsessed with picture quality, you’re better off spending less on Anker’s $2,999 Nebula If you’re willing to settle for picture quality that’s almost as good and includes smart TV features, check out Valerion’s $5,000 VisionMaster Max. If you’ll settle for nothing but the best, XGIMI’s Titan Max Black is the best option – and you’d do well to pre-order it now while it’s still available on Kickstarter for $2,999.