Optoma GT5000 – Sound Quality

The GT5000’s 16W of audio power is more than most projectors have to play with, and it proves enough to deliver a reasonably open, believable sound – provided you don’t push the volume very high.

If you do, you’ll notice a distracting buzz coming from the speaker during dense soundtrack moments, as well as some fading in and out as the speakers teeter on the verge of giving up before surging back into the fray.

There’s precious little bass in the sound stage, but at least this doesn’t leave trebles sounding too harsh. And it’s a relief to find that voices don’t sound too dislocated from the picture.

Be aware that the GT5000 can run quite noisily in Bright lamp mode for daytime viewing – certainly enough to be clearly heard above the speakers from a typical viewing distance of 3m or so. Even in the lamp’s Eco mode I could still hear the faint whirring of the cooling fans during quiet scenes. It would be a good idea to partner the GT5000 with a more powerful external sound system.

Should I buy an Optoma GT5000?

There really aren’t many video-friendly ultra-short-throw projectors out there. The GT5000 deserves your consideration almost by default if you like the idea of watching huge pictures without all the usual practical problems associated with using a projector.

The Philips Screeno 2.0 ultra-short-throw projector outguns the Optoma in terms of features (thanks, in particular, to its multimedia playback via Bluetooth and USB), picture quality and, especially, sound quality. But at £1,500, it’s way more expensive than the GT5000.

Verdict

Despite some issues with focus and running noise, the GT5000 does a solid job of trying to position ultra-short-throw projection as a mainstream alternative to spending huge sums on a massive TV. You’ll need to invest in a good screen if you want to unlock its full potential.

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