Conclusions and Ratings
With the increased desire by consumers to have the ultimate home theater, video projectors and screens are going to play a more vital role than ever before. The only way to truly get the "big screen" experience is to have, well, a big screen . The projection screen manufacturing business has been slowly adapting to the demand of the general consumer and I believe we will see some significant developments in screen materials, frames and masking systems. Unfortunately, for the average user, projection screens are about as exciting to "play with" as watching grass grow.
Observing the performance of a screen, television, or speaker is highly subjective. Therefore it would be difficult to establish a winner or a loser when viewing these screens. What can be said is that each screen does exhibit some strengths and weaknesses which should be considered by the end user. Make sure that when ordering a screen, you take into consideration the projector you will be mating it with. Most of the companies will answer questions and make suggestions based on your situation (ambient room light, projector model and space limitations.)
In regards to build quality, the hands-down winner is Stewart. Its frame was far superior to the others in this review. It does, however, have a more difficult installation in comparison to Carada and Da-Lite.
The materials used for all three screens were of high quality, from screen fabric to the frame surround, though the stitched trim on the Da-Lite screen far exceeded that of the Stewart and Carada. We also observed that the thickness, or gauge, of the material varied from one company to the other, with Carada appearing to be the thinnest and Stewart being the thickest.
Though the comparison of the Da-Lite combined with the two high contrast screens may seem a bit odd, what should be apparent is the need for a high contrast screen when using a projector of such low contrast levels. Something to consider with these screens is the price verses performance factor. Both the Da-Lite and Stewart screens fall in the $1300+ range while the Carada sells for under $600. If your desire is to have the absolute best in build quality and performance you really couldn't go wrong with either Stewart or Da-Lite. However, if you are willing to give a little on the frame construction and get a tremendous bang for your dollar, then the Carada is an excellent value performer that shouldn't be ignored.
Ratings
As this is an unorthodox review, we'll keep the rating system somewhat simplified. Here are where the screens really stood out:
Carada, Inc Precision Series High Contrast Grey MSRP $647
Easy assembly
Easy mounting
Fantastic value
Da-Lite, Inc Cinema Contour Cinema Vision MSRP $1360
Easy assembly
Easy mounting
Good value
Stewart Filmscreen Lexus Deluxe Firehawk MSRP $2027
Superior build quality
Easy assembly
Difficult mounting system
Superior overall performance
The Score Card
The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:
Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating
Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.
Audioholics Rating Scale
— Excellent
- — Very Good
- — Good
- — Fair
- — Poor
| Metric | Rating |
|---|---|
| Performance | |
| Value | |
