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I built the ultimate home theater setup with these 3 products – here’s my buying advice

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

  • The LTV-3500 Pro projector is available now from the official AWOL site for $6,000.
  • The LTV-3500 Pro projector creates some of the clearest images of any projector I’ve used, and the screen is remarkable, even with too much ambient light.
  • The AWOL package is far too expensive for most family budgets.

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Let’s face it: I dig video and audio. Any chance I can try a new piece of technology, I’ll jump at the chance. Sometimes, the tech I review is fairly predictable, while other times, it’s eye-opening, mind-blowing, and flat-out impressive.

I’ve reviewed a few projectors over the years and have mostly found them acceptable, so when AWOL asked if I’d like to give their projector a try, I said, “Sure.” In the back of my mind, I thought, “This will be just another projector that promises more than it delivers.”

How wrong I was.

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I won’t bury the lede: the AWOL Vision LTV-3500 Pro projector<!–> is not cheap at a whopping $6,000. But it’s as good as these systems get, especially for those who want a projector that can project crisp and highly detailed video without having to go through all of the problematic setups associated with other projectors.

For my reviewed setup, you’ll be dropping roughly $5,998 for this projector, $2,600 for the 100″ AWOL Vision Cinematic+ ARL motorized floor rising screen–> — which, to be clear, there are more affordable 100-inch screens<!–> out there – and the Thunderbeats home theatre speakers–> ($1,499). The total for the entire package is $10,097. 

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Yeah, that’s a big chunk of change to spend on a project setup, which means the product is targeted at those who are serious about projecting video content. I would imagine the AWOL LTV-3500 Pro is best suited for businesses or families who host larger gatherings and want the best video projection possible. Now, the specs:

LTV-3500 Pro projector

AWOL Vision screen

Thunderbeats speakers

My experience

When the packages were delivered, my first thought was, “What in the name of Jumbo is in these boxes?” They were huge… and heavy. The screen was especially cumbersome to get in the house, get out of the box, and find a location large enough to test it all out. 

I had no idea what to expect from these products. First, I assumed the screen was the typical fabric and frame device that would need to be assembled and taken down every time. Little did I know.

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After unboxing the screen, I realized this was some serious technology. What I found was a long black rectangular box with a power cable and a remote. I plugged it in, hit the up button, and stood back in wonder as the screen rose to its full height. On top of that, the screen was made of black material that surprisingly displayed very little reflection of light. Impressive.

Next came the projector, which wasn’t nearly as bulky as the screen, but it did have some heft. To my surprise, the projector is placed on the floor in front of the screen and allows you to connect via USB-B, HDMI, or S/PDIF. I plugged my MacBook Pro via a docking station and HDMI.

<!–> The rear panel of the LTV-3500 Pro projector.

The rear panel of the project shows how many ports it includes.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Once I had the projector ready to go, it was time to set up the speakers. This is where things got a bit dicey. The first thing you must do is plug a special dongle into a wall outlet. Once you’ve done that, you connect the dongle (via an included USB-C to USB-B cable) to one speaker and allow it to connect. 

Also: I changed these 3 settings on my projector for the best picture quality

This process must be done with all six speakers in order to link them together. Once you’ve done that, you keep the dongle powered on and, using the included USB-C to USB-B cable, plug it into the USB-B port on the back of the projector. It’s a cumbersome setup, but it works.

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Jack Wallen/ZDNET

With everything ready, I opened a clip from a project I’m currently working on, pressed play, and stood back to watch.

Quite frankly, I was shocked. First off, there was no need to adjust the keying, as the projector automatically adjusted the angle and displayed the image perfectly. Second, the video was remarkably clear, even though I’d set it up in an alcove with a giant picture window behind it. I’d never seen such a clear video from a project, especially given the ambient light. There’s some serious magic going on with this setup.

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It took me watching one minute of video to realize why this projector and screen are so costly… they blow away the competition. In my experience, I’ve never witnessed a projector work this well and this easily. Yes, the speaker setup was time-consuming, but anyone can do it. To have a projector that “just works” out of the box is impressive, but to do it with such clarity is mind-blowing.

<!–> The Thunderbeats subwoofer and surround speaker.

You’ll find four surround speakers (right) and two subs (left) included in the package.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

As far as the sound is concerned, yeah, the Thunderbeats are excellent… especially for movies. I’d tested my project clip on various monitors with pretty decent speakers, but the Thunderbeats added depth to the voices that weren’t there with a laptop or desktop machine. I would venture to say the Thunderbeats would be an outstanding addition for showing movies or other types of video content in a large room. The voices were clear and there was so much bass (thanks to the dual subs).

ZDNET’s buying advice

I realize this package is a hard sell because of the price, but if you’re looking for the best possible options for projecting various video content, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option. If you have the available funds, the AWOL system will not let you down. If, however, you’re a family on a budget, this projector is not for you.

The LTV-3500 Pro projector–> is, hands down, the best projector I’ve ever used, and the Vision screen<!–> is truly amazing. The only negatives I have with this system are the time-consuming Thunderbeats–> speaker setup and the weight of the screen, but those two issues do not detract from the amazing performance of this setup.

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