Are Optoma projectors quiet?
By their spec tables, mostly yes. Most current models list a minimum of 24 to 29 dB and a maximum of 28 to 35 dB, with the ML1050STi portable's 22 dB minimum and the GT2100HDR short throw's 36 dB maximum at the extremes.
The figures sit in the General section of each spec table, under "Noise level (min)" and "Noise level (max)", with no footnote, test distance or standard on any page.
For any projector, a 28 dB maximum is low.
Our dBA explainer covers what a gap of a few decibels sounds like.
Min and max, with no definition
Optoma never says what the two figures describe. The quietest and loudest fan settings are the likely reading, but no Optoma USA page confirms it or names a lamp or laser mode for either one. Two wordings appear across the lineup. Most models print "Noise level (min)" and "Noise level (max)" with no mode. The Photon Life PK31, PH31 and PK32 and the Photon GO add "(eco mode)" and "(bright mode)" in brackets, and the UHZ36 and UHZ58LV drop min and max for "Noise level (eco mode)" and "Noise level (bright mode)".
One page, the HL31LV's, writes its pair in dB(A), 29 and 35. No reason is given for the different unit, so it sits with the other 1080p models with the unit noted.
Which Optoma home theater projector is quietest?
On paper the HCPro-5400, at 25 dB minimum and 28 maximum, though no Amazon listing turned up for it. Of the models in stock, the UHZ68 leads on the minimum at 25 dB, and the UHD38x and UHD35x on the maximum at 28.
| Model | Resolution | Min | Max |
|---|
| HCPro-5400 | 4K | 25 dB | 28 dB |
| UHZ68 | 4K | 25 dB | 31 dB |
| HCPRO-4400 | 4K | 25 dB | 31 dB |
| UHD38x | 4K | 26 dB | 28 dB |
| UHD35x | 4K | 26 dB | 28 dB |
| UHZ55 | 4K | 27 dB | 29 dB |
| UHZ35 | 4K | 28 dB | 35 dB |
| HD146X | 1080p | 26 dB | 28 dB |
| HD30LV | 1080p | 27 dB | 29 dB |
| HZ40HDR | 1080p | 27 dB | 34 dB |
| HZ41 | 1080p | 29 dB | 31 dB |
| HL31LV | 1080p | 29 dB(A) | 35 dB(A) |
The lamp models in that table, the UHD38x, UHD35x, HD146X and HD30LV, all stop at 28 or 29 dB. Every laser except the HCPro-5400 reaches 29 dB or more, and the UHZ35 gets to 35.
Short throws, from 22 to 36 dB
The UHD35STx and ML1080ST pair a 24 dB minimum with a 28 dB top, the best combination among the short throws. The ML1050STi portable starts lower, at 22 dB, but reaches 29, and its WXGA resolution puts it in a different class from the 4K UHD35STx.
| Model | Min | Max |
|---|
| ML1050STi | 22 dB | 29 dB |
| UHD35STx | 24 dB | 28 dB |
| ML1080ST | 24 dB | 28 dB |
| GT1080HDR | 26 dB | 28 dB |
| GT2000HDR | 27 dB | 34 dB |
| UHZ35ST | 28 dB | 35 dB |
| GT3900UHD | 28 dB | 35 dB |
| GT2300HDR | 29 dB | 31 dB |
| GT2400HDR | 29 dB | 31 dB |
| GT2100HDR | 29 dB | 36 dB |
The two ultra short throw lasers for the home sit higher: the GT3500HDR at 27 and 34 dB, the GT4000UHD at 29 and 34 dB. Short throws from other makers are compared in our short throw projector guide.
Six models name eco and bright modes
These six list 26 to 30 dB in eco mode and 31 to 35 dB in bright, and on every one of them bright mode costs 4 to 6 dB.
| Model | Eco | Bright |
|---|
| Photon Life PK31 | 26 dB | 32 dB |
| Photon Life PH31 | 26 dB | 32 dB |
| Photon Life PK32 | 27 dB | 31 dB |
| UHZ58LV | 28 dB | 32 dB |
| UHZ36 | 28 dB | 33 dB |
| Photon GO ML1080UST | 30 dB | 35 dB |
The Photon GO is the only battery model, rated at 1.5 hours. Other battery projectors are ranked in our portable projector guide.
Which Optoma gaming projector is quietest?
The UHD38x and UHD35x, at 26 dB minimum and 28 maximum. The UHD38x is rated at a 4.20ms input lag; the short throw UHD35STx, with its lower 24 dB minimum, at 4.00ms.
Several laser short throws are sold for gaming and golf simulators as well. The GT2000HDR pairs an 8.60ms input lag with a 27 to 34 dB spread, and the GT2300HDR has 16.7ms at 1080p60 with 29 to 31 dB. The UHZ58LV gives the most detailed lag figures in the lineup, 8.5ms at 1080p240 and 17.8ms at 4K60, beside its 28 dB eco and 32 dB bright figures. For a fast shooter in a quiet room, the UHD35STx is the one that wins on both counts.
Lamp models top out lower than most lasers
Every lamp model in the lineup stops at 28 or 29 dB. Laser models stop anywhere between 28 and 36. The lamp group is the UHD38x, UHD35x, UHD35STx, HD146X, HD30LV and GT1080HDR. Only two lasers reach a maximum as low as 28 dB, the HCPro-5400 and the small ML1080ST.
Lamps cost in other ways. The 240 watt lamps are rated up to 4,000 hours in Bright mode, against 30,000 hours for most of the lasers, and power draw differs too, up to 295W on the HD146X and up to 170W on the GT2300HDR laser.
A retired model carries the line "This product has been discontinued." On November 7, 2026 that banner sat on the CinemaX P2, the CinemaX D2, the UHZ50 and the UHD50X. Their pages still show noise figures, for example 26 and 28 dB on the CinemaX D2 and 27 and 29 dB on the UHZ50, but they are left out of the ranking as no longer current.
None of the 31 current home, gaming and portable models carries that banner, and every one prints a noise row.
