Marchon3D EX3D Eyewear

When we stopped by the Marchon3D EX3D booth at CES I have to admit that my reaction was more skeptical than enthusiastic. Sure, their passive 3D eyewear worked, and at $35 a pair was not terrible, but it seemed like a hard sell to the theater-going crowd where the glasses have to compete with “free”. Now that I have had the chance to try the EX3D AMMO glasses in a real environment, my opinion has changed – keep reading to find out why.

The Glasses

Marchon3D supplies a microfiber wipe and bag, as well as a hard case with the EX3D AMMO circular-polarized (passive) 3D glasses. Overall, the glasses are sturdy, flexible and comfortable; the plastic used in the frames is not the highest quality and has a somewhat cheap feel to it, although perhaps not out-of-line with the MSRP. The only real concern noted with the glasses is that while they fit me perfectly, those with a larger noggin may find the temples press too tightly against the side of their head. EX3D characterizes the AMMO glasses as fashionable, and they are, but mostly in the relative context in which they play. Of course, style does not matter once the lights go down – so the real question is whether they deliver a better viewing experience than the stock RealD glasses handed out at the theater.

There are cases where you do not get what you pay for, but this is not one – the EX3D 3D glasses outperform the set provided by the theater in both expected and unexpected ways. Having tried on the AMMO eyewear when they first arrived, it was not surprising to find them more comfortable and largely immune to “framing”, where the glasses are too visible during the viewing experience, in comparison to the pair supplied by the theater.  However, it was not expected that the AMMO glasses would provide more optimal picture quality as well, with more accurate colors and better saturation – quite similar to what is observed when viewing an LCD panel at the “sweet-spot” versus off axis. To support this observation, we can look at the pictures of the two glasses and see that there is a slight difference in tint and color between the theater-supplied (top) and EX3D (bottom) lenses. Without a larger sample, it is impossible to say if this finding will prove consistent, but I would expect it would be, given the consistency noted between the glasses I was provided and those which joined me at the theater.

Conclusion

While I was quite skeptical at first, the side-by-side comparison with the standard RealD glasses immediately demonstrated how superior Marchon3D’s EX3D glasses are. To infrequent 3D theater goers, personal eyewear is probably not worth the additional expense, but for those who attend often it is hard not to see the value in the increased comfort and viewing experience provided.

Pro:

• Better viewing experience
• Comfort
• Price

Con:

• May not fit those with large heads
• Plastic has a somewhat cheap feel

Thanks to Marchon3D EX3D for supplying the review sample.