Optima Matrix 575?

[donfox]

Has anyone used these moving head fixtures? They have a lot of features and are very bright for the price. Any info at all, about this particular fixture or Optima lighting would be great!

Thank you!

[JD]

Although you will hear a lot of negative things here and elsewhere about the fixtures from China, I don't really think the audience cares! (Just all us snobby lighting designers)

The Matrix is a kicking fixture. Sure, if you want to drop 7 to 10 grand, there are fixtures out there that will blow the lid off of it, but the Matrix is priced at $1500, and for that price it's a neat fixture to get started with. Here's the thing- Are you going to take it out on tour? Are you going to be renting it out? Or, are you using it yourself, and intend to handle it with care? If it's the last one, you will probably have a lot of fun from a fixture that gives you bang for the buck. Have fun!

Pros: Cheap, Bright, Fun, lots of features

Cons: Not UL approved, Keep away from roadies, will not outlast more expensive fixtures, Harder to get good support when there are problems.

[soundlight]

Do yourself a favor, and go up $500 more per fixture.

American DJ Accu-Spot 575 or Chauvet Q-Spot 575.

If you need to mix those with some cheaper fixtures, Elation Focus Spot 250's.

However, if you're only planning on getting two, yeah, get the Matrix's, handle them like they're made of glass, and they'll be fine for a while. And they have a nice featureset.

[Daveslights]

I've seen the Matrix 575's in action a few times. They're are very impressive for the price. The prism is one of the best I've seen. I love the gobos and colors. I've been looking into adding two of these to my rig.
I don't know how durable/road worthy they are, I've been wondering this myself. The band I know that has them seems very happy with them.

[JD]

The thing about low end fixtures is that they can be quirky and fragile. This one actually looks pretty good, but here's the deal: If you only have a couple and you are handling them yourself, its a big bang for the buck, and you can deal with the quirks if any. However, if you were to be traveling with 40 of them mounted in a truss, doing city after city, these same problems would drive you nuts and probably create a lot of crew friction when things broke. So, it's all about the intended usage.

One gripe I have about some of the low end equipment is that support is very thin. (I have a button on a cheap DMX controller that even the manufacturer can't tell me what its for!) Another problem is weight. Most of the low end equipment uses transformer ballasts and the units are heavy compared to higher cost units that use solid state ballasts. So, again, it all comes back to your intended usage.