ETC ColorSource Par vs Elation SixPar 200

[Whereforenot]

We are looking to purchase ten LED pars for our high school theatre and I have two recommendations from local vendors--the ETC ColorSource Par and the Elation SixPar 200. We have only incandescent lighting (Altman Shakespeares, Altman 65Q fresnels, ETC Source4 Pars, some cycs, scoops, and four channel border lights) at the moment, so our goal is to add color to our productions. We are a multi-purpose space since we are an auditorium. So we have our theatre productions, but we also host recreational dance recitals, talent shows, chorus and orchestra performances, and many other one-off events. My main goal is to start replacing our dying fresnels and have greater control over color on the stage.

So, looking at these two units, I am able to get a comparable price--Elations are slightly cheaper--and they both come highly recommended. I want a "theatrical" white but we still have plenty of conventional units to achieve that. I want rich saturated colors without the chromatic shift of typical LED units. I'm not sure if we need the UV provided in the Elation units. I want the units we purchase to have good coverage (our proscenium is 32' wide and our stage is 28' deep with four electrics). I imagine that we will use these on 2nd and 3rd electrics (5 on each) and I would use filters to increase the beam angles for the desired wash effect.

So, has anybody out there compared these two products side-by-side? Has anybody used these and can provide some guidance for my purchase?

Thanks,
Bill

 

[JohnD]

Can your local vendors get you a demo unit of each?
One advantage of the ETC unit is it has a built in accessory slot which is an add on for the Elation unit and ETC has a wide range of lenses for this unit, it takes the same lenses as the D40, with linear, round and oval spreads.

 

[Whereforenot]

Can your local vendors get you a demo unit of each?
One advantage of the ETC unit is it has a built in accessory slot which is an add on for the Elation unit and ETC has a wide range of lenses for this unit, it takes the same lenses as the D40, with linear, round and oval spreads.

I have one vendor trying to get a demo of the ETC for me and the other vendor has several Elations in their rental stock. Apparently the Elations are very popular at our local 4Wall.

 

[techieman33]

I agree with John about getting demos. Personally I would avoid the ETC unit and look for something else. I'm sure the plus lime helps make better colors. But the lack of user control for the lime color is a huge turn off for me. As a lighting designer I want to be in control of what the light is doing, not have the light decide for me what it thinks I want. Sure it might work for some people, and even help some less experienced designers. It just makes no sense to me why they would do this and not have an option for another mode that lets the user control the lime color.

 

[de27192]

I'm not sure if we need the UV provided in the Elation units.

It's not really UV so much as Congo Blue.

It's very useful, IMO, for helping you get shades darker than the primary colours. The trouble with RGB (Additive) mixing, over CMY (Subtractive) mixing is with RGB you cannot get any colour darker than the primary red, green and blue. So by buying hex units (IE RGBAWUV) you can use your amber and UV cells to create darker shades, since those colours are darker starting out.

 

[Whereforenot]

Will the fact we have an Element console influence the decision?

 

[cbrandt]

I really like the sixpars (I've used them in a couple of installs) but be aware that you're going to get less overall output in your saturated colors, and even in your white, than you will out of the Colorsource. If you can deal with that, the additional colors from the six par are great, and give you a lot of options. If you need more punch, I'd go with the colorsource.

 

[soundlight]

I'd recommend looking at another fixture as well: the Chroma Q Color One par. It's a fantastic unit with great color and you can use spread filters with it as well. You should be able to get a demo of it from 4wall as they have them in rental stock.

 

[RickR]

Will the fact we have an Element console influence the decision?

It shouldn't. Everything is DMX and all stuff less than 20 years old does it well. The Element will slightly restrict your programming and if you had 50 or more units you'd want some of those features. Other than that learn the fine point of the console; groups, palettes and spend some good time with the display options. Getting the info you need, easily is how to handle the short term projects. Any monkey can hit GO when told. The rest takes some thought...

 

[Whereforenot]

Thanks for all the advice. We have decided to table the decision until next school year. I am leaning toward the ColorSources at the moment because you can't create saturation once it is lost.

 

[robmerow]

I've recently used the colorsource pars. And to be honest it's probably the only ETC product I wouldn't use again unless I had to.

Pros:
-Output it excellent. Much more than Chroma-Q ColorOne 100
-As natural warm white as you can get in a 3 or 4 color mixing system.
-ETC name & support for the same cost as some of the other guys.
-Acceptable dimming curve for low-budget theater work.


Cons:
-Only RGB control - others have mentioned it, and after using it it truly is a handicap. The algorithms arn't perfect, and it makes it impossible to mix a deep blue or majenta.
-Homoginized lens is not really any better than on most Elation or Chauvet homogonized lenses. You can still see some separation if you stare into the lens, and it feels very plasticy.
-The "blue" emitter seems similar to the blue in the x7 line - a much less saturated, greener blue than on Martin, Chroma-Q etc. So without the "UV" of the X7 system you really can't get a deep congo blue.

Overall it's not a terrible fixture, but for concerts I'd rather use Rushpars or Chauvet Pro for similar price. And for theater I'd rather use twice as many ColorOne 100's, or wait and hope they introduce a ColorOne 200. Color range is pretty comparable to conventional fixtures more than LED - so in a way its a better 1:1 replacement for a conventional par than most LED fixtures, but then again it's missing many of the benefits.

 

[JVTD]

I Highly recommend getting a side-by-side demo of whatever you are looking to buy. Also remember that LED's require power from a non dimmer source and you need to get DMX to them.

Another fixture I would recommend comparing it with is the Chauvet Colorado Tri-Tour.

I have an element and it should work great for what you need it to do.