Hi, so I'm about to purchase 2 moving lights to use on shows. I would want to be able to use the fixture in anywhere from a blackbox to a 900 seat theatre. There are two different fixtures im considering. (I will be buying used fixtures) What has the most features, versatility, worth, etc; a Clay Paky Alpha Spot 575 HPE or a Martin Mac 550?
Automated Fixtures Clay Paky Alpha Spot 575 HPE vs. Martin Mac 550
- Thread starterDJZS
- Start date
I will be testing the Clay Paky Alpha HPE, Alpha 800 SWO, and Elation Platinum 15R in my 350 seat auditorium this week and putting them to use on a one-day rental next Saturday.
On spec alone, the Clay Paky's appear to have a beefier pan/tilt mechanism since they can be mounted either horizontally or vertically.
Number of seats in the house isn't really a determining factor for brightness. What do you intend to do with them and what is the throw distance? I expect the HPE 300 will have a tough time cutting through a full stage wash when zoomed out and mounted at the back of the house with a saturated red, prism, and gobo in the beam. It might work great for texturing as a top or back light against the same wash from 25' above in a pastel tint. I'll know more in a couple of days.
On spec alone, the Clay Paky's appear to have a beefier pan/tilt mechanism since they can be mounted either horizontally or vertically.
Number of seats in the house isn't really a determining factor for brightness. What do you intend to do with them and what is the throw distance? I expect the HPE 300 will have a tough time cutting through a full stage wash when zoomed out and mounted at the back of the house with a saturated red, prism, and gobo in the beam. It might work great for texturing as a top or back light against the same wash from 25' above in a pastel tint. I'll know more in a couple of days.
JChenault
Well-Known Member
One thing to be careful of, depending on the kinds of productions and size of venue is Noise. Fan noise in a small venue can be a killer.
Also consider throw. I have yet to find a moving spot which has a wide enough beam for an 18 foot ceiling. Ie the desire to use the fixtures in both venues may not pan out.
What Tex said makes a lot of sense to me. Get one in your space. See how noisy it is, what the dimmer curve is like, etc
Also consider throw. I have yet to find a moving spot which has a wide enough beam for an 18 foot ceiling. Ie the desire to use the fixtures in both venues may not pan out.
What Tex said makes a lot of sense to me. Get one in your space. See how noisy it is, what the dimmer curve is like, etc
porkchop
Well-Known Member
I'd go with the Clay Paky 575's, but I am certainly bias. I find that they are easier to work on, more reliable, and when issues do come up they do a better job of making it through the run anyway.
Some things to consider are that CP 575's are the oldest models of the Alpha line. They are still very good lights, and work horses, but CP hadn't quite figured out the best way to cool they're fixtures yet when they designed these. If you can get hands on with these units (or get the seller to do this for you) make sure to take off the covers and look at the wiring harness. Especially where the cables plug into the driver boards. The individual wires should be reasonably brightly colored and easy to distinguish from the other colored wires. If the harness is a faded brownish color then the harness has been in there for a while and seen a good bit of heat in it's lifetime. I've seen faded harnesses last for years in touring conditions, so even if you find this the fixtures might be worth buying, but this will give you an idea of just how used these fixtures are.
Another, more minor, thing to look for is the lamp base. There are two designs, the original one had the igniter wire attach to the lamp base at an angle away from the metal piece that holds the lamp. The new style has the wire connect directly underneath and inline with the piece that hold the lamp. I would recommend changing out the lam base of any light with the old style, but the conversion is relatively cheap and can be done easily with just a Philips screwdriver, a 7mm nutdriver, 7mm wrench, and a 3mm allen key. If you buy the whole conversion kit it includes a few pieces to reroute the igniter wires. They are wonderful on the 1200's but on the 575's I could take them or leave them because usually there isn't enough slack in the igniter wires to make them fit properly and the fixtures don't produce anywhere near as much heat.
Hope that helps if you have any questions PM me.
Some things to consider are that CP 575's are the oldest models of the Alpha line. They are still very good lights, and work horses, but CP hadn't quite figured out the best way to cool they're fixtures yet when they designed these. If you can get hands on with these units (or get the seller to do this for you) make sure to take off the covers and look at the wiring harness. Especially where the cables plug into the driver boards. The individual wires should be reasonably brightly colored and easy to distinguish from the other colored wires. If the harness is a faded brownish color then the harness has been in there for a while and seen a good bit of heat in it's lifetime. I've seen faded harnesses last for years in touring conditions, so even if you find this the fixtures might be worth buying, but this will give you an idea of just how used these fixtures are.
Another, more minor, thing to look for is the lamp base. There are two designs, the original one had the igniter wire attach to the lamp base at an angle away from the metal piece that holds the lamp. The new style has the wire connect directly underneath and inline with the piece that hold the lamp. I would recommend changing out the lam base of any light with the old style, but the conversion is relatively cheap and can be done easily with just a Philips screwdriver, a 7mm nutdriver, 7mm wrench, and a 3mm allen key. If you buy the whole conversion kit it includes a few pieces to reroute the igniter wires. They are wonderful on the 1200's but on the 575's I could take them or leave them because usually there isn't enough slack in the igniter wires to make them fit properly and the fixtures don't produce anywhere near as much heat.
Hope that helps if you have any questions PM me.
Is there another fixture anyone would reccomend, or does the Clay Paky 575 HPE seem like a good unit? I do want it to have some punch, so im hoping the 575 will be bright enough. And unfortunately, I wont be able to bring one into my space to test before I but it. Are two used good condition fixtures worth the $6000?
You won't get the features of the HPE, but dollar per pound, it is hard to argue with Studio Spots. You could likely get 4 of them (depending on whether you jumped on the zoom and color mixing options) for 6k. You'll likely be happier with a couple of really nice units, than a lot of lesser ones, however.
jonslilbro
Member
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