RGBAW Led Lekos...I WANT EM, but which ones?

[John Noah]

So lighting tech is always changing, I want some options to demo some led lekos. Truth is, I'm tired of cutting jels and I want something that can get me some what close. I demoed chauvet, but while they look great, as a company they've really been letting me down, (way too many failed products, terrible customer service, I'm still waiting on products from 6mths ago and their headquarters are down the street)

Back to lights...I'm looking for something that can possibly do lime and also have at least an equivalent punch of about 750w

 

[RonHebbard]

So lighting tech is always changing, I want some options to demo some led lekos. Truth is, I'm tired of cutting jels and I want something that can get me some what close. I demoed chauvet, but while they look great, as a company they've really been letting me down, (way too many failed products, terrible customer service, I'm still waiting on products from 6mths ago and their headquarters are down the street)

Back to lights...I'm looking for something that can possibly do lime and also have at least an equivalent punch of about 750w

Indoor or outdoor, is mechanical or fan noise a consideration? Calling @Ford and @rsmentele
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[John Noah]

Fans are fine...I expect that will help extend the life of the light. Indoor is cool

 

[wakkoroti]

Altman Phoenix.

 

[Amiers]

In this order.

ETC Luster 3s

ETC Luster 2s

Chauvet pro vs no pro gear is a world of difference. Demo their RGBAL fixture you won’t be unimpressed.

Martin ELPs

Chinese knockoffs galore

 

[almorton]

We auditioned some fixtures a couple of years ago, and the Colorsource spot (let alone any lustr model) outdid the ELP for quality and quantity of light, in our opinion.

 

[JohnD]

I do wonder if the issues experienced by the OP are exclusive to Chauvet or more in line with multiple issues with entertainment technology companies. Global chip and other electronic part shortages, shipping logjams everywhere and other issues.
There is also the sad news that entertainment tech is fairly low on the priority lists. Computer makers, cell phone makers, car makers and many others are up topside.

 

[John Noah]

Without going to far off topic, ill give my vent about Chauvet (feel free to skip to next post about actual lighting). 2017 my venue bought 8 R2 spots, 8 R2 wash and a Amphaze. Amphaze died 3months later with no serviceable parts and was discontinued. I asked if they could sell me a B-stock of a newer model for the difference or anyway to an upgrade since I was still under warranty, but they insisted on making me pay $150 for repair, do to this day I sit with a dead Amphaze.
Strike 2 was a few R2 wash beginning losing the ability to do certain colors in 2019 along with some hex pars going rogue.
Back in July I demoed a few units (their battens for my cyc, fresnel, and lekos) I bought their battens because the colorsource was too expensive and we needed led fresnels. Venues in miami and headquarters is right up the street, and still have yet to get an eta for my purchase order. While asking about the status of my order directly with Chauvet I was hung up on by a lady while trying to track down what the issue was. After calling back to speak with a manager, I found out there's no eta of when my stuff will be delivered, and nobody has said anything about supply chain issues.
Bottom line, while some products from Chauvet may be awesome, I feel they are also the worst in customer service and reliability is a mixed bag.

 

[John Noah]

ETC luster seems pretty good, Altman looks pretty expensive but if it is well built and last long, I'll consider going that route

 

[egilson1]

I know of a large cable network has just updated a few studios with Prolights LED ellipsoidals.

 

[TimMc]

Without going to far off topic, ill give my vent about Chauvet (feel free to skip to next post about actual lighting). 2017 my venue bought 8 R2 spots, 8 R2 wash and a Amphaze. Amphaze died 3months later with no serviceable parts and was discontinued. I asked if they could sell me a B-stock of a newer model for the difference or anyway to an upgrade since I was still under warranty, but they insisted on making me pay $150 for repair, do to this day I sit with a dead Amphaze.
Strike 2 was a few R2 wash beginning losing the ability to do certain colors in 2019 along with some hex pars going rogue.
Back in July I demoed a few units (their battens for my cyc, fresnel, and lekos) I bought their battens because the colorsource was too expensive and we needed led fresnels. Venues in miami and headquarters is right up the street, and still have yet to get an eta for my purchase order. While asking about the status of my order directly with Chauvet I was hung up on by a lady while trying to track down what the issue was. After calling back to speak with a manager, I found out there's no eta of when my stuff will be delivered, and nobody has said anything about supply chain issues.
Bottom line, while some products from Chauvet may be awesome, I feel they are also the worst in customer service and reliability is a mixed bag.

We're a production shop and not a theater. Our experience with Chauvet Professional has been very, very good, but we've not needed a lot in the way of support. We have an in-house tech who, in conjuction with C.P.'s service staff, has managed to repair or update firmware in all our Chauvet Pro products except one, which was replaced under warranty, IIRC.

Sorry to hear your experience was different.

 

[bdkdesigns]

I pretty much guarantee it is a supply chain issue for your new gear, even if they aren’t saying anything. It is most certainly not a situation unique to Chauvet. I’m still waiting on gear from about 5 major brands as we speak, none of which are Chauvet. I have a lot of rental packages that I’ve been returning as stuff slowly trickles in. All of this was ordered months ago.

 

[wakkoroti]

ETC luster seems pretty good, Altman looks pretty expensive but if it is well built and last long, I'll consider going that route

Altmans are very well built. No fan is a definite plus for longevity and not sucking in dirt and grime. No light leaks either, sealed very well. For a permanent install I would choose it over a lustr with a fan.

 

[theatricalmatt]

The fans are there to help cool the LED emitters, which -- as emitter arrays get more powerful and denser -- becomes more and more necessity. Not everyone knows this, but the Lustr firmware allows you control the fan, depending on which mode the unit is in.

I want to like the ColorSource Spots as a Lustr alternative, but the buttons are really finicky, and I've had a few that decide to reset which mode they're in.

 

[danTt]

Altmans are very well built. No fan is a definite plus for longevity and not sucking in dirt and grime. No light leaks either, sealed very well. For a permanent install I would choose it over a lustr with a fan.

The color rendering is pretty not ideal though, in my expeirence.

 

[soundlight]

Check out the new Chauvet Reve E3. Truly a beast in output and color. I love the Chauvet Ovation E910s tho, been using them for years and they're very reliable units with great output & color.

 

[Amiers]

Check out the new Chauvet Reve E3. Truly a beast in output and color. I love the Chauvet Ovation E910s tho, been using them for years and they're very reliable units with great output & color.

I also like the 910s that’s what my avatar picture is without the barrel in.

 

[Lextech]

We have demoed LED lekos for years and only now have my academic side lighting designer and I agreed that technology has progressed far enough for us to request funds for a large scale retrofit. Both the Reve E3 and the Luster 3 are truly impressive in terms of output. color range and CRI. We have CS Spots here and both of us use 910 FC IP fixtures at our outdoor side gigs and while they work for those applications neither was the right fit for our main space. Price for both is expensive, but quality often costs more. As for service I have no complaints with Chauvet or ETC. As far as supply chain, everything I have bought in our industry has been slow but Chauvet was actually faster then ETC on our last project. Still waiting on a different order of Net 3 Nodes which are back ordered until sometime, we hope, early next year.

 

[RickR]

PLSN mag just did one of their "buyers guides" on LED ERS. You might see one you hadn't heard of before.

 

[John Noah]

So I've decided to get qoutes on the Lustr2, Altman, and a few others. I'm having better conversations with Reps from Chauvet to clean up some past dilemmas, and if it goes well, I may consider their offerings as well again. I've seen a 910fc and to be honest, those would do a perfect job and I dont know that I will gain much more by going E3 accept firmware updates being easier and it being newer. The output on the E3 is more but the 910fc will suffice