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[Nate Zifra]

They seem to do it all! 

For background, I do mobile work, but typically small stages.  To give an idea of the power I work with, I have generic 60 watt LEd movers that work perfectly for my application.  What I find however, is that places vary greatly as to what I can fit and of course, if I can use haze or not.  If no haze allowed, the movers really seem like a waste.  What attracts me to these BSW fixtures is that they seem to be perfect for use in different environments.  Some like the Intimidator Trio can do really cool dance floor or wall effects.  For those of you with experience, do they work as advertised?  Or is the case of it being better to have fixtures dedicated to just beams, or just wash, etc? 

I'm really leaning towards a pair of Intimidator Trios, so if anyone has direct experience with those fixtures, I would appreciate your advice.

Thank you,

Nate

[Don T. Williams]

Natte

I have eight of the Trios.  They make a very good wash light, but don't expect the "beam" effects to look anywhere as bright or even as a hybrid or "BSW" type fixture.  For "aerial effects" the Trio isn't as bright as I had hoped.  Also the effects of the intimidator are very limited when compared to rotating prisms and rotating gobo effects.  I know light with these effects are more expensive, but . . . did I mention that the Trio is a great wash light?  I am impressed with the ADJ Visi 300 BSW, but it is a different size, weight, and cost class.  Now if someone just made a mini version of that light!

[Jeff Lelko]

Hi Nate, what are you actual requirements for the fixture?

For instance, when you say you want a wash, do you care about the beam angle or just how soft the edge of the beam is?  Is color mixing important to you?

As Don already mentioned, at this level of fixture you're going to have to make some compromises to get an "all in one" BSW.  At least to me, a non-color mixing wash light is a nonstarter unless I need it for a very specific purpose.  Similarly, a spot/beam light without any gobos or prisms is also difficult to accept.  A lot of it comes down to personal preference, but I have yet to find a true BSW that truly does it all for what I presume the budget you're shopping for is.  Mac Axiom Hybrids are nice and can do it all (sort of), but are also nearly 10x the price of a Trio and almost surely massive overkill for your jobs. 

So do you need a true moving wash, or are you looking for other eye-candy effects that work well without fog?  Lots of options for both!

[Nate Zifra]

I appreciate the responses and hands on experience.  If the lighting forum was divided into pro and lounge, I would most certainly be in the lounge level. 

My other fixtures are the typical 7 x 10 pars you see all over the place, generic 60 watt led moving spots, 4 of the 7x 10 mini led moving washes you see all over Ebay, and 4 Cob White LED's for front lighting.  To be honest, for the work I do, I'm very happy with the generic fixtures, and was surprised how how bright the 60 watt led moving spots are.  Prior to these fixtures, I was using Chauvet Colorstrips and the 4 Play fixture. 

What draws me to the Trio is can be used to different effect.  I can do a wide wash or tighter beam when needed (accent solo players, etc), and when there is no haze, I can at least get color patterns out on the walls, stage or dance floor.  At gigs where I can use haze, the moonflower effect is a nice to have (without needing or setting up a dedicated fixture).  At gigs with no haze, aside from the patterns on the floor as mentioned above, it also allows for rotating "eyes" for lack of a better description. 

I hope the descriptions above help.  The idea of a "multiuse" fixture is appealing as I think I can get more function with setting up less fixtures.  I'm typically in a one-man setup situation at most gigs.  So less fixtures to setup, and more options from a single fixture sounds great in theory.

Don, you mention the moonflower beams are not as bright as you wanted.  Would it be bright enough to work with or cut through my current fixtures listed above?  Again, the 60 watt beams are the perfect brightness for what I do at this point. 


Thank you again, appreciate the conversation.

[Don T. Williams]

Nate

Actually, the "moon flower effects" are bright enough.  My disappointment was when trying to use them as aerial beams.  They just aren't as bright as a "R2 or R5" or similar "Sharpy" clone.  Also, the shape of the beams are square (as are the LEDs that produce the light) when the hitting walls or ceilings.  When the Trios are slightly out of focus, you get a pretty good narrow spot (think PAR 64 NSP or VNSP) beam.  The color mixing is good with nice saturated colors.  It's just not a BSW substitute nor is it in that price range.  A light I am impressed with for its price class ($999 MAP) is the Intimidator Spot 375 IRC.  With dual prisms and a bright 150 LED, its a nice little mover. 

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Chauvet dealer (and ADJ, Elation, Blizzard, Epsilon Pro, Martin, and more) but I only do local sales - no mail order!  I'm not trying to sell a product to you.  I have a production company so I am also a user of all the products listed. I'm just giving you my opinion and trying to answer your question as best possible.

[ProSoundWeb Community]