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Author Topic: Advice on Cheap LED Pars  (Read 10668 times)

brian maddox

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Advice on Cheap LED Pars
« on: March 25, 2013, 03:28:33 PM »

Okay, i've got a small stage for my church's high school youth room and i'm looking for some LED pars to light it.  We've got a floor supported truss across the front of the stage that is all of maybe 10' off the ground, so we're looking at a throw distance of probably no more than 12 to 15 feet.  stage is in a corner so is roughly triangular and measures maybe 15 feet across the front.  think small bar stage that you can barely cram a 3-piece band and you're in the ballpark.

we're using old 4 channel dimmer packs and some cheap par 56s cans right now, but the dimmer packs keep blowing up and power is limited, hence the desire to switch out to LEDs.

Here's what i'm looking for, in order of importance.

1.  Cheap
2.  Cheap
3.  Cheap
4.  Reliable
5.  Flexible

did i mention i was looking for cheap?  :)  i'm thinking maybe some decent chinese pars or perhaps something better used that maybe has been surpassed in technology with the newer stuff.  Color temperature isn't all that important.  Frankly, at that throw distance brightness isn't all that important either. 

any recommendations?  and please be specific since i'm really a sound guy so i don't really know much about lighting.  or anyone got any they want to unload cheap?

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brian maddox
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Zachary Zimmerman

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Re: Advice on Cheap LED Pars
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2013, 04:57:51 PM »

Okay, i've got a small stage for my church's high school youth room and i'm looking for some LED pars to light it.  We've got a floor supported truss across the front of the stage that is all of maybe 10' off the ground, so we're looking at a throw distance of probably no more than 12 to 15 feet.  stage is in a corner so is roughly triangular and measures maybe 15 feet across the front.  think small bar stage that you can barely cram a 3-piece band and you're in the ballpark.

we're using old 4 channel dimmer packs and some cheap par 56s cans right now, but the dimmer packs keep blowing up and power is limited, hence the desire to switch out to LEDs.

Here's what i'm looking for, in order of importance.

1.  Cheap
2.  Cheap
3.  Cheap
4.  Reliable
5.  Flexible

did i mention i was looking for cheap?  :)  i'm thinking maybe some decent chinese pars or perhaps something better used that maybe has been surpassed in technology with the newer stuff.  Color temperature isn't all that important.  Frankly, at that throw distance brightness isn't all that important either. 

any recommendations?  and please be specific since i'm really a sound guy so i don't really know much about lighting.  or anyone got any they want to unload cheap?

How cheap is cheap? You might look at the chauvet products.
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brian maddox

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Re: Advice on Cheap LED Pars
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2013, 05:07:51 PM »

How cheap is cheap? You might look at the chauvet products.

cheap is as cheap as you can go.  :)  seriously, it's a non-mission critical application for a youth group at a church.  So it's all about the dollars.  it'd be nice if they didn't break in 3 weeks, but i could stomach losing 1 or 2 a year if the price was right....
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brian maddox
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Zachary Zimmerman

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Re: Advice on Cheap LED Pars
« Reply #3 on: March 25, 2013, 06:31:32 PM »

cheap is as cheap as you can go.  :)  seriously, it's a non-mission critical application for a youth group at a church.  So it's all about the dollars.  it'd be nice if they didn't break in 3 weeks, but i could stomach losing 1 or 2 a year if the price was right....

How many are you looking for I know a website that I order from that is a licensed dealer that has a the slim par 56  that is less than the price of all other online retailers. I am not a rep just a happy Customer.

Pm me and I'll give you the info
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Josh Daws

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Re: Advice on Cheap LED Pars
« Reply #4 on: March 25, 2013, 07:06:25 PM »

Okay, i've got a small stage for my church's high school youth room and i'm looking for some LED pars to light it.  We've got a floor supported truss across the front of the stage that is all of maybe 10' off the ground, so we're looking at a throw distance of probably no more than 12 to 15 feet.  stage is in a corner so is roughly triangular and measures maybe 15 feet across the front.  think small bar stage that you can barely cram a 3-piece band and you're in the ballpark.

we're using old 4 channel dimmer packs and some cheap par 56s cans right now, but the dimmer packs keep blowing up and power is limited, hence the desire to switch out to LEDs.

Here's what i'm looking for, in order of importance.

1.  Cheap
2.  Cheap
3.  Cheap
4.  Reliable
5.  Flexible

did i mention i was looking for cheap?  :)  i'm thinking maybe some decent chinese pars or perhaps something better used that maybe has been surpassed in technology with the newer stuff.  Color temperature isn't all that important.  Frankly, at that throw distance brightness isn't all that important either. 

any recommendations?  and please be specific since i'm really a sound guy so i don't really know much about lighting.  or anyone got any they want to unload cheap?



good luck...you will not find anything that wont be garbage...
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Richard Turner

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Re: Advice on Cheap LED Pars
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2013, 07:21:38 PM »

I'd put UL pass sticker at slot #2 if you are permantly mounting them. cheap isnt cheap if they are left on for a week and burn the place down

used Should be a raft of used Chauvet LEDrain 56 out there now 3-5 years old yjeu were only ~$100 new. I'd stay away from the colorpallette LED or anything early chauvet that used the small LED's 1st gen were junk.

new ADJ slim par 56 and they will work stand alone, daisy chain and have a RF remote do no need for DMX if you relly want to go cheap.
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Kyle Leonard

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Re: Advice on Cheap LED Pars
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2013, 01:03:33 PM »

My cheapest lights are the Megasystems NE Color Par38 (http://www.mega-lite.com/prolight/ledLight/nepar38/). You can find them for about $100. I've had them survive being in a thunderstorm and left overnight point upwards and still work.


I've also bought some stuff from www.cheaplights.com and been pleasantly surprised.

Kyle
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Paul G. OBrien

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Re: Advice on Cheap LED Pars
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2013, 01:30:29 PM »


Maybe the offshore version of the Blizzard Puck3 which are available now for less than $100ea from some sources. These Tri LED fixtures produce several times the light output of the older 1/4w par fixtures with much better color saturation, the only downside is they simply cannot be pointed directly at the face.. they're blindingly bright at full power so you'll want them well overhead and pointed down or dimmed to 1/2 or 1/4 power.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Pro-2X-RGB-9x3w-TRI-LED-Slim-Flat-5CH-DJ-Par-64-Piggy-back-Stage-DMX-512-Light-/300875575104?pt=US_Stage_Lighting_Single_Units&hash=item460d94ef40
« Last Edit: March 26, 2013, 01:33:17 PM by Paul G. OBrien »
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John Fruits

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Re: Advice on Cheap LED Pars
« Reply #8 on: March 27, 2013, 06:46:39 AM »

+1 to Richard Turner
Some of the cheaper offerings seem to have no approvals at all.  Look for UL, ETL, CSA or CE.  Insurance companies are always looking for ways to deny claims, and if you are using un-approved fixtures, well, there is a ready made denial of claim. 
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Randall Hyde

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Re: Advice on Cheap LED Pars
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2013, 11:31:24 AM »

Maybe the offshore version of the Blizzard Puck3 which are available now for less than $100ea from some sources.

+1 on Blizzard. They're definitely inexpensive and decent quality. I have had some issues with DOA units but Blizzard has done a good job of taking care of me. Fixtures have done fine out in the field (my rig is portable, so there's a lot of abuse associated with the gear).  Blizzard's build quality is probably somewhere between ADJ and Chauvet at the low end; not great, but the stuff has held up for me so far.

I would be careful about buying the cheapest fixtures you can lay your hands on. One fixture at 50% more dollars might put out twice the light (e.g., Blizzard Puck versus Puck RGBAW). The advantage of more fixtures is that you get better beam spread and control, the advantage of fewer fixtures is less weight to fly, fewer cables to buy, and (usually) lower cost.

Case in point, Blizzard Pucks can easily be had for under $100 each. They're 3920 lux @1m. The Blizzard Fab5 can be had for under $200 each. They are 12,400 lux @1m (and offer a much better color palette, better beam control, and better color mixing w/o the "lite brite" look). So one FAB 5 unit is going to *way* outperform a pair of Puck RGB fixtures.  Also, programming half the number of fixtures is a whole lot easier than programming twice the number of fixtures. A few things to consider when looking at the cheapest possible fixtures you can buy.

You're really interested in "what is the least amount of money I can spend to put a given amount of light on the stage and completely cover the stage?" Lower output fixtures, like the Puck RGB, only win if you really need the control of a large number of different light sources (which let you place beams in more places than is possible with half the fixtures); a fewer number of higher-end fixtures win in almost all other cases.

Cheers,
Randy Hyde
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Re: Advice on Cheap LED Pars
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2013, 11:31:24 AM »


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