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Topic: 4BAR LED Lighting System Review |
Jeff Hyman
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 25 Oct 2009 5:25 pm |
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Several weeks ago I posted looking for a small used stage lighting system. I ended up purchasing a new 4BAR(tm) LED System
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Chauvet-4Bar-LED-System?sku=817159
It has some very cool features, which all the retail shops mention. It's those little gotchas that you typically find out only after you make the purchase. Can't complain since there's a 45 day return policy.
The photos show 4 lights, each a different color. This can only occur with separate colors only when in a sound activated mode. IOW: the middle foot switch will have lights change with the meter of the band. Great for DJ's, but not for me. The four seperate LEDs in this mode, may occur only once every minute as the lights change with each beat (has a built in mic).
Here's the gotcha. You cannot have the lights static (as pictured) with each light a different color. What can be static is one color on all 4 lights at the same time. The left foot pedal makes it easy to switch between white,red,blue,green or yellow... but again, all 4 LED cans will all be the same color.
I'll do one more gig to decide... as the upside to this unit is it's extremely light, quick and easy to setup/breakdown, and the LEDs never ever get hot... not even warm. You can break them down immediately after the gig without having to wait for the cans to cool down. Also comes with a nice neat sturdy case. I'm no light man and don't want to spend a lot of time to load and setup lights.
$.02 |
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Bill A. Moore
From:
Silver City, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 26 Oct 2009 6:34 am
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| I've been wondering about this, Jeff, although I don't plan to be out on stage again, I still remember the load in, and set up. I assume they're fairly light also, so the trusses could be smaller, and lighter, and take up less room in the van. |
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Jeff Hyman
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 26 Oct 2009 6:57 pm
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Bill,
The entire horizontal truss and lights are one piece and fit neatly into a nice sturdy case about the same size and weight as a Fender Bass case. On my first time, I spent less then 10 minutes to set them up, plug them in, and point the lights where I wanted light. Breakdown is always a little quicker.
The vertical stand that holds the truss is the same as one that holds a light weight speaker, and has its own nylon bag.
A 25 foot extension cord is recommended as only a 3 footer comes with the unit.
Bottom line, to answer your question, it don't get much better then this for weight, size, and ease-of-use. However, it's main purpose is to light up the stage the way you want.
I'll post a final reply after Nov 13th gig. This will be the real test as we can cut all the house stage lights (standard flood lights) and get a true feel for the 4BAR. The gig Sunday was an afternoon private party in a fire hall, so there was too much outside light to get a true feel of the 4BAR capabilities. The other guys in the band liked them, in spite that only one color at a time was available.
There is a setting where all 4 cans change between colors every 5 seconds or so. This is what we used Sunday, and it wasn't that bad. Hopefully we'll feel that way after Nov 13. |
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Keith Murrow
From:
Wichita, KS
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Posted 28 Oct 2009 6:15 am
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Jeff, very interesting and useful, thanks for sharing.
If you don't mind, once you've had a chance to test it in a situation without other lights, let us know if the LED's seem to "throw" the light a similar distance as incandescent PAR cans. |
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Jeff Hyman
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 28 Oct 2009 7:16 am
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| Keith Murrow wrote: |
| let us know if the LED's seem to "throw" the light a similar distance as incandescent PAR cans. |
Keith,
This is the primary question. I'll try to be as specific as I can, as LED light penetration is the final decision maker. I certainly have no plans on having to setup two units... one on each side of the stage. I'm optimistic, but I assure you I'll tell it like it is. |
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Brian McGaughey
From:
Orcas Island, WA USA
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Posted 30 Oct 2009 7:02 pm
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Jeff,
I saw your post a while back asking if anyone had used this type of LED lighting.
Thanks for sharing your experience. It's of interest to me. |
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Jeff Hyman
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 19 Nov 2009 6:05 pm
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As promised, he's my take on 4BAR after using them in a dark environment.
1. They do an OK job for the guys up front. Penetration to the Drummer was lacking. The further the distance, the more the light looks like a spot light vs: a flood light.
2. I would absolutely get a DMX controller.
The reviews of the ones manufactured by Chavet are not good... so I'd get another brand of DMX controller. Other brands are compatible.
3. Getting through to Chavet technical support was a bit of a struggle. My last call was to confirm that they had no plans to allow the 4 lights on static with each LED section a different color. Answer was no, and a separate DMX controller was required to do so.
4. There is room for improvement on the quality of construction. They made some very stupid decisions on parts that are cheap even if you buy the quality brand. The cable contact connections are one example.
Bottom line is, there's no bottom line. I can't give a seal of approval for what I need. I may have felt different if I tried out the 4BAR with the controller... but that's another piece of equipment to haul around, which kinda defeats why I like the 4BAR in the first place.
This is strictly my $.02 worth. If you're on the borderline you may want to at least try them. You can return them within 45 days and most online catalog retailers pay for the return UPS shipping. |
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