Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.
Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Stairville mhx25 Led Moving Head

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    South Yorkshire
    Posts
    676

    Default Stairville mhx25 Led Moving Head

    I took delivery of a couple of these last week from Thomann in Germany. I know one or two people took an interest in them following a gallery post by Charlie. I'd been looking to get some so I thought I'd take the plunge based on his comments and I thought it might be useful to give you some more feedback too.

    First things first. The claim that the 25W LED is comparable to a 150 HTI bulb is twaddle. Thomann confirmed by email that the light is not as bright as either a 150HTI or a 250W ELC, and bench testing confirms it isn't. But, it is not far behind an ELC. Often, pictures from digital cameras can deceive so to put it into words, mid spectrum colours and white stand out very well and will easily carry 15-20m in a dark (but not pitch black) environment. Colours less visible to the human retina (indigo/ crimson/purples) don't stand out as well at more than about a range of 10m. Hopefully that should give you an idea of how 'bright' a 25W LED is. If you want something similar to a 250W ELC, go for the 50W version.

    It has a 17 degree beam angle which is isn't ideal but that is a trade off when using LED - narrower beams make the gobo's smaller but more intense. You can work out how big gobo's will be at specific distances using your maths O levels!


    On to the unit itself. It's not too badly made, and it feels fairly solid although dropping it would no doubt end in tears. The units are smaller than many moving heads and one unit would fit into a box about a foot square - making them very easy to package and transport.

    The focus is quite good and the gobo's are very sharp and clear. There are one or two very nice gobo's and also rotating gobo's which is a plus in this price bracket. One gobo is similar to the rose gobo on the Wizards so that has potential. Throw in a bit of smoke and they really do look the part.

    There is a very useful slow pan stand alone mode which can be used where you don't want the head to be too active and a similar fast mode that isn't too overwhelming for an audience. On board sound to light is, however, a little bit over active. The controls are straightforward and the units dmx without any issues.

    For around £207, with a 3 year warranty, you can't go far wrong for the 25W version. The 50W version is an extra £170 so only worth the investment if you do really big venues or day rooms that are hard to darken.

  2. #2
    Solitaire Events Ltd's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Reading
    Age
    55
    Posts
    42,914

    Default

    Good review Paul. Have you any pictures or video?

    Can you use a CA-8 type controller with this?

    In the slow pan stand alone mode, can you choose which colour and gobo to use?

    How strobey are they?

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    South Yorkshire
    Posts
    676

    Default

    Sorry for delay - I've been busy and haven't had chance to do much with these lights. For video, just put the brand and model into Youtube. There are some good videos on there. I wanted to try to show members how the LED fixtures compared to traditional lamp such as ELC - it is always a subject of debate. Here's a picture showing a Martin Wizard and the 25W LED moving heads, both on white light with no filters. It's potential to be a good looking light show for very little set up effort.

    Digital pictures can be misleading and the Martin is brighter, whiter light whereas the LED is a grey kind of white if that makes sense. For Martin bashers, don't forget that the Extreme splits the light source and projects a multitude of beams so as a room filling light, it is superior. You'd need about 6 moving heads to emulate the Martin. Still, for the specific effects you might want from a moving head - these are pretty damn good for the money.

    I now think it would be right to say that 1x25w LED = 1x250W long life ELC.........just.

    As for strobe, yes they do do fast strobe and it made me a bit queazy so they won't be doing it again.

    The internal set scenes on the Stairvilles (available via DMX) are a bit rubbish. But programming them in DMX is easy.
    Attached Images Attached Images  
    Last edited by paulg; 03-03-2012 at 01:13 PM.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Winchester
    Posts
    231

    Default

    Hi Paul,

    Have you got a long term update on these? I know they've been around for a few years now but they're so cheap and I'm considering buying 12 or so as replacements for older discharge heads (I know they won't be as bright!), but I've only seen them in use in one live music venue and have not yet had a chance to test them myself.

    Thanks!

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    South Yorkshire
    Posts
    676

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by stormproductions View Post
    Hi Paul,

    Have you got a long term update on these? I know they've been around for a few years now but they're so cheap and I'm considering buying 12 or so as replacements for older discharge heads (I know they won't be as bright!), but I've only seen them in use in one live music venue and have not yet had a chance to test them myself.

    Thanks!
    Still have them and they get plenty of use. Still working exactly as they should so I have no complaints at all. LED's have not dimmed noticably which I understand is a possibility with LED products. If you need any more info, just ask.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Winchester
    Posts
    231

    Default

    Lovely, thanks. I've actually just been to that venue this afternoon to investigate and get a demo. Their lighting guy has apparently got 24 of them (4 installed in the venue and 20 more he uses on the road) and is really quite pleased with them. I must admit I wasn't loving them but for the money... I'll let you know if I get them!

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Winchester
    Posts
    231

    Default

    Well, I finally bought 12 of these this summer. Not had much opportunity to use them yet but am pleasantly happy now I've got them on jobs.

    Spent a couple of days with them sat on the floor of a theatre stage whilst training on a new lighting desk and in a relatively dark environment like that they are very good indeed for what they are.

    A bit heavy and no actual handles for lifting but just very impressed for the money.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •