Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.
Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: Martin Rush Wizard

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    South Yorkshire
    Posts
    676

    Default Martin Rush Wizard

    Do many of you have a Martin Rush Wizard ? It's the replacement for the trusty Martin Wizard Extreme.

    I gave them a whirl recently and can't really make my mind up about them. Initially, they were on sale pre-release for £1000 so stuff that - I could buy a dozen American DJ or Equinox LED fixtures for that money and have enough change to buy a big wheelie bin to put them in after 6 months. I have a bit of a problem with these marques!!

    The Rush Wizard is now £750 (ish) and a lot less than the release RRP so it is about the same price as the old Wizard Extreme. It is expensive and yet made in China.

    The new wizard has a plastic outer case rather than a steel one yet it somehow seems as well made as the old Wizard - solid but thankfully a whole lot lighter than the previous model. I can lift the new one with one hand. I could lift the old model with one hand whilst pushing my hernia in with the other. Anyone who is familiar with this light will be thankful for the weight loss.

    Design wise the rush wizard is quite pretty and more compact than the old one. There are still silly design faults though. The old Wizard had pegs to hold the fan guard onto the chassis and these were positioned where your fingers grip as you lifted the light up. They broke off when you lifted it. Martin have removed this design flaw. Well done. Instead, the digital menu panel and buttons are now equally vulnerable and no doubt much more expensive to replace when my fat sausage fingers go poking through them. I am aware of it now so it'll be my own fault if I damage the light but for the designers in Denmark, nul points.

    Powercon in and out connectors create a professional feel but aren't really necessary for mobile use. 5 pin DMX is a bit daft. I can't quite see the point other than protecting against connecting a loaded sound signal to the DMX in which would play havoc with the unit. 5 pin to 3 pin adapter cables are 4 quid so it's no big deal. DMX is fairly standard so the unit is easy to programme. The on board menu with LCD display is a delight to use - thank you Martin Lighting. ADJ, with your crackpot, tetchy and forgetful Starburst menu please take note.

    The gobos on the new rush wizard are smaller than those on the old one and the lovely white and pink rose gobo is missing. Boo, hoo. In fact, the gobos are a bit of a let down. The slowest mirror pan and rotation is a bit too quick for my liking but at least there is no judder like the last model at the lowest speeds. I really liked the ultra slow pan and rotation on the old wizard because it meant the light was good for slow, medium and fast movement - a master of all trades. The new one doesn't quite match its predecessor in this respect. Maybe a firmware upgrade could address this?

    The gobo colours on the new rush wizard are excellent and this is where it comes into its own. They are clear and very intense. Although it has a lower wattage lamp than the old one , the brightness is amazing. It still has the odd shadow on some parts of the gobo spread but light beams are almost laser like (the trade off is the 1smaller gobos) and the light throw is nothing short of amazing. It has manual focus so is ideal for mobile DJ's. It is still the room filler it always was and possibly more.

    Would I use it in a small venue? Good God no. It'll blind people and be uncomfortable unless it is high mounted way beyond any field of vision. Honestly, the rush wizard has some serious light output. It is incredible in this respect. Would I use it in a big room? Wow, yes - but not for the first or last dance unless it's a Gay Gordon.

    On cheaper lights you sort of expect the inbuilt programmes to be a bit mental and all over the place. The new Wizard is pricey and has the benefit of years of development by Martin so of course, the self run programmes will be excellent? No, instead, Martin have installed the usual spin and puke routines that are all but useless. Why can't just two or three of the many auto routines be subtle??? Personally, I think the light might be best deployed high on a smoke filled nightclub ceiling where gobos take second place to beams. The incredible brightness would easily cut through any thickness of club haze.

    So, worth the money? Very hard to say but it's a Wizard and it is a proper light with interesting traits although an exact copy of the old one only brighter and lighter would have done me fine.

    Glad I bought them? Well, yes, because they are in a different league compared to some of the rubbish on sale at the moment and not many other DJ's feature them. I will grow to like them. If I don't they will be for sale on here soon and at that point I will tell you how absolutely fantastic they are. Score: 6\10 for now. 9\10 if I don't get to like them.

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

    Default

    Good review Paul. I went from 2 x Extremes to 1 x Rush and agree with lots of your points.

    I am using mine on an NE1 which tames it a little.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    South Yorkshire
    Posts
    676

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Solitaire Events Ltd View Post
    Good review Paul. I went from 2 x Extremes to 1 x Rush and agree with lots of your points.

    I am using mine on an NE1 which tames it a little.
    Thank you. Mine is on Charlie Brown's old stariville dmx board!!

    Could someone alter the post title to amend my spelling of Wizard please. I have reviewed things before and had people from the UK, USA and Europe get in touch with questions or just to say thanks. They won't spot the page with my clumsily spelt title.

    I have contacted Martin to suggest a few firmware improvements. I guess the more that say the same thing to them the more chance they might do a firmware upgrade?

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Durham, Co Durham
    Posts
    3,157

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by paulg View Post
    Thank you. Mine is on Charlie Brown's old stariville dmx board!!

    Could someone alter the post title to amend my spelling of Wizard please. I have reviewed things before and had people from the UK, USA and Europe get in touch with questions or just to say thanks. They won't spot the page with my clumsily spelt title.

    I have contacted Martin to suggest a few firmware improvements. I guess the more that say the same thing to them the more chance they might do a firmware upgrade?
    Good luck with getting them to change the builtin programs Paul. It's a problem with many a fixture these days.. modern disco lights have 2 main settings: OFF and batcrap crazy. Some movers have changed this up a bit lately, with some models now featuring slow programs & even things like 'podium' mode where they know not to waste time shining light where it's not needed. It's high time makers of other types of fixture got on board with stuff like that. yeah DMX is 'easy' but consider how unnecessary it'd be if we didn't have to tame recalcitrant light programs?

  5. #5
    Ezekiel 25:17 funkymook's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Staines, Middlesex
    Age
    62
    Posts
    4,666

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by juski View Post
    Good luck with getting them to change the builtin programs Paul. It's a problem with many a fixture these days.. modern disco lights have 2 main settings: OFF and batcrap crazy. Some movers have changed this up a bit lately, with some models now featuring slow programs & even things like 'podium' mode where they know not to waste time shining light where it's not needed. It's high time makers of other types of fixture got on board with stuff like that. yeah DMX is 'easy' but consider how unnecessary it'd be if we didn't have to tame recalcitrant light programs?
    I was thinking the other day that some of these fixtures should have an SD card slot so you can download different shows from the manufacturer and other users.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Durham, Co Durham
    Posts
    3,157

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by funkymook View Post
    I was thinking the other day that some of these fixtures should have an SD card slot so you can download different shows from the manufacturer and other users.
    That could work, but why can't they just give us programs that are a bit more useful to us in the first place? Even in full-on dance music clubs the lights aren't strobing every other measure for pity's sakes

  7. #7
    DJIanScott's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Gosfield, Essex
    Age
    55
    Posts
    204

    Default

    Your review is contrary to a recent head-to-head test at a SEDA meeting, where most of the DJs seem to prefer the ADJ Warlock model.

    I used to use nothing but Martin back in the day, and was equally as brand-loyal as you.....but times have changed, and unfortunately Martin have dropped the ball and let slip a lot of the respect and build quality they used to have. Unless you're using the really high end event stuff (competing with Clay Paky, Robe, etc) then ADJ and Chauvet, etc are just fine. Take a look at the ADJ Asteroid 1200 or the KAOS....both top lighting effects for round about the same dollar as a Martin Wizard, and offering something new.
    DJ Ian Scott
    www.djianscott.com

    "The Earth has music for those who listen."

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    South Yorkshire
    Posts
    676

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by DJIanScott View Post
    Your review is contrary to a recent head-to-head test at a SEDA meeting, where most of the DJs seem to prefer the ADJ Warlock model.

    I used to use nothing but Martin back in the day, and was equally as brand-loyal as you.....but times have changed, and unfortunately Martin have dropped the ball and let slip a lot of the respect and build quality they used to have. Unless you're using the really high end event stuff (competing with Clay Paky, Robe, etc) then ADJ and Chauvet, etc are just fine. Take a look at the ADJ Asteroid 1200 or the KAOS....both top lighting effects for round about the same dollar as a Martin Wizard, and offering something new.
    I'm not really comparing anything to the ADJ Warlock but you're right, it is very similar to the Wizard albeit a tiny bit bigger all round and just a few hundred grammes heavier. Not far off the same price too. I don't think Martin have necessarily dropped the ball but they have moved towards a more competitive Chinese made range with the Rush brand.

    The Rush Wizard is a good light in most respects but like almost every other lighting fixture, it is not quite perfect. I didn't mention that it is wonderful for kids parties. Middle of the afternoon, thin curtains and a village hall full of sunlight makes most LED effects almost disappear. Put one Wizard on a pole, run the first couple of auto programmes or the S2L and you get a very acceptable bright, intense room filling light show in a single compact 9 kilo package. I'll try any do a video to show people what a Rush Wizard can \ can't do.

Posting Permissions

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