Am I throwing money away?

[Ntertainment]

I have 2 Q spot 260, and would like to buy some more, but i feel few guests can tell the difference between that and the smaller intimidator 150. Would i be better off buying more small moving heads or fewer large moving heads?

I would love to buy 4 more q spots, but that's around $3k for that amount i could buy around 8 intimidator 150s. I haven't seen the itimidator live but have heard they are very bright.

I do mostly weddings, with bars and school growing as a market share for the business. Maybe 65, 15, 10, and balance being karaoke.

[Synaxis]

Definitely don't waste you money on lower end fixture just to have "more" of them.

The majority of your guests couldn't care less about your equipment, but the better equipment you have, the better performance you put on.

Some people on the other hand will notice.

Besides, if you are going to expand, you don't want to downgrade your equipment. If your going to be doing larger events, the 150's won't be cut out for it, and you'll regret buying them.

Just go and buy the higher end ones, and if I can make a suggestion: http://www.chauvetlighting.com/qspot560.html

Quality > Quantity

You can have either have 10 shitty speakers that will blow your crowds ears out, or two very nice tops that will preform flawlessly.

Move your business forward, not backward.

[Ntertainment]

those 560 are so much more than the 260 and i think two 260 looks cool but i don't have enough coverage with them it's sad how costly they are and how little they cover...

[Ntertainment]

i have to think of cost per fixture and possible return in the future. Most events i do don't require spot lights at all. I'm quit sure i get buy on the show, not the lights.

[LiteTrix]

Whats your MAX budget? For the money, the 260's are excellent fixtures and it would only make sense to buy more of them. I'd stay away of the intimdators if I were you. Listen to K-Milk, his advice is good.

[Sween]

Definitely stay away from the Intimidators...

If you are trying to save some cash, why not go for some better scanners, like Martin SCX's?

[DJ M&M]

where talking heads not mirrors

[Nick_EventPro]

The 560 is not as bright as a 575w like Chauvet claims, but its in the same price league as the 5R- if you're spending that kinda cake, to me its a no brainer.

The 260s are great lights for their price and are perfect for most weddings and events of that nature.

I have a pair of Qspot 260's for sale. Great condition. :)

[LiteTrix]

where talking heads not mirrors

So, doesn't mean scanners aren't an option.

[Sween]

So, doesn't mean scanners aren't an option.

Exactly my point... The main advantage of heads over scanners is the field of motion, which is not always necessary for the types of events we do. (Yes, there are some other advantages too...)

But the main advantage I think to having scanners is the speed at which they can move... takes a lot less power to move a mirror than a head.

I use my Qspots in conjunction with (4) SCX500's and it does a great job with coverage.

[DJ Donnie Lewis]

Look up the ADJ x-move LED plus. I have 2 of them and love them

[Ntertainment]

I could do scanners i would be fine with that but power is a real concern. I'd probably have to stick to LEDs, would Intimidator Scan LED 300 be a good bet? My budget is anywhere from around 2k to 4k through out the next 6 months. But that means i'd only have a total of 6 q spots, how crazy would that look? Would that be enough for a Highschool dance of around 500 kids?

[LiteTrix]

Yes I would think 6 Q-spots would be good for a dance of 500 kids. I did a prom for 600 kids last year with 4 mac 250's and it looked fine. The 260's are pretty bright in my opinion and if I rocked a prom with 600 kids and only 4 macs, I think you could definitely do it with 6 Q-spots

If I'm not mistaking the Intimidator 300 is basically the scanner version of the Q-spot 260. So then it basically comes down to weather you want scanners or moving heads and since you already have two Q-spots I would just stick with them and buy four more.

Some other options are Blizzard's moving heads. I personally don't have any experience with them but I know StevieRay does and I'm pretty sure he's a dealer. He might be able to cut you a deal.

[Synaxis]

Yes I would think 6 Q-spots would be good for a dance of 500 kids. I did a prom for 600 kids last year with 4 mac 250's and it looked fine. The 260's are pretty bright in my opinion and if I rocked a prom with 600 kids and only 4 macs, I think you could definitely do it with 6 Q-spots

If I'm not mistaking the Intimidator 300 is basically the scanner version of the Q-spot 260. So then it basically comes down to weather you want scanners or moving heads and since you already have two Q-spots I would just stick with them and buy four more.

Some other options are Blizzard's moving heads. I personally don't have any experience with them but I know StevieRay does and I'm pretty sure he's a dealer. He might be able to cut you a deal.

Yea, check with StevieRay, he might give you some good advice too.

As for the 300 scanners, I don't think they are as bright as the 260's. I would go with the 260's over the scanners as well.

You can always just limit the pan/tilt range on the 260's.

[Synaxis]

Oh whoops, I posted the wrong link in my first post.

http://www.chauvetlighting.com/intimidator-spot-led-350.html

Those 350s are around the same price range as the 260's, so something else to consider. They just came out though, so I'm not sure on how they preform, nor how they compare to the 260's.

According to their respective manuals however, the 350's are about twice as bright @ 2m. But then again, 350's don't have dual gobo wheels.

[Nick_EventPro]

Blizzard makes some nice options. I think LiteTrix is referring to their Torrent90 moving head if you want brighter than a Q Spot 260. MAP on them is $1,999 so you'd probably blow your budget after a pair.

[DJStevieRay]

Just an FYI, I am not a dealer, I am a moderator for their forums, and as part of my agreement with them, I cannot resell Blizzard Lights. Anyway, I love my torrents, but they would definately blow his budget even though they could be found for about $1500 on NewEgg.com, and through some dealers. I would recommend the G60's if he wanted some different gobo's from what he already has, and the G60's are a little brighter, with the feature set being very similiar to the Q260's.
My personal preference would be to add more of what he has, so my advice would be more Q260's. If you want to get more than 2, you can checkout eBay, as there are alot of importers on their selling the unbranded 260's for around $500/ea. Just remember though you would not have the same warranty and support if you buy the non branded versions that you would by buying Chauvet's 260's.

[DJStevieRay]

According to their respective manuals however, the 350's are about twice as bright @ 2m. But then again, 350's don't have dual gobo wheels.

Partly due to smoke and mirrors. They took the reading using a 30% smaller degree beam + a 25% more powerful light source to get a 44% increase in brightness. If they would take the reading at a 15 degree beam angle from the Intimidator 350, the difference in brightness would be nominal.

[Ntertainment]

Thanks everyone I think I'll add 2 260 and them try some scanners after that.

[Synaxis]

Partly due to smoke and mirrors. They took the reading using a 30% smaller degree beam + a 25% more powerful light source to get a 44% increase in brightness. If they would take the reading at a 15 degree beam angle from the Intimidator 350, the difference in brightness would be nominal.

Right, thanks for clearing that up.

So you get free Blizzard lights by being a moderator on their forums? Where do I sign up?!

[DJStevieRay]

Nope I pay for them, but I do get them for a great price.

[LiteTrix]

Just an FYI, I am not a dealer, I am a moderator for their forums, and as part of my agreement with them, I cannot resell Blizzard Lights. Anyway, I love my torrents, but they would definately blow his budget even though they could be found for about $1500 on NewEgg.com, and through some dealers. I would recommend the G60's if he wanted some different gobo's from what he already has, and the G60's are a little brighter, with the feature set being very similiar to the Q260's.
My personal preference would be to add more of what he has, so my advice would be more Q260's. If you want to get more than 2, you can checkout eBay, as there are alot of importers on their selling the unbranded 260's for around $500/ea. Just remember though you would not have the same warranty and support if you buy the non branded versions that you would by buying Chauvet's 260's.


My bad Stevie, I thought you were a dealer. I was right about you having experience with Blizzard lights though. :)

[SummitAudioDJ]

I just bought some Intimidator Spot LED 250's and they may be the best compromise or not even compromise at all for your intended use. They have the same features as the Q spot 260 except, dual gobo wheels, rotating prism and built in programming. According to Chauvet's specs the 250's are brighter than the Qspot 260. I got my pair of 250 LEDs for $1100 , a little over the price of one 260. Best of all is the size and weight. I had my heart set on the 260's but couldn't get over the size and 30 pound weight. Here is a video review I did of the Intimidator Spot LED 250.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2-48SHg3bg&list=UUXA6hGwN0NJHe7pRyeJ-sVQ&index=3&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o0inZkqYg0&list=UUXA6hGwN0NJHe7pRyeJ-sVQ&index=4&feature=plcp

[Ntertainment]

I ended up getting 6 qspot 260. I'm working on a video. I got a deal on them because of buying in bulk, they were about $50 less per unit to buy 6 of them instead of buying 2-4. Worked out well for me.