Ayrton has unleashed their most powerful moving profile yet with the release of the Huracán-X. Boasting a 50,000-plus-lumen output via a 1,000-watt LED light engine as its source, the fixture exceeds the highest light output of most major brands, while matching the leaders. After testing it against other leading fixtures in a similar category it’s safe to say it holds its own, but where it stands out is in its graphics projections.
The Fixture Itself
As a fixture designed to be the powerful workhorse of many major productions, it’s large in size. At 97 pounds, getting it out of the road case is a two-person job, and my first reaction was wondering why there are no handles on the yoke to help flip/carry the fixture —however, it does have locking tilt and pan mechanisms. The fixture is made solidly out of die-cast aluminum, steel plates, and has molded covers made of ABS PC. Once settled on the base, I found it simple to address, and it requires 70 DMX channels in extended mode. (There are basic and standard modes too.) The fixture can be addressed remotely using RDM if I wish. It starts up and recalibrates itself in 55 seconds, ready to go. I notice I can adjust the fan speed via DMX for several modes from silent to studio to full on concert mode. The fixture itself has a liquid cooling system and safety precautions against overheating. It barely gets warm to the touch after being on for several minutes.
I plugged it into a 110V wall outlet and shone it on a wall some 30 feet away. It can run on 208/240V as well and utilizes a maximum of 1,400 watts. The field is perfectly flat with no color hues noticeable around the rim. They are boasting 50,000 lumens of output which I cannot clarify personally, but I do hold a meter to the beam at a 30-foot distance and measure an impressive 2,400 footcandles when zoomed tightly and focused sharp. The front aperture is wide with a seven-inch diameter lens, giving it a nice look.
The Beam
The zoom itself is fast and can dial down to an impressive 6° or expand to 60 degrees; a 10:1 ratio. The iris mechanism can snap quickly and reduce the beam size to 15° of its full output. One can easily use either of these attributes with an effects engine.
There are two frost flags that are variable and come in smoothly from opposite sides of the beam. One offers a slight diffusion of the beam, perfect for texturing the stage with patterns. The other offers a full frost, which can eliminate or reveal a gobo pattern through morphing.
The fixture offers an electronic strobe with a sync speed up to 25 FPS. Random and Pulse modes are offered as well. The light output is broken down into segments, which I can chase using various macros on an effects channel. I have seen this effect on other fixtures, but I have to admit this is the first time I have seen it impress me. Some of the macros emulate the flicker of an old 8mm projector. When used with some of their animations, it’s a very clever attribute. They refer to these as the “Chase” effect. There are corresponding channels that adjust the rate speed and fade time of each chase.
The four-way framing system is fairly standard, with each blade allowing for a full curtain style wipe of the entire beam. 90° rotation makes it possible to cut the beam down on any side. While the Huracán X fixture does not include any macros for predefined framing chases, it’s easy enough to make your own as the blades move at a good speed. I am able to close two blades to a tight size, for a shaft of light to come out. I then shake a gobo and I can make a cheap man’s laser effect.
Breaking Up the Beam
This is where the fixture really excels. There are two gobo wheels that both offer seven slots for indexable/rotating gobos which can also shake. Gobo wheel one is your standard-type wheel with seven slots plus open for replaceable glass gobos. Gobo wheel two has an indexable rotating double layer cassette wheel with two effect cassettes and five high-precision glass gobos plus the open slot. These cassettes are pretty darn cool. They hold one gobo in a static position, while a separate gobo overlays it and can rotate bidirectionally at any speed. One can morph between the two patterns or focus them both simultaneously. One effects cassette looks like the typical Daisy gobo that contains six oval loops meeting in the center, reminding one of an old Spirograph toy drawing. The static portion of this cassette contains white and yellow hues in it, while the rotating portion has white and cyan portions. The end result is white, yellow, cyan and green as colors overlap. The end result is very kaleidoscopic. Mix in more colors, and the change in hue makes this cassette even better.
Effects-wise, the dual animation wheels are unique, imaginary and clever in the design of how they function. Each animation wheel is used separately with the first one being a monochromatic multi-position graphical animation effects wheel with continuous rotation in both directions. The wheel is oversized for the beam slot, which allows the user to determine which part of the animation wheel should be in the focal path. This makes it simple for the lines to rotate horizontally or vertically and all points in between. Very clever way of operating that will undoubtedly yield more usefulness on future products.
The second animation wheel features a color graphic animation effect wheel. This is a multicolored gobo reminiscent of the old oil and water projections of yore with smooth curved shapes of various colors intertwined. This makes for great wall illustrations at a party or nightclub. The user can align the wheel however they would like in the focal path for different looks and mix other colors to change it up. But where it really excels is when it’s rotating behind a static gobo, making multi-colored changing looks in the pattern. It takes the idea of half-colors to the next level and is psychedelic. Ayrton refers to these effects as “graphicadelic.”
Colors
Color-wise, the fixture emits a native 6500°K color temperature, with a CRI greater than 70, making it great for mixing saturated colors. This color temp can be adjusted with the use of three different encoders which can also be used to create incredible pastel shades which CMY filters traditionally struggle with (think an incredible lavender). With the CTB encoder, one can push the color temperature up to 15K. By adjusting the CTO encoder we can lower it down to 2700°. There is a third option for changing the color temp that they refer to as the CTP (color temperature pink) encoder, which appears to be a variable minus green filter, but is used like a TM-30 filter to adjust the CRI on the fixture. It can be used in addition to a mixed color (think Cyan and shades of blue as an example) to improve skin tones and is extremely useful in removing the green tones from an LED source to give good skin tones under broadcast conditions. I do notice that it enhances some mixed colors such as Congo blue when added, and the combinations of the correctors and the “primary CMY colors” can allow the user to mimic (exactly) any color a tungsten fixture with gels can. It really is a powerful thing and unique on the market.
The CMY color mixing system is superb with double saturated color flags. A lovely dark magenta as well as a good healthy cyan make it possible to mix deep colors. Congo blue is easily mixed, but the deep blood red is still elusive. Teal looks great, while amber and lavender hues of all colors are perfect and flat across the field. The six-slotted color wheel offers definitive saturated colors without the light loss suffered when mixed.
There are two separate prisms offered that rotate bidirectionally at variable speeds. One is a circular five-way prism while the other is a four-holed linear line. The four-holed one is different than what I normally witness. The four holes overlap each other, not making for a wide line. But if I throw the zoom at 75 percent, focus it sharp, and take the iris down small, I can see four separate thin beams outputted.
Movement-wise the fixture takes 2.5 seconds to rotate the 540° pan. Executing circle effects at a reasonable speed can be accomplished easily. The 16-bit movement on all the motors makes for smooth transitions with this fixture.
The fixture offers DMX control through five-pin XLRs or a LumenRadio wireless device. The RJ45 in/out connectors allow for Art-Net and sACN control. It can also run in master/slave or standalone modes. Power is inputted via a powerCON TRUE-1 connector.
At a Glance:
A Welcome Addition
This fixture is a welcome addition for lighting designers considering the current array of hard-edged profile fixtures. Its dual animation wheels and gobo cassettes provide unique graphic animation effects. Its superb brightness also allows this moving light to compete with the brightest fixtures on the market.
Ayrton Huracán X
PROS: Saturated color mixing, effects cassette type gobos, dual animation wheels, 10:1 zoom range, multiple frost and prism options, macros for LED source effects.
CONS: No handles on the yoke for easy lifting and movement around the stage
FEATURES
- 10:1 Motorized Zoom (6° to 60°); Iris (15-100%)
- Up to 50K Lumens Output (6500K w/CRI >70)
- LED Light Source Rated for 40,000 Hours (L70)
- Flicker-Free Light Source Management
- High-Res Stepper Motors for Smooth Movement
- Smooth Pan (540°) and Tilt (270°)
- Two Gobo Wheels, Each w/ 7 Rotating Gobos
- Two Distinctive Animation Wheels
SPECS
- Light Source: 1000W, 8000K LED Engine w/Multiple Cells
- Total Wattage: 1,400W Max
- Size: 19.5 x 32.75 x 12” (LxHxD)
- Weight: 97 lbs.
- MSRP: $21,045
Manufacturer: Ayrton
More Info: www.ayrton.eu
