The inbuilt battery offers up to 20 hours of runtime, which can be programmed to maintain optimal output over the designated period.
Wireless LED lighting manufacturer Astera has launched the AX9 PowerPAR. It is a high-intensity, all-purpose everyday LED lighting fixture with all the advantages of Astera, including battery operation, wireless control, and quality engineering.
AX9 is the advanced version of Astera’s AX5 TriplePAR. It benefits from all Astera’s latest innovations, like the Titan LED engine, an optimised bracket with Airline Track, a Titan-style keypad for fast and easy local control and direct control via the versatile AsteraApp.
Offering a wireless PAR light source that can also be run as a wired PAR for longer-term installations, with the fixture’s 105 Watt output offering over 3000 Lumens of homogenised light.
Being wireless, AX9 can be used anywhere – on set, onstage, in the studio or on location – and at short notice, quickly deployed as and when needed. In situ as a wired PAR – it is just like any standard PAR – it suits scenarios requiring the lighting to be on for sustained periods of time.
The AX9 is overall a multi-purpose lighting fixture and can be used on the widest range of jobs as a cost-and-carbon-efficient quick ROI solution.
The benefits of Astera’s Titan LED engine include its high CRI and the wide range of tuneable colour temperature whites. The inbuilt battery offers up to 20 hours of runtime which can be programmed to maintain optimal output over the designated period. Direct control via the AsteraApp removes the need for an AsteraBox, further optimising and making setup simpler.
The keypad on the rear has a navigable menu resembling the Titan Tube layout with dedicated buttons for quickly adjust colour and brightness. Wireless DMX is available utilising LumenRadio’s CRMX technology, and for wired options, there is a choice of Powercon and XLR connectors on the rear.
The AX9 unit can connect to a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth and can then act as a transmitter, sending the radio signal to other Astera fixtures.
The standard 13-degree beam angle can be modified with the addition of two filters, a 32-degree flood filter and a 17 x 46-degree elliptical wall-wash filter.
The AX9 comes with handy mounting/rigging brackets that can be slid on and off (a feature of the original Astera AX5 PixelPAR), and this bracket contains an Airline Track to hold a selection of rigging accessories like Astera’s TrackPin. A 3/8-inch thread is also integrated into the bracket, with a 14mm hole for attaching clamps.
The AX9 is IP65 rated for outdoor use and combines with any/all other Astera products.
AX9 accessories include flexible covers – available in white and mirrored finishes in addition to black for blending into different environments – which can be wrapped around the light to suit the set, room or other visual elements. Glare reduction can be enhanced by using an egg-crate which also produces sharper beam definition.
Like the AX5, a charging plate allows for AX9s to be placed upside down into the flight case and start charging even without the units needing to be plugged into electricity!
The main applications will be for film and television productions, stages and concerts and all indoor and outdoor events.
Astera Sales & Marketing director Sebastian Bückle said: “The AX9 is Astera’s best value for money light right now with twice the output of the AX5 and only 1.5 times its price, featuring cinema-grade light output and tons of premium features to make daily lives and usage even easier! We are expecting this to be very popular!”
