Expanding ADJ’s Hydro Series of powerful, reliable, and affordable IP65-rated moving heads, the new Hydro Beam X12 is a nimble fixture that outputs an intense, razor-sharp beam. Ideal for generating aerial effects at concerts, tours, festivals, and dance events, it combines the punchy Philips Platinum 12R LL MSD 6000-hour discharge lamp technology with a carefully curated selection of beam-shaping tools that include motorised focus and a dynamic 24-facet prism.
The Hydro Beam X12 combines the rugged IP65-rated exterior casing design that made the original ADJ Hydro Series fixtures so popular with the light engine and optics that made ADJ’s Vizi Beam 12RX an instant best-selling beam fixture. It directs the raw power of the Philips® Platinum 12R LL MSD discharge lamp, with its impressive 6,000-hour life expectancy and 7800K cool white color temperature, through a high-quality optical system to create a piercing beam of light with a tight 2-degree beam angle. Delivering a huge output of up to 522,000 lux (measured at a 10m distance), the fixture is capable of firing its beam across a vast distance, creating impressive aerial effects shooting right up into the night sky.
Designed for both indoor and outdoor use, the Hydro Beam X12 has a robust construction and an IP65-rating. Its durable casing protects it from dust, sand, moisture, and liquids, making it ideal for use in all situations from sandy beach parties to rainy festival fields. Perfect for all kinds of outdoor events, this ground-breaking fixture also offers an extended operational life and reduced maintenance requirement when used indoors, due to its sealed casing design.
For a fixture offering such a powerful output, rich feature-set and IP65-rating, the Hydro Beam X12 is remarkably lightweight at just 48 lbs. / 21.8 kg. This allows for extremely quick pan and tilt movement, which empowers lighting designers to create impressive fast-paced aerial effects. In addition, 16-bit fine control over pan and tilt also allow for a high level of precision over static looks. Meanwhile, the unit’s external dimensions of 13.8” by 13.5” by 22.25” / 350 by 343.5 by 565mm (L by W by H) are easily manageable, with convenient side bar handles to aid with lifting and rigging.
A 16-position (plus open) stamped metal GOBO wheel features a collection of break-apart patterns and simple shapes, including four beam reducers, which have been carefully chosen to allow the creation of engaging beam effects. The wheel offers bi-directional GOBO scrolling, as well as a GOBO shake effect. The fixture also offers motorized focus, with 16-bit fine control, which can be used to ensure projections are sharp or to deliberately blur out GOBO patterns to create more subtle effects. In addition, the fixture is equipped with a frost filter than can be used to generate a wash output.
The fixture features a separate color wheel, offering 14 dichroic filter options, including a mixture of vibrant primary colors as well as a selection of more subtle hues. It also includes CTB (6000K) and CTO (3200K) color temperature correction options as well as a UV filter. The wheel offers bi-directional color scrolling as well as split colors utilizing adjacent filters.
A choice of two prism options complete the Hydro Beam X12’s collection of beam-shaping tools, which can be used to multiply the output to create wider aerial projections. Both the 6-facet linear and 24-facet circular prism offer bidirectional rotation with variable speed, while the two prisms can also be overlaid, with different rotation speed and direction, to create complex diffracted beam patterns.
The fixture offers two DMX channel modes, 14 or 18, with the latter providing the addition of fine 16-bit control over pan, tilt, dimmer, and focus. DMX addressing, mode selection and configuration of the unit’s various operating parameters is carried out using a menu-driven interface. This is displayed on a large, illuminated LCD screen, located on the front panel of the fixture’s base, together with four menu navigation push buttons. The Hydro Beam X12 also supports the RDM protocol, which allows for remote DMX addressing and the feeding back of fixture operating status information to a compatible DMX control solution. In addition, the fixture is equipped with a wireless transceiver compatible with ADJ’s WiFLY EXR wireless DMX protocol, allowing it to receive a DMX signal wirelessly from a compatible WiFLY transmitter or another WiFLY-equipped fixture over a distance of up to 2500 ft. / 700m (line of sight).
Connection sockets are all located on the rear of the unit’s base, each fitted with a rubber cap to provide protection during transit and when not in use. The DMX input and output are 5-pin, while locking power input and output sockets are also provided, allowing multiple fixtures to be connected to a single power outlet. Finally, a USB socket is also included to allow for quick and easy future firmware upgrades.
“Quick, sharp, powerful and packed with all the features a lighting designer wants and no unnecessary extras, the Hydro Beam X12 is the ideal beam moving head for rental and production companies,” enthuses ADJ USA’s National Sales Manager, Alfred Gonzales. “The Philips Platinum 12R lamp is an incredibly efficient light engine, which generates a huge output that is focused through high quality optics to generate an exceptionally punchy beam. And, with its tough and durable IP65-rated casing, the Hydro Beam X12 can be used outside in any weather as well as indoors where it is protected from everything from spilled drinks to haze residue, making it a ‘one stop shop’ beam fixture.”