Astera has launched AX9 PowerPAR – an all-purpose everyday LED lighting fixture.
Considered the ‘big brother’ of Astera’s hugely successful AX5 TriplePAR, AX9 PowerPAR benefits from Astera’s 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.
Designed as a ‘three-in-one’ solution. AX9 features a wireless PAR light source that can also be run as a wired PAR for longer-term installations or up-lighting with 105W output over 3,000 Lumens of homogenised light.
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.
The keypad on the rear has a logical and easily 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° beam angle can be modified with the addition of two filters, a 32° flood filter and a 17° by 46° elliptical wall-wash filter.
The AX9 comes with mounting / rigging brackets that can easily be slid on and off with 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 legs can be folded for transportation and the same legs used for truss hanging, also like the AX5. A spring-loaded quick-release kickstand is available for the fixture, a neat tool that pops out with a button press and is perfect for angling an AX9 without a bracket.
The AX9 is IP65 rated for outdoor use and combines beautifully 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. The AX9s to be placed upside down into the flight case and start charging even without the units needing to be plugged into electricity.
Astera Sales and Marketing Director, Sebastian Bückle commented: “The AX9 is Astera’s best value for money light right now with twice the output of the AX5 at a fraction of the price, featuring cinema-grade light output and lots of premium features to make daily lives and usage even easier.”