It is nice to have a pleasant surprise once in a while. I had just that after ADJ, formally American DJ, sent me one of their latest products, the Vizi Beam Hybrid 2R. Let me start off by saying that this is not your typical DJ fixture. Think of it a crossover between a DJ light and a professional grade fixture — hence the “hybrid” reference in the fixture’s name. It truly is a hybrid, meaning that simple DJ setups can include a light that could also work well in a professional rig.
Bright and Compact
As for the “Beam” and “2R” references in the name, they make sense, too. The fixture uses a Philips Platinum 2R discharge lamp, which produces a pretty intense shaft of light. I’d have to agree with ADJ’s claims that this fixture’s 135W lamp, which is rated for 6,000 hours of use, is capable of matching the output from a 250W discharge fixture. Just by going off my eye, I’d even say the Vizi Beam Hybrid 2R is brighter.
When I first took delivery of the fixture, the packaging threw me off. The outside markings said it was the right fixture, but I had envisioned something a bit bigger in size. But it was the right fixture all right. And when I opening it up, I was really impressed with the fixture’s compact size, especially since I had already read about how many features are packed into the unit, which is just under 17 inches high and weighs in at only 23 pounds. Just looking at the head of the unit, I was thinking that there wouldn’t be room for anything more than a lamp, a shutter and maybe a wheel of some sort inside.
What’s Inside
After opening the box and pulling the fixture from the packaging, it was tempting to keep going — to open up the fixture and dissect and examine all the moving parts in there. But I’m not one of those guys who likes to do that, unless there’s something wrong with the fixture and that’s your best bet for fixing it. My fear is that, after reassembly, I’d find a mysterious extra part — maybe a gear or a screw or a spring — and I’d have to start a new cycle of dissection and re-assembly.
Even so, just thinking about what ADJ was able to cram into this head unit made me start second-guessing my “No Cover Off” policy. Lucky for you (and me), ADJ took care of it and put it on their YouTube Page, Under the Hood, (http://plsn.me/ADJHybrid2RVid).
This compact unit manages to pack a crazy amount of beam shaping and other features — 13 color wheel plus open white, 14 fixed gobo wheel plus open, 8-facet prism, frost filter, shutter and auto X-Y repositioning for the lamp. These components must be so tiny, the fixtures are assembled by even tinier robots — or maybe elves.
Hits
As noted, I was really impressed with the range of features and effects that can be produced with a fixture this size. Along with its compact dimensions, the fixture is super light in weight and ultra-portable. You might be stretching things a bit if you tried to use this fixture for the biggest gigs with mega throw-distance requirements. But the Vizi Beam Hybrid 2R could easily fit into a rig for small-to-medium-sized venues and be used for a wide range of looks and effects. And along with the fixture’s compact size, light weight and portability, the power savings are significant — the whole fixture doesn’t consume more than 210 watts of power, and you could run a number of these on a single 15 amp circuit.
Adding to the versatility of the fixture, bringing in the frost filter offers a wash like beam. Like any frost filter though, you begin to lose intensity of the light.
Misses
One thing that caught me off guard was the notation in the manual that the fixture can only be top- or bottom-mounted; it can’t be side-mounted off of a truss or pipe. The other thing I noticed when first powering the fixture up was the fan noise. You can hear the fan run constantly while the fixture is powered, whether the lamp is shining or off.
Also, for shorter throw distances, say 25 feet or less, the beam appeared a little soft in focus — not so much in the air, but on surfaces it was hitting. When the prism was brought in, the edge on the surfaces seemed a bit more sharp.
Are these quibbles really downsides or deal-breakers? I’d say no — they are just things to understand about the fixture before incorporating the units into your rig. Let’s be honest, do you really need a beam fixture for most theatrical productions, where the fan noise would be most noticeable? Chances are, these fixtures will find themselves used in clubs or for events noisy enough to render the fan noise issue moot.
As for the soft focus, when talking about a beam fixture, the sharpness of the beam on surfaces might be pretty low on the totem pole of priorities. Instead of focusing on what the light beam’s edge looks like when it hits a floor or a wall, most will be looking at the beam and the rotating shafts of light as they move through the air.
Final Thoughts
In my opinion, this fixture’s positive aspects — its combination of features, size and weight — far outweigh the negatives, if you want to call them negatives. And for the market that ADJ is targeting with this fixture design, the Vizi Beam Hybrid 2R hits square on the mark. DJs seeking to upgrade with a pro-caliber instrument will be impressed with everything this fixture can offer. And if the fixture isn’t the best choice for a mega-production, lighting pros looking for a compact, cost-effective solution won’t be disappointed, either.
Not Just for DJs
When you look at the size of the ADJ Vizi Beam Hybrid 2R, you might not think the fixture has room for anything more than a lamp, a shutter and maybe a wheel of some sort inside. Instead, there are a wide array of features and effects.
ADJ Vizi Beam Hybrid 2R
Fixture Features:
• 3 Operational Modes: DMX controller, Master/Slave, Sound Active
• 3 DMX Channel Modes: 12, 10 or 16 channels
• 7 Built-in Programs that be Used by a DMX controller
• 13 Colors + White, with Two-direction Rainbow Effect
• 14 Fixed Gobo Patterns + Spot
• Gobo scroll mode
• Gobo, Shake and Indexing
• 8-Facet Prism
• Frost Filter
• 540°/630° pan / 270° tilt (8-bit)
• 16-Bit Fine Pan/Tilt Control
• Shutter: Pulse effect; random strobe slow to fast
• Electronic Dimming: 0% – 100%
• Power consumption: 210W
• 3-Pin XLR In/Out Connectors
• Multi-voltage Operation: 100-240V, 50Hz/60Hz
Lamp Features:
• Philips MSD Platinum 2R Discharge Lamp
• 135W
• 8000°K Color Temperature
• Rated for 6,000 Hours of Use
• Size (LxWxH): 16.75” x 12.5” x 9.25
• Weight: 23 lbs.
• MSRP: $2399.95
• More Info: www.plsn.me/ADJViziBeam2R
