With more than 10 years of experience including 7 years of analysis and feedback on the Source Four Series 2 Lustr, ETC has developed the 3rd generation of Source Four. Equipped with the Lustr X8 Led panel, it produces deep reds and features a new range of XDLT optical “noses”, optimized for LED sources. We put it through the bench tests at La BS and compared it to the Series 2 Lustr and the original Source Four version with the halogen lamp.
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ETC has been helping lighting to evolve for almost 50 years. The American company has become a key player in programming and lighting, with each new product bringing innovations. Let’s see what happens with this new profile.
The Source Four Series 3 adapted to all profiles!
Out and inside
We immediately notice an evolution in its design. The more contemporary look of the Series 3 marks the consideration of the tastes and expectations of all users. I like the idea of changing the “tube” aspect along its entire length. This should be more practical for housing the source, the cooling, and the electronics but the mixture of the different shapes and especially the connections to integrate them results in a quite beautiful fixture.
Concerning the connectors, it is all engraved on the metal surface!
In addition to the aesthetics, the designers also thought about ergonomics. The rear of the fixture has been divided into 3 panels, one vertical and 2 slanted. The one on top receives the PowerCON True1 in and out power connectors to power another source and 2 XLR 5-pin sockets for the DMX – RDM signal.
For the Art-Net and sACN protocols, instead of direct input, the American manufacturer preferred to implement a Multiverse receiver from City Theatrical. The antenna connects to the dedicated connector located on the bottom panel. A transmitter can carry up to 10 DMX universes via an ArtNet or sACN input. So, a little bit of advice, always plan to have a node in case you don’t have an RJ45 or Wireless solution. Thanks to La BS for loaning me a Showtech Net 2/5, small, simple, and effective.
On the center panel, there is a color screen and 4 rotary buttons, 2 other buttons as well as a powered USB connector for updates and saving configurations. There is also a very practical little switch that allows you to lock the controls section. Access and configuration are very simple. Access to the menu and options pages is done with the button placed under the intensity controller (the bottom button (Fn) is used to choose the control mode).
The rear is well-designed for access to the display panel.
It offers a maximum of 4 options, each having the color of one of the 4 buttons located around the display. I love this idea which makes configuration easier, plus the buttons light up when you access the menu. You can also use your phone and the Set Light application via the NFC protocol to configure the fixture even if it is not powered up.
Simply remove 4 screws to access the entire fixture. At the back, the electronics and the power supply, then a fan for cooling the radiator where the LED matrix is in place. Finally, a box contains several mirrors forming a tunnel that ends at the condenser. This system, developed for the Series 2, makes it possible to homogenize the flow of LEDs and the colors, regardless of the number of shades used.
No need to search for things, it’s all there!
In 2014 the arrival of the Series 2 Lustr X7 matrix created a revolution. The addition of lime green allows a clear improvement in the performance of white shades and pastels. The new Lustr X8 LED panel from Series 3 also uses this concept, this time adding the intense red tint. R&D has also increased the number of LEDs from 60 to 96 Lumiled Luxeon chips.
The wide color spectrum of the Lustr X8 ranges nicely in deep red (document provided by ETC).
The new source therefore has 8 shades, Intense Red, Red, Amber, Lime, Green, Cyan, Blue, and Indigo for a wide spectrum. The other advantage, and not the least, compared to the previous version, is that the Series 3 is accompanied by a whole new range of XLDT optics. It must be said that the design of the previous ones dated from 1992, the beginning of Source Four.
When you look in the “peephole”, you can see the Led matrix of the Lustr X3 is knocking on the door!
Much more suited to the expectations of lighting designers and LED sources, these new “noses” bring an impressive number of improvements: more brightness, more contrast and clearer colors, better sharpness (especially for gobos), and almost total elimination of chromatic aberration. This XLDT range offers 8 models: 5°, 10°, 14°, 19°, 26°, 36°, 50° and 70°.
In Vivo
It’s mouth-watering and we can’t wait to try this little gem. For this test, we thought it would be interesting to go even further by first putting the Series 2 and the Series 3 side by side, and even bringing out the original version with a halogen lamp.
By pressing the button marked “Fn” you access 5 control modes (Studio, Color, Gel, Effects, Preset) and DMX mode. For the latter, 5 choices from 1 to 12 channels! Direct mode, which allows you to control each color individually, is more intended for consoles like the EOS or the Hog 4 (V4) which has internal features allowing you to combine these 8 colors to obtain, among other things, the best light output for each color. With other consoles, I would rather recommend the extended mode which allows you to fully use the potential of the Lustr X8 matrix with RGB or Studio encoding.
The 6 control modes
– Fn button: Press the button then scroll using the intensity knob then press again to confirm.
– DMX: Choose the DMX mode and settings for the fixture
– Studio: Use one of three studio (white light) presets, or customize the presets.
– Color: Use one of 12 color presets, or customize the presets.
– Gel: Choose from a list of common gel colors.
– Effects: Use a sequence, or customize a sequence.
– Preset: Use one of 12 presets (color preset + fade time), or customize the presets
DMX modes
V2 and V3 @ Full and the Lustr’s light up!
You don’t have to twist the potentiometer much, the difference is clear! The progress of the new matrix coupled with the new optics is truly astonishing in terms of intensity but also beam quality and color density. To go a little further, we need to take a look at how the fixture works.
In extended mode, there are a few parameters to know for optimal use. To begin with, the Mix channel allows you to work in Studio (white) or RGB mode. We also have the possibility of making a transition from one to the other.
In Studio mode, we can play with the CTC parameter which varies the white temperature from 1900 K to 10,950 K with one slot at 3,200 K and another at 5,600 K. In this mode, we also have a Tint function which adds a dominant green or magenta.
If we work in RGB we of course use the 3 additive trichromic parameters. Working in RGB with a matrix of 8 colors requires an algorithm, so why not do several to satisfy as many people as possible? The Tuning channel allows you to choose the color calculation method. Either you favor brightness, with the Brightest option, or you choose to have optimal color rendering with the Spectral option.
The third option, Studio, is based on the Spectral algorithm with a variation of the metamer. That is to say the mixture of colors having the same chromaticity. If applied to a white wall, these colors appear identical.
However, as soon as light reflects off surfaces with a complex spectrum such as fabrics, paint, or even skin tones, differences in spectral composition become evident. With color systems using 5, 6, 7, or 8 emitters, the possibility of obtaining the same chromaticity, with several mixtures becomes much higher.
The last point which concerns intensity and color is how the dimmer will work. To choose one of the options, we use the DMX 2 channel which offers 2 curves, one incandescent to simulate a filament and one linear. It can also simulate the temperature change when the intensity of a halogen source varies, for these 2 curves.
Once we know these features, we know how the Lustr x8 source works. On my console I am in Studio mode by default so we start with working in the whites.
When we turn on the Series 3 alone and vary the CCT parameter, we obtain the variation from a very warm to very cold white with a nice progression. The fact of having separated into 2 slots (3200 K / 5600 K) is interesting because we can access them quickly. 4 slots (for example 1,900 K / 4,000 K – 4,001 / 5,200 – 5,201 / 6,200 and 6,201 K / 10,450 K) would also have been interesting for separating warm whites and cold whites.
When we turn on the Series 2 next to it we find this same effect “Ah yes its all the same! » on the initial turning on. The Lustr X8 shows a clear advance with homogeneity, depth, and luminosity. I took advantage of Studio mode to test the dimmer options and unsurprisingly, the curves and the Red Shift met my expectations. For those who only use white, the Daylight HDR version is tailored to their needs with a wider white range and higher brightness.
Projecting on our target we have the Series 2 Lustr X7 on the left and, on the right Series 3 Lustr X8 with XDLT optics.
If the Series 3 Lustr X8 has undeniable advantages in whites, it is in color, in extended mode, that this new source fully blossoms. Depending on the shade, it is not systematically brighter than its predecessor, but, on the one hand, the color palette is much wider and the shades offered have both more body and more density. I also find them more uniform in brightness.
If the Series 2 was already well equipped, the Series 3 offers a great range of colors. With additive synthesis, color “input” is instantaneous. From the first DMX values, we have a uniform coloring of the color and we can thus obtain homogeneous pale shades, luminous pastels, and, thanks to very good management of the LED sources, the progression toward saturated colors is linear. This is an important asset for transitions between 2 colors and the precision of the desired shades.
A small color sample to see the difference between Series 2 (left) and Series 3 (right).
We couldn’t resist the ultimate test, Halogen Source Four, Series 2 and Series 3!
Of course, it is the original version that is brighter, but let us point out that its lamp is new (provided by the BS after a small incident along the way). What a pleasure to find this magnificent light again.
On the other hand, we must not forget that we consume 750 W and that after a few minutes, you will burn your fingers, gloves are obligatory to adjust the focus, and you must also bring a few spare lamps!
The new optics have a lot to do with the quality of the Series 3, in terms of beam homogeneity and brightness.
On the left the S1, on the right the S3, and above the S2. For Series 5 we will reproduce the Olympic rings!
It also brings a real improvement to the framing shutters/blades. Positioned on 2 focal planes, we obtain a nice sharpness on 2 blades and we are not far from it on the 2 others. We can even, by very slightly unfocusing, be practically homogeneous on all 4 sides.
The quality of the optics is especially visible using the framing shutters.
We took a few measurements to confirm our positive feelings.
Derating
For derating the light output remains at maximum. We could almost speak of ‘Inverted derating’ or Raising. In fact, instead of decreasing after switching on, the illuminance increases slightly and stabilizes. It is, to my knowledge, the only LED fixture that behaves in this way, which should appeal to the video world.
26° Optics
For the total flow, we of course used our magic spreadsheet. The first measurement in the center, in Brightest mode, with the 26° optic gives us 2,750 lux. We stop 120 cm further on with an average brightness of 1,473 Lux. The total flux column shows 10,616 lumens.
The brightness curve shows us very high-quality optics. The measured aperture is 26.5°. For Series 2, in 2014, we used a 19° lens. The central brightness was 2,785 lux and the total output was 4,487 lumens. est de 26,5°.
Color Chart
Dimmer
We tested the progression of the intensity according to the dimmer value. The outline of the linear curve is perfectly straight from 0 to 100%. If we look from 0 to 10% there are some small imperfections but nothing noticeable without a light meter.
Dimmer curve from 0 to 100 %.
Dimmer curve from 0 to 10 %.
We also did a V1 / V3 comparison. If we take the native white of 3,000 K of the new halogen lamp, the Series 1 produces 3,200 lux and the Series 3 provides 2,278 Lux. When we compare the lamp version with gels for the 8 shades of Series 3, we reverse the trend. With a Lee 200, we obtain 439 lux for the Series 1 and 1033 lux for the Series 3. On the other hand, in yellow or magenta the Series 1 is brighter.
The Lustr is bringing on the lux
The Lustr X8 with XDLT optics is a fantastic combination that comes into its own with the Eos and Hog consoles. The perfectly “clean” beam and the evenness of the light are a great success of ETC’s R&D. The 8 colors of the new LED engine offer a range of whites and colors which is increased tenfold with the numerous control options.
The Lustr 8 and Daylight HDR can meet all demands. The comparison between the 3 generations of Source Four is a strong argument that breaks down all the barriers to switching to LED. I, therefore, encourage you to call ETC immediately and request a complete presentation of the possibilities of this incredible source!
We like:
- The depth and brightness of the colors
- The range of tints
- The quality of the optics
We like less:
- The absence of internal color pallets
General Specifications
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