Astera Launches AX9 PowerPAR Wireless LED lighting specialist Astera launches another new product -- the AX9 PowerPAR. As the name implies, the AX9 is a high-intensity, rock-solid, all-purpose everyday LED lighting fixture with all the advantages of Astera, including battery operation, wireless control, and quality engineering, the company says. AX9 is the "big brother" of Astera's AX5 TriplePAR which became an industry-standard LED PAR. AX9 is bigger, brighter, and benefits from all Astera's latest innovations, like the Titan LED engine, an optimized bracket with Airline Track, a Titan-style keypad for fast and easy local control and direct control via the versatile AsteraApp, the company says. Effectively it is a three-in-one solution. Offering a wireless PAR light source that can also be run as a wired PAR for longer-term installations and an elegant up-lighter, with the fixture's 105 Watt output offering over 3000 Lumens of beautifully homogenized 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 is perfect scenarios requiring the lighting to be on for sustained periods of time. AX9 is billed as an excellent wall or surface washing up-lighter -- without a flex cover and with the bracket removed -- which can produce a sleek, streamlined effect to transform any space. The AX9 can be used on the widest range of jobs as a cost-and-carbon-efficient quick ROI solution offering extreme brightness in a compact, stylish housing. The benefits of Astera's outstanding Titan LED engine include its high CRI and the wide range of tuneable color temperature whites, plus that rich and diverse gamut of colors encompassing the whole spectrum. The inbuilt battery offers up to 20 hours of reliable 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 logical and easily navigable menu resembling the Titan Tube layout with dedicated buttons for quickly adjust color 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 practical and handy mounting / rigging brackets that can easily be slid on and off (a feature of the original Astera AX5 PixelPAR), and importantly, this bracket contains an Airline Track to hold a selection of rigging accessories like Astera's TrackPin. A 3/8" 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, the company says. 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! Once again, Astera has used a mix of experience and imagination to think of virtually all scenarios in which this luminaire might be used, the company says. The main applications will be for film and television productions, stages, and concerts and all indoor and outdoor events. Astera sales and marketing director Sebastian Bückle states, "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!" 
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