Sounds about right. Back in 2011 I purchased some PARS direct from China to save some bucks. I had a similar experience as yours. No problem with shipping. They arrived in a decent amount of time. One of four of them no longer works. I think the power supply came loose. Some day I'll tinker with it. I could not use my Chauvet Obey 4 controller because it was only a three channel controller (RGB). The lights I purchased were four channel. Strobe, Red, Green & Blue. So they would strobe instead of changing colors. They worked correctly with Obey 40 since it's a 12 channel board.
Dmx in and out should be ran in parallel internally so labeling shouldn't matter on the back. If you actually look at the circuit board attached to them you'll see that they're connected right to each other.
The main difference is price. Both types are manufactured in China. There may be quality issues with some manufacturers, but if you have a good manufacturer, defects and failures are no more likely than they are with Chauvet or ADJ. The important thing in buying generic lights is that you buy from a US distributor who has already learned which manufacturers NOT to deal with, and who offers good support and warranty. Contact several US sellers, and use your judgement on which will serve you best. Buying direct from China you run much higher risk of being disappointed or ripped-off. A US seller will work to make you happy, and that's worth the small price difference.
I just picked up a few of those chinese lights. The DMX is just a straight pass-thru. It works fine if you run DMX into the DMX Out connector then run DMX In to the next light in the chain. I've had no control issues using them with a DMX King USB-DMX module and QLC+ control software.
In these, the PCB holding the connectors can usually be flipped around, with ease. Dismount the XLRs, rotate the board, and re-mount. Takes longer to dis-assemble/re-assemble than to correct. Next up, add an IEC inlet and a fuseholder w/ 2-amp fuse for added safety. Finally, replace the yoke with a yoke made from 1/8 by 3/4 aluminum bar stock. These mods make the lights decent and functional, as well as safe for use.
I have some old Electro 76 4-channel led par cans that I got almost 10 years ago (which are now discontinued). I think I paid $30 each at the time. Looking back now, I should of bought more of them. Over the years they have been used for Halloween setups, helping a friend supplement his par set up so he could have more up lighting at various gigs, and many private parties. They have been used in static, sound/auto and DMX mode without issue. While they may not be as bright as the Chauvet and ADJ led par cans, I will say that they are still working great all these years later. Just because it says "Made in China" on it doesn't automatically mean it's of low quality and will break soon after you get them. As for 4:56 The backwards DMX connectors are an easy fix. You can also just as easily modify/add a power cable port (like the Chauvet has) to make the cheaper par can's power cable removable. The male/female power connectors are available on eBay for only a couple of bucks each.
I buy Chinese, but look for CREE, OSBORN, then EPISTAR, leds, now trying some TIANXIN leds. If you go to the trouble of conversing with the manufacturers you get looked after. Their quality control is improving dramatically.
Won Lan Baker, you are a experience buyer !! Tianxin is most of the factories using now , not bad for Dj , entertainment ,event fixtures , maybe not good for pro light.
The DMX In & Out are actually just labelled wrong. You can connect the output of one light to the 'output' of these. The XLR In & Out are just joined together inside the unit on the PCB anyway.
i have 40 those same lights from china plus 10 moving heads beams 300 watts from china , an d never had a problem, couple light bulb blown on the moving heads but i replace with compatible idj or chauvet light bulb and good as new. i take care of them really well as well on protected cases, and like a said i give outdoor concerts , weddings with not problems running all dmx.it does the job right . i dont like to over pay for products and i do know what i got i have a little bit of knowledge on circuits boards stuff if anytime those got broken ,so those china light for me works amazing
good for your , but if someone do know much about the circuits boards stuff , he will get crazy if they light got problem , for them ,better buy in local ,but for you , better buy from China.
One thing you didn't mention. The hanging brackets on the Chinese lights are very thin and bend easily where a name brand has stronger hangers. I haven't looked to see if the 2 cheap lights I picked up had mis-labeled dmx in/out, I have had them hooked up with other lights and they all worked, so either mine are labeled correctly, or they work wired in the proper connection regardless of labeling.
The DMX is just pass-thru, between 2 connectors, and then the light taps off this separate little PCB inside. This allows any units with reversed XLRs to simply have this PCB flipped around, with all working well after the fix.
+40 years in the show business and I have this feeling that some must treat the cheap Chinese lights a lot rougher than the way more expensive ADJ or Chauvet fittings. You should always carry your fittings in and out of a gig by the metal brackets and NOT by carrying twenty fittings at a time in each hand by the power cords as that is probably the reason ALL the power cords in a rig get ripped out from the fittings..... but hey, they're your fittings and it's your money so do what you like ....
I hate to sound condescending, but American DJ and Chauvet are made in many of the exact same factories. I know, I do service in the USA for several Chinese manufacturers. Many times you are paying for a nicer box, and the ease of USA distribution and service.
i buy also 2 this lights for test and for that money are great i test them in 200hour. i use them as christmas light by house they was on over 10 days, day and night. i am using them with freestyler dmx program i am planing buy more but with multiple LED approx. 7x 10w.
I have 16 chinesse units the problem is: at last the led, power supply and fans chash and the maintenance is more expensive that buy a chauvet or american dj light at least in this kind of units that come with separate led colors
I have some Chinese lights and some Chauvets connecting to the obey 40. They dont read the same. While I can get the Chinese to strobe the Chauvets wont. When my board is set to red color, the Chinese read it correctly but the chauvets read green. When the Chauvets are by themselves they work perfectly. But when all are connected they dont match. Does anyone know how to remedy this problem? PS Has anyone disconnected the fan yet? I use these for church and they are pretty loud
Removing the fan will not affect the light in the slightest. So feel free to remove them, the vent holes alone will be enough to disperse the very little heat generated.
Aaron Wilson Not necessarily. COB LED’s need to be cooled, if not by large passive heat sinks then by fan... this is why cheap Chinese lights have noisy cheap fans. You remove the cooling you’ll burn out the LED’s sooner rather than later since they don’t have thermal rated current limiting.
The dmx functions are controlled by different channels. For example, Channel 1 on a Chauvet light will usually be red; channel 1 on an unbranded China light may be overall bright/dim control. Keep your manuals! To control them with, say, an Obey 40, address one brand of lights as address d001 (scanner 1) and the other brand as address d017 (scanner 2).
Hi Daniel , the Chinese light and Chauvet is not in the same Channel order , this is why one is green and the other is green , you could not set them into same addrees, set them into different address. Remove the fan is good for silence purpose, but it will create more heat, do not know if it will affect the light ,but as I know too much heat will not good for for the circus board or cable ..
I ordered a 36 x 2W LED 6 colors in 1 that is each led bulb can produce 6 colors for 27$ with 1 year manufacturer warranty. I think its a mumbai based company. I will review it once i receive.
I think if the channels match slave/master mode should work. For example Chauvet PARS usually have red, green, blue as the first three channels. I purchased some cheap PARS and the first channel was a strobe then red, green and blue. It does not work.
I'd never go for a cheap chinese brand like that. First of all if it goes wrong then repairing or replacing the parts will come as a cost to you unless the seller offers some form of warranty. I always go with the brands I know and trust even if it does cost me more than the cheap shit does
Not true for many LED lights, I use several GE lights that are 90%+. You can simply look at the PAR per watts to calculate the efficiency. The cheaper the LED, the less the CRI and the lumens per watt.
I have had far more reliability issues with Chauvet/ADJ, sometimes 100% failures within a few months than china direct items. I would say if you step up to a reputable china manufacturer +10-20%+ cost vs ebay, you get great reliability and better products.
That is obvious, but the manufacturer for Chauvet and other common brands use quality controls such as ISO9000/9001 hence the better quality. But it makes the product more expensive therefore it costs more.
Yes but if you buy from them today & replaces them years later They will be the same! If you buy E-bay ones today & 6-months to a year later they will be different. All china E-bay light change often (sometimes its good other times it bad) So buy spares at the same time or after you test them out
You got ripped they sell them on Ebay for 12-15 bucks each...also if it didn't work you can ask for a replacement or money back and keep the one you "fixed". You bought 2 different brands of lights and expect them to work together...dude really
$120vs $10? The cheap chinese stuff is throw away. I'll take it. Got ADJ's and they're cheap shit too. For $10 who cares about a detachable cord? Lightweight is good. My ADJ light cases are all cracked. The cheap stuff 'can' work for you and might be better for the money overall.
