You probably already know that “moving heads” are the current buzzword in club lighting. You’ve probably also seen these eye-popping 3D-like effects bouncing off walls and ceilings at the cooler clubs and nightspots in your area. As their name suggests, moving heads are fixtures whose entire yoke (or head) rotates a complete 360°, unlike more conventional scanners in which only internal mirrors move. This full-cycle head rotation shoots colors and patterns over a much larger area, into every corner and crevice of the room, creating a layered, multi-dimensional effect that makes onlookers feel like they’re actually inside the light show, rather than simply observing it. Trouble is, like any better mousetrap, this advanced lighting technology comes at a price. Until recently, they’ve simply been too pricey for most mobile DJs, small clubs and bars. Finally ... affordability!

But now American DJ has unveiled two new intelligent moving head effects – the Accu Spot 250 and DJ Spot 250 – that are so affordably priced, they just may allow DJs and neighborhood establishments to put their light shows on par with big-city clubs.

After test-driving these two DMX-compatible fixtures, we were quite impressed with their brightness, smooth movement, vibrant colors and patterns and broad-reaching range of projection. The Accu Spot 250 and DJ Spot 250 totally live up to their billing of bringing amazing affordability to professional quality moving head effects. They even offer a few extra bells and whistles that are a nice surprise for the price. What’s also nice is that American DJ is giving lighting users two alternatives at different price points, so you can choose the one that’s right for your budget and needs.

Pump up the brilliance

One of the main reasons for the price differential is that the higher-ticket Accu Spot 250 uses a brilliant 250-watt discharge lamp as its light source, while the DJ Spot 250 (named after its target market) is equipped with a more economical halogen lamp. Ok, yes, when you put them side-by-side, you can see a difference in brightness. But the DJ Spot 250’s 250-watt halogen lamp is certainly no slacker, with more than ample output to light up most small clubs and typical gigs where mobile DJs perform – at what’s, after all, an incredibly DJ-friendly price.

With the more powerful Accu Spot 250, you start getting into some serious electrification. In addition to its 250-watt discharge lamp, the Accu Spot 250 has a special dichroic reflector that’s designed to amplify output and this one-two combination gives it enough brightness to handle even clubs that fall into the “mid-sized” category. Along with full 360° panning, the Accu Spot 250 has tilt movement of up to 265°, so it can cover a lot of vertical and horizontal space with its colors and patterns.

Add some color to the equation

The Accu Spot 250 can generate 9 different colors plus white, and it has 7 gobos plus spot. The colors and gobos are on separate wheels, so many different combinations can be produced. The gobos are replaceable, which is a nice touch because it allows users to create even more variety and versatility.

The DJ Spot 250 also offers a lot of visual variety, especially for the price. It has 7 colors plus white and 10 gobo patterns, all of which appear very sharp and vibrant. The white beams are exceptionally crisp and clean, thanks to a white color correction filter that’s built into the DJ Spot 250 – one of the “extras” you wouldn’t necessarily expect to find on such a budget-friendly fixture. Another special nuance DJs will like is the unit’s high-velocity cooling fan, which allows for continuous use, unlike other fixtures that have to be operated in on-off duty cycles.

Two versatile moving head fixtures are better than one

Both fixtures also offer some extra visual excitement, including a gobo shake effect and strobing in every color. With 8 and 6 DMX channels respectively, the Accu Spot 250 and DJ Spot 250 can be operated either with a standard DMX-512 controller or as stand-alone sound active effects.

We predict that the Accu Spot 250 and DJ Spot 250 will find a “heady” market among clubs and DJs who always wanted the professionalism and excitement of a moving head light show, but never thought they could afford one. American DJ deserves a big Heads up for putting this cutting-edge technology within reach of everyday lighting users.