The Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW LED light is now available to purchase for $999.99 USD. RGBW is all the rage at the moment and countless lighting companies have adopted the technology in their line up. Luxli now joins Lupo as the most recent companies to offer a compact 1×1 RGBW panel light. At under $1000 USD it certainly bucks the trend when it comes to price, especially considering the light is made in Norway.
Luxli has earned a strong reputation with some of their smaller lights such as the Cello and Viola. The Timpani is their latest creation and just like the Cello and Viola, it is named after a musical instrument. A Timpani is a type of drum, that consists of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper.
We first saw a yet to be named prototype of this light earlier this year at NAB. At the time I was told it would be coming out around June/July and that they were hoping to get the price under $1000 USD.
The Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW uses a 672 RGBAW LED array, and offers countless creative lighting options for professionals that require standard color temperature adjustability and color tuning across the RGB spectrum. So what exactly is RGBAW? The “A” and “W” in RGBAW stand for amber and white, 2800K and 5600K color temperature LED’s, respectively. The Timpani mixes the output of these two LEDs to ensure exact color temperature in CCT mode and accurate color reproduction in Gel mode.
Even if you don’t need the RGB color modes, the white light output by the Timpani can be adjusted from 2800K to 10,000K in CCT mode and it has a claimed CRI of 95 and TLCI of 97 at most color temperature settings. In a nice touch, every light comes with a photometric sheet print-out showing light fidelity measurements for that individual fixture by serial number. The Dimming and color temperature can be adjusted in fine increments, 50K for color temperature, and 1% for dimming.
RGB, special effects and Bluetooth control
In the RGB Color Mode, any color on the color wheel can be selected with 1° increments. Saturation can also be controlled to mix the desired color with white light. By using the free iOS/Android app, colors can be sampled with an eye-dropper and communicated to the Timpani via Bluetooth at a distance of up to 30′ (9.14 m) away. The eyedropper feature can be used to match any color within an image or a video. This is very similar to what Aperture was showing us at NAB with their RGBW prototype light that was also using a color picker.
The Conductor app uses Bluetooth 4.2 and lets you create a just about any hue of light you can imagine. There is also the ability to create customized lighting animation effects. If that wasn’t enough, you can combine multiple Luxli Orchestra units and synchronize them to operate all at once. The Timpani can also be controlled via DMX.
The Timpani also features a range of special effects, from strobing that imitates lightning strikes and explosions to orchestrated timed color shifts and warning lights. Each effect is adjustable in timing and color temperature.
If that wasn’t enough you can also adjust +/-green.
150 built-in filters
If you select the Gel Filter Mode you can select from up to 150 filters to customize the white light output. Any color temperature available in the CCT mode can be modified by the filter samplings. Included in the filters are useful items such as Chromakey Green and Blue. This filter mode was originally introduced by Luxli in their Celio, but it didn’t have anywhere near the number of filter options that are found in the Timpani.
Output
The Timpani has a claimed output of 380.9 fc / 4100 lux at a distance of 2.99′ / 0.91 m. This sounds pretty good for a 1×1 fixture, but you do have to take into account that the light has a fairly narrow 78° beam angle.
Operating Modes
- RGB Color Mode
- Scroll through the RGB color wheel in 1° increments. Dial in nearly any color in the visible spectrum.
- CCT Mode
- The traditional correlated color temperature (CCT) mode allows you to accurately adjust your color temperature from 3000 to 10,000K in 50K increments. This lets you emulate any lighting condition, from the cool hues of bright sunlight to the warmth of a tungsten bulb.
- Gel Filter Mode
- Originally introduced with the Luxli Cello the gel filter mode on the Timpani provides a whole slew of color options. Set your white balance and then select between 150 colored gels. The Timpani displays the color, taking your CCT temperature setting into account. It’s as realistic as if you’re putting a gel in front of the actual light.
Power requirements
Traditionally RGBW lights have required a lot of power, but the Timpani only draws 120W. The fixture has a 4-pin XLR input, and a power supply is included. A V-mount battery plate comes attached to the rear of the fixture.
Size and weight
| Fixture Dimensions | 14.2 x 16.2 x 2.7″ / 36.1 x 41.1 x 6.9 cm (Including Yoke) |
| Fixture Weight | 6.95 lb / 3.15 kg |
At 3.15 kg the Timpani is fairly lightweight for an RGBW fixture, it’s also incredibly thin. Most RGBW fixtures are large and heavy because they require a lot more cooling than a traditional LED light. The Timpani doesn’t have a fan but uses a passive cooling system. A yoke that terminates in a 5/8″ receiver is included for stand-mounting the fixture.
Intuitive On-Unit Interface with LCD Display
The built-in LCD display lets you adjust brightness and color with the dedicated knobs, and switch between the RGB, filter, CCT, and special effects modes with the touch of a button. The display looks to be nice and big and easy to see.
The Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW LED Light looks to be a very impressive light, especially for the cost. It has features that are only commonly found in fixtures costing 3x as much. Just how the light actually performs in the real world we will have to see, but if the specifications are anything to go by, Luxli may well of set a new bar for sub $1000 USD RGB lights.
