Poseidon Wash XL

Let me say at the outset that this is my personal opinion, based on my personal practice with this device. It must be said that for a long time no "wash" has impressed me much. During the abundant season, I operate on practically all devices from the well-desired Robe 600/800, to the Starki 1000 or the K10. Each of these devices has pros and cons for me. However, none of them causes me a feeling that would induce the statement - "yes, this is it and don't want anything else".

Of course, I have my favorites because of the various features, but I have fallen into a mode where, with rider arrangements, I agree with virtually all brand wash devices, knowing them quite well I know what effects I have to give up to make it work the way I envisioned in the show. And so last year a couple of times I got my hands on a device that surprisingly met almost all my criteria and seemed to somehow not be particularly annoying at any stage.

Introducing the Poseidon Wash XL....

It is an IP65-rated wash unit, which is not among the easiest to use, but offers a lot of possibilities. The lamp is based on 19 individually controllable LED modules of 30W each, a zoom range of 4.5° to 60°, a PAN range of motion of 540° and TILT of 218°, a rotating disc with lenses with an infinite rotation range.

A great asset is the "halo" ring present around the dial. Although it doesn't burn your eyes out with its power, it really makes a stir on stage thanks to the size of the lens dial. Control can be done using standard protocols, here we have no revolution, DMX, RDM and optionally WDMX. The unit operates in 28,41,48 and 100 channel modes. The latter gives the possibility of fully individual control of each lens, a cool feature, but I do not know anyone who would fire this type of device in the maximum available fashion. As a rule, built-in macro is completely sufficient. As for the aesthetic qualities and external quality of the materials used, there is nothing to complain about, cool design, solid workmanship.

Optics and colors

Looking at the dry specifications on the Internet, it is not much different from its popular competitor K15, but in the comparison we can see that Poseidon has smaller LED modules and by as much as 10W (40W>30W) which should significantly affect the difference in power. However, thanks to the use of really decent optics, it does not stand out from its competitor. As for the zoom range, it is very satisfactory (4.5° to 60°), it is worth mentioning that on a narrow beam at maximum focus on the illuminated surface it leaves a beautiful and even circle, not the squares we all know. To sum up this point, the zoom works evenly without any glare over its entire range. This gives you full control over the shined surface, the only downside is the speed of adjustment, with faster effects we can get slightly clipped.

There is no revolution in color mixing. But the truth is that LED technology has advanced so much that it's hard to expect more here. The colors are saturated, 16-bit mixing gives you full control so you can easily get a specific color. The LEDs themselves work in RGBW mode, while the halo ring works in RGB mode. I can't hide the fact that the white by the ring is a bit lacking, although lighting the white obtained from RGB we get a really satisfying effect at a temperature of about 6-7K. Of course, we already get high CRI as standard, the device can be confidently trusted in TV productions or recordings.

Additional effects...

The device has an effect in the range of infinite lens rotate, it works smoothly, the beams spread beautifully in the smoke, we have the ability to rotate bi-directionally and stop rotation at the desired location. In addition, in lower control mods we get access to built-in macro shapes, in which we have the ability to specify the pattern, set the effect's smoothness range, speed as well as select the color for the shape itself separately. There is a channel for adjusting the smooth transition between patterns (shape transition), and it works without any complaints. I can safely say that in this regard CLF has done its homework.

As for the LED ring, it is somewhat limited. Maybe this is also a good thing? Because anyway, for a washa it is stuffed to the hilt with various functions. To control the ring we get 6 channels - Dimmer, RGB colors, effect macro and effect macro speed. The ring itself works very well. The light is bright enough to use it as ambient lighting, it works great, for example, to use it when applying lens rotate to the main shield, so as not to completely lose the character of the scene. Using it standalone also makes a nice effect. The only downside of the ring is that the strobe effect is lumped into one channel with the animations of the bar itself. We can't, for example, get a "spinning snake" effect and a strobe piercing at the same time, we have to decide on something.  

Every piece of equipment has flaws.

Drawbacks are an inevitable part of electronics, and let's be honest, even the best equipment has its drawbacks, and this product is no different. First of all, its big disadvantage is its size and weight - which is most likely due to the fact that the device has an IP65 rating. One thing is certain, this is not a compact device. Based on purely utilitarian things, certainly its disadvantage is not too fast zoom. Also annoying is the shutter on the ring animation, but that's such a bit of looking for strength.

Worth the price?

I will say frankly that in the past season at least four times I had the opportunity to test these devices in field conditions in the open air and once in the club during the realization of a recorded concert. This is a device that I can confidently recommend, I include it in the group of "my" rider washes on which I work well, I would even go a step further, throwing it into the top.

In our industry, the biggest dilemma is almost always shopping for lighting. It is very possible that someone is just looking for an answer to the question Poseidon or K15? I can't answer. This type of purchase depends on financial possibilities and should be matched to the range of use. Price-wise and quality-wise the devices are comparable, here it all depends on what discounts you have with the manufacturer and how many units you want to buy. Certainly the plus side of Poseidon is IP65, so it is less exposed to servicing, and we all know what kind of weather we have in Poland lately. On the other hand, the K15 is 7kg lighter and smaller making it more compact, which often plays a key role. Looking objectively, however, not everyone fully trusts the CLF brand in Poland and prefers to bet on the Italian manufacturer in their choices. Here, taking into account my usage, I may ask myself, is it right? I will answer: I trust both. However, there are claims that there are problems with the failure rate of this device on the technical side and it can cut. Such a situation has not happened to me even once, but wanting to be reliable I will check these signals in the near future.

EDIT: I asked for a comment from the distributor in connection with stuttering devices. In fact, he confirmed, there were times when the problem occurred however it was resolved with the new soft version. Below is the distributor's statement:

When introducing the CLF Poseidon Wash XL product to the market, we collected a number of comments from implementers and people directly interested in this head. In line with the idea of professional cooperation with customers, we have been trying to put these ideas (based on changes in software) into practice for a long time. Let's add that all the current functions and the current way of operating the device on software version 2.0 were prepared only for the Polish market.

As a result of the work on the product and the gradual introduction of more options in the software, there were, of course, some difficulties with working on the "poseidons" themselves. Nevertheless, after upgrading to the final and promoted version of the software, we have not noted any more difficulties related to working on these products. All devices purchased from PS TEATR have been upgraded to the 2nd version of the software. In Poland there are approx. 500 pcs. CLF Poseidon Wash XL and their number is steadily growing - faults, as with any type and brand of equipment, are inevitable, but we wish we and you more manufacturers and distributors who specifically for a particular country prepare appropriate modifications with their work and capabilities. If you have any questions or uncertainties, we invite you to contact us directly.

Moving away from comparisons, I can say one thing, the CLF Poseidon Wash XL is a device that deserves attention. It's built well, can be trusted for larger implementations, and offers many possibilities. Personally, I think it should be tolerated in riders. It is a high-end wash product that will definitely meet even the biggest requirements. With additional features, with the right commitment, you can confidently meet the needs of even the most ardent "Clay Packers".

Here you will find all the parameters of the device.