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Strand Quartet Profile 15/25, another rubbish lantern?


BenEdwards

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OK, so recently posted about the Teatro Comma 16/28 and it turned out to be a bit rubbish. We also have a Strand Quartet Profile 15/25 which also seems well below par. The main issue seems to be when you widen the beam the pattern of the lamp filament is projected (I am using it at fairly close range). It also does not seem to deliver as mutch light as a prelude (both 650w). Was wondering if I was doing something wrong or if there was a problem with our lantern. Or is it not a particularly good lantern.

 

Ben

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It is another not particularly good lantern. The fres and PC variants are good, but the profiles are very unimpressive. Cleaning the lenses is a stupid carry on too, you have to take the whole lens tube to bits using some massively long crosspoint screws which can get knackered up very easily if you are not careful.
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Fairly awful lantern and as Tim says, a complete beggar to clean the lenses even if you are pretty experienced at it. If you are not careful, you can end up with a pile of bits.

 

Try adjusting the lamp tray at the back of the unit in order to align the lamp well with the reflector. This is a knob under the lantern (right at the back end) that slides after being loosened and might help with your problem.

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Try adjusting the lamp tray at the back of the unit in order to align the lamp well with the reflector. This is a knob under the lantern (right at the back end) that slides after being loosened and might help with your problem.

 

This is a good idea but I would free it up first with the lamp turned off, as it tends to jerk the first time you move it which often blows the lamp. Which is a disappointing moment.

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When the Quartet first came out (c 1990) it was streets ahead of anything else available at that time.

 

I'm not sure about that, the prelude profiles were much better and were still being sold at that time. I think it was a lot cheaper than the prelude though.

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When the Quartet first came out (c 1990) it was streets ahead of anything else available at that time.

 

I'm not sure about that, the prelude profiles were much better and were still being sold at that time. I think it was a lot cheaper than the prelude though.

 

For a lantern that was a cheap solution for the schools market (including the cardboard gel frame), the back end of the Quartet range gets much hotter than better cooled units including the Prelude range - with serious skin-frying potential.

 

As others above suggest, the Preludes (particularly the profiles) are better if you don't mind the Prelude 16/30 suffering from 'droop' during the run despite locking the tilt off as best you can manage. The wired-in mains lead on the Quartets makes swapping a busted one a bench job, rather than pop-up-a-ladder job.

 

Even if you forget the expletive-inducing process of trying to clean the lenses on the profiles, the mesh on the F / PCs make a cursory wipe a surprising amount of faff. Not to mention the J-cloth (and finger) shredding sharp corners once you get the casing door open.

 

I believe that the only reason anyone would remember the Quartet range fondly is because the range following, the Brio, were even more hateful and are up there with the Teatros. Still, the SL range came along next. Oh wait...

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When the Quartet first came out (c 1990) it was streets ahead of anything else available at that time.

 

I'm not sure about that, the prelude profiles were much better and were still being sold at that time. I think it was a lot cheaper than the prelude though.

I'm very sure about that - prelude streets ahead of quartet. In fact I would have favoured a minuette profile over a quartet.

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Hi

 

The trick to focusing a quartet profile is that you must adjust the bulb peak to re centre/flatten out the field.

This is not taking away from the fact they are very poor units. The quartet profile is most definitely not a great lantern.... Better than a teatro comma though!

 

The prelude profile is a much better and superior lantern in every respect!

 

 

Top marks for the Quartet F & PC's; great units and I have 20 of them still going strong after 15 years.

 

My list of profles in terms of use for a studio size profile would be

 

Bottom:

teatro- utter junk

 

 

Medium:

Quartet

Minuette

Selecon axial

Prelude

Brio

SL

S4 junior

 

 

Top:

S4 zooms

 

All have their strengths and weaknesses. Others will have their preferred lists etc.

 

i.e. Brio have a decent gobo line but SL's are useless for gobo's etc.

 

 

Eamon

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