The DL series of refined and elegant LED luminaires was developed with theatre and television applications in mind, however these powerful fixtures have become popular across a number of different installation genres.

Popular live music venue De Effenaar in Eindhoven, Netherlands, is a great example.

De Effenaar has recently updated its lighting rig with the addition of 12 x DL7S Profiles, 12 x DL4X Spots and four DL4F Fresnels, together with 42 x Robe PARFect RGBW LED PARs.

These have been added to their existing stock of Robe MMX Spots, DLF Washes, 600E Spots and 300E Spots, LEDWash 300s and LEDBeam 100s, all of which have been supplied over the years by Robe’s Benelux distributor, Controllux.

The relationship between Controllux and the venue dates back to 2005, when it first opened, and the first Robe fixtures were installed in 2009. They were an immediate hit with the crew, which led to a gradual phasing out of a previous – competitor – moving light brand with regular Robe purchases since then.

The venue hosts around 20 gigs a month across two halls – offering standing capacities of 1300 and 400 respectively - explains house technician Sven de Hoog, so the lighting technology needs to be hard-working, flexible and reliable!

The decision on the latest purchases was taken by house lighting specialist Yoeri van Leersum who has just left the job, but before doing so, wanted to ensure they had fixtures that would be relevant in the years to come as well as a continuity of brand.

“We also wanted to make a statement with the DL7Ss,” confirmed Sven, “As far as we are aware, we’re the first music venue in the Netherlands to have the DL7 series in house and possibly in Benelux  ... and it’s always good to lead the way!”

They first saw the DL7S at the Prolight+Sound expo in Frankfurt in 2016 and were immediately impressed. They wanted to take an LED route for all the obvious reasons – less maintenance, lower running costs, greater longevity of the lightsources, greener operation and because it is the way of the future.

They also wanted to offer new and interesting technology that would showcase the venue and impress their clients .., especially important in a city considered the high-tech capital of the Netherlands.

The DL7Ss are in action in the large hall while the DL4X and DL4Fs are earmarked for the smaller one, although everything can be moved around if required.

Sven loves the colour mixing on the DL7S, which is fluid and smooth due to the implementation of the internal 18-bit control. He also mentions the quiet operation as an asset – although that’s not exactly a vital requirement with most of the entertainment staged at De Effenaar!

“It is all-round a top quality light! We’re very happy to have them here and be able to offer them to guest LDs” he said, concluding that he feels Robe is “the best brand out there right now”.

Photo Credit: Louise Stickland