CHAUVET DJ’s Freedom series has been one of the brand’s most popular lighting lines, sitting at the forefront of wireless technology. And now the range has received a re-boot, bringing with it sweeping changes that capitalise on technological advances. With four new pars on their way, I got to road-test two of them: the Freedom Par Q9 and the Freedom Par H9 IP.

The lights landed at just the right time and I was able to take them out to two gigs over the Easter weekend. The first was a family Easter party where I simply placed the lights against a wall behind my DJ booth. The next was a birthday party, where I lit a white scrim on my truss booth and mounted CHAUVET DJ Wash FX2 lights on my Novopro podiums.

I love uplights because clients notice them and they recognise the change that they make to a venue. I often get comments from people saying how much they love the lighting and they even include positive comments in their online reviews. That to me is a key difference between providing uplighting and providing effect-heavy lighting. As DJs, we like to see a lot of lights and can appreciate a good lighting rig, but to our clients it all just blends into one colourful mess.

As with previous models, the new Freedom Pars are battery operated – the future of DJ lighting, in my opinion. Battery power makes setting up and packing down so much easier and the overall look is way cleaner. However, you need to balance that with the risk of your lighting units being easier to steal!

Both the Freedom Par Q9 and the Freedom Par H9 IP come equipped with a D-Fi transceiver, meaning they’ll sync with other CHAUVET DJ D-Fi products. They also both have built-in RF receivers for wireless control using RFC or RFC-XL (optional) remotes (read my review on page 84).

Encased in cast aluminium sleeves, the lights feel like a premium product. I love the design of the carry handle, which folds away into the upper part of the unit. When the light is in use, you don’t even know it’s there, but when you need to pick up or move the light, you just flip the handle up.

Each light comes with a magnetic diffuser, which widens the coverage area but is easy to remove when you don’t need it. I tried the lights both with and without the filter and preferred them with. You’ll also find a new spring-loaded kickstand, which allows you to precisely change the angle of the lighting effect. When I tried out the Freedom Pars, I didn’t need to use the stand, but I appreciate this feature will come into its own when you need to light features such as floral decoration. CHAUVET DJ has also included M12 mounting holes, which I can’t imagine most DJs will use but may be useful for anyone mounting them on truss.
One of my favourite things about these new units is a small touch and is nothing to do with the actual lighting. I just love the very different look: black lights with white sleeves! The optional sleeves make so much sense because as DJs we need to provide different looks for different events. An all-white look for a wedding set is beautiful, but out of place for events such as corporate and birthday parties. Investing in these lights means you don’t have to buy two sets, just change the sleeve as needed – a massive win! All manufacturers, please consider interchangeable black and white colours in your future designs – DJs will love this simple touch that makes the product so much more appealing.

The main difference between the Q9 and the H9 IP is that the HP IP is a hex-colour (RGBAW+UV) LED uplight and the Q9 is a quad-colour (RGBA) LED uplight.
But, as its name implies, the H9 IP is also weather resistant. Rated at IP54, the units will be fine for temporary installation in adverse weather conditions.

Both models come with nine LEDs. As the H9 IP has a wider variety of output, it can be controlled in more ways via DMX with 6-, 8- and 16-channel modes, as opposed to the Q9 which can be used in 4-, 6- and 14-channel modes. The H9 gets a slightly faster strobe rate and its 23-degree beam angle (40 degrees with diffuser) is wider than the Q9’s 19 degrees (37 with diffuser).

If you’re looking for outright brightness, the Q9 is the one to go for, as it features a maximum illuminance of 3580 lux at 2m, ahead of the H9 IP at 1249 lux at 2m. Both versions come with 50,000 hours of life expectancy, so if you use it for five hours per gig, you should get 10,000 gigs!
The run time for both units is adjustable and can be set at 3, 5, 8, or 12 hours. This gives you a lot of flexibility and will mean that for shorter gigs, you can run them at full brightness, whilst at longer events (in particular, weddings) you have a range of options.

For my tests, battery power was not an issue; the lights didn’t miss a beat or flicker at all. Recharge time for both units is fast, just three hours. That is a massive selling point for DJs like me that will occasionally do an afternoon gig, then bounce on to an evening event. It also means that if you have enough of these lights and you’re at an all-day wedding, you could rotate one or two at a time to provide continual light regardless of battery time.

Both the Freedom Par Q9 and Par H9 IP are now available in sets of four and come with a protective carry bag and an RFC remote control. When you buy a set, they’re also provided with a multi charger that allows you to charge all four units from a single plug whilst the lights are in their carry case. The case is small, square, padded and easy to transport.

Overall, these uplights will be a great addition to your mobile DJ rig. They’re extremely compact but pack a punch. The H9 IP are also weather proof and I really love the fact that they are black but with optional white sleeves.

I found both lights to be user-friendly. When paired with either the handheld remote they come with or the new RFC-XL, you can quickly find the colour or setting you want and complement your overall look. If you’re looking for a great investment that your clients will notice, look no further.