The Ape Labs Marvel Spot is a powerful battery-powered LED light fixture with a clear niche: Professional use in stage or façade lighting, as well as uplighting. As always with Ape Labs, the design and functionality are thoroughly up to date. There are nine pixel LEDs, each rated at 18W; they deliver a faultlessly uniform light output. And when it comes to light quality, the spot is really next level, because it functions entirely without pulse-width modulation, thanks to Dual Drive technology: The result is seamless, flicker-free LED control, and that with a colour rendering index of CRI 90 and a beam angle of 15°. The integrated chip has a full RGB-WW spectrum, with cool white and lime, for a huge range of individual colours and immensely nuanced colour mixtures. The temperature of the white light can be set between 2700 and 6000K.
Like the brand's other lights, the Ape Labs Marvel Spot can be controlled simply using the remote it ships with. But for wireless DMX control, and the many functions available in the iOS and Android apps, it's best used in combination with Ape Labs' wireless Connect interface, which is sold separately – this way, each Spot integrates seamlessly into existing setups. In addition, connections can be secured against unauthorised access with Bluetooth pairing. An automatic repeater is built into each Spot, enabling wireless connectivity from lamp to lamp with a range of well over a kilometre. The Marvel Spot itself is relatively compact, with dimensions of 28.5×26.5×8.0cm, and a weight of 3.7kg. Positioning and installation are handled via the 360° rotatable bracket, with stable footing provided by fold-out, lockable feet, plus the options of securing the Spot either with the bracket itself or the M6 eyelet included. Naturally, the Marvel Spot comes in an event-ready black finish.
The Ape Labs Marvel Spot is aimed at professional users who need a lighting setup that can handle a wide range of scenarios. It might be deployed by lighting designers and event technicians as an uplight for illuminating façades and other specific elements of a building or venue: The Marvel Spot is perfectly suited to bespoke event and stage lighting. Users benefit from its relatively simple operation and multiple control options, as well as cable-free positioning thanks to its long-lasting battery. With its fanless design, the spot can be used night after night in noise-sensitive settings such as theatres, jazz clubs, or hotels and restaurants. Optional accessories like eyelets or loop cables further expand its applications. And potential thieves will have a hard time of it: The unit includes an anti-theft system with both a motion sensor and an audible alarm.
Ape Labs is based in Eisingen, Germany, and designs and develops battery-operated LED spotlights. The company was founded in 2007 by managing director Julius Shrenk, who has spent his whole life working with stage technologies, so he knows the requirements of his customers precisely. Ape Labs are specialists in professional spotlights with a creative edge and design, and the company's focus is always on high-quality and affordable lighting products. The young team's portfolio offers a wide range of professional standard LED spotlights, among other solutions, but also caters for the consumer market. Ape Labs lighting products, first presented at Prolight & Sound in 2009, were unanimously hailed by the press as being "among the most innovative of recent times". Since 2015, all Ape Labs products have also been manufactured in Germany.
When operating the Ape Labs Marvel Spot cable-free, one key point shouldn't be overlooked: Battery life is around 14 hours for typical, full-featured use, which is impressive in itself. With flexible runtime management, this can be extended significantly, a real advantage for architectural lighting, for instance. Prospective users should know that all functions can be used and controlled wirelessly – but they don't have to be. The spotlight can also run continuously on mains power and be controlled via standard DMX cabling; the same applies to data forwarding to other devices in the network. In most cases, users will rely on the Connect's Bluetooth pairing and repeater functions, but whether they implement these in a given setup is entirely up to them. Either way, the Ape Labs Marvel Spot is fully prepared for any configuration.