XR30Pro vs. 2 XR15 Pro

[jccaclimber]

I'm looking at putting a bunch of Gen4 Radion's over a tank. What are the pros and cons of using XR30Pro units vs. twice as many XR15 units?

XR30 benefits:
Half as many mounts
Possibly cleaner look (half as many lights)
Quieter (one fan per 2 pucks instead of 1 fan per 1 puck)

XR15 benefits:
Possibly more uniform light distribution?
Better cooling (one fan per puck instead of 1 fan per 2 pucks).

Neutral:
Price (ignoring mounting) is the same, an XR30Pro costs exactly double what an XR15Pro costs.
Number of LED's is the same.
Watts consumed is the same.

I'm unsure if my assumption about fans is valid. The fans may be slower in the 15's than the 30's. I have assumed the noise level of an XR15 is the same as the noise level of an XR30. This may be a poor assumption.

I don't think tank size really matters in the context of this question.

[jccaclimber]

Anyone?

[ca1ore]

I bought 3 Gen4 30 Pro units, but wished I had bought 6 of the 15s. While I don't doubt that the new lens is better, it doesn't solve the fundamental problem that these lights operate as point sources. I'd have preferred the ability to independently orient all of the LED arrays.

[aquapod24]

I have been wondering the same. The only real con i can see is the amout of outlets used. For Apex users i can see it being a real hassle for large tanks requring multiple lights.

[Stolireef]

Actually for Apex users it's not a problem at all since they are controlled wireless. Just need power strips


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[jccaclimber]

Actually for Apex users it's not a problem at all since they are controlled wireless. Just need power strips


Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

For most cases, yes. A WXM only handles 11 devices which isn't an issue for most tanks. After that you would need another.

In my case I would need 3 WXM modules instead of 2 if I doubled the number of lights, although it's a moot point since I'm using a ReefLink. I'm told that handles 64 devices, but I'm nowhere near that even if I did double the number of lights.

It would be nice if Ecotech and Neptune got along better.