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REVIEWED
REVIEWED: KAM Stratosphere Ghost
The KAM Stratosphere Ghost has been around for a while and remains a popular choice amongst mobile DJs as an LED mirror ball effect light. This type of lighting can look really effective in most settings, and is perfect for one of our main markets – weddings.
Now KAM have updated their product, it’s well worth taking a fresh look at what you get for your money. My first impressions upon receiving the KAM Stratosphere Ghost (KML 303) is that it’s well packaged and feels very light. As mobile DJs, we’re always on the look-out for high quality and high impact lighting effects, but we do appreciate anything that isn’t too much of a lump to move around. Weighing in at just over 4kgs, this light really won’t be putting any backs out when picking it up or hanging on your rig.
The unit comes with all the usual items you would expect: IEC Cable, instruction manual, hanging bracket… but hang on, there is a huge difference that I really feel is refreshing to see – the hanging bracket is white! This is not often the case, and it's attention to little details like this that makes all the difference. After all, if you have purposely bought a white stand and white scrim and possibly a white light, a standard black bracket will stick out like a sore thumb.
If you’ve previously owned a Stratosphere, you will notice other minor but welcome tweaks. The older version is white but has a grey face panel and higher black feet compared to the latest Ghost. Another big difference is that this latest version comes with handles. The only other change I could immediately see is that the previous version had an on/off switch at the back.
In terms of aesthetics, the paint finish is superb and the surface is easy to clean. Taken care of properly, I can see the Ghost keeping its white looks for many years to come. On powering the light up, I immediately thought that the control buttons on the front panel were quite small. Although, this was something I quickly grew used to. The KAM Stratosphere Ghost is a bright light, utilising five 18W RGBWA+UV 6-in-1 LEDs, with a 360-degree constant flow of multi beams through its 96 lenses.
I spent some time getting to know the Stratosphere Ghost in my office and then went on to test it properly at a wedding, to give me the full picture of just how effective it really is.
These lights are really impactful in that your audience can see both the light source and its effect, rather than the usual single beam landing on a surface. And this is where the Stratosphere Ghost comes into its own, as so many of us are unable to use smoke or haze. The truth is you don’t need this extra effect with the Ghost, though obviously even this light will be improved if you can see the beams being projected. In terms of throw, I could clearly see the pattern on the floor at eight metres, which is plenty for most function rooms – in fact, just one light is capable of filling a room. In use, I can honestly say that movement was flawless with no juddering, auto mode flicked and rotated between all colours, and sound sense was particularly good, even compared to more expensive lights.
I also hooked up the Stratosphere Ghost up to my ShowXpress software to get the best I could out of it. The first hurdle with my software was that the light is not listed, but there is the older Stratosphere profile, which can program the Ghost using up just 11 channels.
However, I built a new profile for a few different operations: wedding with dimming/strobe white and slow rotation on white (first dance); some general party effects; and slow dance rotation. This was more than enough to use with all types of tracks. Throughout the night, the room was full of light, great atmosphere, and not one hiccup from the Stratosphere working alongside my other lighting fixtures. So overall, do I recommend this light? Yes, without a doubt!
At under £200, the KAM Stratosphere Ghost is fantastic value. The light has been updated and improved considerably, in particular in its aesthetics and the useful carry handles. You could use it as a single centrepiece or as two symmetrically placed lights. Although, I think one in each corner of a room would look great – the effects would fill the room, and imagine how cool it would look in a UV party?
Now KAM have updated their product, it’s well worth taking a fresh look at what you get for your money. My first impressions upon receiving the KAM Stratosphere Ghost (KML 303) is that it’s well packaged and feels very light. As mobile DJs, we’re always on the look-out for high quality and high impact lighting effects, but we do appreciate anything that isn’t too much of a lump to move around. Weighing in at just over 4kgs, this light really won’t be putting any backs out when picking it up or hanging on your rig.
The unit comes with all the usual items you would expect: IEC Cable, instruction manual, hanging bracket… but hang on, there is a huge difference that I really feel is refreshing to see – the hanging bracket is white! This is not often the case, and it's attention to little details like this that makes all the difference. After all, if you have purposely bought a white stand and white scrim and possibly a white light, a standard black bracket will stick out like a sore thumb.
If you’ve previously owned a Stratosphere, you will notice other minor but welcome tweaks. The older version is white but has a grey face panel and higher black feet compared to the latest Ghost. Another big difference is that this latest version comes with handles. The only other change I could immediately see is that the previous version had an on/off switch at the back.
In terms of aesthetics, the paint finish is superb and the surface is easy to clean. Taken care of properly, I can see the Ghost keeping its white looks for many years to come. On powering the light up, I immediately thought that the control buttons on the front panel were quite small. Although, this was something I quickly grew used to. The KAM Stratosphere Ghost is a bright light, utilising five 18W RGBWA+UV 6-in-1 LEDs, with a 360-degree constant flow of multi beams through its 96 lenses.
I spent some time getting to know the Stratosphere Ghost in my office and then went on to test it properly at a wedding, to give me the full picture of just how effective it really is.
These lights are really impactful in that your audience can see both the light source and its effect, rather than the usual single beam landing on a surface. And this is where the Stratosphere Ghost comes into its own, as so many of us are unable to use smoke or haze. The truth is you don’t need this extra effect with the Ghost, though obviously even this light will be improved if you can see the beams being projected. In terms of throw, I could clearly see the pattern on the floor at eight metres, which is plenty for most function rooms – in fact, just one light is capable of filling a room. In use, I can honestly say that movement was flawless with no juddering, auto mode flicked and rotated between all colours, and sound sense was particularly good, even compared to more expensive lights.
I also hooked up the Stratosphere Ghost up to my ShowXpress software to get the best I could out of it. The first hurdle with my software was that the light is not listed, but there is the older Stratosphere profile, which can program the Ghost using up just 11 channels.
However, I built a new profile for a few different operations: wedding with dimming/strobe white and slow rotation on white (first dance); some general party effects; and slow dance rotation. This was more than enough to use with all types of tracks. Throughout the night, the room was full of light, great atmosphere, and not one hiccup from the Stratosphere working alongside my other lighting fixtures. So overall, do I recommend this light? Yes, without a doubt!
At under £200, the KAM Stratosphere Ghost is fantastic value. The light has been updated and improved considerably, in particular in its aesthetics and the useful carry handles. You could use it as a single centrepiece or as two symmetrically placed lights. Although, I think one in each corner of a room would look great – the effects would fill the room, and imagine how cool it would look in a UV party?
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 110, Pages 86-87.
