Soraa delivers 10-degree beam in LED-based PAR20 lamps

April 1, 2015
LED PAR20 lamps can replace 75W and 90W halogen incumbents while delivering flexibility in beam pattern, CCT, and optical accessories.

LED PAR20 lamps can replace 75W and 90W halogen incumbents while delivering flexibility in beam pattern, CCT, and optical accessories.

Soraa has announced that it has integrated its VP3 Vivid Color technology into a smaller LED PAR20 lamp form factor with an integrated 120V driver in the lamp. The solid-state lighting (SSL) product options include models with a beam as narrow as 10° and CCT choice of 2700K, 3000K, 4000K, and 5000K. The 10.8W LED PAR20 lamps can replace 75W and 90W halogen lamps and deliver superior color rendering along with superior illumination of white items treated with optical brightening agents.

The advantage of Soraa's approach to LEDs has been broadly discussed especially relative to the illumination of both color and white items. The VP3 Vivid Color descriptor implies the violet LED and three-phosphor mix that enables the company's products to deliver 95-CRI light with R9 performance of 95 as well – traits shared by the new LED PAR20 lamps.

Related article: Penn State research on color rendering reinforces Soraa's LED claims

Still, it may be the options in beam angle and center beam candle power (CBCP) that may allow the Soraa lamps to standout in the directional-lighting field. In recent reports, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has noted that LED lamps trail incumbent technology in narrow beam angles. But the new LED PAR20 lamps at 10° deliver CBCP of 8000–9000 cd based on CCT, for lamps in the 95-CRI Vivid line. That number goes to 11,000 cd for 80-CRI lamps in the Brilliant line.

The company offers the lamps over the range of 10°, 25°, 36°, and 60° beams. Moreover, it offers the optical accessories in the Snap product family for needs such as diffusers and filters. The Snap system uses magnets to attach the optical accessories quickly and securely.

"Powered by the world’s most efficient LED, the PAR20 provides unmatched color quality with our VP3 technology and superior optics with our Point Source Optics technology, while still delivering 85% energy-efficiency over standard halogen lamps," said George Stringer, senior vice president of America sales and marketing at Soraa. "Neither too big nor small, the PAR20 is perfect in every way."

Soraa says all of the LED PAR20 lamps are rated for use in enclosed fixtures indoors or outdoors. The products are rated for use in damp locations. Soraa specifies the products within a 3-step MacAdam ellipse in terms of color consistency. The company also promised a lower-power 50W-equivalent PAR20 lamp in the near future.

The only small negative with the lamp family is in the area of efficacy. Depending on CCT and CRI, efficacy ranges from 46–54 lm/W. But in general, LED-based products with warm CCTs and good CRI capabilities inevitably feature lower efficacy.

Indeed, the PAR20 shares the legacy with the Soraa PAR30 product that won the replacement lamps category in the inaugural LEDs Magazine Sapphire Awards. One of the judges noted that only efficacy separated the Soraa lamp from a perfect score, but also said the lamp design targeted the light quality required by demanding applications such as high-end retail over energy efficiency. But Soraa points out that the products still deliver the aforementioned 85% energy savings relative to incumbent technologies.