Aputure Nova P300c RGB LED Light Panel

The light has great spec and wonderful build quality, but the fatal flaw is the extremely noticeable high pitch noise emanating from the fixture itself at various color temperatures and lighting settings. It also isn't consistently loud in the same settings over time, making it totally unreliable for shooting in small, indoor spaces where you need audio capture and are near the light. For a guy that shoots mostly indoors in tight spaces, not grandiose studios, the Nova P300C's high pitch noise at 3ft away made it worthless. This light could've been amazing, for it's 360W output, rugged build quality and versatility. But Aputure forgot about the little guy and went all gucci bag on us. Also the light and case are heavy and you need a big rolling / combo stand to take the weight, which limits it's ease-of-use in smaller indoor spaces. I also feel like many of the youtube reviewers were dishonest about the high pitch noise of the light (too many ppl receiving the light for free and saying it performs well.) I've tried replacing and repairing this unit 5 times, testing 4 different units. Did the first order, 2 replacements, and then was advised to try the Aputure Repair Facility, when that failed, tried to get a refund thru Allstate. My experience with Aputure and Allstate was worse than I thought possible. Aputure Support was very polite, and I didn't have to pay to have the light shipped out. When I called to discuss the issue, I was told the light would be returned within a month, and that the high pitch issue was likely caused by the power supply, which they could replace, or something to do with the front panel being moved. Seemed like not a big deal. Having already replaced the unit twice, when I sent the 3rd unit in, I requested Aputure send me a brand new light and have it tested at the facility for high pitch noise BEFORE sending it out to me, since it was a recurring issue. Roughly 4 months went by and I still hadn't received an update on the light or repairs. Emails were not responded to. I understand Covid has made everything difficult, but how hard is it to respond to an email or phone call? Just keep me informed. Since the first 3 units all produced high pitch noise louder than the advertised youtube reviewers' noise levels, I wanted the ppl at Aputure to confirm the noise issue was fixed. I got a screenshot of a cellphone app mic with an audio level that was higher than the advertised -48dB of noise. When I received the 4th light, it had the same exact issue as all the previous units. I then tried to get my money back, but the return 14day window was closed, since I was told by Aputure Repair facility I would get the light in a month and it arrived 4 months later, with the light still producing the same exact high pitch noise. The high pitch noise occurs in Gel Mode Correction Gels Lee 1/8 CTB (218 1/8 CTB) and in CCT Mode 3200K and 5600K. It's not good that the two most common CCT color temps produce loud high pitch noise. But even worse, the longer the light is on, the worse it gets, and the high pitch noise seems to occur at different settings, seemingly randomly. All four units did this. It seems to be a function of the light's poor design. Reviewers falsely claimed the noise was -48dB at 3ft, but I did replacement swaps, and a repair attempt at the Aputure repair facility and the all state repair facility, and never received a unit, of the 4 I tried, that could produce the advertised noise level. Disappointing. Also, the app isn't as good as other RGB LED apps, because if you minimize the Sidus Link App on your iphone, you have to reconnect the bluetooth EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. The app does offer nice versatility and custom preset options that are pretty cool. The light quality is great. But all this is basically a music video light, since you can't trust it in small indoors spaces, because the high pitch noise from the light is simply too loud. You can't EQ it out since the Frequencies of the high pitch noise are 18-20kHz, PLUS added toxic subharmonics. Even if you roll off at 3kHz, you would still notice it, it's not salvageable. My experience with allstate was worse than with aputure. At least Aputure was polite. Allstate basically refused to refund the insurance money, insisting the procedure was for them to do a repair attempt. I explained I had already swapped the unit twice and tried a repair with the first-party original manufacturer, and if they couldn't repair it, I doubted a 3rd party repair facility working with allstate could improve it. I was forced to send it to the repair center anyway. I got some vague 1984-type notes from the allstate repair facility fans cleaned, functions test passed. Zero evidence of any audio coming from the unit being evaluated or repaired. Calling Allstate, was repeatedly hung up on, put on hold, and met with a mean-spirited, consumer-hating attitude. Worst customer service ever. Excepting maybe USA healthcare/legal system. Eventually I had to basically harass the ppl at allstate on the same low level they were harassing me to get anything done. Truly dehumanizing. After repeated, daily harassing, I finally got a refund about a year later. Thinking about the money spent and time filming lost makes me sick. Avoid this light.