Modern Flames is our best selling electric fireplace brand, and the question we get most is not whether they are good. It is which one.
The lineup splits across two completely different flame technologies, and the differences that matter are not the ones on the spec sheet. Here is the full breakdown of each series, what it does well, where it falls short, and which one belongs on your wall.
Three things to know before you shop Modern Flames
- The brand builds flames three different ways. The Orion V2 series plays flame video on an LCD screen. Landscape Pro, Spectrum Slimline and Redstone use Hybrid-FX LED lighting. The Nova Clear projects its flames with lasers onto a transparent film, which is what lets you see through it. Pick the technology first, then pick the shape.
- Some of these need an electrician and some do not, and on two of them it depends on how you mount it. The Orion Slim, Orion Traditional, Spectrum Slimline and Redstone all include a 120V plug. The Orion Multi and Landscape Pro Multi do not, because both are built to be recessed and hardwired, but each has a floating mantel set that includes the cord, so the wall mounted version plugs in. The Nova Clear is hardwire only.
- Heat coverage figures are not comparable between brands, or even between models. Every one of these is supplemental heat. The Orion Multi manual says so in plain language: it is not intended to be a primary heat source.
The series at a glance
| Series | Flame technology | Where it installs | Power | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orion V2 Multi | Virtual LCD | Built-in clean face, or wall mount with a Studio Suites mantel. Single sided, left or right corner, or bay. Indoors, or under a patio cover when built in | Hardwire when built in. Wall mounted with the floating mantel set, it plugs into 120V | The most realistic flame, seen from more than one side |
| Orion V2 Slim | Virtual LCD | 2x6 walls, self-trimming slide-in or built-in clean face, or wall mount. Indoors, or under a patio cover when built in | 120V plug included, hardwire ready | Realistic flame where wall depth is tight |
| Orion V2 Traditional | Virtual LCD | Built-in, self-trimming, or retrofit into an existing fireplace opening. Indoors, or under a patio cover when built in | 120V plug included, hardwire ready | Replacing an old fireplace with something realistic |
| Landscape Pro Multi | Hybrid-FX LED | Built-in clean face, partial 2x4 recess, or wall mount. Single sided, corner, or bay. Indoors or under a patio cover | Hardwired when built in. With the floating mantel set it plugs into 120V. 240V for full heat | The Orion Multi's shape and heat, with full RGB color, at a lower price |
| Landscape Pro Slim | Hybrid-FX LED | Recessed into a 2x6 wall, or wall mount. Indoors or under a patio cover | Designed to hardwire | A shallow wall with full color control |
| Spectrum Slimline | Hybrid-FX LED | 2x4 wall or surface mount | 120V plug | A clean linear look in a standard wall, on a budget |
| Redstone | Hybrid-FX LED | Slides into an existing zero clearance opening, or a wall with 10 to 12 inches of depth | 120V plug | A traditional firebox shape and a DIY install |
| Nova Clear | Laser projection on transparent film | Built into a wall, freestanding as an island, or floating in a 2x4 or 2x6 wall. Sees through front to back, with side panels that open up too | Hardwire ready, 120V or 240V | A true see-through fireplace between two rooms |
Every one of them runs vent free, includes a remote, and runs the flames with or without heat. Those are category standard, not reasons to pick one over another.
The real decision: LCD, LED, or laser
Almost everything else follows from this one choice.
The Orion V2 series is virtual. There is a next-generation LCD display behind the glass playing multi-dimensional flame video. Modern Flames introduced the original Orion in 2022 and V2 is the current generation, with sharper contrast, deeper blacks, and adaptive brightness that adjusts the flame to the light in your room.
Most of the rest use Hybrid-FX. That is high-intensity RGB LED lighting bounced off reflective surfaces, with independent control of flame color, ember bed color, and downlighting. Landscape Pro, Spectrum Slimline and Redstone all work this way, and so will Redstone Linear V2.
The Nova Clear is neither. It projects its flames with lasers onto a patented transparent film, which is the only reason a see-through fireplace with a realistic flame is possible at all. Modern Flames calls it the next generation of their virtual flame technology. Nothing else in the lineup works this way, and there is more on it below.
Think of it as the difference between a photograph of a fire and a very good painting of one. The photograph is more literal. The painting can still be beautiful, and plenty of people prefer the color control it gives them.
The gap is widest in a bright room in the middle of the day. That is usually the moment people stop being torn. If you want to see it for yourself before you spend the money, our interview with Modern Flames founder Kris Richardson covers what changed in the latest generation.
Orion V2: the realistic one
Every Orion V2 arrives with 24 flame options loaded. Three of those are flagship multi-dimensional styles, and a fourth slot holds whatever you want to put in it, including older flame styles, plain LED flames, and themes. Six colors are available per flame style.
The part that makes Orion different from every other electric fireplace: it keeps getting new flames after you install it. New styles arrive over the air through the Modern Flames + app, and the fireplace holds up to six at a time. You are buying a platform rather than a fixed set of effects.
All three share custom built-in speakers with Bluetooth streaming, three crackling soundscapes, PTC ceramic heat, an active glowing ember bed, and a five year warranty. All three are also approved for outdoor use under a patio cover, away from direct water and direct sun, and in every case only the built-in installation is approved outdoors.
Picture: Modern Flames Orion Multi
Orion Multi
The flagship, and the one to pick when the fireplace will be seen from more than one angle. It configures as single sided, left or right corner, or bay, and it has a deeper firebox than the Slim so it takes a full-sized lit log set.
Power is the part worth understanding before you order. No power cord comes with the fireplace itself, because the Multi is designed as a built-in. Modern Flames' reasoning is practical: a built-in is meant to be wired inside the wall, and putting an outlet back there is generally against building code.
The floating mantel set is what changes that. The floating mantel set is the wall mount kit, and it includes a cord. Pair the two and you hang the fireplace on the wall and plug it into a standard 120V outlet, with no framing and no hardwiring. For a lot of buyers that combination is the whole reason to pick the Multi over a recessed unit.
Two things to know if you are weighing it. Wall mounting without the mantel is possible, since a bracket is included, but the fireplace then stands roughly 9 inches off the wall, which is exactly the problem the mantel solves. And if you would rather supply your own cord, it needs to be 12 or 14 gauge.
Orion Slim
Same flame technology in a shallower body, engineered to sit in a 2x6 wall. It slides in after the finished wall material for a self-trimming look, or you swap the trim for the included drywall stops and get a clean face finish. It can also surface mount.
Two limitations worth knowing. It runs on 120V only, so it does not have the 240V heat option the Multi and the larger Traditional sizes do. And the shallower firebox means no full lit log set, though the downlighting is brighter across the whole V2 line.
It does include a 120V plug.
Picture: Modern Flames Orion Slim
Orion Traditional
The one for an existing fireplace opening. It retrofits into most masonry and zero clearance openings, installs as a built-in clean face in new framing, or self-trims, and optional surround trim kits cover the gap on older openings.
Heat splits by size here. The two smallest run 120V only. The larger sizes support dual 120V or 240V wiring and put out more heat. A 120V plug is included either way.
Picture: Modern Flames Orion Traditional
Landscape Pro: the versatile one
If the Orion is about realism, the Landscape Pro is about color and value.
The Landscape Pro Multi and the Orion Multi are closer than they look. Same viewing configurations, single sided, corner or bay. Same heat, 5,000 BTU on a standard 120V circuit and 10,000 BTU wired to 240V. Both are approved for a covered patio, and both have a floating mantel set for wall mounting.
What separates them is the flame, and what it costs. The Orion plays video on an LCD and is priced accordingly. The Landscape Pro builds its flame from LEDs, comes in lower, and gives you one thing the Orion does not: Multi Light Control across the full RGB spectrum on flame color, ember bed and downlighting. The Orion offers six flame colors per style. The Landscape Pro gives you the whole range.
The Landscape Pro Multi does add a couple of install depths the Orion lacks, including a partial recess and floor or floating cabinet mounts. The Studio Suites mantels are American made and sold separately.
The Landscape Pro Slim is the same idea in a 2x6 depth, with a single 5,000 BTU heater. It has one feature nothing else here does: an optional non-glare mesh screen that replaces the glass front, which kills reflections if the fireplace sits opposite a window.
Both connect to Wi-Fi and work with Alexa and Google Home, and both are designed to be hardwired.
Picture: Modern Flames Landscape Pro Multi
One real limitation: this is LED, not video. Against an Orion in the same room, in daylight, it will not read as real.
Picture: Modern Flames Landscape Pro Slim
Spectrum Slimline: the standard wall option
The Spectrum is the one that goes into a plain 2x4 wall and plugs into a regular outlet.
Modern Flames dropped the heavy black glass surround and finished it with a slim 5/8 inch trim, so tile or hardwood can run right up to the opening. You get 10 flame and ember bed color combinations with automatic color cycling, touch controls, and a remote. It can go under a TV, and installation is genuinely a DIY job.
What you give up: there is no Wi-Fi or app control on this one. If phone control matters to you, that pushes you to the Landscape Pro or the Orion.
Picture: Modern Flames Spectrum Slimline
Redstone: replacing an old fireplace
The Redstone is the traditional firebox shape, and it exists for one job. You have an old wood-burning fireplace and you want the look without the chimney, the logs, or the cleanup.
It slides into most existing zero clearance openings, or into a wall with 10 to 12 inches of depth. A finish trim kit is in the box, and surround kits are available in several widths to cover the gap on a larger masonry opening. It uses Hybrid-FX with three flame patterns in 10 independently controlled colors, plus a glowing log set, and it plugs into a standard outlet.
Same limitation as the Spectrum: no app.
Picture: Modern Flames Redstone
Coming in October: Redstone Linear V2
Redstone has been Modern Flames' best selling line, and until now it has only come in the traditional firebox shape. That changes this fall. Redstone is moving into a contemporary linear format as Redstone Linear V2, expected to be available in October.
Modern Flames' own materials call it both Redstone Linear V2 and Redstone V2 Linear, so expect to see the name written both ways. It stays an LED fireplace rather than moving to the virtual LCD panel the Orion uses, but it picks up much of what Modern Flames developed for Orion V2. Expect a taller viewing area with a reworked flame pattern, a lit log set with twigs and crushed glass media, Wi-Fi app control, an upgraded remote, and built-in speakers with sound modes and Bluetooth streaming. A built-in clean face trim kit is included, and it installs slide-in, built-in, or wall mounted. Heat runs 5,000 BTU on a standard 120V circuit, or up to 10,000 BTU with an optional 240V connection.
This is the gap the Redstone line has had. If you liked what Redstone does, a traditional look, a straightforward install, and strong value, but you needed a linear shape for a modern wall, Redstone V2 is the one to wait for.
Specifications can change before a product ships, so treat this as a preview rather than a final spec sheet. We will update this section once it is in stock.
Planning a project around it? Get in touch and we will tell you where it sits in the launch schedule and what the lead time looks like. Call or text 866-713-2399, or email support@modernblaze.com.
Nova Clear: the see-through one
The newest thing Modern Flames makes, and it is not competing with anything else on this list.
Nova Clear uses laser projection onto a patented transparent optical film, and it holds more than 80 percent transparency. You get a real flame image from both sides while still seeing through the fireplace. A dividing wall between two rooms is its natural home, and that is what the see-through design is really for.
There are two separate decisions here, which is easy to muddle. The first is where it goes: built into a wall, freestanding as an island between two spaces, or floating in a 2x4 or 2x6 wall, where Modern Flames recommends its Studio Suite mantel package to finish the edges. The second is how open you want it. It sees through front to back as standard, and each side panel is covered by a removable plate, so you can open one side, or both, and see the fire from the ends as well.
Picture: Modern Flames Nova Clear
It also doubles as a transparent display. Connect a compatible streaming device, which is not included, and it plays movies or ambient visuals through the same glass. Audio is Dolby, with three fire soundscapes and Bluetooth.
Heating is dual-zone, so you can warm both rooms together or just one. Like the Orion Multi, it is hardwire ready.
What installation will actually take
This is where projects go sideways, so plan it before you order.
Plugs in: Orion Slim, Orion Traditional, Spectrum Slimline and Redstone as standard. The Orion Multi and the Landscape Pro Multi also plug in when they are wall mounted with their floating mantel sets, because the cord comes with the mantel.
Needs an electrician: the Orion Multi and Landscape Pro Multi when built in, the Landscape Pro Slim, and the Nova Clear.
One nuance that matters more than the list above. Every model that ships with a plug can also be hardwired, and most recessed installations are, because a visible cord runs against the clean built-in look people are recessing it for in the first place. So the plug is what makes a surface-mounted install easy. It is not what makes a built-in install electrician-free.
If you want 240V heat, on any model that supports it, you need a dedicated two-pole breaker run to the fireplace. That is an electrician either way, even on a model that ships with a plug.
If it is going outdoors, the approved models are the whole Orion V2 series and both Landscape Pro models, always under a patio cover and away from direct water and direct sunlight. On every Orion V2, only the built-in installation is approved outdoors. Nothing else in the lineup carries an outdoor approval, so plan those as indoor installations.
Mantels and wall systems: skipping the construction project
This is the part of the lineup that gets overlooked, and for a lot of buyers it decides the whole project. Several of these fireplaces have a matching wood surround that turns a built-in look into something you hang on a finished wall.
Floating mantel sets exist for the two multi-sided models. The Orion Multi set and the Landscape Pro Multi set both wrap the fireplace in top, bottom and side pieces so it reads as built in without any framing. Both ship with the power cord, which is the detail that turns each of these into a plug-in job. Finishes run from a paint-ready white through several wood tones.
Allwood wall systems go a step further. Rather than finishing the fireplace, they are a complete wall section, a whole feature wall in a box, with the mantel and hardware included and optional side walls to extend it. We carry them for the Spectrum Slimline and the Orion Slim, and you can order either with or without the fireplace itself.
If you like the look of a media wall but do not want to build one, this is the shortcut. It is worth pricing the fireplace and its wall system together before you compare against a model that needs framing.
Heat, and what the numbers actually mean
On a standard 120V circuit, these fireplaces land around 5,000 BTU. The models that support 240V roughly double that. The Nova Clear sits slightly differently, at 4,100 BTU on 120V and 8,200 BTU hardwired to 240V.
Here is the conversion worth knowing. Run the arithmetic across every BTU and square footage pair Modern Flames publishes and it lands in a consistent band: every 1,000 BTU covers roughly 80 to 100 square feet. The Orion line is rated at the conservative end of that, the Nova Clear and Redstone at the generous end. So:
- 5,000 BTU, which is what a standard 120V circuit gives you, covers roughly 400 to 500 square feet
- 8,000 to 10,000 BTU, wired to 240V, covers roughly 650 to 1,000 square feet
Those assume an average ceiling, reasonable insulation, and a fireplace doing supplemental work rather than heating a cold room from scratch. High ceilings, big windows, or a drafty room all push the real number down.
Coverage claims are also not measured the same way from brand to brand, so the conversion above is for comparing Modern Flames models against each other rather than against another manufacturer. Check the figure against the model's spec sheet rather than a web page: Modern Flames' own site currently carries a coverage number on the Orion pages that does not match its printed catalog.
Which one is right for you
Get an Orion V2 Multi if you want the most realistic flame and the fireplace will be seen from more than one angle.
Get an Orion V2 Slim if you want the most realistic flame and it has to fit a 2x6 wall.
Replacing an old fireplace? The choice is Redstone or Orion Traditional. Both drop into an existing opening, both keep the traditional firebox shape, and both have optional surround trim kits to cover a larger masonry gap. The Redstone is the value pick, with a DIY install and Hybrid-FX LED flames. The Orion Traditional costs more and brings the virtual LCD flame, app control and the audio features. If flame realism is the reason you are replacing the fireplace, pay up for the Orion. If you mainly want the wood and the mess gone, the Redstone does that job well.
Get a Landscape Pro if you want the Orion Multi's shape and heat with full RGB color, at a lower price. Multi for multi-sided viewing, Slim for a shallower wall.
Get a Spectrum Slimline if you are working to a budget and want a clean linear look that fits a standard 2x4 wall.
Get a Nova Clear if the fireplace needs to be seen through, not just seen.
Want it to be a DIY project? Modern Flames labels two models do-it-yourself, the Spectrum Slimline and the Redstone, and both ship with DIY installation instructions. Past those, the accessories are what bring a project within reach. An Allwood wall system arrives as a whole feature wall with the mantel and hardware included, made for the Spectrum Slimline and the Orion Slim, and you can order either with or without the fireplace. A floating mantel set does the same job for the Orion Multi and the Landscape Pro Multi, with no framing and the cord in the box. None of this removes the electrical work if you are hardwiring. It removes the construction.
Whichever Orion V2 you pick, it also keeps getting new flame styles over the air after it is installed, which none of the others do.
Bottom Line
- Modern Flames builds flames three ways. Orion V2 plays flame video on an LCD. Landscape Pro, Spectrum and Redstone use Hybrid-FX LED. Nova Clear uses laser projection on transparent film. Pick the technology first, then the shape.
- Orion V2 is the realism play: 24 flames out of the box, six colors per style, new flames delivered over the air, Bluetooth speakers, five year warranty.
- Landscape Pro is the value play: it matches the Orion Multi on shape, heat and outdoor approval, trades virtual LCD flames for LED, and gives you full RGB color control in return.
- Spectrum and Redstone are the practical picks. Standard outlet, DIY install, no app.
- Nova Clear is a different category. A genuinely see-through fireplace that doubles as a transparent screen.
- Check the power before you order. The Orion Multi ships without a cord because it is built to be recessed, but its floating mantel set includes one, so the wall mounted version plugs in. The Nova Clear is hardwire only.
- Redstone Linear V2 arrives in October, putting the best selling Redstone line into a linear shape for the first time.
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Not sure which one fits your wall? Tell us the framing depth and how many sides you want to see the fire from, and we will tell you which model works. Call or text 866-713-2399, or email support@modernblaze.com.
Browse the full Modern Flames collection to see the current lineup, or start with our guide to virtual versus LED electric fireplaces if you are still deciding on the technology.
