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Author Topic: Anyone found any pleasant LED (or CFL) lighting?  (Read 7083 times)

bblackwood

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Anyone found any pleasant LED (or CFL) lighting?
« on: January 25, 2011, 09:08:32 PM »

Considering replacing my beloved GE Reveal lamps in the recessed can lights at the studio with LED lamps for the greater efficiency, but I'm pretty picky - I've never found any CFL's I could tolerate. Anyone find any pleasant LED's replacements for incandescents?

For that matter, has anyone tried GE Reveal CFL's?
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Brad Blackwood
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jdg

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Re: Anyone found any pleasant LED lighting?
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2011, 09:19:20 PM »

no, but i can't stand CFLs either (you're far from alone on this)

love to hear the answer to this too.

the heat from all halogens i had at my last studio was insane, LEDs would be pretty sweet.
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john mcCaig
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John Bailey

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Re: Anyone found any pleasant LED lighting?
« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2011, 10:11:54 PM »

Hi Brad,

I'm using these Sylvania LED bulbs that seem to be available in Home Depot stores around Toronto, in a few rooms here.  The 'warm' version is OK, but doesn't quite have the warm glow that the incandescent bulbs have, but far from giving off the anemic look that comes with CFL's.  I too, would love to replace all the Par-20 Halogen bulbs around here with LED's but they're still around $30 CDN, so it's going to take a while...

http://www.sylvania.com/BusinessProducts/Innovations/LEDLamp sandRetrofits/ULTRAAlineDIMMABLE.htm
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bruno putzeys

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Re: Anyone found any pleasant LED lighting?
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2011, 03:01:11 AM »

The top brand for LED lights is Cree (http://www.creeledlighting.com/). I knew in 2002 that I had to invest in them but I hardly had money to invest. Damn.

A bit lower down the scale the Sylvania PAR LED lamps are rather nice too.
http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/LEDInnovations/
Colour rendering is not the very best (still pretty good) but the optics are great, they behave like a proper spot light.

I remember the guy who developed the electronics for the Pharox LED bulbs saying they had over 90 CRI but the web site now only claims 86. Colour looked good to me nevertheless.
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Thomas W. Bethel

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Re: Anyone found any pleasant LED lighting?
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2011, 08:50:20 AM »

We are slowly trying to go green. All of the lights in our office, equipment storage room and tech support room have been replaced by CFLs. Our kitchen just got a lighting overhaul and we replaced everything that was Quartz Halogen with LED or CFL. Our video studio has been CFL from the beginning and the only place we have Quartz Halogen is in our mastering room and they are on a dimmer.

Most home improvement stores now have a display of all the various LEDs and CFL lights so you can judge which color you would like to use.

One really good thing is that you can save a boat load of money by going the CFL or LED route. In our kitchen overhaul we went from 350 to 400 watts to less than 80 watts and we still have GREAT lighting. I am sure we will also notice a big difference next summer in our AC costs.

Best of luck in your replacement quest.

Here are a couple of sites you should look at:

http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/led_floodlight

http://creelighting.com/

http://www.theledlight.com/
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johnR

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Re: Anyone found any pleasant LED (or CFL) lighting?
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2011, 10:31:29 AM »

I'm wary of using CFLs in a studio environment. I have one above my electronics work bench, and quite often see high frequency switching noise from the lamp appear on the oscilloscope when working on gear. An LED lamp with a decent power supply will produce much lower levels of electrical noise.
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Phil Demetro

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Re: Anyone found any pleasant LED (or CFL) lighting?
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2011, 11:44:54 AM »

I recently outfitted my studio and home completely with Philips Ambient LED's.

Energy bills and the associated H.S.Tax here in Toronto are infuriating so it was a move to take control over that a bit.

It's a different look for sure if you're coming from Halogens like I was. The Halogens really heat the air and I find the glow makes me tired.

I'm using the soft white and bought them all at the Home Depot for between $20 and $35 each. The box says they'll last 15 years based on a 4 hour day.

The box that I'm looking at now says 3W = 35W

In the studio I find I have more energy, the air is cooler, less dry and it's mostly as bright as before.
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Greg Youngman

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Re: Anyone found any pleasant LED (or CFL) lighting?
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2011, 11:44:56 AM »

CFLs = Monster Cable.  None of the CFLs put out the lumens per watt as incandescent, plus the RF noise they produce.  I bought cases of GE halogen lamps for the studio years ago and should be good for a long time.  Their life is much longer than they spec.  I go to WalMart just to stock up on incandescents.  Screw "green".  I won't drink the "global warming", "climate change" Kool-Aid.  The only promising lighting technology I have faith in is what's coming out of CREE with their LED stuff.  

http://www.creeledlighting.com/products/Lamps/LRP-38.aspx

I bought CREE @ 10.50 just before the second split.

I feel better now.

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mastermind

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Re: Anyone found any pleasant LED lighting?
« Reply #8 on: January 26, 2011, 01:21:31 PM »

John Bailey wrote on Tue, 25 January 2011 21:11

Hi Brad,

I'm using these Sylvania LED bulbs that seem to be available in Home Depot stores around Toronto....



Beeeeeeeetle!!!!   Welcome to the mastering forum!

(for those of you guys that don't know John, he freaking rocks!  I'm probably biased as we are college mates, and he did help me get my very first post-college pro gig... but he's a damn fine engineer and it's awesome to see him posting in here.)

Back on topic...

Yes, CFL's are the work of the devil... they look like crap.

The LED's I've seen leave me luke-warm.... they're ok, they get the job done... but I'm a self professed lighting-snob... it's a big deal for me.  In my room I don't tend to turn a ton of lights on... so I'm not too worried about electric consumption and heat... I can understand how this would be more of a concern in a larger facility.

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trevor sadler
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bblackwood

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Re: Anyone found any pleasant LED lighting?
« Reply #9 on: January 26, 2011, 01:30:52 PM »

mastermind wrote on Wed, 26 January 2011 12:21

The LED's I've seen leave me luke-warm.... they're ok, they get the job done... but I'm a self professed lighting-snob... it's a big deal for me.  In my room I don't tend to turn a ton of lights on... so I'm not too worried about electric consumption and heat... I can understand how this would be more of a concern in a larger facility.



Yah, that's what worries me - I'm really picky about lighting. I hate fluorescents but have little experience with LED's. I suspect I'll hate them no matter what, and like you, I don't use many (I run a maximum of (6) 65 watt rReveals in the studio at any one time)...
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Brad Blackwood
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CWHumphrey

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Re: Anyone found any pleasant LED lighting?
« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2011, 01:56:02 PM »

bblackwood wrote on Wed, 26 January 2011 10:30


Yah, that's what worries me - I'm really picky about lighting. I hate fluorescents but have little experience with LED's.


LED's last a long time.  That's going to save you money over the long term.  And who doesn't like money?

Cheers,
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Carter William Humphrey

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mastermind

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Re: Anyone found any pleasant LED lighting?
« Reply #11 on: January 26, 2011, 02:04:22 PM »

CWHumphrey wrote on Wed, 26 January 2011 12:56

LED's last a long time.  That's going to save you money over the long term.  And who doesn't like money?

Cheers,



I don't think anyone is debating that.

I have LED's in my race trailer - they're great - no filaments to go bad... and they draw a minimum of power, which is great when you have more important things to power, like tire warmers.

But in the studio, where I want "vibe" (sorry for the use of this over-used clich
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trevor sadler
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Jerry Tubb

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Re: Anyone found any pleasant LED lighting?
« Reply #12 on: January 26, 2011, 02:23:45 PM »

mastermind wrote on Wed, 26 January 2011 13:04

But in the studio, where I want "vibe" (sorry for the use of this over-used clich
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Garrett H

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Re: Anyone found any pleasant LED lighting?
« Reply #13 on: January 26, 2011, 03:48:49 PM »

Candles.

Remember the Police video for "Wrapped Around Your Finger."
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JSam

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Re: Anyone found any pleasant LED (or CFL) lighting?
« Reply #14 on: January 26, 2011, 07:23:03 PM »

Does anyone else notice the similarities between the move away from incandescent bulbs and the move away from LPs to CDs?
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