I’m looking at adding some subtle LED strip lighting to a listening room and was wondering how others here have approached it.
The main concern isn’t really the lighting itself, but whether the power supply, dimmer or controller can introduce unwanted electrical noise or interference into the audio system.
For anyone using LED lighting in their listening room, have you noticed any hum, buzz or other issues? I’m particularly interested in whether using a separate power supply and keeping the lighting wiring away from audio cables makes much difference.
I’d prefer a simple setup that gives some low-level ambient light without creating another potential source of noise.
I use standard size LEB bulbs in my overhead lighting and in two of my three lamps. One lamp uses a wall wart to power the lamp. I’ve detected no noise entering into my system. I do not have a separate line feeding the HiFi, but I do have a PS Audio P12 regenerator which could be filtering out any LED noise, I am not sure.
I have 3 led bulbs in one ceiling fixture, right above the amp, with a dimmer, and no noise from the lights, no noise in the stereo system. The fixture and switch are relatively new, with a dimmer switch specifically for led light bulbs.
I have led ceiling lighting (multiple units) in the listening room without an issue.
However, in my kitchen I have a Denon cd/radio minisystem and the low voltage led strip lighting in and underneath the kitchen units. The transformers for the strips are on top of the kitchen units and cause serious interruption to the radio signal.
My system actually has a 12-foot strip of LEDs draped around my rack behind the system. I was highly concerned, but have detected nothing. Nothing. I have a “resolving system”. No dimmer. They turn on/off through my P12 regenerator, that is on a dedicated line. Just a soft blue (PS Audio blue?) halo from behind the system. Got the idea from a photo of someone’s system elsewhere on a PS Audio forum. Bought slightly more expensive LED coil at Lowes. On some forum, someone said you are safer to buy them made in US rather than China. Was not an anti-China rant. I think there is a stronger standard US manufacturers can adhere to. Don’t know if that is true. -JAS in Philadelphia
I researched this topic years ago and found some actual tests. From what I read, led lamps themselves did not produce any unwanted electrical noise. However, dimmers did inject noise in that test. The noise wasn’t of the audible humming or buzzing types in the audible frequency range, it’s the type of noise that you don’t realize you even have until it’s gone that can mask fine low level detail. I imagine there’s a bit of variability in these matters depending on the quality of the product.
The P12 could well be helping there, especially if the power supply or wall wart is producing any high-frequency noise. Interesting that you haven’t noticed anything from the LEDs themselves though. It makes me think the quality of the power supply may be just as important as the bulbs.
That’s reassuring, especially with the fixture being directly above the amp. It sounds like using a dimmer specifically designed for LED bulbs makes quite a difference. Good to know you haven’t had any audible noise from that setup.
That’s an interesting comparison. The fact that the ceiling LEDs are fine but the kitchen strips cause interference makes the transformers or drivers look like the more likely source. Having them sitting close to the radio probably doesn’t help either.
A 12-foot strip behind the rack sounds like a nice way of getting that soft background glow. Interesting that you haven’t picked up any noise from it, especially with it being so close to the system. I like the idea of keeping it simple with no dimmer.
That’s an interesting distinction between the LED lamps themselves and the dimmers. I hadn’t really considered that the noise could be outside the audible range but still affect very low-level detail.
The variability between different products makes sense too. It sounds like avoiding a dimmer where possible could be the simpler approach for a listening room.
I remember in pre-LED days when incandescent bulbs (together with fluorescent bulbs) were the lighting sources that it was a no-no to have dimmers. They were known to be sources of noise in audio systems.
“If you’ve been a fan of EMF Academy for a while, you probably already know that I wrote an article a little while back on The Safest Light Bulbs (Spoiler: Incandescent).”
You can still get some special use incandescent light bulbs, like the ones used in restaurants that have a coating on the bottom of the bulb to reduce glare, along with a few other types of bulbs.