[Edvik]

How far have LEDs come in terms of looking pleasant in terms of light quality? There's wildly different anecdotal data on how well people respond even to the highest quality CRI. Looking at spectroradiometer charts even bulbs rated 95+ CRI have very narrow spikes compared to a blackbody radiator.

[snogglethorpe]

> Looking at spectroradiometer charts even bulbs rated 95+ CRI have very narrow spikes compared to a blackbody radiator.

Are you sure you're not looking at SPDs for CFLs instead?

LED lightbulbs at least typically seem to have relatively broad and even spectral coverage, even if the distribution is a little lumpy and only a rough approximation of a BB.

All the SPDs of CFLs I've seen on other other hand, are vastly worse, with lots of super intense and narrow spikes in the middle of large areas of almost nothing.

In other words, CFL SPDs look nothing like a BB SPD, whereas LEDs can kinda-sorta-come-close-if-you-squint (it depends on the particular bulb, but some are not bad at all).

[LED lighting also seems much more likely to improve significantly in the future, as it's been developed for a much shorter time than florescent lighting.]

[bhauer]

In terms of CRI, I have not yet found a line of LED bulbs that can accomplish the same color accuracy I've come to enjoy from my high-CRI fluorescent bulbs. CREE and SORAA are among the best, as far as I can tell. But I am a layperson when it comes to illumination. I have also decided to concede high-CRI as long as I can retain the high color temperature that I prefer (I prefer 5000K interior illumination even in the evening, which I understand is uncommon).

I'm not running a lab or anything where CRI is critical. I had simply preferred high-CRI when I was given the luxury of opting for that when I switched my house from incandescent to fluorescent ten years ago. I would like to see better CRI in LED, but to-date it doesn't seem to be a focus, even amount the high-end brands.

[tghw]

I have Cree LED bulbs throughout my house. I've been very happy with their quality of light. I haven't done any in depth analysis, but being a photographer, I've come to notice light quality, and these are similar to most incandescent bulbs.

[ollysb]

I moved into an apartment not too long ago that was full of CFLs. For me I found the quality of the light incredibly bad, a bit like being under office strip lighting but not as bright. I replaced them all with Philips LED bulbs and am extremely happy with the quality of the light. The light is more bluey than a tungsten bulb but apart from that I found them to be the best bulbs of any type that I've ever had.