MC2105 LED Lighting

drsiebling

Audiophile
Hello everyone - I thought that those of you who might be interested in a good source for LED lighting for the MC2105 and MC2505 might find this interesting. I’ve bought several LED lighting kits for my 2105s over the years and none have been particularly great - some have been dim, they’ve all been unable to illuminate the red dash on the faceplate. However, I’ve finally found a kit that does everything right - both for the meters and the green and red portions of the glass faceplate. The seller is on eBay - I’m not affiliated with him, but I did just install his custom LEDs in my 2105 and I’m very pleased. I have an audio classics LED kit in my C41, and this 2105 kit is every bit as bright as the audio classics kit.

Photos:




Here’s the link to the LED kits:

McIntosh MC2105 & MC2505 Power Amplifier Hi Output LED Bulb & Filter Upgrade Kit https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/192346082298
 
The OP is probably even more aware of the color brown ... ;-}

mc2205-meters.jpg


Even going with incandescents, it's tricky trying the exact color gels needed to match the original color exactly. Not gonna say the gels provided with the kit are an exact match, but at least with LEDs yall don't have to worry about them burning from the hot spots.
 
I am sorry but I don't understand this obsession to replace original bulb by LED ?
Are you aware about something called temp color ?

Color temperature? Yes - very familiar.

The reason some of us want to replace the incandescent lamps in our Mcintosh gear, is because they aren’t particularly bright and don’t mesh well with modern Mcintosh gear, and because incandescents give off a significant amount of heat which causes delamination of the glass front panels and discoloration of the blue meter filters. Incandescents also don’t last very long and changing them out is a bit of a pain in the ass.

If the appropriate LEDs can be sourced, in color temperature, voltage, etc... why wouldn’t you want to use them?
 
Color temperature? Yes - very familiar. Good ! but this is not the only "problem" you can get when using LED with the old MCINTOSH units .

Never forget that they were made a long time ago and LED do not exist the way they do today . Too many different models with too different specifications.
When a bulb is used the filament come in the right place through the diffuser (light box) and the light follow his way . If you want to use a LED you are not in ablity to place anything and the light will not be the same everywhere .
If you wish to use LED to do the job , perfect , made a drastic sort with a cell to match every LED to get uniforme light and once you bought thousand pieces to get 20 LED 100% identical (lucky men you are)
Do you think this is an economic way to work ?
Why do you think that AUDIOCLASSIC stop to supply them ? Because result is not always perfect and they (like me) like perfection when you work on MCINTOSH product .
The new production is totally different and most important detail : they are made for this , not the old models .
Matching the old with the new , I understand that , but your unit are not original . Don't tell me the the unit is heavy and changing bulb is not easy ....I work on MCINTOSH over 40 years now , and I never replace a bulb two times in the same unit (better to replace all in once).
and because incandescents give off a significant amount of heat which causes delamination of the glass front panels , sorry but you don't have correct information because the factory glue a shield (metallic) in front of every bulb to preserve the ink on the glass .So cold light is not a good argument for me . Many front glass are damaged but not because of the heat of the bulbs . Every front glass I have refixed were not affected by light .
and discoloration of the blue meter filters . True ! but what is the problem to replace filter when you replace the bulb ? most of case I see in meters is damaged light box by overheating inside caused by wrong bulb used by silly reason of price . Pay the right parts is not a question of money , it is a reason to use the right part, with the right specifications, at the right place
 
Thanks for your input - as someone who has owned Mcintosh gear for several decades, my point in posting was to let those that are interested know that there’s a kit available that accurately illuminates the front panel and meters, using the correct voltages, and delivers a brighter panel more in line with modern Mac gear, in the correct color temperature.

And yes, the heat from the bulbs does cause issues with the printing on the front panel glass. I’ve seen it and so have many others. Less heat in an amplifier is never a bad thing.

If you don’t want LEDs in your vintage gear, then don’t put them in. For me, I’m very happy with this upgrade. And, I don’t have to risk cracking the glass every 4-6 months when I’d normally have had to replace incandescent lamps.
 
The OP is probably even more aware of the color brown ... ;-}

mc2205-meters.jpg


Even going with incandescents, it's tricky trying the exact color gels needed to match the original color exactly. Not gonna say the gels provided with the kit are an exact match, but at least with LEDs yall don't have to worry about them burning from the hot spots.

yes this is true gels do not match because of temp color of the LED
These MC2205 meters go closer to the catastrophic situation ...But what is the surprise if this amp is working over 30 years ? Replace bulbs and gels and everything goes back to normal shape, no ?
 
Hello drsiebling

If you don’t want LEDs in your vintage gear, then don’t put them in. As many MCINTOSH specialist I always keep everything original in units , never mods . Owner's can make "tuning" on their own units if they like that . My job is to preserve original condition for units coming from my worlwide customers .

For me, I’m very happy with this upgrade. Good, my answer was not made to change your mind
And, I don’t have to risk cracking the glass every 4-6 months when I’d normally have had to replace incandescent lamps. I never broke a glass in 40 years during bulb replacement , even with front panels in poor conditions .
If you have to change your bulb every 4 to 6 month in your unit , then you have a problem with the light voltage (6,3V in MC2205 Meters ) or the bulbs you are using don't come from the factory and their life time is not the right one ! 5000 hours minimum for #GE1866
 
Skizo

The discoloration you pictured is caused by the grayish clear filter in between the two colored filters as used in the MC2205's meters.

Typically the two filters with shades of blue are not affected......go figure.
 
The lamps aren’t failing in 4-6 months, but they do appreciably dim. There’s nothing wrong with the voltages on my 2105s.

However, when you’re using a modern Mcintosh preamplifier, there’s a huge difference in the amount of light coming from the front panel. With this upgrade, my 2105 is now as bright as my c41. It’s a nice look and it doesn’t compromise any of the performance of the amp. And, it’s a perfect match.

For the record, Audio Classics does still sell LED upgrades.
 
Hello

For the record, Audio Classics does still sell LED upgrades. sorry but this not what I read in another post they send months ago ,
I don't understand why your bulbs do appreciably dim , not normal at all . After many years OK not after some month .There is someting strange there
 
The white meter housings on my MC2125s and MC2155 are extremely brittle due to the excessive heat generated from the three fuse-type lamps used in each meter assembly. Also, getting the blue meters to match in all three amplifiers was an impossible task. Once I installed the LED replacements, the blue is a perfect match between all three amplifiers and the front panel and top cover are noticeably cooler. And of course what a relief it was not to have to fiddle about trying to match those infernal gels! ;) ...and the LEDs should never have to be replaced again.

Ryan even commented how good they look and how similar the resulting appearance is to current McIntosh products.

My only [small] complaint is the LEDs are quite bright however.

I left original incandescents in for the festoon (panel) illumination.
 
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The white meter housings on my MC2125s and MC2155 are extremely brittle due to the excessive heat generated from the three fuse-type lamps used in each meter unit. Also, getting the blue meters to match in all three amplifiers was an impossible task. Once I installed the LED replacements, the blue is a perfect match between all three amplifiers and the front panel and top cover are noticeably cooler. And of course what a relief it was not to have to fiddle about trying to match those infernal gels! ;) ...and the LEDs should never have to be replaced again.

Ryan even commented how good they look and how similar the resulting appearance is to current McIntosh products.

My only [small] complaint is the LEDs are quite bright however.

I left original incandescents in for the festoon (panel) illumination.
Caddy, this would be easy to address via an inline voltage dropping resistor on the illumination B+. A 1k-5k Ohm linear taper pot would help you to determine what value would provide the desired brightness. A very simple task for AC.
 
Caddy, this would be easy to address via an inline voltage dropping resistor on the illumination B+. A 1k-5k Ohm linear taper pot would help you to determine what value would provide the desired brightness. A very simple task for AC.

Hmmm...:idea:
 
Just sayin'

4 #1866 6.3v .25A and 4 #1888 7v 0.5A (meters)
or
4 #1888 MINIATURE BULB BA9S BASE (meters)

OR from Terry DeWick (easy to find these without RS):
You can use #47 6.3v 150 mA bulbs from Radio Shack to save ordering, they work well in a MC2105 all the way.
 
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I'm in this boat now. I feel that my illumination is very weak, other than in a pitch black room, which it never is while listening. Wondering if I should go LED or just replace my current bulbs with new. Talking about 2105 which is obviously close to 40 year old!
 
I am sorry but I don't understand this obsession to replace original bulb by LED ?

I used LEDs in the MX110 and am very pleased with the results. Why?

The original festoon bulbs McIntosh used are no longer available from either McIntosh or Audio Classics. Unobtainium.

Feedback from McIntosh: "They are no longer available and there is no replacement."

Feedback from Audio Classics: "The original bulbs are no longer available now."

Additionally, LED's give off less heat and last substantially longer than the old bulbs. And one has to take off the bottom plate to remove the faceplate to service the bulbs -- a real hassle on the MX110. With LEDs installed, I may never have to replace them again.

IMG_6203.jpg
 
nice and bright. where did you get the LEDs? I've gotten them off ebay before and sent them back, not bright enough.
 
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