MC2505 LED conversion

calman46

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I decided to do the LED conversion do to the heat . My VU blue plastic looks a little brown when lit , I'm not sure if its just dirty or aged . If aged do you discard it and use the film ? not sure I want tot do that. The VU's do have small pieces of blue film to soften the original lamps . I guess what getting to is what have other people done ? thanks
 
I tried the LED route, and didn’t care for it. I bought two sets, one with green LED’s that looked cheesy to me, and regular, white LED’s that were too bright. I just ordered the regular, incandescent bulb style lamps, and will go back to using them.
 
In my case I discarded the old blue film and used 2 layers of new film on my MC2255 for a bit more diffusion and a touch darker blue. I really like the way it came out with the led upgrade.
 
All I did was swap out the bulbs and its to "soft" on VU , I'll try removing just the original film off the diffusers . The lettering lights about the same , I have one intermitting on/off . I might be going back to incandescent .
 
If you use the right LED's then you will have no issues.
I use warm white for everything and use the original filtering, this applies to other brands as well, and I have had good results.
Did you use drop in replacements?
 
In my case I discarded the old blue film and used 2 layers of new film on my MC2255 for a bit more diffusion and a touch darker blue. I really like the way it came out with the led upgrade.

Sorry but in MC2105 and MC2505 there is no blue films , there is only one hard blue "plexi" just above outside the both meters
 
I use warm white for everything
I think this is the way to go kevzep . I ended up with the LED warm lights on the VU's only because I play the amp a lot and the black metal cover gets hot . I don't really think heat is an issue here as the heat is not directly in contact with anything. Those green funky looking LED bulbs for the lettering didn't look right on my MC 2505 . The lettering light was very uneven, maybe because only the LED on the tip on bulb was in the diffuser . These green bulbs do give off a nice light . I will use them somewhere.
clinic-audio My MC 2505 has a piece of blue "plexi" across the face of both meters and one strip of blue film on the beveled edge on the two clear plastic diffusers on top on the VU meters . If you remove the film the meters get an uneven blue/white color .The meters look faded . I have seen this faded look on other MaC amps .I wonder if adding the film would help ?
 
Sorry but in MC2105 and MC2505 there is no blue films , there is only one hard blue "plexi" just above outside the both meters

Incorrect. See below. In addition to the blue plexi, there is a sheet of blue film that wraps around two pieces of clear plexi on top of the meter and perpendicular to the four 1888 meter bulbs.

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Sorry but you are wrong , original color is green not blue , somebody use blue color in the unit in your picture
 
the blue color of the window meter for MC2205 to MC7270/7300 and many other is patented
the green color from tuners dial glass is protected by the factory and spare colored films are NLA since 30 years
In fact the MCINTOSH color for meters is protected and nobody will tell us what reference it is
I know the the blue filters for MC2125/2205/2155/2255/2500 meters has been manufactured for MCINTOSH in very big sheets and cut before shipping to the factory . They are like "plexiglass"
The gel in blue colored for MC2125 inside the meter , same problem , patended
 
How do you know they didn’t just source filter sheets from a stage lighting manufacturer like Lee or Rosco?
 
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Because I had the great pleasure to met Gordon GOW , Sidney CORDERMAN , discuss with them and learn a lot of thing . At this time I was taking care about MCINTOSH products for the French market
I had heard stories that a few people knows at the factory . Today many are retire or gone .

How do you know they didn’t just source filter sheets from a stage lighting manufacturer like Lee or Rosco ?

Because Mr Frank McINTOSH don't want to see his color on any other unit . Can you imagine that you can buy the same film and use it in your MARANTZ or any other brand ?
From where is coming this color ?
During the world war II , he was pilot and like his artificial horizon in his plane , and that's why he choose this "blue color" for the MCINTOSH meters . Color closer as possible to his indicator and patented after .
 
No need to convert the meters of MC2505/2105 to LED since they don't have the heat issues of some of the other models, while helping to maintain original appearance.
 
Because I had the great pleasure to met Gordon GOW , Sidney CORDERMAN , discuss with them and learn a lot of thing . At this time I was taking care about MCINTOSH products for the French market
I had heard stories that a few people knows at the factory . Today many are retire or gone .

How do you know they didn’t just source filter sheets from a stage lighting manufacturer like Lee or Rosco ?

Because Mr Frank McINTOSH don't want to see his color on any other unit . Can you imagine that you can buy the same film and use it in your MARANTZ or any other brand ?
From where is coming this color ?
During the world war II , he was pilot and like his artificial horizon in his plane , and that's why he choose this "blue color" for the MCINTOSH meters . Color closer as possible to his indicator and patented after .

It's certainly possible that McIntosh hired Lee or Rosco to make a batch of stage lighting theater filters to their custom specification to achieve the blue meter effect.

However, I'm not convinced the filter color McIntosh used cannot be reproduced using a modern Lee or Rosco filter. All one would have to do is compare the original filter McIntosh used to a swatch of filters by Lee or Rosco.

Over time, the thin sheet of filter film picture above in the 2505 can discolor from the heat of the 1888 bulbs.
 
I believe that somewhere in the last 2 years there was a thread here where a combination of two color filters created the proper color. I do not have that link but the filter numbers were posted.
 
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