A long time ago, the technology wasn't available to make a cost-effective blue LED...eventually Nichia's Shuji Nakamura came up with the working formula and has since visibly changed the face of car audio as we know it!

For awhile, it was "cool" to have blue LED illumination on a headunit...afterall that was cutting edge technology! (I installed a single blue LED on my car alarm 10 years ago at a cost of approx $10).

Now, if you ask me blue LEDs on consumer electronic equipment is garish, tacky, ugly and simply played out. They're not soft indicator lamps as required...no they're blinding blue beacons of light that are simply tasteless. Now we see them on TV's, phones, microwaves, alarm clocks and most of all car audio.

Do buttons need to be blue? Absolutely not. What ever happened that green and amber took a back burner?

Manufacturers need to stop using these hideously bright LEDs where not necessary. Others may disagree, but it's a trend that I feel has had it's time now we should let it die.

 

why green or amber, and not blue? Is it just because they're popular now? Some would argue that green and amber were overused back in the day as well. Personally, I like the old Alpine green myself, and my deck and processor are more often than not, set to green or amber (guess I'm a little nostalgic). I don't have a problem with the blue though, or the red, white, purple...hey whatever turns your crank. My deck has 512 shades, and occasionally I'll change it up just for the hell of it.

 

Hey guess what, ATM mines blue.

Deal with it

 

To me the Alpine green is played out, but the O/P is right, that "electric blue" thing is everywhere and quite annoying, the white on my 880prs I loved though

 

LEDs are great! they last longer than your car will, their intensity is adjustable with a variable current power supply (OR for a low cost solution add a resister in series and like magic it gets dimmer). The Nichia brand is famous for its diversity of color, that is, they have numerous shades of blue, red, green, amber (RGB to get white) to match whatever interior color you want. I think a poor LED choice is like a poor fluorescent choice it looks edgy and garish and does not compliment the interior.