Why Do My Lights Look Pink Next to Sterling Luminaires?
By Damien Sanchez
We hear this question more and more as designers set Sterling luminaires next to other brands: “Why do my lights look pink next to the Sterling luminaires?” The answer comes down to color rendering and spectral balance, not just color temperature.
Color Temperature Isn’t the Whole Story
Take two 3000K sources: the Sterling SL01 Up Light and the EmeryAllen 1W MR16 retrofit lamp, using each manufacturer’s published data. Both list the same color temperature, but color temperature alone doesn’t tell you how a source renders the landscape. What you see in the field depends on how well the light renders red tones (R9), how balanced the full spectrum is, and how far the light sits from true white (its Duv, or tint).
Left: the SL01 full photometric report, showing its spectrum.
Right: the EmeryAllen 1W MR16 spec sheet, which lists an R9 value of 53.
CRI and R9: The Real Difference
Patrick Harders, LC, designed Sterling luminaires from the start to render color as accurately as possible, using LED chips with both high CRI and high R9 values. The SL01’s published values:
- CRI: 98+
- R9: 89–94, depending on output setting
- TM-30 Fidelity (Rf): 94
- TM-30 Gamut (Rg): 99
The EmeryAllen 1W MR16 spec sheet lists:
- CRI: 92
- R9: 53
R9 measures how well a source renders saturated reds. A low R9 makes red brick, foliage and skin tones look muted. The pinkish cast people notice usually comes from the spectrum and tint of the source: two lamps can share a 3000K rating and still sit on different sides of true white. Set side by side, the difference becomes obvious, and the source with the more balanced spectrum becomes the reference your eye judges the other against.
Balanced Spectrum by Design
Sterling luminaires are engineered for a full, balanced spectrum:
- Balanced color rendering across the visible spectrum
- No spectral spikes that push light warm, pink or flat
- Consistent color from unit to unit
These numbers matter because they show up in the finished scene. If you mix a 3000K MR16 from another brand into a Sterling design, it may match the number on the box and still look different in the field.
Intentional Design
MR16 stands for “multifaceted reflector, 16/8 inch.” It’s a retrofit lamp format that predates LEDs and was built around halogen sources. LED MR16 lamps have to fit that format and hit a retail price point, which limits the optics, thermal design and spectral quality a manufacturer can deliver.
Sterling luminaires aren’t retrofits. They’re integrated, purpose-built luminaires designed for real installations.
When we design a luminaire like the SL01, we think about how it will render a red brick wall, a flowering Japanese maple or a textured stone façade at night, and how it will look ten years from now.
So if your lights look pink next to a Sterling luminaire, it’s because the Sterling luminaire is doing its job: rendering color accurately and in balance. For more on color quality, read RGB vs. true white landscape lighting.
See full specs and photometrics on the SL01 Up Light product page. Contractors can sign up for Sterling contractor perks.
About the Author: Damien Sanchez is co-founder and COO of Sterling Lighting and an experienced lighting designer, trained under Patrick Harders, LC, since 2006. He's also an entrepreneur who owns a service-based business.
EmeryAllen is a trademark of EmeryAllen, LLC. Competitor values are taken from EmeryAllen’s published 1W MR16 spec sheet (© 2020); specifications may have changed since.
