Looks like you guys are talking about three different things and calling it all by the same name. When I first started, I knew nothing, so everything I’m about to say came from this forum. Therefore, help me out if I’m wrong somewhere.
What the OP is actually talking about is referred to as color temperature, not tint. The LEDs are generally categorized with different color temperatures (Cool, Neutral, Warm, or 6000k, 4000k, 2000k for example). Then, for the discerning, the emitters are binned according to tint. The tint is like another granular level beyond color temp. The LEDs are not perfectly balanced in how much red, green, blue, etc that they produce. So, the tint tells you which direction the emitter leans within its range of color temperature.
Around here, it seems that the most avid tint snobs prefer a rosy tint, meaning that the emitter is higher in red output compared to the other colors. Even with neutral, and to some degree, cool white emitters, it is technically possible to get a red-leaning color spectrum. But, it is rare to be seen, or at least, noticed, in any but the warmer color temperatures. So, if you want a rosy tint, that preference is most likely to lead you to choose a warmer color temperature LED. Recently, we’ve seen the possibility of a rosy tint with even the cooler side of neutral, in the A6-SE group buy, with the 3D tint we were offered. But, as has been mentioned before, our eyes will see things differently. To some people, it won’t be rosy enough unless it is warm.
The other aspect that has been mentioned here is CRI. Color rendering Index is another characteristic of light sources, including LEDs, that is different from, though affected by, the color temperature and the tint of the emitter. The CRI is what determines how well you can differentiate colors with a certain emitter. Higher CRI is almost always associated with lower color temperature and rosier tint. The highest CRI emitters you can get are all warm white with a rosy tint. So, it is sometimes assumed that warmer and redder LEDs will make your colors pop. This isn’t necessarily true. Although following the trail to higher CRI will always lead you to redder lights, following the trail to redder lights will not always lead you to higher CRI.
One other thing about light. The blue end of the visible light spectrum scatters more than the rest. Not only that, but I think I read that blue doesn’t focus perfectly on the retina. For both of these reasons, anything lit with a bluer light will appear less defined. That’s why bluish headlights are terrible for actually seeing anything, especially in fog. And they produce an awful glare for oncoming vehicles. Because of this knowledge, which I’ve only gained by being here, my preference in color temperature has changed over time.
I’ve always liked brighter, “cleaner” looking cool white. The 1A was perfect to me. Now, I prefer cool-neutral, around the 3D tint of the A6-SE. It still looks white to me. In fact 4000k looks too warm to me. But, I’ve noticed that my eyes are still changing. My preference is still moving further away from the cold end. I’ve read on here how others have had similar experiences. Perhaps there is a mechanism of novelty going on in our brain. Maybe we made an association of colder light being newer technology, compared to the old incandescent bulbs. So, we prejudiced ourselves in some way. Once the newness wears off, and we become more familiar with the technology, our true preference is allowed to come back into focus. To some people, that will be warm white. To others, neutral. And to still some, the allure of cool white will always be there, but maybe for different reasons.
