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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Cosmetic and Lighting Modifications (exterior/interior) > REVIEW: ----- DTEC 20w CREE LED H8 Angel Eyes ---- E90 LCI --- color me impressed



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      07-20-2012, 03:05 AM   #1
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Thumbs up REVIEW: ----- DTEC 20w CREE LED H8 Angel Eyes ---- E90 LCI --- color me impressed

Hi guys

Its been a while since I reviewed any new angel eyes on the market. but with all the buzz with these CREE LED H8 AE's popping on the market lately, I decided to try them out. E92-Lighting assured me that this is his brightest product yet and is at a claimed 20w vs the predecessor at 10w.

Content
The DTEC arrived safely through USPS and upon opening it, the black metal finish is really nice and the whole unit, especially the huge heat sink at the back feels premium and reminds me of LUX units.
  • 2 bulbs (4 CREE LED's per bulb)
    2 large power packs
    2 small error-cancelling resistors
    4 rubber O-rings







Installation
Installation was like any other H8 angels. (check my previous reviews for installation instructions). I confirm everything, the bulbs and dongles can be tucked inside the the headlamp housing. The installation took me 15 minutes since I'm used to swapping bulbs but be prepared to have patience and perseverance.

An interesting note, i tried not plugging the small power pack in to the angel eye assembly and it still powered on. Maybe Derrick@E92-Lighting can tell us what the small power pack is there for. Regardless, I used all the contents in the box, and plugged everything in.
EDIT: i have been informed these are error cancelling resistors as suspected because they power on regardless of its presence. Since mine is a 2010 with a newer and less sensitive FRM module, I do not necessarily need the resistor while a 2007 e92 would, in order to prevent errors.




Pictures
I'm going to skip the overcast and dusk pictures because we all know even crappy RD LED angels can be perfectly visible when the sky is dim so these DTECs obviously excel in that category if it can be visible in broad daylight.

sun overtop of the car. straight on from 20 feet.


sun overtop of car, angled from 20 feet








DIRECT SUNLIGHT. straight on. 20 feet


DIRECT SUNLIGHT. angled. 20 feet


DIRECT SUNLIGHT.


Without the LUX and DTEC side by side, one would not be able to tell the difference in terms of brightness and light distribution. I was blown away at how far $159 can get me nowadays. But since I own a set of LUX ae, I compared them and DTEC is 95% as bright; again, i can assure you, it would be like splitting hairs even if you turned these on side by side.


LUX ON LEFT. DTEC 20w ON RIGHT. you be the judge... keep in mind the sun is shining from the right, putting the LUX in a little bit more shade.


Both of these bulbs have their own advantages. the LUX is always full power, no matter if the ignition is on or off. The DTEC is still bright, at about 85% brightness when ignition is off. They are already much brighter even in a pre-ignition state than my old old city visions at full power

This is the part where I think the DTEC shines: it keeps the OEM look and feel because it FADES in and out when you lock and unlock the car. the LUX cannot do that and is more of an on/off switch wile the DTEC fades to match the other welcome lights. for DTEC
I tried to capture the fading on video but my camera could not pick it up and the video makes the LEDs flicker on screen; sorry guys.







You probably have heard this a million times on e90post but I'll say it again. due to the design of the fiber optics of the angel eye assembly, the outer ring's light will always appear dimmer and distored and only when you view it head on do all 4 rings light up evenly. the pictures prove just that.

Jesus, you cannot stare at that for long because its too blinding.



Conclusion
In conclusion If the DTEC is a no brainer at this price point being almost imperceptibly as bright as LUX (the benchmark) which costs over $80 more while the DTEC offers its own unique ability of fading. the ae competition is way too close now...

I didn't try out the other CREE H8 LED's yet so i cannot say for the rest but color me impressed.
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Last edited by gaifaun; 08-02-2012 at 09:21 PM..
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      07-20-2012, 08:51 AM   #2
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great review, your pictures are far superior to my own! this is definitely "the ultimate" review.

and the second, smaller unit is an error cancelling resistor. if your car won't give you errors with it unplugged, might as well take it out to reduce heat and electrical consumption
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      07-20-2012, 02:18 PM   #3
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Nice review, its this product right? http://www.e92-lighting.com/products...0W-1072-0.html the mtec ones they sell on the site are more expensive, would they be a better choice though?
and will it work the same for e92?
thanks

Last edited by jkliu; 07-20-2012 at 02:28 PM..
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      07-20-2012, 05:15 PM   #4
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Great review! Wish I saw this before I got my LUX.
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      07-21-2012, 10:10 AM   #5
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You always make reviews on stuff that i want to buy! Thanks Which one you would prefer between city vision and dtec?
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      07-21-2012, 09:09 PM   #6
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Hmmm very interesting. I have to admit, I never liked the fact that my LUx just go on and off and don't fade out.

Hmmmmmmmm.......
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      07-22-2012, 02:42 AM   #7
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was gonna go with Lux but not I'm torn :'(
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      07-23-2012, 09:41 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rollinstone157 View Post
great review, your pictures are far superior to my own! this is definitely "the ultimate" review.

and the second, smaller unit is an error cancelling resistor. if your car won't give you errors with it unplugged, might as well take it out to reduce heat and electrical consumption
thanks! Your review has extremely accurate pictures with clear and concise info. Props to helping the community out I think the ultimate review I did with AE's was the LUX H8 V1's that was image and video intensive lol.

thanks for the tip also, that it is error cancellors, that confirms my suspicion.

Quote:
Originally Posted by autumnsunrise View Post
Nice review, its this product right? http://www.e92-lighting.com/products...0W-1072-0.html the mtec ones they sell on the site are more expensive, would they be a better choice though?
and will it work the same for e92?
thanks
this is the one. It works for Pre-LCI E92, 1 series, and any other systems that accepts H8 bulbs. Don't go for Mtecs, this set is superior in technology and brightness.

Quote:
Originally Posted by christianjan View Post
Great review! Wish I saw this before I got my LUX.
thanks! you can't have the best of both worlds. honestly I do not think the LUX can be any much brighter or improved other than having a fade option, but I remember Marc saying this cannot be done to his LUX LED chips.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vesar View Post
You always make reviews on stuff that i want to buy! Thanks Which one you would prefer between city vision and dtec?
glad you are liking my reviews
DTEC by long shot. the city vision does not even compare. If you see my review comparing the lux and city vision, the city vision wasn't even close in brightness but the DTECs truly amazed me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeyBananaz18 View Post
Hmmm very interesting. I have to admit, I never liked the fact that my LUx just go on and off and don't fade out.

Hmmmmmmmm.......
I also found that weird when my door handle puddle led, trunk led, tail lamps, interior cabin lights all fade in and out like a luxury car should but the LUX just goes full power without fading. I've gotten used to it but after installing DTECs now I'm torn lol.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kreuz View Post
was gonna go with Lux but not I'm torn :'(
haha


for the record. the color output of DTEC is 6000k same as my LUX V1 (6000k)
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      07-23-2012, 09:49 PM   #9
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The little dongle is most likely a capacitor or resistor to fool the car so that you don't throw an error light.
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      07-28-2012, 05:04 PM   #10
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Have never seen this in person, but from design stand point, yes, the little pack should be resistor.

Now, I haven't seen or taken apart the Lux, but if I were to fathom a guess, the reason it always runs at full power and cannot fade is because it likely is using capacitor or a pwm driver to drive a constant 12v (or whatever) current.

I am a little puzzled to why they would design it like that though. Unless the customer can't code, or have no access to coders, it would make more sense to not have extra parts and at least give people the option to dim or not, plus the fade as well.
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      07-28-2012, 11:17 PM   #11
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These seem about the same, with maybe lux looking 15% brighter. Hard to tell for sure. I imagine a lumen meter would clear it up instantly.

Was thinking of these lux but to be honest the one pic straight on makes them hard to tell the AEs are on at all. Don't really car about dusk etc. since my headlights come on automatically anyway.

If I get around to it, probably order from someone I can return them to if not happy. Pretty sure most f these vendors have very restrictive return policies.
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      07-28-2012, 11:19 PM   #12
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Nice licence plate !
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      08-02-2012, 08:21 AM   #13
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Do these work for LCI e90s with Halogen headlights?
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      08-02-2012, 04:37 PM   #14
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No...you need a different type of bulb for the Halogens
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      08-02-2012, 09:25 PM   #15
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thanks for the clarification guys, I've amended the thread now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brentis View Post
These seem about the same, with maybe lux looking 15% brighter. Hard to tell for sure. I imagine a lumen meter would clear it up instantly.

Was thinking of these lux but to be honest the one pic straight on makes them hard to tell the AEs are on at all. Don't really car about dusk etc. since my headlights come on automatically anyway.

If I get around to it, probably order from someone I can return them to if not happy. Pretty sure most f these vendors have very restrictive return policies.
you can tell they are on for sure during broad daylight but it is just less attention-grabbing than OEM yellow halogens or amber LEDs because it contrasts more to the color temperature of daylight. Since these LEDs are pure white 6000k, this is as good as it gets for plug and play solutions, unless you get the Amber variant of the DTECs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by johnniewalker View Post
Nice licence plate !
you caught it, thanks!

Quote:
Originally Posted by dd243372 View Post
Do these work for LCI e90s with Halogen headlights?
nope, different bulb design. LUX makes a pair for LCI halogen
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      08-02-2012, 09:46 PM   #16
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License plate is no different than someone seeing on the road
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      08-02-2012, 11:01 PM   #17
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Thanks for an honest review with DIRECT SUNLIGHT shots.

From all the LED options I've seen, I still think HID angels are the brightest. LED rings are in between HIDs and LEDS PnP bulbs, but they are more defined.
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      08-03-2012, 02:11 AM   #18
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Do they dim at night at all when the headlights come on? I'd be a little concerned about throwing glare at other drivers.
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      08-03-2012, 10:34 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dwells
Do they dim at night at all when the headlights come on? I'd be a little concerned about throwing glare at other drivers.
they do dim at night...but they simply aren't bright enough for glare to be an issue. no pnp halogen or led solution is.
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      08-03-2012, 10:36 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rollinstone157 View Post
they do dim at night...but they simply aren't bright enough for glare to be an issue. no pnp halogen or led solution is.
Really? I figured glare was the reason BMW dimmed the OEM bulbs at night.
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      08-03-2012, 10:50 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dwells
Quote:
Originally Posted by rollinstone157 View Post
they do dim at night...but they simply aren't bright enough for glare to be an issue. no pnp halogen or led solution is.
Really? I figured glare was the reason BMW dimmed the OEM bulbs at night.
I perhaps the reasoning was that a bright DRL becomes unnecessary at night, and the headlight washes out the outer ring anyway...but that's just my guess.
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      08-05-2012, 11:29 PM   #22
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Yes, as rollinstone suggested, these do not produce glare at night. I have never once been flashed or pulled over for running LED angel eyes. the color temperature is so close to my HID lowbeams that it just looks like one massive blob of white light!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brentis View Post
License plate is no different than someone seeing on the road
what johnniewalker was trying to point out was the fact my standard issue license plate coincidentally correlates to my model (335). The DMV, as you would call it, makes these plates on random because this is not a customized, personal plate.

its a subtly which i like
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