[Hostel_666]

Hello. I’m looking for a new monitor – 27″, 1440p, 144-175Hz with at least 1000:1 contrast ratio and with accurate sRGB coverage, with no overextension to DCI-P3 colour space. I don’t chase the fastest response time, but the faster the better. Also I want the monitor to have black equalizer setting.

Right now I’m using Benq EX2510 and it have nice native sRGB colour gamut, just a little bit above sRGB space in some areas, but nothing too far, much like in EX2710S model. I hate wide colour gamut monitors, but I dont want to use sRGB mode, because I want to retain access to black EQ. And I don’t want to use third party tools like “Novideo sRGB”.

So is there any monitor on the market that fits my preferences? Maybe even older models that I could try to find at the aftermarket?

[PCM2]

Hi Hostel_666,

As you will have discovered in your research and with pretty much all models mentioned in this thread, the market is dominated by wide gamut models in this segment. Given your preference for a native standard gamut, the key model which stands out is the ASUS VG27AQ – but it can be hard to find in some markets. It offers a well-balanced performance with good contrast for the panel type, respectable colour performance within the sRGB colour space (aside from gamma being a little off, but that isn’t a great concern especially if you want to use a ‘black equalizer’ style feature anyway) and a good level of responsiveness.

Aside from that there’s nothing I’d recommend, although I’d stress that ‘novideo_sRGB’ is an entirely unobtrusive and lightweight tool which does its job of sRGB emulation very well. It’s not something you should be afraid of using to be honest and it will open up many more options. But if you want to avoid that or switching over to an AMD GPU then the ASUS is probably your best bet.

[Hostel_666]

Thank you for detailed response! I will definitely gonna try to find VG27AQ.

As for Novideo sRGB, I tried it on my current EX2510, and it seems to work just fine but there is some drawback. Not sure if it’s about accurate EDID primaries, but its somehow clamps my black/white levels. EX2510 is my only IPS monitor where I can see both 1 square and 254 square in lagom black and white tests (probably got lucky with contrast ratio on my unit). And with active Novideo sRGB clamp I’m loosing this balance which makes 254 square unrecognizable. And further gamma/contrast/black eq tweaks can’t restore this balance. This is the only thing I don’t like about Novideo sRGB. But with a current market situation, I may not have a choice anyway.

[PCM2]

It works better on some monitors than others for sure, generally working well on models which are actually wide gamut (unlike the EX2510). But indeed it does depend on the EDID information and the corrections are generalised, so it isn’t as good as a properly calibrated sRGB setting or a monitor with a native gamut close to sRGB. I wouldn’t be overly concerned with a grey level of ‘254’ blending in too much with ‘255’ as it’s unlikely to cause any issues in normal content. But that can be indicative of additional issues which might be more recognisable in normal content, including less smooth gradations in places. 🙂

[Hostel_666]

Got it. Thanks again for your help, really appreciate it!

[Hostel_666]

I also found ViewSonic XG2703-GS. It seems to be everything I need + I have it in my local store. Can you compare it to ASUS VG27AQ?

[PCM2]

It’s a bit tricky as it’s a very long time since I used it and it has not been reviewed in the same ‘style’ by me or other reviewers as our modern reviews. As you can see from the review it’s a pretty solid option, even if discontinued in most regions. If you feel the G-SYNC module is attractive as well then it could be worth checking out.

[Hostel_666]

A little update. Got ViewSonic XG2703-GS today and I’m returning it. It just looks unacceptable for me. Is this common AHVA problem or usual panel lottery? Anyway continuing my narrow colour gamut monitor hunt.

[PCM2]

It’s difficult to tell from the image, it’s heavily overexposed, is taken from a close distance and from a decentralised angle which exaggerates any glow at the right side. Most IPS models will look like that due to typical ‘IPS glow’ when photographed in such a way. How often do you look at pure black screens in a dark room? As advised in our more recent IPS reviews you should consider appropriate room lighting and if the room is dark using bias lighting or at least placing some light behind the screen. This will limit the perception of ‘IPS glow’ – and so will using a lower brightness. Your unit may have uniformity issues which contribute to issues as well, you can assess that by observing the monitor from further back (~2m or further) but keeping your head central to the screen as that will eliminate ‘IPS glow’.

[Hostel_666]

Sadly this lower right corner glow bothers me even in a daylight, in a well lit environment, with a centralized position. I tried different positions and I’m sitting at about 1m from the screen and this glow dissapears only viewing from the right side of the monitor. So I think that’s a monitor problem.

[PCM2]

Yes, that suggests a uniformity issue on your unit.

[Hostel_666]

UPD.

I think I bought the best option for me. Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 (S27AG502NIXCI to be specific, but it should be the same model). At first I thought this is another return unit because of heavy oversaturation in the red channel. But I found out that this monitor’s native sRGB mode is good. White balance is a little bit off and sRGB mode locks up the color adjustments, but at least it allows me to use black EQ, so I’m quite happy with it.

Is there any software option to tweak RGB channels? NVIDIA Control Panel sliders in the color enhancements tab is too inaccurate for this.

[PCM2]

I’m glad you’re enjoying the Samsung overall. There’s really no good alternative to changing colour channels on the monitor itself. Or failing that, calibration via an ICC profile which will not just make the crude adjustments the graphics driver or other software would make.

[Hostel_666]

Sadly, ICC profile is not an option for me because it only affects ICC-aware apps. Anyway I think I can live with that. Thanks again for helping me!

[PCM2]

Gamut mapping only applies to ICC-aware apps, but changes to gamma and colour temperature (plus green channel balance) still apply to apps that aren’t ICC-aware. So the idea is you’d have the monitor running its sRGB mode (which restricts the gamut) and calibrate on top of that to correct the colour channel imbalances you noted.

[Hostel_666]

Another UDP.

I returned S27AG50. After a few days I started experiencing big problems with gray/black uniformity. I’m using dark themes wherever possible in Windows and browser, so it was very noticeable.

Continuing my search for a perfect monitor.

[Author]

Posts