Is the Dell 2209WA really worth the hype?

wooz101

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Hi everyone! Haven't posted here in over a year. I made my first thread in January 2008 to get some suggestions on the HP w2207 TN monitor. Back then it cost me about 330 bucks + tax. I bought it, and was only semi happy with my purchase.

Back light bleed was bad, had some dead pixels, viewing angles were horrible, yeah. Typical stuff for a TN I guessed. Still, it was better than the LG it replaced.

I soon ran into another issue that annoyed the hell out of me. Was playing WoW and noticed the about 1 inch of the top of my display was loghter that the other parts. It seemed like bleed but it wasn't, because it looked like it was a perfect "line".

I am currently using this monitor. it's not half bad, but I am just picky and love to have the best.

So I surf slickdeals.net and see a thread with the 2209WA for 212 bucks. for an IPS panel, I thought to myself "not bad". I read that this monitor is supposedly the best 22 incher, which is all my desk can hold.

TL;DR
Is this monitor worth it, even if I have an okay TN panel? Will I notice the difference? Are these the similar kind of panels that are in Apple Cinema displays? is the "Color gamut" and low contrast bad? I am so confused :) Thanks
 
assuming you read the thread on the 2209wa... I would say for the $220, it was definitely worth it coming from a AL2223W Acer TN. Not sure if the apple cinema's panel is similar but I know their prices aren't similar :D Someone is arguing that their Samsung TN panel is just as good as the 2209WA... but I think it's priced at $500+ and is a 24"

I definitely like having a nice monitor... but I think the next monitor I'm going to get will be a TN, only because of my low budget... unless that LGs 23" e-ISP comes out, with some good reviews, in time.
 
Shoulda just asked in the actually 2209WA thread, but yeah. I'd have to say it's meeting the hype. I've come from a line of trinitron CRTs, and this is the first LCD I've been happy with. Mine was flawless regarding dead pixels or backlight bleeding/uniformity, but YMMV. There are always duds. Then again, Dell's return service is fantastic.
 
I got one and the out of the box settings are the some of the worst I've seen for any monitor before in terms of gamma and contrast curves. After getting things set relatively decent, it's gonna beat 95% of TN panels in subjective image quality but still pales in comparison to image quality of an NEC 20wmgx2 or NEC 2490 IPS panel.

I'd probably rather have that new Samsung LED TN panel coming out. It should have a little better black levels and less overall annoying issues. The Dell 2209wa isn't a complete dud, it's just one of those monitors that is very hard to get to look correct, which is very unusual for an IPS panel and it makes me sit there contemplating if I should have bought something else constantly.
 
Well for 299.99 US you can't complain too much for a nice 22" eIPS panel.
 
Again, you probably should have simply posted in the 2009WA thread, but to answer your question, I love mine. I ordered two, and the picture is absolutely brilliant compared to any other TN/*VA monitor I've come across. I've never owned a more expensive IPS, so I can't compare in detail in that regard (but you'll certainly find comments applicable to that in the 2209 thread if it's relevant to your needs), but as far as general use, for the price, it certainly can't be beat. I've browsed the display forums here for 6+ months, and am so happy that I no longer have to -- the display market can be very frustrating for a picky consumer.

That said, one of my monitors buzzes rather loudly, but 15 minutes on the phone and I've got another being shipped overnight that'll hopefully arrive on Tuesday. It's an Ultrasharp, so it comes with their premium panel guarantee. You can exchange it for any reason, and they'll pay the return shipping. I believe that's also true for returns, however I'm not entirely certain. You won't have to deal with any stuck pixels or severe backlight bleed like you do presently if you're willing to spend 15 minutes on the phone.

Finally, it's not a perfect monitor. I'll leave the criticisms to those who are more enlightened to the quirks of various monitors, but if you're willing to calibrate it/install a custom profile and aren't expecting a $600-1000 monitor, I believe the value of these displays is unmatched at the moment.
 
I say go for it. You aren't going to beat the price for an IPS monitor and if 22" is the biggest that will fit on you desk then I would consider it a perfect fit.
 
I say go for it. You aren't going to beat the price for an IPS monitor and if 22" is the biggest that will fit on you desk then I would consider it a perfect fit.
wave.gif

Same here ;)
 
Try it out.

22" IPS with best viewing angles, and regardless of what some people say, can be tuned to have excellent color.

It's not perfect. Some uniformity issues have been observed, and it doesn't have a good set of aspect scaling controls, but at this size bracket, it's tough to beat.

There are no perfect monitors, and it won't be a life changing event, but it's a decent monitor package with probably the best 22" panel out there.
 
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