I've used the Dell panels myself, although not the 2408. In general they're pretty competent and I've heard good things from friends of mine who are using the 2408.
Myself, I use the NEC 2690 and its Spectraview software for calibration (with a DTP94). I like the display, it has a great viewing angle range without appreciable tone or colour shift. However, I find it to be a little unstable as far as calibration goes.
I calibrate it every week where I'm used to going a month or so with previous displays. It tends to shift towards the warm end of the spectrum quite appreciably. I set the white point to 200 cd/m2, which is higher than my preferred setting of 120 cd/m2 - but at the lower setting it doesn't stay neutral for more than a day.
So if you're prepared to put a bit of work into managing the display, the 2690 is great - but I sure wish they'd fix that problem. Not what I expect from such a pricey display.
Cheers,
Peter