Monitor advice, please...

[Rand47]

I originally posted this in the color management section, in error:


I've been working w/ a Viewsonic 26" monitor for the last couple of years. Up until the last couple of months it has calibrated well (i1 Display 2).  Lately the brightness seems to be falling off so that I can barely get to 80 w/ brightness turned up to 100%!  I usually work at 90 to have prints match well.  I also notice that it seems a bit uneven, and that the edges have a halo of brightness.

All that to say I'm ready to take the plunge and want to ask the collective wisdom here if my current choice will bring me into the bottom end of a truly professional monitor:

NEC MultiSync PA271W-BK-SV 27" Widescreen LCD Monitor with SpectraViewII Color Calibration Solution

I'm on a PC w/ 8 gigs RAM running Windows 7 64 bit.  LR3.5 & CS5 are my primary tools.

Thanks in advance for any insight from those using this monitor & similar.  The price point is about max, so take that into account. I'd love a 5k$ monitor but it ain't in the cards.

[Steve Weldon]

NEC MultiSync PA271W-BK-SV 27" Widescreen LCD Monitor with SpectraViewII Color Calibration Solution

This monitor is as good as it 'arguably' gets.  A really great choice.

[David Sutton]

It's a great monitor. The Spectraview calibration is the easiest I've used and being able to softproof with the Multiprofiler is a bonus. Recently an insurance incident allowed me to get a PA241for a second monitor. Both screens match each other exactly without tweaking. It's unbelievably good.
B&H have it for $1500 which is not a bad price, but they sometimes go lower. You have to add it to the cart first to see the reduced price.

[Josh-H]

This monitor is as good as it 'arguably' gets.  A really great choice.

+1 for the NEC 27" SpectraView. You would have to spend a 'helluva lot' more to improve on this monitor.

[Rand47]

Thanks all, for confirmation that I'm making a sound choice.  Genuinely appreciated.

[matteo]

As far as I know, it is a great monitor and I am thinking to buy one myself. Did you consider the Eizo ColorEdge CG275W? Somehow less flexible from a colour management point of view but an all-in-one solution that should offer exceptional quality for possibly slightly less money than the NEC.

[rmyers]

Check the package price with the Spectraview calibration kit and check the price of the monitor and kit separately.  When I bought my PA241, it was cheaper to buy them separately than as a kit at B and H.

Great monitor and calibration system. 

[Rand47]

Appreciate all the input/insight.

Monitor & hood on the way from B&H.

Rand

[Rand47]

Monitor and hood arrived.  I was amazed at the ease of installation!  SpectraView II is the easiest calibration software/hardware solution I've ever used.

Once again, thanks to all who chipped in to let me know I was on the right track.  My Viewsonic was "OK," when it was working, but this NEC 27" is a whole different beast.
I'm very pleased with the upgrade.

Thanks all . . .
Rand