Another Office Max - Soyo 24" Topaz S Monitor
Written: Feb 20 '08 (Updated Mar 04 '08)
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Pros: Cheap, very good IQ and view angles, low glare, DVI, 24", 1900x1200 resolution
Cons: No HDCP, flimsy, only VGA/DVI inputs, no backlight adjustment, suspect durability, lowsy speakers
The Bottom Line: Best bang for the buck in terms of IQ for a no-frills PC monitor. MVA panel IQ and view angles outperform many other offerings. Not for everyone due to features/build
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| kocho's Full Review: Soyo DYLM24D6 24 inch LCD Monitor |
Updated 3/3/08: Still have it and it still works fine -;). No additional hot pixels have developed. I have also been very pleased with the uniformity of the image - my previous Samsung 17" 172N LCD or current NEC 1970NX (with a *very* good in terms of colors matrix) both are noticeably less uniformly lit, especially the Samsung. The colors on the Soyo are comparable to the very good colors of the NEC and beat by a large margin the Samsung (which was not bad for its time).
One small quibble is that the horizontal viewing angle is not as wide as I would like it to be. It appears that if I stand infront of the monitor at about 30" distance, the extreme left and right begin to change color ever so slightly compared to the center: the white is not longer pure white but becomes barely noticeably warmer in tone. This is not nearly as pronounced as the change in color/brightness seen on a TN-type matrix when you move up or down and is barely noticeable, so not a significant issue. One might not even notice it unless on brightly lit white scenes that are uniform edge to edge.
I had a chance to watch some DVDs on the computer and they display pretty well. Another finding not already mentioned below is that the monitor does very well in relatively bright rooms and the slight backligth glow that is barely visible if the room is completely dark does not show at all during the day, while the picture is still bright and clear.
Overall - very satisfied with the image quality of the monitor after using it extensively for image editing (at a fairly critical amateur photography level). I see none of the input lag or image trails that some other LCDs show as well, but again I am not a gamer so others might have a different opinion about fast moving things on this screen.
Finally, what you feed the monitor matters a lot. My video card apparently is pretty decent as the VGA input is almost as good as the DVI input (which I'm using all the time). However, when a ThinkPad T60 laptop is hooked to it, even though it drives it at native resolution, the VDA image is mushy with some ghosting even though we both use the same cable that produces none of this poor behavior off my desktop.
One thing I forgot to mention - the monitor comes with a DVI cable included (as well as VGA and audio cables), the power supply is built in so it is less messy - a nice bonus, especially at this price.
I was concerned with the buzz that the Wstinghouse competing monitor had (and I returned it for this). Glad to report that this monitor is almost silent - nothing that would distract from watching a movie -;)
============ original review follows =========
Just bought this at Office Max for the very decent $279 price. Decent, because this monitor appears to have an MVA-type matrix panel, which has very good up/down angle of view and quite OK side to side. Color is good as well after calibration and pretty much matches the well-reviewed Westinghouse L2410NM.
For readers who feel this is a non-comprehensive review - it is not. But also there is not that much about this monitor to speak of. It is very basic.
Read all you need to know about this monitor here:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1215729
The downsides are:
- The build is probably the cheapest and flimsiest you can ask for
- There are only three inputs: VGA, DVI (no HDCP as far as I can tell), and stereo audio in. Don’t need more if you only going to use this for PC application and may be some games.
- The menu system is actually quite easily navigable, but there is not much there – only the basics.
- Absent is backlight adjustment (only brightness/contrast/color temp), which means the blacks are never truly black and lag behind some of the best monitors out there in this respect a little.
- The speakers are bad even as built-in monitor speakers go. At least they are there..
On the positive side:
- Very decent image quality on both the VGA and the DVI ports with the DVI providing just a smidgen better image. This is after calibration.
- Good viewing angles are better than TN-based matrix monitors out there and the MVA matrix in this size at this price is not a common thing, yet (they go for $500 + usually).
For $320 or so including a 1 year added warranty/replacement plan from office Max, I think this is a good deal as long as all you need is a no-frills decent IQ 24 inch monitor. If you need more inputs or the absolute best IQ you need to go 3x the cost at least. As it is, this monitor's IQ matches almost any sub $600 offering out there close enough to not justify the price differential for IQ alone. It is better than most TN-based monitors at any price so keep that in mind -;)
I've read some horror stories about reliability. Mine has one stuck pixel in a place that is virtually invisible so I don't mind (it is 1/8 of an inch off the bottom and is not visible unless I hide the Windows task bar). Getting a 1-yr service agreement thus was a reasonable assurance for me at about 10% premium in cost.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 279
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
kocho
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Member: Kocho Chestimenski
Location: Maryland, USA
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 3 members
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