Can anyone recommend a good monitor?

Supportact

Looking for a new monitor (screen i mean not speakers). It would just be for use with DAW, not playing games or films or whatever. Want something about 35 - 38 inch, don't really want one of the super wide ones (the ones that are like letterbox dimensions.).

 Can anyone recommend any good ones or which outlets to buy from? Thanks very much. 

octatonic

Honestly, any screen will do and higher resolutions don't necessarily help.
I have a 32" Dell 4k but I mostly run it in 1080p mode.

duotone

I can recommend Scan, but they obviously don’t stock every brand, so if there is a specific model you want they may not have it.

https://www.scan.co.uk/shop/pro-graphics/monitors/monitors-28-inch-and-over#filter=1

Supportact

Thanks i will check those out. 

digitalscream

Can't recommend anything like that - at those sizes, you're looking more at TVs than monitors.

However, I've got the snappily-named 27" Samsung LS27A600NWUXXU - quad HD, which is as much as you really need at normal desktop viewing distances, combined with a pair of 23" Samsung Syncmaster 2343 monitors (one each side). That gives a lot more usable screen real estate than 4k, in my experience.

Snags

Doesn't need to be a TV, but you'll move from "desktop monitor" to "large format display" or possibly even PDU. Or one of the monster curved jobbies.

Those will be more expensive than a TV (but should give you better picture quality).

Depending on exactly what you want to do with it, and what your DAW supports, you might be better off with two relatively large standard monitors side by side. Works well if you want to put e.g. mixer and routing stuff on one screen and tracks on the other. Not so good if you want to run the tracks the full width of everything.

Supportact

digitalscream said:

Can't recommend anything like that - at those sizes, you're looking more at TVs than monitors.

However, I've got the snappily-named 27" Samsung LS27A600NWUXXU - quad HD, which is as much as you really need at normal desktop viewing distances, combined with a pair of 23" Samsung Syncmaster 2343 monitors (one each side). That gives a lot more usable screen real estate than 4k, in my experience.

Thanks @digitalscream I will look into that. 

Supportact

Snags said:

Doesn't need to be a TV, but you'll move from "desktop monitor" to "large format display" or possibly even PDU. Or one of the monster curved jobbies.

Those will be more expensive than a TV (but should give you better picture quality).

Depending on exactly what you want to do with it, and what your DAW supports, you might be better off with two relatively large standard monitors side by side. Works well if you want to put e.g. mixer and routing stuff on one screen and tracks on the other. Not so good if you want to run the tracks the full width of everything.

Yes maybe something like that @Snags. Actually I've currently got two smaller screens (23 inch i think) but thinking of moving to one bigger screen. Maybe I'm thinking too big. Be nice to see the tracks nice and clear though(only using it for DAW, Pro Tools and Logic so doesn't need to be 4k or anything). Seems like a lot of them are curved at that size which i don't think I'd need. 

fretmeister

I've got a BenQ 32inch 4K and it's lovely.

I've also got a 27 set up for portrait and landscape on an adjustable arm. Very handy.

Supportact

That's interesting @fretmeister, I'd not thought about having it portrait. Because sometimes you want loads of tracks visible, so that would be really handy. 

digitalscream

Supportact said:

That's interesting @fretmeister, I'd not thought about having it portrait. Because sometimes you want loads of tracks visible, so that would be really handy. 

In my experience, that's best on a second monitor - particularly on an arm as @fretmeister has it, because then you can rotate it as necessary.

fretmeister

27 is about the max size for portrait I think - otherwise you are looking up and down quite a lot and it gets tiring quickly.

I started doing that for work so I can have bigger than A4 stuff to read from on that screen and do my actual work on the 32.
My portrait screen is quite an old AOC 1080p but it's fine for my use and it works well in either orientation.


Dunno about loads of tracks - when I write & record I try to limit everything so a power trio could perform it! If I have more than 12 tracks I get annoyed with myself!

fretmeister

digitalscream said:

Supportact said:

That's interesting @fretmeister, I'd not thought about having it portrait. Because sometimes you want loads of tracks visible, so that would be really handy. 

In my experience, that's best on a second monitor - particularly on an arm as @fretmeister has it, because then you can rotate it as necessary.

Definitely.

I'd only go down to 1 monitor if I got a mega ultrawide like the G9 Neo type thing... and I won't be getting one of them until:

1: They come in 4K
2: The 4K model is under £1000
3: I can actually afford a 3090 GPU that will probably be needed to run it at 4K

Sporky

I have a pair of 4k 27s - ran fine on my 980ti, and my work laptop copes with both. 

digitalscream

Actually, on the GPU front...I've got a pair of 23" 2048x1152 monitors, and the 27" 2560x1440 monitor, and my low-power Quadro K2200 (probably around GeForce 860 level) handles all the acceleration for the desktop with 40+ windows just fine, as well as hardware-accelerating my OBS webcam feed the whole time; in fact, there's no observable difference between that and my GTX970 or a GTX2080 that I tried.

If you're not gaming, it doesn't really make much difference beyond a certain point.

PolarityMan

fretmeister said:

Dunno about loads of tracks - when I write & record I try to limit everything so a power trio could perform it! If I have more than 12 tracks I get annoyed with myself!

But you need more than 12 just for the drums!

Winny_Pooh

IMO, for anything larger than 27" just buy a tv. 

I used to have a 27" monitor which was nice in a small space but I now use a 43" TV that I happily use for audio recording and watching movies. 

Axe_meister

Have to say a super wide is perfect for DAW style work. I have a 38" ultrawide for my main DAW window and two 16:9 ration screens above it where I have all my VST GUIs, If I'm editing audio/midi the main window is on the the ultra wide the faders on the third window and visa versa when I'm mixing.

prowla

The advent of 4k screens is great; I have one, which replaced 3x HD ones.

4k through HDMI works fine for office/web work, even at 30Hz; YT videos are fine too. I think gamers would be looking for something more though.

One thing about mine (a Samsung) which is weird is that it all to quickly goes into an input scanning mode which is difficult to break out of using the multi-function control toggle, for example if I switch off my PC before the monitor; if I eventually replace this one, I'll be looking for one with a discrete power switch.

Supportact

Thanks for all the suggestions, going to have a look at a few of those options. 

tampadragon

It’s worth checking out eBay for used bargains. I managed to pick up a Dell u2715 27” 4K screen for £100, to use in my newly built “studio setup”