The MultiSync 2690W2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display from NEC is a high-quality monitor built with video prosumers and professionals in mind. The display features a high 1000:1 contrast ratio, a wide 178°/178° viewing angle and a fast 16ms response time.
You'll be able to connect and toggle between 3 video sources thanks to the monitor's dual DVI inputs and single VGA input. This allows you to use the monitor with up to 3 computers without the need for a video switchbox.
| Panel/Display | |
|---|---|
| Type | LCD |
| Viewable Size | 25.5" |
| Brightness | 320cd/m2 |
| Contrast Ratio | 1000:1 |
| Viewing Angle | 178° horizontal, 178° vertical |
| Pixel Dot Pitch | 0.287mm |
| Response Time | 16ms (8ms gray-to-gray) |
| Panel Life | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Colors Supported | > 16 million |
| Signal | |
|---|---|
| Internal Interface | Analog/Digital |
| Frequency |
Horizontal: 31.5-93.8/119.2kHz Vertical: 51-85Hz |
| Sync Type |
Separate Sync: TTL Level (Positive/Negative) Composite Sync: TTL Level (Positive/Negative) Composite Sync on Green: (0.3 Vp-p negative, 0.7 Vp-p positive) |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1200 |
| Input/Output Connectors | |
|---|---|
| Analog | 1x VGA |
| Digital |
1x DVI-I 1x DVI-D |
| Audio Input | None |
| Headphone Jack | None |
| Hub Ports | None |
| Speakers | None |
| Mount |
Desktop: Standard Wall-mount: Yes, VESA 100mm |
| Controls | |
|---|---|
| Buttons | Power, Input/Select, Exit, Left/Right, Up/Down, Reset/Rotate OSM |
| On-Screen Display | Brightness/Contrast, Auto Adjust, Image Controls, AccuColor Control Systems, Tools, Information |
| Auto Configuration | Yes |
| Touch Screen | No; Support for Touch Screen Integration |
| Tilt/Swivel Range |
Tilt: Yes Swivel: Yes Height: Yes Pivot: Yes |
| Compliant Standards | UL/C-UL, UL60601, CE, Gost/PCT, PSB, CCC, TUV GS, FCC Class B/Canadian DOC, C-tick, MPR II / MPR III, VCCI (class 2), JIS C 61000-3-2, static electricity guideline, low emission guideline, TUV-Ergonomie, ISO9241-307, TCO '03, TCO '06, US Mercury regulations, WEEE, RoHs, SASO, Energy Star 4.0 Tier 2, GEEA, JEITA VOC Guideline. J-Moss, Windows XP, DEN-TORI |
| System Requirements | PC or Macintosh computer with DVI or VGA output |
| Power Requirements |
AC: 100-120VAC/220-240VAC Consumption: 111W |
| Environmental Requirements |
Operating Temperature: 41-95°F (5-35°C) Humidity: 30-80% Altitude: 10,000' (3048 m) Storage Temperature: 14-140°F (-10-60°C) Humidity: 10-85% Altitude: 40,000' (12,192 m) |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) |
With Stand: 23.2 x 17.5 x 12" (59 x 44.4 x 30.6cm) Without Stand: 23.2 x 15.1 x 4.1" (59 x 38.3 x 10.4cm) |
| Weight |
With Stand: 27.7 lb (12.6kg) Without Stand: 20.2 lb (9.2kg) |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
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Most Liked Positive Review
Big, Beautiful, and Easy to Calibrate
I'm both a photographer and a hardcore gamer.
I'd been waiting and waiting for a monitor that has a wide gamut AND a very high true refresh rate. Well, that day n...Read complete review
I'm both a photographer and a hardcore gamer.
I'd been waiting and waiting for a monitor that has a wide gamut AND a very high true refresh rate. Well, that day never came and my CRTs stopped holding calibration *tear*. Photography takes priority over gaming so I did a lot of research, laid down the big bucks, and bought this monitor (great price compared to the competitors, by the way).
I have to say that I'm a bit surprised by how good this monitor looks. The monitor is HUGE (and I mean that in a good way). Watching 1080P video with it in broadcast calibration is a real pleasure. Knowing I can rely on it to accurately reproduce colors is a relief. It's sharp, has no dead pixels, and does its job well. This monitor is great for its intended purpose - photo editing and other applications where a wide gamut and color precision are important. I'd also like to note that I have a 5.1 surround setup, and that I'm pleased to find that it's deep enough (about 2") for me to set my center channel on top of it.
For gaming... pah... This monitor produces terrible tearing, but I can't take off marks for that because that's not its intended purpose. Just don't expect to boot up Unreal Tournament and enjoy yourself because expecting this monitor to do well with a fast-paced game is like expecting your grandmother to still have her teeth, and everyone knows that when you get old your teeth just fall out. Fact.
The calibration is easy, relatively fast, and the presets are super delicious (broadcast, photo editing, sRGB emulation, dicom, etc. etc.) Speaking of Calibration, I was in Lightroom 2 once and my photos all turned into gray boxes. After some reading online and some troubleshooting I determined that it was a corrupted calibration profile. I recalibrated the monitor and could then see my images fine. Moral: Don't ever swap between calibration profiles when you've got Lightroom 2 open (e.g. sRGB and Photo)
I wish I could give this monitor 4.5 stars, but I'm going to round down to four, because when I buy a monitor as expensive as this one, I don't think it's too much to expect a couple of USB ports on the thing. It'd have made calibration simpler too since you could've just plugged the colorimeter into the monitor instead of into your case.
This monitor is great with a sad, and admittedly, somewhat erroneous caveat; I loved my high-end CRTs and it baffles me that I cannot replace them - That, SEVEN years later, I have to spend TWICE as much money to get a monitor with FEWER pixels a NARROWER gamut and MUCH SLOWER refresh rates than a CRT simply because every manufacturer on earth is buttheaded enough to stop producing 2048x1536@85hz CRTs... That makes a lot of sense. Lets stop making what works and charge people twice as much for an inferior product. Yes, LCDs are flat and envirofriendly and whatnot... blah blah... I miss my CRT image quality. The primary advantage this thing has over most CRTs is the fact that calibration is painless; I hated manually dialing in values with my Spyder 2 Pro. With this monitor I can click a button and come back 15 minutes later with a new profile created and stored automatically.
Even with the obvious technological disadvantages of LCD technology, I appreciate the wide gamut, resolution, and calibration features of this monitor. This and any other LCD can't do what a Lacie Electron Blue III 21" CRT could do back in the day, but as far as LCDs go for photo editing, this is one of the ones to get - it is indeed very enjoyable to look at, and the colors and viewing angles of the H-IPA panel make you want to just barge into your neighbor's house and take a wiz on that ugly TN panel he got a "great deal" on during Black Friday.
For now, this monitor has this photog's pleasantly surprised, somewhat nostalgically angsty, stamp of approval.
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Most Liked Negative Review
Text out of register, not sharp
[...]Text appeared out of register in places - had a red or green "shadow" - not as sharp as the text on a Samsung 214T. Which is why I...Read complete review
[...]Text appeared out of register in places - had a red or green "shadow" - not as sharp as the text on a Samsung 214T. Which is why I rated it 3 stars. Operating system text, Internet Explorer text, Word text, etc. not sharp or had green or red twin. The Photoshop CS3 menu text mostly OK, but not great... running Vista 64, with a Radeon 4670 video card. NEC tech support could not provide a fix - but at least NEC has tech support. Reached them very quickly, on the telephone! SpectraViewII software very easy to use, no conflict with Vista 64. After installing the SpectraView II software, the Vista color management control panel showed the expected monitor profiles.(Which did not happen with the Spyder 3 software I purchased in January, and which the datacolor tech support couldn't explain - they just ignored my questions/screenshots.)The color calibration was easy - although cord on the puck was a bit short. Color was good, fairly close match to the Epson Stylus Pro 3800 PLPP profile in Photoshop. Look forward to getting the replacement monitor.BTW, SpectraView more straight forward, easier to use than the software that came with the Spyder 3 Elite I purchased in January, which had problems with Vista. Problems were fixed with updates - but a few problems popped up in the space of weeks, made me wonder how well they were testing software on Windows/Vista. Could only email datacolor tech support - they would answer one question, ignored the others. The datacolor guru on Yahoo said he had no problems - because he used a Mac! He suggested not restarting as a way to avoid start-up problems - said he seldom restarted his Mac)
Reviewed by 49 customers
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
Being a professional photographer, I require consistent, accurate color reproduction from all of my equipment. And, without a doubt, I consider the most important link in my workflow to be my monitor. Since I began working in digital in 1992, I've used several brands of high end monitors. This NEC 2690 paired with the x-rite calibrator and SpectraView ll software is one of the best I've used. The auto calibration was a snap and the resulting output was spot on. The custom calibration options would make any tech-head salivate.
If accuracy, consistency, and ease of set up is what you're looking for, look no further. You found it.
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
Calibrating this monitor is breeze. This monitor blows away my color calibrated(hardware) Samsung LCD TN panel in every aspect.
Primary use is for beauty retouching and couldn't be more satisfied for this price point.
Cons: the included color calibration software was not compatible with my Samsung LCD.I have a dual monitor setup so only the 2690 is calibrated
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
I have had this monitor for about 3 weeks now and have received my prints back from a printer. I am thrilled with the results. I did have a difficult time calibrating the machine but I think it was due to the lighting in my studio. I finally gave up after 2 weekend days of pure confusion and monday morning called NEC. They not only answered on the first ring, but stayed with me until I had it right.
I am very pleased and so far would recommend it. I give it 4 stars only because I have not had it so long.
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
This has to be one of the best monitors I have ever used. I purchased it after reading great reviews about it and everything that I read holds true. I use the monitor for color correcting photos and printing with the 3880. The color from the monitor and printer are almost a %100 match.
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
I chose the NEC 2690WU2 monitor to get maximum quality to work on my photographs. Recommended by a professional in Santa Fe, I wanted to see my images at their best and does this NEC ever deliver the promises.[...]Once the box came out to NM in a flash, I didn't need to worry about complex installation. It worked perfectly as soon as I plugged it in and hooked it to my new drive. The easy glide of the stem and simple turning to see vertical or horizontal views were another plus. Also the color is so amazing. I can't really think of anything negative about it.
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
I'm enjoying using my new MultiSync 2690. The image quality is superb. If you need to have images on your monitor match the images printing on your printer and are crazy about getting colors to match, this monitor may do the trip. The calibration process is easy and quick to set up. I use this monitor with two computers via a KVM switch and go back and forth often between the computers. With the calibration being local to the monitor and not the CPU, maintanance of color is a snap.
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
1st quality photographic workspace with plenty of real estate for workflow I am a real amateur, but the colors have been a revelation over my Mac screen and other external monitors. The color correction was idiot proof. And the price was right from B&H. i read and queried many before deciding this NEC monitor has the biggest bang for the buck. Its the same monitor selected by an acquaintance who has an unlimited budget. Only warning: it comes out of the box very bright.
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
More than anything else, I like the EASE of setup, including the virtually automated color calibration. We use this for a professional photography editing workstation and is our first pro LCD (have been running CRTs since we went digital in '03). I was a little nervous going into this new territory and, like many, I seriously considered the comparable model of the E... brand. However, for the $800 difference(especially since we work mostly in the sRGB color space) this monitor is everything I had hoped for. AND... do yourself a favor and spring for the Spectraview package, even if you currently own a basic colorimeter. It has a lot of great features (both manual and automated--your choice) that make it worth the few bucks extra. One caveat, though: you'll need a very sturdy table for this, since it tends to shake if you bump it. My desk is rock solid so I have no problems here and the stand is very adjustable, including all the way around to vertical. Finally, since I work mostly in sRGB, I don't sweat the lack of a DisplayPort.
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
great monitor.[...]
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
This is my first widescreen display. I use it for photo editing. Unbelievable !! The calibrator software is simple to use. It is nice to know that what you're looking at is what will be printed. I feel this is the best product you can buy in this price range.
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
Absolutely amazing Quality for the price. It comes with manufacturer's calibrator so it's very easy to get it done.
I found one dead pixel but it's not in the dead center so it's not so noticable.
Great size for editing and compare at the same time. This is the first monitor I bought just for the photography. And I'm very impressed compared to the one I used to use. Once you start using this monitor, difference is so obvious and you can't go back to the regular cheap ones. I am very satisfied for this purchase.
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
I use it for photo editing. Great product for affordable price. Easy to calibrate. User friendly menu. Colours are accurate..
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
Not only is it a gorgeous monitor, the icing on the cake is the color calibrator. This is the easiest system to keep the monitor calibrated accurately which is especially important if you want accurate prints. A must for Photographers. Mine is used as the second monitor
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
Colors are fantastic and calibration is now second nature. My previous monitor was a LaCie professional CRT monitor. The colors in the NEC are much more vivid and the ease of calibrating the NEC is now something I do when I am having my coffee. I should not have waited so long
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
I've been using NEC monitors, professionally, for about twelve years and recently added the 2690 to the 2490 on my desktop.
I'm happy as the proverbial clam at high tide.
No complaints, no issues and I am especially happy with the color calibration system.
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
Printing of large format photographs and fine art. Almost perfect colors and widest gamut. I too, miss my CRT, but moving on to this is not such a great loss.
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
I use this monitor as my new "primary" monitor for Graphic Design, Photo Editing, Video Editing and Web Design. The Wide-Gamut capability is great for working in Lightroom and CS4/5 - not so great when creating "web" sites. Since most web graphics themselves contain no color profiles (even if some of the newer browsers are color-managed), they appear way over-saturated on this monitor (regardless of calibration/emulation setting). SpectraView offers an sRGB-Emulation, but it is way too bright - I don't fully understand why it cannot emulate what most Internet viewers might see as a option? So my workaround has been to drag every web-destined graphic to my secondary NECLCD2490 monitor which is natively very close to sRGB for color checking.
SpectraView Software is very easy to use and appears to be accurate. I do wish they had a better way to secure the calibrator from the top of the screen without having to tilt the screen backward each time.
As mentioned by others, the mounting system is a bit flimsy, but adequate as long as you are not working in a rocking "ship". The ease of adjustment is exceptional.
The dot-pitch difference between this and the 2490 is noticeable (the 2490 being sharper due to smaller pixels), but not obvious without side-by-side comparison. Text on both this and my 2490 is more aliased than on my previous CRTs, but more readable at a distance due to the higher contrast.
My only real complaint is the grainy surface layer. The reason I did not deduct a star for this is because that appears to be the state-of-the-art in computer LCDs. It just always looks like you are looking through 1/8" of frosted glass to see the images and it is really noticeable when dragging images/open windows between monitors as it looks like "cloud-clusters" between you and the image.
I miss my Sony 23" CRTs, but all in all these new screens win out mainly due to color accuracy, ease of calibration and they weigh next to nothing compared to the CRT boat anchors!
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
Used for professional architectural photography. The colors look great when calibrated, used i1 and the spectraview software, no major differences between the 2 calibrations. Initially used VGA-DVI cable and had horrible results, really was nervous this monitor wasn't as good as everyone says, the reds were awful after calibrating 6-8 different times couldn't get anything useable. I was waiting on a HDMI-DVI converter and that made the world of a difference, now the colors are spot on, and productivity has increased, definetly make sure you use the digital connection. Set up was a breeze on a PC-laptop w/ Vista. The monitor is easy to adjust up/down, tilt, even to rotate vertical. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a color accurate monitor. I've used Lacie(gone thru 3 all with problems) Hitachi, Samsung, 3 different Dells(all terrible) Eizo. The only one better is the Eizo, and not by much, especially once you factor the price difference.
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
Needed a great monitor of size. This is the one, and I'm thrilled by its performance. Be sure to understand the setup instructions and calibration process to be sure you're getting all that's available. I think this is a perfect size for most users, and couples nicely with either a notebook or 2nd "normal" business monitor for applications which don't need perfect color. It's a big box, if you're going to keep it.
I've got so much more confidence that I'm getting dead-on, consistent color representation (once the calibration is applied) that I'm more confident to experiment with my images even farther than ever.
Always remember that you'll need to soft proof and/or validate on an sRGB monitor to be sure that web presentations won't be over saturated.
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Comments about NEC MultiSync 2690WU2-BK-SV 25.5" Widescreen LCD Display with Color Calibrator:
Easy set up and great color right out of the box but way too bright.
After color calibrating with the hardware colorimeter to the photo-editing preference, the color was truly spectacular! The widest color spectrum Ive seen on a monitor, but very accurate. True reds I never knew could be reproduced. Bright whites with black blacks. Makes my Apple Cinema look dull.
I will use this monitor for professional graphic design, illustration and photo editing for print and web.
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