Which of these monitors is a better deal for the money?

[MalorH]

Samsung 955DF for $290
KDS AV-195TF for $350

I know the KDS is the better monitor, but is it $60 better? Thanks.

 

[MalorH]

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[MalorH]

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[MalorH]

Ok, last try. Has nobody had expierence with these monitors?? Please! Any info is appreciated.

 

[MalorH]

PLEASE! Sombody!

 

[Wizkid]

The best way to find out is to go to a store that sells them and compare them in person

 

[SUOrangeman]

I've seen the Samsung for cheaper lately. Maybe $260 from Amazon with $50 off + MIR + free shipping?

-SUO

 

[zsir]

My 2 cents.....

The KDS will be much sharper and the colors much more vibrant than the Samsung.....

This is only an issue if you were able to compare both monitors on your system. If you buy the samsung with out ever having seen the KDS on your sys you won't know what your missing and so it really won't matter.

I say on your system because looking at a bank of monitors hooked up to the same video source in a store will not accurately show a monitors ability...

If you want to use resolutons higher than 1024 then yes the KDS is worth the money. I thought it was amazingly sharp all the way to 1600x1200.

Then you have the AG vrs Shadow mask issue. Personnaly I like AG......stablilizer lines don't bother me.

I don't think the KDS is perfect.....It doesn't have as many on screen controls as the diamond trons do and 19" flat screens need all the adjustments you can get. The geometry is a compromise as with most 19" flat screens..... The one I tried was blurry in the corners but that was with plug and play drivers and some people have no such issues with the KDS so maybe you won't either.

In short.....spend the extra on the KDS......

 

[Edgy]

Had the same question when I was buying a monitor.

I bought KDS.

I compared aperture grille vs shadow mask monitors at local store and indeed, all aperture grille monitors are brighter.

In my opinion sharpness of a monitor depends on quality not AG vs SM.

My experience with KDS is excellent (don't know about Samsung).

I especially like the center button that automatically centers and "fills" the screen when you change resolution (not perfectly but good enough).
Screen is sharp and bright vivid colors. Better refresh rate at higher resolution than Samsung I believe.

I am sure Samsung monitor is a good one too (from various people at forum).

You have to ask yourself is the extra brightness=vivid colors & higher refresh rate@higher resolution worth the xtra money?

gluck

 

[LXi]

zsir:

Just what makes you think the Samsung is not sharp and vibrant? I understand there is a difference in preference between shadow mask and AG, but the Samsung is very sharp with an 0.20mm horizontal dot pitch.


MalorH:

Tough call, if you need 1600x1200 then KDS is your only option. If all you need is 1280x1024, it'll depend on whether you like Aperture Grille tubes or Shadow Mask tubes. Personally I would get KDS because I like AG.

 

[hans007]

shadow mask is inherently sharper than AG on good tubes anyways. AG allows more light to go through , the mask has larger openings, thus higher brightness , but less sharpness. I'd get the KDS still though, just because KDS has better RMA service. Its not really a fair comparison, a samsung 900ift or 900nf is more in the av195tfs leagues. But anyways those cost like $430. I'm sure they are both great monitors, also i think the 955df only does 1600x1200@65hz which is kind of low. The 955 df is more of a value monitor the dynaflat series is their value, and the avitron is the pro kds line , so get the kds if you can afford it.

 

[LXi]

<<shadow mask is inherently sharper than AG on good tubes anyways. AG allows more light to go through , the mask has larger openings, thus higher brightness , but less sharpness.>>

Not necessarily less sharpness, depending on who you're asking, different people will tell you different answers.


<<I'd get the KDS still though, just because KDS has better RMA service.>>

Uh... Samsung has great services too you know.


<<Its not really a fair comparison, a samsung 900ift or 900nf is more in the av195tfs leagues. But anyways those cost like $430.>>

Exactly, the DF is more of a value monitor aimed towards tight budgets. But the AV-195TF prices skyrocketted these days, making both 900IFT and 900NF cheaper than the KDS.

 

[Ben88]

The monitors i'd group together would be: (listed from best to worst imo)

1.)Sony G400 (Trinitron)
2.)Samsung 900NF (Diamondtron)
3.)KDS AV-195TF (Trinitron)
4.)Viewsonic PF790 (Diamdontron)

I have seen two 955DF's and to put it plainly, they looked like crap. They were grainy at all resolutions, and ran *very* hot. If you can afford the extra $60 definately get the 195TF. In my opinion, the G400 is the best monitor of the four listed above, but it comes in at a steep price that may not be worth it to some.

 

[zsir]

<< Just what makes you think the Samsung is not sharp and vibrant? I understand there is a difference in preference between shadow mask and AG, but the Samsung is very sharp with an 0.20mm horizontal dot pitch. >>



very sharp with an 0.20mm horizontal dot pitch = 0.24mmm dot pitch , we both know that.....

It's not that I think that the Samsung is not sharp and vibrant. If you look at it on it's own I'm sure it will look fine......If you compare it to the kds on the same system I believe the KDS will be sharper and more vibrant almost to the point of being over saturated(not a bad thing IMO) .....

Also looking at the refresh rates higher than 1024 on the Samsung leads me to believe it is a lower end model not designed to excel at very high resolutions, hence it won't be as sharp at high resolutions. I would guess that geometry would be ok but text quality
at high resolutions will suffer. You get what you pay for.

LXI
I have not used the DF, I have tried the KDS. Have you used either on your computer?

Ben88

I would agree with you completly especially about the graininess of the DF except I would add the Mitsu 91+ at #2 along with the NF on your list. Personally I perfer the diamatron to trinatron because of the extra on screen adjustments....

 

[LXi]

Ben88:

<<4.)Viewsonic PF790 (Diamdontron)>>

I think that should be replaced by either the Iiyama VisionMaster Pro 450 or NEC FP950, the PF790 doesnt really match the class of the other three.


zsir:

<<very sharp with an 0.20mm horizontal dot pitch = 0.24mmm dot pitch , we both know that.....>>

Yea thats true, but I heard that the fair way to compare a shadow mask dot pitch with aperture grille stripe pitch is using horizontal.


<<Also looking at the refresh rates higher than 1024 on the Samsung leads me to believe it is a lower end model not designed to excel at very high resolutions, hence it won't be as sharp at high resolutions. I would guess that geometry would be ok but text quality at high resolutions will suffer. You get what you pay for.>>

Well, it is a value monitor, what do you expect from a sub-$300 19&quot; anyway? Im just saying the DynaFlat tube it uses is a very advanced and high quality tube.


<<I have not used the DF, I have tried the KDS. Have you used either on your computer?>>

Not on my own, but I've used both of them when I built the machines for my friends, they both look good, it really depends on whether you like AG or SM.

 

[Ben88]

Yea I left some candidates out. Those are just the four models that I see brought up the most on this board, so I used them as examples. Any of those four would be better than the 955DF, but of course they are significantly more expensive.

 

[zsir]

You can get the NEC FE950 for $400 at Onvia....There is a $50.00 rebate and you get a free USB monitor stand from NEC....

It is not one of the more popular models on these forums but it is a Good quality monitor, I have tried it and I thought it was very good. For $350 it's a very good bargin, right there with the KDS.....

 

[LXi]

zsir:

The Mitsu DiamondPlus 91 isnt really that great, the specs are kind of low for the price its asking for. But its a very good quality monitor.

 

[gtd2000]

If you are getting a Samsung I suggest u test the screen at varying resolutions to check for moire problems!

I have had my 900IFT &quot;adjusted&quot; by Samsung and for all I can see apart from coming back with numerous finger prints and black marks on it they simply turned up the brightness and contrast to the max to &quot;tune out&quot; the moire effect....

I specifically asked them to adjust the moire for the recommended 1280 x 1024 setting but it is exactly the same as when it was collected

I'm now running at 1152 x 864 to reduce moire effect.

Samsung visual products have a very common problem with Moire! Be sure to see before u buy or ensure a good return policy.

Samsung customer service are very good though....maybe not good at sorting the problem but very helpful....lol