27" iMac with 27" LED Cinema Display

[needo]

This week I was fortunate to have received a new 27" iMac and the LED Cinema Display. I was under the impression that these two displays would match. Unfortunately they do not. They are close, but the iMac has a more richer color display Which I would say is a tad warmer, while the Cinema Display is a tad colder.

At first I thought it was my display so I returned it but the new one does the same thing. Other then that I am happy. Do we know if they are using a new/different panel in the new iMac that they are not using in the Cinema Display?

I have attempted color calibration but it did not improve it. I was really hoping for matching displays as I am fairly OCD as well as do photography so even the slightest color offset really drives me nuts.

Thank you for your time.

I have uploaded a picture of the difference... http://i.imgur.com/vHHhu.jpg

 

[dh2005]

Hm. I didn't realise this, at all.

Seems like a bizarre decision for Apple to take? I mean, surely, they'd want to bang their Faithful out of as much cash as humanly possible - you think they'd make the kit match.

 

[johto]

Hve you done any hardware calibration?
That would be the obvious first step to get two displays to match each other.

 

[maf2k8]

I bought a older 24" ACD to go with my 27" iMac and the colors were not the same.. One did seem warmer then the other.. It wouldn't have been a issue really BUT when there right next to each other its really annoying. I took it to the Apple store and they actually replaced the panel and still, same issue...

Honestly, i think if you want them to both be dead on your going to need to go with another iMac or a different monitor all together..

 

[iamthedudeman]

Two 27 monitors? Wow.

I have a 27 Cinema display, and pair it with a 21.5 imac in dual screen mode using the imac as a second monitor. They match up perfectly as far as screen warmth is concerned. You can see the same difference between the 27 imac and 21.5 imac, the 27 is much warmer than the 21.5.

I don't think there is a problem with the warmth on the 27 Cin. Dis. That is how a monitor should be. The 27 is too warm, colors too saturated for myself. The 27 Cinema display is better in my opinion.

I have a 21.5 2011 on order with the 2.8 i7 and 1TB and SSD combo. Basically almost the same specs as the high end 27 other than the graphics card. There is not much difference between the 2600s and 2600 as far as performance is concerned.

I currently have the 27 Cinema Display set at 1920x1080 the same as the 21.5 in dual screen mode and could not be happier with this setup. Very con-formative as far as screen warmth is concerned, as well as color saturation.

The fonts on the native 27 killed me. Movies and graphic work look better and sharper at the 1920x1080 res.

Try it and your eyes will thank you.

 

[iamthedudeman]

This week I was fortunate to have received a new 27" iMac and the LED Cinema Display. I was under the impression that these two displays would match. Unfortunately they do not. They are close, but the iMac has a more richer color display Which I would say is a tad warmer, while the Cinema Display is a tad colder.

At first I thought it was my display so I returned it but the new one does the same thing. Other then that I am happy. Do we know if they are using a new/different panel in the new iMac that they are not using in the Cinema Display?

I have attempted color calibration but it did not improve it. I was really hoping for matching displays as I am fairly OCD as well as do photography so even the slightest color offset really drives me nuts.

Thank you for your time.

I have uploaded a picture of the difference... http://i.imgur.com/vHHhu.jpg

In this pic, which one is which. I am guessing the Cinema Display is on the right.

 

[nafai23]

In this pic, which one is which. I am guessing the Cinema Display is on the right.

I have this setup.
And you are right the apple ACD is cooler and the imac is warmer.

Over time i realized the acd is more accurate.

I calibrated both with eyeone and they are still not exact but close enough.

Still the same warm vs cool and trust there is no way to compensate for it that I have found.

 

[RoelJuun]

I too have an iMac 27" (2009) with an ACD. Apart from the fact that they don't match in height, the colors don't match. The iMac has some yellow tinge problems (will use AppleCare to sort of fix it in a couple of months) and is generally warmer in colors just like many of you reported. I don't have any calibration tools and their is no need for me. But it sure was surprising for me too when I turned it on the very first time. The iMac also lacks the light-sensor present in the ACD (something I enjoy very much on my ACD).

But I have just one bigger problem; the ACD (and iMac) doesn't have a power button… So whenever you're watching something on the main screen, the other screen can't be turned off without pulling the plug… Does anyone has another trick to black out the screen? Cause whenever you pull the plug, the windows are all moved to the primary screen.
Dual monitor options are sometimes seriously lacking. When playing a game (doesn't matter which) the second monitor goes to black screen… defeating the dual monitor purpose.

 

[needo]

I bit the bullet and went and bought a calibration kit. Pretty pricey but worth it. It took a hour or two of fiddling but I got it so my 27" 2011 iMac and my 27" ACD look almost exactly the same. Is it 100% perfect? No. Is it over 90% perfect and can I only notice now if I really really look? Yes. Now I am still seeing it a fair bit because I am looking for the subtle differences but I am hoping over the next couple of days that will change. If any one is interested I would be more then happy to post the .icc files I made for others to use.

 

[phoeniciansail]

needo, can i get a copy of your icc profile? i've been looking around for one for my 27" imac and they're kinda hard to find. can't figure out if there's a way to do private-messages on this board, but i guess you can email it to me (the address is my username + "or@gmail.com"). or maybe include it as an attachment to this thread (pack it up as a .zip file?). anyhow, thanks a bunch.

 

[iPhysicist]

A before and after calibration picture would be nice too.

 

[MacHamster68]

calibrating is neccessary as even they are the same displays really , but even with the most rigorous quality control you wil never find 2 displays that are emmitting exact the same color, light, whatever , ok most times the difference will not be that obvious to most human eyes , but some have a better pair of those in their heads and see the difference and its getting sort of annoying .
Sometimes the calibrating feature in OSX will help , but not always as there is to much that can go wrong with that , just the tips " squint a bit or sit further back or closer " will make that sort of calibration a bit of a hit and miss and some sort of game for the familys amusement if they watch you
Only proper calibrating tools will help really ..and those cost quiet a bit money ,between about hundred and several thousand

 

[wangkom]

I bit the bullet and went and bought a calibration kit. Pretty pricey but worth it. It took a hour or two of fiddling but I got it so my 27" 2011 iMac and my 27" ACD look almost exactly the same. Is it 100% perfect? No. Is it over 90% perfect and can I only notice now if I really really look? Yes. Now I am still seeing it a fair bit because I am looking for the subtle differences but I am hoping over the next couple of days that will change. If any one is interested I would be more then happy to post the .icc files I made for others to use.

Please post them or email them to me at jjinni@me.com

I have both of my 27" (imac and acd) next to each other and it's driving me crazy.

 

[iDabble]

just received the same set up, and noticed the color difference but i can live with that

what's driving me crazy is that i can't get sound to play from the imac and acd at the same time, and i can't get the acd to dim when i use the keyboard controls

 

[DannyBres]

Two 27 monitors? Wow.

I have a 27 Cinema display, and pair it with a 21.5 imac in dual screen mode using the imac as a second monitor. They match up perfectly as far as screen warmth is concerned. You can see the same difference between the 27 imac and 21.5 imac, the 27 is much warmer than the 21.5.

I don't think there is a problem with the warmth on the 27 Cin. Dis. That is how a monitor should be. The 27 is too warm, colors too saturated for myself. The 27 Cinema display is better in my opinion.

I have a 21.5 2011 on order with the 2.8 i7 and 1TB and SSD combo. Basically almost the same specs as the high end 27 other than the graphics card. There is not much difference between the 2600s and 2600 as far as performance is concerned.

I currently have the 27 Cinema Display set at 1920x1080 the same as the 21.5 in dual screen mode and could not be happier with this setup. Very con-formative as far as screen warmth is concerned, as well as color saturation.

The fonts on the native 27 killed me. Movies and graphic work look better and sharper at the 1920x1080 res.

Try it and your eyes will thank you.

What?! you have a 27" display and you dont run it at native resolution?! You volentarily lower the pixel density of the screen

 

[iamthedudeman]

What?! you have a 27" display and you dont run it at native resolution?! You volentarily lower the pixel density of the screen

The fonts on the native 27 killed me. Movies and graphic work look better and sharper at the 1920x1080 res.

Try it and your eyes will thank you.



Yep. That is correct.

 

[Josh Kahane]

I really would like a copy of the icc file as well please if anyone has one to combat the colour difference between the 27" iMac and 27" Cinema Display!

My email is kahanejosh at gmail dot com

I'd really appreciate it someone could email the profile to me or upload and link it here, thanks.

 

[boraxatude]

I really would like a copy of the icc file as well please if anyone has one to combat the colour difference between the 27" iMac and 27" Cinema Display!

My email is kahanejosh at gmail dot com

I'd really appreciate it someone could email the profile to me, thanks.

Josh - that won't help you as every monitor is different. You need to calibrate your specific monitor in it's own context ie surrounding lighting conditions. You will find that even after calibrating, the monitor will drift. Powering up and down a monitor will sometimes tweak the color temp/brightness etc. If this is a concern to you, I suggest investing in a $100 hardware colorimeter (see your thread for the link to a demo unit). I tried for years to adjust my monitors by eye using charts. Pain. Nothing like a real colorimeter!