Westinghouse LCM-17v2 Monitor - So How Well Does it Work Already?
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I wasn’t sure what I’d see when I turned it on. And once I did, I wasn’t sure the picture I took would do it justice. It doesn’t entirely, but it came out better than I expected:
That’s at the lowest resolution for which I could set the monitor. Higher resolutions are even more awesome. Maybe it doesn’t seem that awesome to you, but I was truly amazed; it blew away my CRT.
Sadly, I wish I could say the same for the speakers. Now I have to admit, I’m a little spoiled. I’m used to my old Altec Lansing speakers, and even though they’re old, I understand they have a very good reputation. I had to jack the volume up to 90 (out of 100) before I could hear this monitor’s speakers well enough to be satisfied. Even then, the sound that came out of the speakers was…tinny. That may not be the right word, but when I played two of my favorite games, it took several minutes for my ears to “adjust” before the special effects and the music started to sound “right” to me. And I’m not exactly a demanding audiophile! Nevertheless, I'd hate to listen to music on these speakers.
This isn’t necessarily a deal breaker for such a sweet monitor though. I didn’t try the experiment, but I can’t see any reason why you couldn’t choose to not hook up the audio to the monitor and plug a different set of speakers into the computer instead. Especially when you consider how little space the monitor actually takes up, if you’re used to a CRT, this should not be an issue.
Pros and Cons
The Westinghouse LCM-17v2 wasn’t bad on my budget, thanks to a sale at Best Buy. But how did it measure up?
Pros:
- Very light even for a flat panel monitor.
- Protectively packaged.
- Manufacturer included all cords and clear enough instructions.
- Fairly easy to assemble.
- Takes up very little space.
- Awesome picture quality.
- Monitor controls fairly easy to understand and manipulate, and allow for fine tuning.
- Includes speakers.
- Decent price when on sale (about $130; normally $175).
Cons:
- Speakers are nothing to write home about.
- Instructions could have been a little clearer.
I feel like I got my money’s worth, but I must admit, had I paid full price for this monitor, I would have been a lot more disappointed by the speakers. Still, the picture quality is great, and the monitor was easy enough to set up. I have to give this display a 7 out of 10, but because of the speakers, I’m holding back from giving it an award.
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