Color Gamut & Luminance
For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, please click here.
Like the grayscale results, none of the modes we tested for color are too far off the mark. One might look at the saturation charts and conclude that the Standard, sRGB, and Action modes are near perfect. The issues lie in the luminance measurements, which are a bit too high. That gives the impression of more vivid color, but it isn’t as balanced as if the levels were closer to the zero line. By adjusting gamma and contrast, we’ve over-saturated the red primary a bit, but luminance values are much closer to the neutral balance point. The average error starts at 2.23dE which is quite good. Our adjustments take it down to 1.27dE which is a small but visible gain in quality.
Comparisons
Given the XR328CQK’s second-place finish, we think calibration is worth doing. The gains are minor, but when you’re spending this kind of money for a monitor, you should squeeze out every possible performance gain, no matter how small. Plenty of professional displays can’t achieve a 1.27dE average, so Acer is in good company. Again, the LG 38UC99 takes the accuracy crown in our color test.
Thanks to a little bonus red, the XR breaks the 100% sRGB barrier. The other primaries are right on target, so graphics apps will benefit from a custom profile. Gamers will see slightly more vivid reds, but if you turn down the contrast slider a bit, no detail will be clipped. With a profile in place, the monitor can render sRGB perfectly.
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