Auria EQ276W 27" IPS Monitor Review: QHD For $400

Results: Color Gamut And Performance

Color gamut is measured using a saturation sweep that samples the six main colors (red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow) at five saturation levels (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100%). This provides a more realistic view of color accuracy. Since there are no color management controls on the EQ276W, we're only showing the post-calibration graphs (we’re sure they'd look pretty much the same out-of-box).

This is the area where the EQ276W is most impressive. All of the Delta-E values, with the exception of 100 percent blue and 40 percent red, are below three. This is excellent performance. Luminance is slightly elevated across the board, with the exception of 100 percent blue, which is about 12 percent low. Unlike the grayscale measurement, the color Delta-E results are not luminance compensated. That means color luminance accuracy will affect the final value.

When compared to other 27-inch IPS screens, the Auria is right in there with the best.

It’s quite impressive to note that the EQ276W scores nearly as well in this test as the three-times-more expensive Samsung S27B970D. Remember the AOC and Viewsonic VX screens are 1920x1080 pixels, and therefore occupy a lower price bracket. All of our recently-tested 27-inch panels have color error that is invisible to the naked eye.

Gamut Volume: Adobe RGB 1998

There are basically two categories of displays in use today: those that conform to the sRGB standard like HDTVs, and wide-gamut panels that show as much as 100 percent of the AdobeRGB 1998 spec. We use Gamutvision to calculate the gamut volume, based on an ICC profile created from actual measurements.

The Auria actually renders a little more of the AdobeRGB 1998 gamut than its competitors. It’s still short of a true wide-gamut panel though, and best suited to gaming and video content rather than professional graphics use.

Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

  • patrick47018
    I'm planning on picking one up very soon
    Reply
  • techbaddie
    I love My Auria, I also did buy a another stand for it. It was $29.99 on Amazon, and once I got everything set up, IT IS AMAZING!!!!! If you want a great product for the right price, DO IT!
    Reply
  • BigMack70One important thing to mention that you guys didn't that I believe still holds true (haven't checked the competition in a couple months - someone correct me if I'm wrong here): this is the only model of this panel (as opposed to the Catleaps/Crossovers/Overloards/Achievas/etc) to have HDCP support. If you want one of these panels and you want to use HDCP protected content (a games console or a Blu-ray player, for example), you NEED to purchase this Auria and not one of the other versions of the panel.I have the Achieva Shimian that was purchased three months ago. I checked on Nvidia Settings and it states that "This display supports HDCP."

    Happy that this article was posted and I been very happy with my purchase.

    As for lag, i heard from "razetheworld" that when the monitor has one connector (usually DVI) the input lag can be as low as 6ms on these IPS screens. When there are multiple connectors like the monitor being reviewed here, higher lags are expected because the monitor takes time to process which connection is in use. I may be wrong, so correct me if i am wrong.
    Reply
  • chumly
    There are 3 models available from an American company based in California called Overlord Computer, one of these models can be overclocked to 120 Hz. I would like to see these monitors tested. One of them is priced under $400.
    Reply
  • patrick47018
    chumlyThere are 3 models available from an American company based in California called Overlord Computer, one of these models can be overclocked to 120 Hz. I would like to see these monitors tested. One of them is priced under $400.
    While this is true, MicroCenter has a great return policy, I'm not sure about Overlord, but I do know the one that is under 400, its 384, only has DVI, while this has HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, headphon jack, and VGA. So if you just want DVI, getting an Achieva Shimian is cheaper off of ebay, but then also you have to deal with possible shoddy return system. Good luck to all and I will comment once I have my Auria, I'm going from my 40" Auria 1080P HDTV to a Auria 27" 1440P IPS monitor, good trade I think.
    Reply
  • chumly
    patrick47018While this is true, MicroCenter has a great return policy, I'm not sure about Overlord, but I do know the one that is under 400, its 384, only has DVI, while this has HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, headphon jack, and VGA. So if you just want DVI, getting an Achieva Shimian is cheaper off of ebay, but then also you have to deal with possible shoddy return system. Good luck to all and I will comment once I have my Auria, I'm going from my 40" Auria 1080P HDTV to a Auria 27" 1440P IPS monitor, good trade I think.
    Most video cards have Dual link DVI so this isn't really an issue unless yours does not. I use a Catleap Q270 monitor right now (let me tell you, there is NO going back for me after getting one of these, 1080p monitors are as good as yesterday's trash to me). This was a B grade panel and it ended up having no visable defects or bad pixels (I only paid $245 for it off of ebay new from Korea, they've gone up $100 since). The reason I ended up going with the panel I did was from a quite extensive post on hardforum detailing how the DVI-only monitors were having incredibly low input lag compared to any of the other 1440p IPS panels available. I'm getting incredible framerates with my 670 and my games are streak/ghost/stutter/tearing free.

    Maybe this Auria monitor just can't hack it vs. its' Korean counterparts.

    Also it's good to know you can always take apart these monitors and replace the PCB so that you can overclock them to 120Hz, but Overlord is the only place selling the part and it's $200 :(
    Reply
  • slomo4sho
    WTB thinner bezle...
    Reply
  • sanilmahambre
    Is there any IPS monitor without frame?
    Reply
  • cats_Paw
    Minimum contrast ratio in samsung 4003.3. Maximum Contrast Ratio in Samsung 1483.83.

    Is it me or thats not normal?
    Reply
  • ceberle
    10608531 said:
    Minimum contrast ratio in samsung 4003.3. Maximum Contrast Ratio in Samsung 1483.83.

    Is it me or thats not normal?

    Minimum and maximum refer to the brightness setting. It's not unusual for the contrast ratio to go up when the brightness is lowered. In the case of the Samsung S27B970D, the black level dropped by a greater percentage than the peak white level; hence the higher contrast ratio.

    Christian
    Reply