As an Audio Producer, Is There Any Reason I Shouldn't Just Buy a Kogan 35" Monitor over Something Double The Price?

[Deactivated] on 27/06/2019 - 15:49

I'm a producer, buying a new monitor to replace the dual monitors in my studio. I occasionally work with video, but not editing video or anything - just syncing / composing to it. I never play video games, and that seems to be the big thing with these. I'm looking at the Kogan 35" ultra wide (https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-35-curved-219-ultrawide-7…) and it looks perfect, and the price works too, but it seems like these monitors don't have the best reputation (and Kogan stuff generally doesn't from what I can tell).

So - for my purposes (just working on audio but preferring to see lots of screen for that purpose) is there any reason I should spend more than $379?

Greatly appreciate any thoughts!

Computing

Comments

  • pjetson on 27/06/2019 - 15:53
    +1

    You say they don't have the best reputation, but you still want to buy one. Why?

    I guess of prime importance would be what people are complaining about with the monitor. If their complaints are about issues that will not affect you, then go for it. If the things that they are complaining about will affect you, why would you buy one?

    • [Deactivated] on 27/06/2019 - 18:36
      +2

      The reputation thing is speculative and based on conjecture, and I was asking for opinions here (where for whatever reason i'd be more trusting).

  • altomic on 27/06/2019 - 16:00
    +1

    my 2 cents-

    AOC makes a very good monitor at a very decent price.

    I have dual 22" AOC monitors for my home office and am very satisfied with them.

    here is a 31.5" AOC monitor on ebay for $299 delivered

    there may be other sellers who have discount codes applicable so the price would be even lower,

    • Nubbin on 04/07/2019 - 17:16

      I have good things to say about my AOC monitor. Bought an AOC 27" (v27m) somewhere between 6-10 years ago. It was such a good price for the size at the time, around the same cost as premium brand 23/24". I'd never heard of AOC and I wondered if it might be a dodgy deal, but I gave in to the temptation.

      All these years later the thing has been perfectly fine, still bright, no dead spots - it does what it says on the box. I'm sure it'll explode tomorrow because I wrote this, but if it does I'd give AOC another shot.

      I'm less inclined to trust Kogan products in general, the mobile phone I got from them was garbo.

    • [Deactivated] on 25/07/2019 - 15:29

      Do you know if standard or ultra-wide is better for production?

  • CyberMurning on 27/06/2019 - 16:08
    +1

    because kogan is selling craps. you think kogan price is low compare with pictures on their web? yeah right. wait till you see the real item and its performance, you will cry and regret

    • Diji1 on 27/06/2019 - 21:17
      +3

      This is not true although exercise caution with cheap brands.

      I recently bought the Kogan 32" 4K IPS screen for $369 and it's very good as a second screen for chat/streaming apps.

  • Switchblade88 on 27/06/2019 - 16:15

    What about the WQHD panel for $499?

    https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-34-wqhd-curved-219-ultraw…

    Kogan is the epitome of 'get what you pay for'. You might get flexing plastic, or no VESA mount, or no colour controls. If you weigh up and decide that what you DO get is worth the asking price, then Kogan is almost always very good value for money.

    I'm in a similar situation, swapping out 2x 24" monitors for one ultrawide - and if I had the cash I'd be happy to get this one today.

    EDIT: Positive review on Youtube

    • [Deactivated] on 27/06/2019 - 18:38
      +2

      Thanks - there's a Dell refurb for a similar price to this WQHD one and I wonder whether that might be a better option for the money?

      • Switchblade88 on 27/06/2019 - 19:36

        Dell definitely has the brand name going for it. And I know their monitors are usually top-notch.

        I liked this Kogan specifically from the Youtube review - it confirmed that this ones' Freesync would successfully work with an Nvidia GSync card like mine. That kind of info is hard to come by, as it's usually trial and error. I couldn't tell you if the Dell would be the same or not without lots of Google-fu.

        Not that this would really affect you for audio work, but a definite selling point for myself, anyway.

  • gavanitrate on 27/06/2019 - 16:22
    +2

    I have bought the WQHD Kogan monitor and can say for the money, it's a decent buy. If it's the only screen you will look at, you'll rarely/never notice any faults.
    I, however, can compare it to my LG ultrawide (which I bought 3 years before the Kogan) and can notice the worse build quality (the back plate got jammed several times on mine), colour inaccuracy and the worse viewing angles. The stand on the Kogan is also fixed, so you'll need to make sure you can place it at the correct height (or get a VESA mount). I think the Kogan may have been a little less bright as well (but can't confirm/remember).

    I would also suggest the 3440 x 1440 over the 2560 x 1080 model. I have tried both, the 2560 x 1080 doesn't offer much more screen real estate than the typical 1080p monitor. I produce music as a hobby and make use of mostly Ableton Live, and sometimes edit video with Davinci Resolve and can say WQHD is perfect for these types of applications. Having a massive horizontal timeline in view is a huge benefit.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/06/2019 - 21:01

      Which model? Link? Thanks

  • Diji1 on 27/06/2019 - 21:17
    -1

    No.

  • Presence on 27/06/2019 - 21:31
    -5

    Ultrawides are stupid for anything but games. You have a lot of pixels in a very awkward shape. A 4k or wqhd display is much more useful for many tasks.

  • brokenglish on 27/06/2019 - 22:27

    If you want your monitors to last, don't buy Kogan.
    If you're planning to replace the monitor again unexpectedly after a year, get Kogan.

  • [Deactivated] on 28/06/2019 - 08:41

    Do you have clients in your studio - Do you think Kogan will make people think less of you? Would you stock your kitchenette/green room with black and gold branded products?

  • Bunnyburger on 28/06/2019 - 12:54

    If you're a profitable audio producer you may as well buy a good one and claim a tax deduction

    • [Deactivated] on 28/06/2019 - 15:01

      Profitable businesses generally spend money carefully, hence the profit. So i'm going for good without spending more than is necessary.

      • stinhambo on 05/09/2019 - 16:13

        No, profitable businesses buy things which won't cost them down time.

  • Architectonic on 28/06/2019 - 13:42
    +1

    Do you use a DAW with scaling graphics (eg Ableton Live)? Some DAWs don't scale properly in 2.5k or 4k and therefore are terrible on high-res screens.

    • ngengerous on 28/06/2019 - 14:35

      This is an important question. I remember using an older, non-scalable Photoshop version on my WQHD and it was near unusable.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/06/2019 - 19:54

      What do you recommend? I use Cubase.

  • N1NJ4W4RR10R on 28/06/2019 - 22:45

    Kogans… lovely, support I'd imagine. Although iirc there are similar products around this price - see the viewsonic monitor deal from pccg and the like a few days ago.

    As for reasons not to buy the cheaper variety specifically? They're all around lower quality. A bunch of QoL stuff and the VA pannel can be a tad annoying (ghosting and the like I think?) Though hardware unboxed reviewed it - pretty positively as well.

    But yeah, it is half the price so I'd say the product itself is a good product and buy… whether the store is worth buying from is up to you.

    Check their ebay store(s, Dick Smiths) first if you go for this one specifically, see how the pricing shapes up.

  • reyals on 08/07/2019 - 22:23

    I wouldn't buy expensive electronics that were Kogan branded.

    I once bought a Kogan TV that had stuck pixels (out of the box) and had a god awful time dealing with their "help" team.

    I remember Kogan referring me to this page: https://help.kogan.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001934587-What-i…

    Basically, they said i needed to have even more stuck pixels for them to do anything about it.

    I spent hours tapping at those pixels with a pencil (their suggestion) and running that stupid flashing video thing.

    This was ~8 years ago - maybe they're making better quality panels now.

    I wouldn't risk it.

    • N1NJ4W4RR10R on 05/09/2019 - 22:55
      +1

      The t.v's are still awful I've heard. But apparently the monitors are fairly good quality wise.

  • [Deactivated] on 25/07/2019 - 15:30

    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/34-MSI-OPTIX-MAG341CQ-Curved-Gam…

    $660 with code, plus has a free $400 gaming chair via website.

    I was originally looking at the 35" curved Kogan for $455(when it was on sale)

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/471185

    Any thoughts? WQHD still a better choice?

    Not sure how I made do back in the day 🤣🤣🤣

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