NEC MultiSync LCD1560NX-1 LCD (NEC-LCD1560NX1)

The $375 NEC 1560NX ranked just a few clicks behind the two Best Buys (the $350 Iiyama ProLite E380S-B and the $400 Eizo Nanao FlexScan L367) in both graphics and text quality. We saw rich hues in our color scale test screen and on our two test photo images. And unlike many monitors that are extremely bright at default settings, the 1560NX is toned down just enough so that the white background on our text screens was not overpowering.

We may have achieved the high quality we did because we were able to run the monitor from the digital video (DVI) output of a graphics card: Unlike many 15-inch LCDS, which provide only an analog input, the 1560NX features both analog and digital ports. The monitor also came with both analog and digital monitor cables--most come with just one. The 1560NX does yield ground in a few image-quality areas, however. In our gray-scale test, for example, the 1560NX lost detail at both ends of the scale (dark gray on black and light gray on white).