3840x1600 or 3440x1440 for music production?

[Scoox]

I'm looking for a computer display for music production to complement my laptop, please help me decide.

ATM I'm considering the following two models:

LG 38WN95C-W (38" 3840x1600 curved)
LG 35WN75C-B (35" 3440x1440 curved)

The 35" display has a lower PPI which means I can actually sit a little further from it. For my particular visual acuity, my optimal viewing distance for the 35" display would be 70 cm, and for the 38" display I would have to sit 67 cm from it. Let that sink in for a bit.

The advantage of the 35" display is that it occupies a narrower angle in my field of view at 61°, where the 38" display would occupy 67°, therefore my head/eyes would have to work harder a little harder to get to the far left and right edges of the display. Vertical field of view won't be a problem though, again, the 38" display would require a tiny bit more vertical head movement due to the extra vertical resolution.

I can't decide which one to get because I think 3840 pixels across is too wide (requires too much left-right head movement) but 1600 pixels vertically would be nice. However the price is nearly double that of the 35", and I don't want to end up with an expensive display that gives me a stiff neck...

Would be interested in other producers' experience, cheers.

[Serhii Kot]

I have benq 35 inch 3440x1440. I want to sell it because it’s too big. DAW timeline is too long and I must to turn my head to overview project. Usually my DAW window is 2/3 of screen and located in the middle of the screen.

[Scoox]

I have benq 35 inch 3440x1440. I want to sell it because it’s too big. DAW timeline is too long and I must to turn my head to overview project. Usually my DAW window is 2/3 of screen and located in the middle of the screen.

That's the sort of feedback I was hoping for. How far are your eyes from the centre of your monitor? Is it curved or flat?

[Serhii Kot]

It is curved, my eyes are around 50-60 cm from the display. My first impression was good, but when my “purchase honeymoon” was over, I realised this is not super comfortable. Gaming on this screen was very pleasant, but working is not.

I would rather buy one 4K display around 27 inches. Or two displays if workflow is demanding.

[Scoox]

It is curved, my eyes are around 50-60 cm from the display. My first impression was good, but when my “purchase honeymoon” was over, I realised this is not super comfortable. Gaming on this screen was very pleasant, but working is not.

I would rather buy one 4K display around 27 inches. Or two displays if workflow is demanding.

Hmm in that case your 35" display might work for me, because my optimal viewing distance for that monitor is exactly 73 cm (I calculate this based on my visual acuity and my current display dimensions). At that distance the horizontal field of view is just under 59° (for my eyes, that is).

Regarding the 4K display, if you find 3440 pixels across is too wide, the 4K is only going to make things worse since it's 3840 pixels across! You'll end up moving the display closer and closer to your eyes until you can see things clearly, at which point the horizontal field of view will be much greater and require even more lateral head movement.

3840x2160 HFoV: 64.3° VFoV: 38.9°
3840x1600 HFoV: 64.3° VFoV: 29.3°
3440x1440 HFoV: 58.7° VFoV: 26.5°
2560x1440 HFoV: 45.4° VFoV: 26.5°

A 4K display (or any display that's 3840 pixels across) requires 8.7% more lateral movement than a display that's 3440 pixels across (i.e. the display you already have). You'd have to run it at 125% display scaling to have a more comfortable viewing experience with a 4K display than your current display.

[Serhii Kot]

I mean 4k is just for sharpness, of course, there will be system scaling. 4k with 125-150% scaling will be my choice, in fact, that was my previous setup.

And do not think that you will be sitting always in your ideal position, so do not put much in your calculation. If you have some tech store in your location, just go and look, but probably it will not help either, as, for me, all was fine and dandy the first couple of months.

But, this is life, you will not really know anything until you had the experience of it. So go with your flow)

[Scoox]

I mean 4k is just for sharpness, of course, there will be system scaling. 4k with 125-150% scaling will be my choice, in fact, that was my previous setup.

And do not think that you will be sitting always in your ideal position, so do not put much in your calculation. If you have some tech store in your location, just go and look, but probably it will not help either, as, for me, all was fine and dandy the first couple of months.

But, this is life, you will not really know anything until you had the experience of it. So go with your flow)

I'll see if I can get to a store. I live in a small town in the middle of nowhere