Hello + help with buying monitor for M1 Mac for home music studio

[MajorFubar]

Hi Everyone

Thanks for accepting me. New to the forum but not new to Macs (musician and Mac user for 10+ years)

Sorry if this is the wrong subform but I wasn't sure where to put it.

I'm going to buy a new 14" or 16" MPB 'Pro' for my home studio along with a 27" or 32" USB-C monitor, Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard to replace my ageing tech, based around a 2011 3.4gHz 27" iMac.

I want to permanently rig-up the keyboard and trackpad with their lightning to USB-C cables so that whenever I 'dock' my MBP with one cable from the monitor to the MPB, everything just connects without having to faff-about trying to get the keyboard and trackpad to pair by BT.

To avoid a spaghetti junction of cables going through a USB dock I'm looking for a good USB-C monitor with an upstream USB-C port to receive video from the MPB and charge it, a couple of downstream USB-C ports for the trackpad and keyboard and a couple of legacy USB-A ports to connect my audio interface and midi controller. I didn't think that would be a big ask, but surprisingly I'm struggling.

Happy for any ideas.

 

[MajorFubar]

I think the closest I've found so far is a Dell U2720Q, but I would have to purchase a couple of spare USB-A to Lightning cables to connect the trackpad and keyboard because it does not have enough downstream USB-C ports (one)

 

[PeterJP]

It's a surprisingly complex question because there's several types of interconnects that all need to work together. I'm into music myself, so I can relate.

Instead of relying on the monitor, I'm currently looking at a Thunderbolt 4 dock with an extra USB hub. The advantage is that those TB4 docks can be really basic. I've read experiences here of people using complex docks (like the CalDigit TS3) who get disconnects of their devices. Not something you want to see happening a lot with external storage, for example. So for basic TB4 docks, you can check out the Anker PowerExpand 5-in-1, the Plugable TB4 dock and hub, the CalDigit Element Hub, or the OWC TB4 dock. They're mostly simple affairs that take one TB4 and give you more ports. Charging power varies from 60W to 90W, which is sufficient for resp. the 14" or the 16".

For a dock that gives me 3 TB4 ports out, I would connect my monitor, my audio interface and my usb hub. Everything else (mouse, keyboard, synth, ...) then goes into a separate USB hub. For that, I would just get any hub you like. I like the industrial ones in metal that I can screw onto my desk or somewhere else out of the way, but that's just me.

There's some more discussion about docks in this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macbook-pro-with-thunderbolt-dock-a-solid-solution.2319461/

Going monitor-only limits you more because you need to find that one monitor that really fits your bill. With this setup, I can get any monitor I like. Personally, I currently have a Dell U2711 (yes, 9 years older than the U2720Q you mention, because the last two digits are the year of introduction). But I'm eyeing a 32" LG Ergo because of the wonderful stand and cable management system.

 

[Amethyst1]

I currently have a Dell U2711 (yes, 9 years older than the U2720Q you mention, because the last two digits are the year of introduction).

The U2711 was introduced in 2010 but labelled as a 2011 model (similar to cars). It was a great monitor for its time.

 

[MajorFubar]

Thanks for your feedback folks that gives me some options

PeterJP sounds like we're mostly on the same wavelength. Above all I just want to come and go with one cable, I figured the neatest way was probably via the monitor but you're probably right, a simple dock is the way to go.

 

[PeterJP]

The U2711 was introduced in 2010 but labelled as a 2011 model (similar to cars). It was a great monitor for its time.

Yeah, that's possible. I didn't check the exact date It was, and still is, a great monitor. 2560x1440 was like 4K back then and the colours were really good straight from the factory. It's one reason why Dell is always near the top of my list when checking for a new monitor. Not cheap, though. You can nearly get 2 LG screens for the price of 1 good Dell.

PeterJP sounds like we're mostly on the same wavelength. Above all I just want to come and go with one cable, I figured the neatest way was probably via the monitor but you're probably right, a simple dock is the way to go.

As an additional bonus, the simple dock + USB hub solution also works out cheaper than the complex docks, who sometimes still don't have sufficient USB ports, so you'll end up adding a USB hub again anyway. I currently have one of those small Satechi thingies that live on the side of my MBP 16" taking the two USB-C ports there. So I can plug that, and the power on the other side. But then the Dell never works first time, so I need to unplug that and replug it. So yeah, looking forward to getting that dock setup as well. But first, I need to finish my little desk rack thingie I just built with a couple of modifications, then I need to think about the monitor, etc.etc. The work on the gear never ends

 

[Amethyst1]

2560x1440 was like 4K back then and the colours were really good straight from the factory.

And it gave you nearly as much screen estate as a 30” 2560×1600 monitor at a fraction of the price. That’s why I got mine.

 

[MajorFubar]

Just to bookend this topic (because I hate it when people ask a question and don't come back with what they decided)...

I went to Curry's last weekend (UK electrical store) and saw they had a Black Friday deal on a Samsung LU28R550UQUXEN 4K 28” monitor for £249.

What I like: clear, sharp picture. Bright, even light distribution. Low-latency (but as a non-gamer that's not really critical, but is nice to have). Non-reflective screen. Blacks are decent. Sort of occupies less space than my 27" iMac even though the screen is bigger because the bezels are narrower.

What I don't like: Flimsy plastic build quality. Huge tri-footed base occupies an unnecessary amount of space on the desk. But I can live with both. One thing I wasn't keen on in the store was what I considered to be gross over-saturation. I didn't really feel comfortable navigating through the on-screen menus in the store to check if this could be changed, I just assumed it could, and that the monitor was in some kind of 'shop mode'. Turns out it can't, and it wasn't. You can adjust the temperature but nothing really to make the over-saturated images a bit less Technicolor. Some people will love this in the same way they like graphic equalisers in the V-position, but accurate it most definitely is not.

This would appear to be something where Windows offers better customising options compared to native MacOS because I haven't found a way in MacOS to customise the colour balance or saturation options for external monitors, where from my (distant) memory it was fairly easy to do this in Windows.

Overall I'm happy with it, its colour (in)accuracy is not a huge deal, but it would be if I were a graphics artist or videographer. Thankfully, music is my scene, so it's less of an issue. I'll just learn to tolerate everyone in YouTube videos looking like they're wearing bright red lipstick and all the blue skies looking like Miami or Bondi Beach.

 

[PeterJP]

I feel your pain about the color (in)accuracy. First thing I always do on any screen is set it to neutral. By default everything is always set to vivid. I’m surprised though you can’t set it on the monitor. My cheapo Samsung TV allows me to do it and I’d expect a monitor to be more configurable.

 

[MajorFubar]

Indeed. Sadly you can't. There are three levels for gamma, which of course while not directly related to saturation does impact the perceived saturation, and I have chosen the setting which gives the least perceived saturation. There are various preset temperature settings, all of which as you would expect affect the RGB balance, but again none of them reduce the saturation. Turning down the RGB controls has the same effect as turning down the brightness, not reducing only the saturation. Nor is there a dedicated saturation control.

 

[MrGunnyPT]

I recently upgrade to the Huawei Mateview, I wanted the 5K2K from LG but those aren't being sold anymore in Europe. I'm happy about them, currently looking for a sale for a 2nd one..

I'd really like to see Apple doing their own display, I don't work in creative design anymore but I love a Color Accurate and a excellent PPI screen.

 

[MajorFubar]

I agree. It's too bad Apple don't make anything other than the pro-grade and definitely pro-priced XDR display. Their existing 5K 27" display in an iMac-style chassis with HDMI / USB-C input would have ticked all my boxes.

 

[satcomer]

You want the

 

[PeterJP]

No, because if anything, I need more vertical space. Ultra wide is exactly the opposite of what I want.