Exact same monitors look different after calibration - Why?

I bought a pair of Dell 2209WA's. I used one of them for 6 months and I just unboxed the 2nd one this week and set it up. I then calibrated both monitors with an Eye One Display2 calibrator (using "easy" mode) and created an .icc profile for each monitor.

Here's the problem:

When I view the same material on both monitors simultaneously, monitor #1 is darker in brightness and cooler in color. Monitor #2 is brighter and warmer/yellowish in color.

FYI - Monitor 1 is new, fresh out of the box, while monitor 2 is the one I've used for the past 6 months (in case this matters).

I even assigned the same .icc to both monitors thinking that would make them match. WRONG! I don't know which monitor to trust as being accurate. Is there any way to make them match? Thanks!!!!!

Try using advanced mode and set the brightness / contrast manually so that the figures match on each monitor.

Don't forget to make sure that the monitor in switched on and working for about a 1/2 hour before you start the calibration to make sure that everything has reached a normal operating range.

What videocard? Is it dual head?

snyper77 wrote in post #11143008
FYI - Monitor 1 is new, fresh out of the box, while monitor 2 is the one I've used for the past 6 months (in case this matters).

It certainly does matter... A typical consumer level LCD like the 2209WA will lose brightness over the first six months (and then continue to slowly lose brightness over the remaining lifetime of the monitor).

snyper77 wrote in post #11143008
I even assigned the same .icc to both monitors thinking that would make them match. WRONG! I don't know which monitor to trust as being accurate. Is there any way to make them match? Thanks!!!!!

Matching two monitors, even identical models, you need to first match the black points and white color temperature. Use the higher black level of the two when calibrating both monitors.

And find out if your video card can support two LUTs.

The video card is an ATI Radeon 4850 (dual outputs).

To "ChasP505", what do you mean "use the higher black level of the two when calibrating both monitors"? I don't know anything about any of this. What are you talking about and where do I "use" the higher black level????

Also, you are saying that the older monitor should be "less bright" than the new monitor, but it's not. After calibration, the new monitor is more subtle and dim, and the colors don't match on both monitors either when I view the exact same website, side by side.

I just got my first set of prints back, after calibrating. The prints are 1/3 to 1/2 a stop underexposed compared to how the photos look on my monitor. So, do I simply turn down the brightness on my monitor to match the underexposure of the prints?

Any more ideas please?

First, you have to use Expert or Advanced mode (whatever it's called) so you can check the brightness and adjust it to a specific luminance (usually 100-120 nits).

I think there's a specific procedure for calibrating multiple monitor setups...I'd contact X-Rite or whoever made your copy.

If you're changing the white point, leave it at native. I don't think the 2209's have an internal LUT. Changing it from native lowers the brightness and narrows the color gamut...my experience with using Apple displays, anyway, which don't have internal LUTs.

snyper77 wrote in post #11157405
...To "ChasP505", what do you mean "use the higher black level of the two when calibrating both monitors"? I don't know anything about any of this. What are you talking about and where do I "use" the higher black level????

It's been a long time since I used an iOne Display 2, and I'm more familiar with the Spyder3 Elite software... When you calibrate each monitor separately, you should be able to learn the black luminance value of each monitor. (Look at the profile summary.) Maybe one is 0.20cd/m2 and the other is 0.25cd/m2. Now, when you get out of Easy mode, I believe you can specify the black value. Use the higher of the two values as you know that both monitors can attain that level of black.

This is the first step in matching 2 of the same monitors. If you can't do this, skip it. Next is matching the color temperature or white balance. Once the first monitor is calibrated, you should have a reading on the color temperature. Apply that value when calibrating the second monitor.

If you calibrated both monitors to Native white, the monitors could differ by several hundred degrees Kelvin.

snyper77 wrote in post #11157405
Also, you are saying that the older monitor should be "less bright" than the new monitor, but it's not. After calibration, the new monitor is more subtle and dim, and the colors don't match on both monitors either when I view the exact same website, side by side.

I am talking about BEFORE calibration, all OSD settings at factory defaults. If you set both monitors' Brightness to 0, I would expect the older unit to be slightly dimmer. When my 2209WA was new, 0% Brightness yielded 120cd/m2 luminance. Now, 10% Brightness produces 120cd/m2.

Remember also, that the display panels of the respective monitors don't necessarily have the same exact performance characteristics or QC. In fact, they may have been manufactured by two completely different subcontractors of LG. We're talking about a consumer level monitor here, not a high end Eizo.

NEW PROBLEM!!! PLEASE READ!!!!

ok, I calibrated the monitors via Pantone's tech support. They told me to do the following:
Advanced mode........
White Point set 6500 (LCD recommendation)
Gamma 2.2...............
Luminance 120 (LCD recommendation)

Then set contrast to 100%, then run the calibration for contrast and adjust until the meter reads into "green area".
Then start the brightness test, and adjust until meter reads into "green area".

Then just click NEXT and let it run.

Then, to calibrate monitor #2 to match #1, I set all the same parameters (included brightness and contrast tests), then click "load" and load the profile from #1 monitor and let it run.

Both monitors match pretty good now, but! My test prints from BayPhoto came back with a different color tone than my monitor. The print skin tone is more "yellow" and the monitor seems less saturated and has more "red". What can I possibly do at this point??? How can I adjust my monitor to match the print? Or is that impossible?

This is where soft-proofing comes in. You need the ICC profiles for their printers (and paper).

I also find 6500K is way too cool...I think 5000K is a closer approximation to paper.