ADi MicroScan A715 review

Its silver and grey trim lends the A715 an air of sophistication, with the matching stand offering some unique functionality. It allows the screen to be tilted to horizontal and can raise it from desk level to a height of 105mm. This helps counteract the poor vertical viewing angles that proved to be the A715's only weak point.

It passed every other test, performing well in the tricky colour combinations and achieving a distinction in the ramps, where banding was minimal and tonal range impressive. Its 25ms response time meant that Serious Sam wasn't spoiled by lag and, along with the Formac, this was the only TFT to rival the colour performance of a CRT.

The MicroScan also scored well on features. A two-port USB hub, stereo speakers (unfortunately tinny) and a headphone jack nestle in the side of the base and - along with NEC and Sharp - this was one of the cheapest panels to offer DVI. Quality was significantly better than the NEC and, although the Sharp rivalled the A715 here, it fell behind on features.

It's true that the MicroScan offers neither the best performance nor features on test, but with three years' on-site, next-business-day warranty, it represents an excellent all-round package. The BenQ might be £38 cheaper, but is of poorer quality, has no DVI, no USB hub and looks significantly worse. However, if you don't need the ADi's extra features, the Sharp offers marginally better quality for £14 less.