Yes I understand exactly what you are saying.
Controversy time!
These colorimeter-based profilers are supposed to be absolute - they're meant to remove subjective judgment altogether. So if you profile two (decent) monitors, the results should be identical and absolutely correct. If you try to profile a rubbish monitor, the software should tell you that it can't do it because the range of adjustment is not available.
But all the reviews I've read say something like.... "It gave pleasing results on monitor XYZ but didn't work as well on ABC." Or something like that. So firstly the results are not consistent, and secondly the reviewers are making a subjective judgment about what does and does not look right. That negates the whole point of profiling.
A few years ago I bought a Spyder2 Express and tried it on an LCD monitor that was, admittedly, a little old. It produced an obvious magenta cast and also a very washed-out tonal balance. The colours were definitely not right - yes, that's subjective but my eyes aren't all that bad.
So I sent it back and reverted to manual calibration.
I wondered if things had improved, but I'm not hearing anything to persuade me that they have.
