In the past I've calibrated a complete production process for commercial print, from the drum scanner, film setter, soft and hard proofing, to final print so I have an idea of what is required.I have a Samsung SyncMaster T240 calibrated with Eye-One Display 2, the results are very good. The problem with a LCD display over a CRT display is the viewing angle. I sometimes need to look at my monitor at a weird angle when cleaning up whites otherwise bits may be missed. You pay your money and takes your choice. However, I would suggest that you set up your monitor, calibrate it using something like the eye-one, save the profile, bring up a nice photograph that has good tonal and colour range, save it to disc and take it to a good quality lab and ask them to produce at least a 10x8 print from the disk. Take the print and compare it to whats on screen. There is also a problem with viewing the print, you will need to view it under a daylight controlled light source otherwise colour/tone will look totally wrong.
So you see, it's not just about having a reasonable monitor, it's about the full workflow circle and correct viewing conditions.