tulloch2003

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $500.00

Summary:
Hi All, I picked up the Arcam DV78 on friday afternoon I have been playing with it all week-end, it will take a little longer to fine-tune everything. Here is a progress report. Build Quality: Quite heavy compaired to the Denon 2200. Nice quality feel to it, very solid unit, no flexing top panel, unlike the Denon 2200. Ergonomics: Refined and simlple, very easy on the eye, nice quality feel to the buttons too. Display in green (very informative on DVD and CD/Mpeg3), can be dimmed or turnded off. Picture Quality: RGB via (Scart) very good, the Blacks are Blacker than Black Component very good very smooth Progressive scan Pal/NTSC.....Woo Hoo Colours ***** Smoothness ***** Image Detail...EXceeelent!!!!!! I played the Crouching Tiger DVD, good for referencing Black. The Blacks were super black and lots of depth and detail.....just black, no Macro blocking or green hue just pure Black!!! (There is a scene from inside a dimly lit room, with a window with bars looking outside at sunlight, on the 2900 and 8300 there was flickering white light from the window)......On the DV78 this was deadset steady as a rock also in the movie "HEAT" in the scene at the begining, where Val Kilner is buying explosives from the factory, there is a corrugated roof with florescent lighting. (On the dennons there is a lot of flickering from the roof. On the DV78.... 99%% of flickering white light.... gone. also in the starting scene where Robert Denero is walking from the station to the hospital, on the denons and marantz this scene looks rather murky and foggy, on the DV78 you can actually see that it is a fine cloud of mist comming from a manhole cover in the road. There is a vey good sense of depth in most scenes and really smoth motion (very hard to describe) Also I have not noticed any layer changes so far. Early days yet,,I know..but so far I am really pleeeeeeased Sound Quality: I have not fine tuned this yet, but so far I am very pleased with 5.1 CD's. Initial impression is of a very open and detailed soundstage, I reckon it will take a few more days to break in the CD player section of the DV78 in. Guess What....The DV78 unlike the Denons......Plays All my DVD-r's and anything I through at it..... ARCAM DV78 Mmmm

Strengths:
All

Weaknesses:
None apart from remote

dbastings

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
4.70 of 5, 10.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1225.00 from kennedy hifi

Summary:
I have tryed so many players and i think i have finally found one that will live up to my expectations. The arcam has the absolute BEST CD playback out of any DVD player i have owned. As for the picture it is better then most and on par with the others. Just to give you an idea of what i have owned here we go DENON DVD2800mk2 (great picture, bad cd) DENON DVD2900 (great picture, good cd) DENON DVD2910 (horrible pic, good cd) DENON DVD2200 (good pic, okay cd, quirky) SONY DvP999es (great pic&sound, quirky) NAD T562 (ok picture, great cd) MARANTZ DV6400 (great pic& awesome cd) PIONEER ELITE 47ai (okay pic, GARBAGE cd) So i guess you get my point i have tryed alot of the popular choices in this price range and i can safely recommend the ARCAM DV78. I even prefer its cd playback to my old REGA PLANET 2000, i find the ARCAM images better vertically. Its like the person singing is actually standing. Where as with ANY other player i have tryed the image was always in the middle but it was only about 3 feet off the ground. The arcams image is more like 4 or 5 feet off the ground which is more like what it is supposed to be. As for the picture its nice and smooth and the blacks are artifact free more so then any player other then the DENON DVD2900 (no video noise at all with the DENON). So to make a long story short there really isnt much to not like about this player, other then its lack of DVD audio and SACD. But as for those 2 formats i havent really seen any titles that i have wanted, so CD playback and pure picture quality is my priority in a DVD player. Thnxs for reading

Strengths:
AWESOME CD playback GOOD picture NICE looks

Weaknesses:
REMOTE SUCKS KINDA EXPENSIVE DEPTH of case

Similar Products Used:
Denon 2800mk2, 2900, 2910, 2200, Sony dvp999es, Nad t562, Marantz Dv6400, Elite 47ai.