holbob

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $350.00 from Digital Direct

Summary:
I bought the DV88 last autumn as a "one-box solution" selling my Marantz cd player, and my Sony dvd player. The sound from the analogue outputs is superb, and is the reason I bought it. The picture quality was adequate, though when it came out it was very good. It wasn't as good as the Sony in that area.

Strengths:
Brilliant sound quality, traditional Arcam "warm" sounding

Weaknesses:
Only adequate visual quality compared to modern day players Far too pricey, still is second hand

Similar Products Used:
Marantz Cd7300 Moodlab Nos Dac Benchmark Dac1 Sony CDP-XB930E QS

bbolival

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.50 of 5, 8.00 votes

Price Paid:  $700.00 from www.audiogon.com

Summary:
I'm writing a review about the CD player capabilities of this DVD-CD player offering from Arcam. I have an Arcam DV88 which i bought over at Audiogon for $700. Reading through the reviews of the DV88, most have claimed that the CD72/CD72T sounds a tad better than the DV88. I think this claim might have been clouded by bias that stand-alone CD players is better than DVD players. I happen to have an Arcam CD72 in my rack so one day i tried comparing the quality of the sound of the DV88 and the CD72 without bias. I used several CDs from different musical genres for my test (name it: jazz, classical, pop, rock, downtempo, electronica) and I was surprised to discover that the DV88 beat the CD72 hands down ! The DV88 produced better air, detail, and pace compared to my CD72. Listening to Cds using my DV88 was more enjoyable than listening to my CD72. Reading more about the DV88, I discovered that this player had Wolfson DACs compared to the CD72 Burr-Browns. If you have been following the development of Arcam's products, Arcam now claims that the Wolfson DACs are one of the best in the world today. Moreover, they have have started equipping their new models (CD73, CD93, and CD33) with Wolfsons! As a footnote, the highly acclaimed CD82T happens to be equipped with Wolfson DACs as well. So if you are on a budget and in the hunt for a DVD player that produces high quality CD playback, the Arcam DV88 delivers. And mind you, there is no need for a CD72 or CD 73 whatsoever. I consider the Arcam CD72 as a good CD player but my listening experience tells me that the DV88 is better than it. If you are an owner of both the DV88 and a CD72/72T player do the test yourself and im sure you will agree with me (just make sure you use the analogue outputs and not the digital outputs). Equipment used for the test: Mission 783 speakers (bi-wired) Arcam DV88 DVD player Arcam CD 72 CD Player Arcam AVR 100 Receiver DH Labs Air Matrix Interconencts DH Labs Q10 speaker cables Absolute Power Cord Furman Power Conditioner

Strengths:
Airy, Detailed, good Paced CD Player (I am reviewing the player with regards to its CD playback merits). You get a good CD player and a very good DVD player in one!

Weaknesses:
none for its price range

Similar Products Used:
Marantz 6000 OSE, Technics PGL-4, Naim

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from Sevenoaks HiFi

Summary:
When my Micromedia died I was faced with having to buy another combi DVD CD player. Arcam FMJ or DV88+ where the choices. I plumbed for the DV88+ so that I can buy a separate CD player later. Was i disapointed - NO. In fact very surprised. After making a trip to collect a new set of Chord Company cables (Interconnects Digiatal and S Cable) I can say that when connected to the Yamaha AX1 and Ruark surround sound system (Chord Company speaker cable all round miles of the stuff) I have a sound that makes me feel young again. It is bright and honest, positively alive and fab really. Well worth the wait - well done Arcam and Chord Company (my old interconnects had faded).

Strengths:
Surround Sound - Real not seperated Analog Audio - Honest and bright Picture - Crystal

Weaknesses:
Remote no good for people with poor eye sight - me. Have programmed the AX1 controls to do the business.

Similar Products Used:
Micromega Premium DVD player.

Price Paid:  $999.00 from Audio Excellence

Summary:
A fantastic DVD player, extremely capable in audio as well. Well worth auditioning if you have the money, a massive step up from cheaper players. This player will amaze you with the quality of its pictures, and delight you with the quality of its sound when paired with the right kit. It plays almost everything you can put in it, is multi-region, and looks stunning too, especially when alongside other units from Arcam.

Strengths:
In DVD mode, this player gives a flawless picture. I have a Loewre Aconda TV hooked up through RGB Scart, and the picture quality is fantastic. The colour saturation is great, even with "difficult" films like Se7en, filmed in very dark conditions. The same is true with films which are deliberately "hued" like "Traffic", it handles reds, burnt out deserts or whatever in a truly lifelike manner. No hint of picture crawl or pixelation, and digital films like "Monsters Inc" are staggeringly good. Plays just about anything, I've had no trouble with DVD copies, CDRs, CDWs and VCDs. For music, this is a great sounding player, much like the Arcam CD players, perhaps on a par with the CD72. Not over exciting, not brash or too dynamic, but very musical, might be a bit too mellow for some. It copes well with all types of music, I prefer acoustic, detailed music, and this is handled with good clarity and clear resolution. With rock and metal it might sound a bit too laid-back for some, and although capable of quite good attack, perhaps a bit too refined for lovers of this genre. I have it paired with an Arcam AVR-100, it would probably sound even better with a hi-fi amp..

Weaknesses:
Makes older DVDs show their age, e.g. the difference between Terminator and T2 is marked. Needs expensive upgrade for DVD-A - any time no. No progressive scan. The remote is over fussy, though I've now had the latest upgrade, track and chapter selection is razor sharp. My player had a rather noisy transport, and I was learning to live with it until I read the review by "Plind" (from Netherlands) on this site. Contacted my dealer, and Arcam took the unit back, and have replaced it with a new (DV88+) transport mech, which is silent. All this plus the software and firmware updates, on a machine 20 months old and out of warranty - for FREE!! Took 2 weeks, but well worth it, well done Arcam!! Still haven't got it to show me JPEGs from a CD as my dealer has said it will do though...any tips welcomed! Doesn't support EX, and more discs are coming along with this, maybe it can be upgraded?..

Similar Products Used:
Auditioned Denon and Rotel at this price point, also Naim CD5 for music only (Naim was better sounding, but I needed DVD etc. for the family!!)

Price Paid:  $500.00

Summary:
A superbly built piece of equipment. Very heavy, although this could just be a couple of lead weights in the bottom to make you feel like you have brought something expensive, it really does add to the quality feel of the DVD player.

Strengths:
Very good quality sound and image, it was initially like I replaced my speakers and brought better ones! Very clear sound and the image was very crisp!

Weaknesses:
I started to notice a lip sync problem on certain films, over the 5 weeks I have had it, it got worse and worse depending on what film I was watching. Unforunately I have had to take it back and try another DV88, and that has the same problem! Yet all the films that were out with lip sync played perfectly on my old player! The DV88+ was not quite so bad as I tried this in the shop. Worth checking out if you are sensitive to lip sync issues before buying one. I now have a Denon 2800 mkII, although the image and sound quality is not up to the DV88 standards, I am happy there are no lip sync issues any more. Due to this I have only given the product a 3....