Arcam dv27 any good?

[andynumpty]

Can any one who has a dv27 tell me if it is worth the extra money for a good prog scan dvd player.
Andy

[Cool-hand]

yes it is.

[kevshed]

Sure.... I love mine - but in order for good return on investment you need to appreciate the Audio aspects of the player. If you are looking for it purely as a DVD-Video source, you can get the same results from a cheaper player...

My 2 cents...

Kev

[andynumpty]

I am only interested in the dvd picture & sound performance.

[Dimmy]

In which case a DV88+ would make more sense

[NicolasB]

Assuming that you are using an external decoder to produce surround sound for DVDs, the player will not have all that much influence on the sound quality. It will have rather more if you want to play CDs using an external decoder, and even more if you want to use the player as a stand-alone CD player with only an external pre-amp. The DV27 is a surprisingly impressive stand-alone CD player, comparable with dedicated CD players costing £900 or so. But as I say, it won't make as much difference for DD or DTS sound.

The DV27A might also be a very good buy if you want to get into DVD-Audio.

The progressive scan video output from the DV27 is pretty good, but if that's all that matters to you then it's probably not worth paying £1600 for. You'd be better off buying a cheaper player (maybe one that doesn't suffer from the chroma bug) and (perhaps) using a stand-alone external deinterlacer such as the IScan Ultra.

[kevshed]

Agree with the above posts...

When i bought my DV27 it was for video... but at the time, there wasnt a DV88+ or much similar.. so i thought what they hell and bought it.

If i was buying today, id probably look at DV88+ and a scaler of some type.... and still have change from the DV27 price...

As mentioned by the others.. if you cannot appreciate the DV27s analogue performance... i wouldnt by it.

Kev

[steve36]

FMJ27 - wow, even with my Yamaha DSP-A1 it's CD playback is superb.

But, no DVI-Out, some chroma bug (visible on large screens).

I'm still glad I bought this one 4 weeks ago !

Steve.

[sticker]

Superb CD playback, easily the equal of most sub £1,000 players. The only player that I have heard that beats it is the Meridian 507, but as that's a dedicated CD player you would expect it to.

Think DVI may be an upgrade potential for this player if its the same inside as the DV88+

As to whether the DV88+ is better value for money I would say that from the demo's that I have done back to back then it depends on where you put ypur priorities. If, as I did, you don't want to sacrifice CD replay and want a very high level then the DV27 imho is better value. In addition imo the picture on the DV27+ is slightly better than the DV88+, certainly on bigger screens. They are both great players, I think a little over priced perhaps but they are upgradable, as has been proved.

Best bet would be to get them both for home loan and see what swings it for you.

Another idea might be to buy an older DV27 second hand for arouns £650 or so and upgrade it to full DV27A spec for £400. That way you have a superb player for just over £1k.

Regards
John

[spiderv6]

can you still buy a DV27? I was told that it was no longer available and only the DV27A was in production (1600 vs 1900).

I'm not that bothered about DVD-A so have been holding back to decide what to do. A plain old DV27 is al I want......

[Nick Laslett]

The Arcam FMJ27A has the chroma bug.

When I did a shootout between the Denon 3800 and the FMJ27A, the chroma bug was the only thing to differentiate the two players. Unfortnunately it is very difficult to see the chroma bug unless you have a large display 42"+. It is also not that easy to spot in real world film conditions, only on menu screens and when the image is paused.

Using the THX Optimiser to compare the two players simultanously, the Denon was the clear winner. When viewing actual film footage, I could discern no difference.

For the price they are asking for the FMJ I would like to be a little more impressed.

This comes from an Arcam stalwart. I have an Alpha 6 CD player, Alpha 6 amp and Alpha 8 Power amp. Great company, btw.

Originally posted by Nick Laslett
Using the THX Optimiser to compare the two players simultanously, the Denon was the clear winner.

How exactly did you test both at the same time? Is the 3800 adjustable so that the display need not be adjusted for each player? For instance, I have a Laserdisc player that looks at it's best when the display is adjusted differently than when I use my DVD player.

What was the display used and how were the players connected (component, progressive, etc...). I'm also curious to know which of the Optimiser test(s) you used to establish the 3800 as clearly superior.

Thanks,
Rafael

[StooMonster]

Originally posted by spiderv6
A plain old DV27 is al I want......

Try and get the DV27+ it's even better than plain old DV27...

...same improved video performance as DV27A, but without the DVD-Audio stuff.

Chroma bug? Certainly much less apparent on these players than most, and when compared to the pros not a serious concern IMHO.

StooMonster

[Nick Laslett]

Originally posted by rafaelp
How exactly did you test both at the same time? Is the 3800 adjustable so that the display need not be adjusted for each player? For instance, I have a Laserdisc player that looks at it's best when the display is adjusted differently than when I use my DVD player.

What was the display used and how were the players connected (component, progressive, etc...). I'm also curious to know which of the Optimiser test(s) you used to establish the 3800 as clearly superior.

Thanks,
Rafael

PAL Progressive Scan Shootout – Arcam FMJ27A versus Denon DVD-3800

I am going to be comparing these two DVD players over the next couple of days. I will be focusing on their PAL progressive scan capabilities. I only have a few NTSC DVDs and do not have 2 copies of any of these so a direct comparison of their NTSC capabilities will not be possible. I have to return the equipment this Saturday. The Arcam FMJ27A is brand new. The Denon DVD-3800 has a build date of December 2002. They are both multi-region and PAL progressive scan enabled. My current DVD player is a Toshiba 2109b, which has given me sterling service for the last 4 years.

OTHER EQUIPMENT:
Panasonic 42PWD4B plasma panel
Key Digital KD-SW4x1 component switch

DVDs: (Two copies of each)
Moulin Rouge (20th Century Fox)
Saving Private Ryan (Paramount)
Shakespeare in Love (Colombia)
You’ve Got Mail (Warner)
Toy Story (Disney)
Patton (20th Century Fox)
Zulu (Paramount)

APPROACH:
I will connect both DVD players to the Key Digital component switch using identical component cables. This in turn will be connected to the Panasonic plasma panel. I will use the THX Optimizer include with the “Attack of the Clones” DVD to calibrate the plasma panel for both the DVD players. Their picture settings will be maintained separately, using the Normal picture options for one DVD player and the Cinema picture options for the other. (I assume that there is no difference on the plasma panel between the two picture settings once they have been calibrated?)

To compare the two DVD players, I will load the same DVD Film into each DVD player and set up an A - B repeat. I will then switch between the two players using the Key Digital Component switch and at the same time change the picture options on the Plasma panel to match the respective DVD player. By using this approach I should be able to compare the two players with very little time delay between the viewing images.

I am limited in my choice of DVD Films to those where I have access to more than one copy. I have raided my parent’s DVD collection, but we have very few films in common. Despite this, I have managed in my opinion to assemble a good cross section of films spanning a decent period of time. Although the 80’s is not represented!

CONSIDERATIONS:
The Key Digital component switch will obviously affect the test in some way. When connected direct to the plasma panel the DVD players may perform differently. The Key Digital component switch is a highly rated piece of equipment, as it will feature in my final configuration I am not that concerned about its effects on the test. One plus point is that without the component switch it would be a lot harder to compare the two DVD players.

The fixed resolution of the Panasonic 42PWD4B plasma panel at only 480 lines is below the native resolution of PAL DVDs at 575 lines. The Scaler inside the plasma panel will have to down-scale the resolution of the DVD players outputs to match screen. This will have some effect on the final image quality. Whether this scaling effects different DVD players in different ways I do not know? Because of this down-scaling, someone with a High Definition plasma panel might come to a different conclusion when testing these DVD players.

I hope this answers your questions.

[General Skanky]

Just bought mine 2nd hand from Mark Ward.

Only had it a day, but my firt impressions are that it is in my opinion a fantastic player.

Picture quality is first rate. I only use prog scan. It is every bit as good as the newer 88+ which I did have.

Audio is clearly leagues ahead. CDs sound very very good indeed. And DVDs are very involving indeed. Played three or four cds and watched some 24 and a film so far. It's been a total pleasure.

There is also something else to a DV27. It exudes a quality feel to it that really does make it a joy to own. It's not something I can define, you have one and just 'know' it's bloody good at what it does.

For me a fantastic machine to have.

I wouldn't be happy with just another player, they don't impart the same feeling to me. I know, I've had a Panasonic, Yamaha, Pioneer, Arcam 88+ and demoed a Primare. All were good to excellent, but this one is simply put the very best dvd player I've owned.

And that's my first impression.