Arcam DV78 DVD Player - Hi-Fi World

From the June 2004 issue:

At the beginning of this review I wondered if Arcam had done enough to make up for the DV78's lack of universality.  As you can probably tell by now the answer is an emphatic yes.  Those seeking SACD and/or DVD-A will be immediately put off by this machine, but those with a more open mind have a treat in store. ...the Arcam is almost unique in that's it's pretty much the only sub £1,000 player than can genuinely cut it as a star music performer.

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Arcam DV78 DVD Player - Hi-Fi Choice

From the June 2004 issue:

For hi-fi enthusiasts, the least important part of a DVD player is its picture performance.  But that's a shame, because the DV78 is a beauty for playing a picture.  Wave goodbye to those artifacts, those digital dark-cat-in-coal-bunker blockinesses and jaffy lines; the picture on the DV78 will make your TV set, plasma, or projector come alive.  Especially the latter — on a big screen, it has the layering, impressive detail, rock solid picture stability and colour needed to make Pirates Of The Caribbean feel like you are watching it at the multiplex.

But a good picture alone doesn't make a good DVD player.  Fortunately, this is a player with extremely fine sound too...  Musically the DV78 is highly competent and CD audio replay is simply sumptuous.  The performance through the analogue outputs makes it one of the few DVD players that can pass muster as a CD spinner.

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Arcam DV78 DVD Player - The Perfect Vision

From the March/April 2004 issue:

With the DV78, the engineers at Arcam aimed to set the standard for pure performance in a CD/DVD player priced at under a thousand dollars—and they've done it!.  At $999, the DV78 offers most of the video performance of Arcam's acclaimed FMJ DV27A—and a surprising amount of its stunning sound quality with CD, too.  This player holds its own with any one-thousand-dollar CD player I've heard, and just obliterates the mass-market competition.  ...the Arcam is the clear leader in pure CD/DVD performance at the $1k price point.  Video is always trump, but the DV78 might just get some of you home-theater guys back into music!

Arcam DV78 DVD Player - What Video and Widescreen TV?

From the April 2004 issue:

The first thing to marvel at with the DV78's video playback is its extraordinary tonal range.  The depth and subtlety of the darker shades make the Black Pearl in Pirates of the Caribbean even more raven-hued (great for LCD projector users).  However, it also boasts precise detail and natural contours with no artificial over-sharpening, while the colour representation is gorgeous and enchanting.

...the DV78's sound is outstanding.  It is especially clean and cogent with CD playback - using digital audio or analogue phono line out...

Arcam DV78 DVD Player - What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision

From the March 2004 issue:

DVD playback is sensational, boasting excellent levels of fine imaging and general onscreen detail...  Even with darker scenes, such as the rain-soaked shoot-out in Road to Perdition, the DV78 excels, picking out the smallest rain drops and the changing texture of Tom hanks' saturated jacket.  The Arcam's talents also extend into animation: colours in Disney's Treasure Planet were natural and realistic, without being overcooked.

When it comes to soundtracks, the Arcam reproduces them with a sense of vitality and verve..  These sonic traits are also present when the DV78 switches to CD playback.  Taking into consideration the fact that you're using a DVD player as the source, the level of sound quality on offer is impressive to say the least... For the money, the DV78 definitely gives the best of both worlds.

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