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Arcam
FMJ DV29
DVD-Audio/Video Player
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DescriptionModel:
FMJ DV29
Price: $3000 USD
Dimensions: 16.9"W x 3.3"H x 13.4"D
Weight: 13.6 pounds
Warranty: Two years parts and labor
Features
- Designed and built in the UK
- HDMI video output
- RGB SCART video output
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Features (cont'd)
- DVD-Audio, DTS, Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, HDCD
decoding
- MP3, WMA, Photo CD, JPEG playback
- NTSC and PAL conversion
- Wolfson WM8740 audio DACs
- Zoran Vaddis 5 video processor
- 12-bit/216MHz Analog Devices video DACs
- Comprehensive bass management including adjustable crossover
- Acousteel trilaminate chassis
- Twin toroidal mains transformers
- Removable IEC power cord
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With HD DVD already launched, Blu-ray
just around the corner, and mass-market DVD players with respectable performance available
for well under $100, a high-performance DVD-only player might not seem a very good
investment right now. But neither of the new high-definition formats will likely replace
the standard DVD-Video disc anytime soon, and a $100 DVD player won't do justice to a
high-performance audio/video system. If you have such a system, it only makes sense that
your DVD player is of commensurate quality.
Like most specialty A/V manufacturers, Arcam offers good
DVD players alongside their other electronic components. Unlike most of them, Arcam
designs and manufactures its players -- everything but the transport mechanism -- from the
ground up. This is quite a feat for a mid-sized company, and Arcam is proud of the video
and audio performance of its players. I was greatly impressed with the performance of
their DiVA DV79 DVD-Audio/Video player, which I
reviewed in May of 2005; this time, they sent me the top of their line, the FMJ DV29
($3000).
Full Metal Jacket
Arcam’s statement-level components comprise its Full
Metal Jacket (FMJ) line, whose chassis are built of Arcam’s trilaminate Acousteel,
said to damp mechanical resonance. Although the FMJ DV29 looks very similar to
Arcam’s other DVD and CD players, it seems to have a more substantial build quality
and better cosmetics. Its sleek lines, simple yet stylish, definitely mark it as an Arcam
product -- not a bad thing.
 The FMJ DV29 can output analog
video via its composite, S-video, component, and SCART jacks. The HDMI interface will
output up to eight channels of 24-bit/192kHz audio and interlaced video, which few
players do, and lets users take advantage of the high-quality deinterlacing built into
outboard video scalers. There are optical and coaxial digital audio inputs and 5.1-channel
analog audio outputs, and an additional set of analog stereo outputs. There are also
RS-232 and remote-control inputs and a removable IEC power cord.
The FMJ DV29’s specifications are impressive. It has
six 12-bit/216MHz Analog Devices video DACs and a Zoran Vaddis 5 processor with per-pixel
motion-adaptive progressive scan. On the audio side are 24/192 Wolfson WM8740 DACs and a
32-bit Zoran DSP chip. There is built-in audio decoding for Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic
II, DTS, and HDCD. The FMJ DV29 will play back DVD-V, DVD-A, CD, VCD, and SVCD discs, as
well as CDs containing MP3, WMA, JPEG, and Photo CD files.
Audio delays can be set from 0 to a maximum of 20’ or
6m for the center, front, and surround channels. The Arcam’s bass management permits
a common crossover frequency to be set from 50 to 150Hz in 10Hz steps. The center, main,
and surround speakers can then be set to Large or Small and is applicable to all audio
formats, including DVD-A. An additional Stereo+Sub mode allows bass to be directed to the
subwoofer for two-channel sources. Trim levels for each channel can be set from -10dB to
0dB. The Dimension, Center Width, and Panorama modes can be adjusted for Dolby Pro Logic
II processing. There is a Compression mode for late-night listening, but it works only
with Dolby Digital recordings. Finally, a lip-sync delay, to compensate for out-of-sync
audio created by outboard video processing, is adjustable from 0 to 150ms. The DV29 also
has some video adjustment: settings for YUV or RGB output through the HDMI interface,
black-level settings of 0 or 7.5 IRE, and PAL or NTSC output.
The FMJ DV29’s user interface is excellent. The
intuitive menu system has attractive, professional-looking menus that are easy to read and
put most other players to shame. About the only problem I had with the DV29’s
operation was its relatively slow recognition of discs. This could take several seconds,
especially burned discs and the CD layers of hybrid SACDs.
Video
As a video player and digital transport for audio, the FMJ
DV29 was an outstanding performer. The picture had a smooth, natural look that was always
pleasing to watch. The sound from the digital and analog outputs was first-rate --
so good, in fact, that the Arcam became my reference CD player during the time it spent in
my system.
The DV29 did exhibit some video artifacts when running
torture tests such as those on the HQV Benchmark test DVD, but very few players do
not. In everyday use, I noticed no problems with the picture. Progressive-scan signals
from both component video and HDMI, converted to DVI, looked exceptional on my video
display. That display may be only a 34" HD-ready, direct-view CRT from JVC, and
fairly ordinary by today’s standards, but I love the deep blacks and vibrant colors
it produces.
The supersaturated colors and brilliant blacks of Sin
City’s hyperexaggerated visuals were mesmerizing in their clarity. The
level of detail in the pastel hues of Buzz Lightyear’s space suit and the faces of
the toys in the new Toy Story 2 Special Edition DVD revealed minute details that I
hadn’t noticed before. This enhanced the suspension of disbelief in accepting the
toys’ world. While the bright colors and sharp details of Toy Story 2 were
eye-catching, the faint reflections in Buzz’s helmet were astonishingly realistic and
even more remarkable to behold. The reference-quality video of Driven, starring
Sylvester Stallone, was also incredibly detailed while remaining extremely smooth, and
never looking harsh or unnatural.
Sound
The FMJ DV29’s sound was, in a word, glorious. Dolby
Digital and DTS movie soundtracks fed to my Anthem D1 surround processor sounded
exceptionally clean and well defined.
The soundtrack of Peter Jackson’s King Kong is
sometimes recorded at relatively low levels, but is well crafted, with a densely textured
quality. Kong’s ascent of the Empire State Building is accompanied by a beautiful
serenade of strings as sirens gently wail in the background. In the great ape’s final
moments, the music builds to a quiet crescendo as Kong roars and Naomi Watts screams, all
at a surprisingly low volume. Kong’s final breaths and the subtle sounds of wind are
shattered only by a burst of machine-gun fire, and then there is quiet as haunting vocals
fill the air. The DV29 was able to communicate all of the subtlety and emotion of this
incredibly delicate and complex soundtrack.
The vocals on the DTS music DVD of Alison Krauss + Union
Station Live were a little forward but rich and smooth, with plenty of body and little
sibilance. Jerry Douglas’s dobro guitar was delightfully twangy, and combined with
the other acoustic instruments to create a lush symphony of sound.
Although the FMJ DV29 was an excellent digital transport,
the sound through its analog outputs was even better. I’ve become accustomed to the
less than inspiring CD performance of most DVD players; the DV29 is the only DVD device
I’ve used that provided what I consider to be reference-quality CD playback. I even
preferred its sound to that of the high-quality internal DACs of my Anthem D1 processor,
which sound excellent.
The new Dixie Chicks CD, Taking the Long Way
[Columbia 82876 80739 2], produced by Rick Rubin, can sound a little sparse at times, but
through the DV29 it never sounded thin or harsh. Voices were placed precisely in the
soundstage, as were the mostly acoustic instruments. The Chicks have something to say on
this album, and their compelling vocals and lyrics came through with the DV29. The
melancholy of "Easy Silence" and the anger of "Not Ready to Make Nice"
were readily apparent. This powerful album was masterfully reproduced by the FMJ DV29.
The Arcam’s pristine audio performance and ability to
retrieve loads of inner detail without sounding analytical made me want to listen to all
of my CDs through it. During the review period I continually found myself digging through
my music collection to enjoy favorite songs on the FMJ DV29, which provided the best CD
playback I’ve had in my system -- high praise for a DVD player.
Although DVD-A releases are becoming rare, the DV29’s
DVD-A performance was spectacular. AIX’s Zephyr: Voices Unbound threw up a
totally coherent 360-degree soundstage with clearly defined images in all directions. Both
male and female vocals sounded sweet, and the excellent delineation of individual voices
was spine-tinglingly realistic.
Comparison
During the course of this review, I briefly had the
much-praised Denon DVD-3910 universal audio/video player in my system. The Denon’s
video quality was superior to the FMJ DV29’s, with a more detailed and neutral look.
However, the Arcam countered with a slightly softer but more filmlike picture. The Denon
did a better job with many of the test signals on the HQV Benchmark test DVD, but
even it couldn’t pass all of that disc’s difficult tests. The Arcam can’t
upconvert video to higher resolutions, but I find that most DVD players that can
don’t have particularly good scalers. Even with the Denon DVD-3910, I couldn’t
decide whether I preferred the enhanced detail of its upconverted picture -- the noise and
other artifacts sometimes introduced by the Denon’s upconversion circuits gave the
picture a bit of an unnatural "digital" look.
Where the Arcam distanced itself from the Denon and every
other DVD player I’ve had in my system was in its audio performance. The Denon
DVD-3910 is a pretty good CD player, and makes SACDs and DVD-As sound very good; the same
can be said of my Pioneer Elite DV-45A. But the FMJ DV29 was an outstanding CD player, and
its DVD-A playback was absolutely stunning. I’d thought that Arcam’s DiVA DV79
had been an excellent CD player, but I’d still preferred the sound of my Anthem D1
processor’s internal DACs for CDs. With the FMJ DV29, I now have a new reference for
CD playback.
The FMJ DV29 was somewhat laid-back, with a cleaner, more
precise sound than the D1 processor. This resulted in the Arcam having a slightly more
refined quality, with more "air" around individual voices and instruments. The
well-recorded vocals on James Blunt’s Back to Bedlam [CD, Atlantic 75678
37522], for example, had a liquidity that was almost ethereal. The D1 was a little darker
and more upfront, which provided a bigger, more visceral sound that was also extremely
enjoyable if a bit less transparent. Overall, I slightly preferred the DV29, which was
better able to unravel complex passages with more precise imaging while maintaining a
fluid, musical sound.
A player for today and tomorrow
You may be putting off buying a new DVD player until the
dust settles between the rival Blu-ray and HD DVD formats. But that might take years,
and in the meantime, most films will probably continue to be released on standard DVD-V
and music titles on audio CD. If you’re looking for a DVD player today that
will provide excellent video quality and amazing CD sound, the Arcam FMJ DV29 will be hard
to resist. If I were in the market for a high-end DVD player, the FMJ DV29 would be at the
top of my list. If the decision were up to the audiophile in me, I would also use the DV29
as my reference CD player.
| Review
System |
| Speakers - Paradigm
Signature S8 (mains), Paradigm Signature C3 (center), Mirage Omni 260 (surrounds),
Paradigm Reference Servo-15 v.2 (subwoofer) |
| Preamplifier-Processor
- Anthem Statement D1 |
| Amplifiers - Bel Canto eVo4
Gen.II, Bel Canto eVo6 |
| Sources
- Arcam DiVA DV79 DVD-A/V player; Pioneer Elite DV-45A, Denon DVD-3910 universal A/V
players |
| Cables - Analysis Plus,
Audio Magic, Shunyata Research, ESP |
| Display
Device - JVC 34" direct-view CRT TV |
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