DVD Players

Platinum Award


Ayre Acoustics DX-7


$6000

It isn't a universal player, and it offers only digital audio outputs along with its full complement of video outputs (including DVI), but as reviewer Fred Manteghian noted, "The Ayre DX-7 offers something that can't be ignored: a beautiful picture that, in some cases, compares with the best I've seen in my system."

"Used as a transport for audio CDs," noted Fred, "the Ayre DX-7 was pristine. . .the DX-7 produced tight, tuneful bass and a fluid midrange replete with detail...The video tests didn't need to tell me what my eyes already knew: the DX-7 came into its own as the perfect source for fixed-pixel displays...Watching Kill Bill, Vol.1 (DVD, Miramax 32210) on the Fujitsu plasma was extraordinary. The fight scene in chapter 3 offers lots of fast-flying fur as Uma Thurman and Vivica A. Fox turn into human Cuisinarts. The Ayre produced smooth, artifact-free motion.

If what you want is a great picture—particularly from a DVI-equipped DLP, Sony SXRD, or JVC D-ILA front projector throwing images on an 8-foot-wide, high-end Stewart or DaLite screen," Fred concluded, "the Ayre DX-7 has got to be on your short list."


www.ultimateavmag.com/dvdplayers/904ayre/

Gold Award


V, Inc. Bravo D2


$249

V, Inc.'s Bravo D1, at $199, was the first DVD player to bring a DVI output within the reach of virtually every home theater enthusiast. But in other respects it was simply a beer-budget DVD player. The Bravo D2 corrected most of the problems of the D1, while retaining that exceptional DVI performance.

The Bravo D2's cosmetics are spiffier than the D1's, but you'll still never mistake it for a high-end player from its looks alone. But with its DVI output it comes remarkably close to the video performance of the best players on the market. The D2's DVI connection not only gives you the option of upconverting your DVDs to 480p, 720p, or 1080i, but a special Custom DVI setup screen lets you change the player's resolution to exactly match the native resolution of your display device.

The player isn't perfect; its de-interlacing could be better. But that limitation was more evident on our de-interlacing torture-test discs than on most real-world program material. "All idiosyncrasies aside," noted reviewer Fred Manteghian, "the real reason to acquire a Bravo D2 is the quality of its DVI output, which, in a word, is stunning."


www.ultimateavmag.com/dvdplayers/904v/

AV Receivers

Platinum Award


Lexicon RV-8


$8000

The Lexicon RV-8 impressed Michael Fremer so much that he has made it a permanent fixture in his home theater reference system. It may be the most expensive receiver on the market, but for MF its performance exceeded that of even some very pricey separates he has reviewed in the past year. And in functionality and configurability, the Lexicon far surpassed them.

"The Lexicon RV-8 is, by a wide margin," MF wrote, "the best sounding A/V receiver I have ever heard; its surround sound processing acumen is singular in my experience. So it was a no-brainer for me: I bought the review sample. It is a genuine reference against which I can measure the performance of both A/V receivers and separates. It's a splendid piece that I can recommend with great enthusiasm. If you can drop $8000 on an A/V receiver, get this. You won't be disappointed."


www.ultimateavmag.com/avreceivers/405lexicon/

Gold Award


ARCAM DiVA AVR250


$1599

While it certainly has everything most home theater fans need—plenty of inputs (though there's no HDMI video switching), multichannel analog bypass, all the surround modes you could want), Larry Ullman was impressed most of all by the sound of this superb Arcam receiver.

"When reproducing a well-engineered 2-channel recording of acoustic instruments or voices," LEU wrote, "I felt that I was listening in on musicians performing within an actual acoustic space, rather than just hearing a flat representation coming out of a speaker. To me, this is what high-end audio is all about."

He was no less impressed by the Arcam's performance on multichannel soundtracks, despite the receiver's modest 75Wpc rating into 8Ω. "Multichannel mayhem such as the landing scene in Saving Private Ryan was also handled without breaking a sweat—I never got the feeling that the amps were running out of headroom. And remember, my system consists of full-range L/R speakers with no subwoofer, so the Arcam was doing all the heavy sonic lifting.

I've been reviewing home theater gear since 1989," Larry concluded, "and this is the first time I've ever been tempted to describe the sound of an AV receiver as thrilling."


www.ultimateavmag.com/avreceivers/605arcam/