March 2009 Reviewed by Roger Kanno	Cambridge Audio DVD99 SACD/CD/DVD-Audio Player

Description Model: DVD99 Price: $349 USD Dimensions: 16.9"W x 2.2"H x 10.4"D Weight: 5.7 pounds Warranty: Two years parts and labor Features Playback of SACD, CD, DVD-Audio/Video, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-R/RW, DivX, MP4	Features (cont'd) Video upscaling to 480i/p, 576i/p, 720p, 1080i/p NTSC and PAL compatible Component, composite, S-video, SCART/RGB video outputs HDMI 1.3 output DSD bitstream output via HDMI or converted to PCM 7.1-channel coaxial and optical digital audio outputs 7.1-channel analog audio outputs Dolby Digital and DTS converters USB input Removable IEC power cord

Machines that can play SACDs and DVD-Audio discs in addition to DVD-Videos are becoming somewhat rare these days. A few years ago, many mass-market electronics companies offered such models, but "universal" players today are primarily the domain of specialty audio/video manufacturers. Cambridge Audio is one of those manufacturers that specialize in high-quality electronics at reasonable prices. Although they built their reputation on high-value stereo components, they now also offer a full line of surround-sound receivers and SACD/CD/DVD-Audio/Video players. The model I received for review was their DVD99 ($349).

At Home Theater & Sound, our primary objective is to assess the performance of A/V components in a multichannel home-theater system. However, Cambridge’s reputation for producing excellent-sounding audio gear made me curious to see how well this inexpensive player would perform with audio-only CDs, SACDs, and DVD-As.

Description

The Cambridge Audio DVD99 is built more robustly than an inexpensive mass-market DVD player. While relatively small at 16.9"W x 2.2"H x 10.4"D, it weighs a reasonable 5.7 pounds and has a metal faceplate and a solid feel. However, its connectors are spaced relatively closely together on the rear panel, which might make connection of large, audiophile-approved cables difficult. Still, its overall build quality is on a par with similarly priced components from other specialty A/V manufacturers, such as CD players and integrated amplifiers; in short, it’s solidly built.

The rear panel has outputs for 7.1-channel analog audio, and optical and coaxial digital audio; component, composite, and S-video; RGB/SCART; and HDMI 1.3. A USB 2.0 input is provided on the front panel. The power cord is a standard full-size IEC, so an aftermarket cord can be used.

In addition to standard DVD-V, DVD-A, SACD, CD, CD-R, and DVD+/-R, the DVD99 can also play DivX, MP4, and display JPEGs, either from optical disc or from storage devices connected via its USB 2.0 input. Although I couldn’t test it, there’s also an option for outputting the DSD bitstream from SACDs via its HDMI output. I was able to confirm that, via HDMI, the DVD99 can also output a DSD signal converted to high-resolution PCM (88.2kHz), as well as PCM, from DVD-A discs. And it supports PAL DVDs.

The video resolution can be set to 480i/p, 720p, 1080i/p, or 576i/p (for PAL), and there are settings for such image parameters as Sharpness, Brightness, Contrast, Hue, Gamma, etc. There are also settings for speaker size (Large or Small), channel delays and levels, and the various controls needed for basic setup of a multichannel audio system. Like Oppo’s universal players, the DVD99 can be made region-free, and with the same combination of keystrokes. The menu system of the DVD99 is also very similar, if not identical, to that of the Oppo players. If one draws the obvious conclusion -- that the DVD99 is at least partially based on an Oppo design -- that is not a bad thing.

My only real complaint about the DVD99 was its relatively small, faint blue LED display, which was difficult to read from a distance or when seated more than a few degrees off axis. I guess most people will use the onscreen display, but I still like the convenience of being able to quickly read the track number and elapsed time on a disc, especially when playing CDs and SACDs without a video display turned on.

Setup

I connected the DVD99 either directly to my video monitor via its HDMI output to assess the performance of its internal video processing, or to an Anthem Statement D2 audio/video processor ($7499) with Gennum VXP video processing for comparison purposes. To assess the DVD99’s performance as an audio player, I connected its analog audio outputs to the Anthem’s analog inputs.

Performance

The DVD99’s video performance was excellent. Sending a 480i signal to the Anthem Statement D2 A/V processor resulted in an outstanding picture, as expected. Bypassing the D2 and sending the signal directly to my 56" JVC 1080p rear projector still resulted in exceptional picture quality, even when I used the Cambridge’s built-in video processing to scale the resolution up to 1080p. Although the quality of the DVD99’s internal video processing was very good, I noticed a slight edginess and noise in the picture, especially when the scaling was set to 1080p. I found that setting the player’s Sharpness control to Soft took away some of this noise, but also resulted in a slight loss of perceived detail. Nonetheless, I thought this combination provided the best combination of detail and lack of noise; your preference may differ.

Cambridge doesn’t specify what chipset the DVD99 uses for video processing, but the quality of its deinterlacing was superb. It performed nearly perfectly on the "Jaggies" tests from the Silicon Optix HQV Benchmark test DVD. It did have some difficulties reproducing the stair sequence in chapter 8 of Mission: Impossible III, but it performed much better than most players, and locked on after only a brief delay. Desperado on Superbit DVD looked absolutely gorgeous. I never tire of watching Salma Hayek in this movie, and with the DVD99, the picture was smooth and filmlike. Although upscaled DVDs can’t approach the quality of a good Blu-ray Disc, they can still look very good, especially on slow-moving close-ups. In such scenes, Hayek’s jet-black hair shimmered naturally in the sunlight, and her flawless complexion appeared silky smooth. Colors on this disc can sometimes appear slightly reddish, but were otherwise beautifully rendered by the DVD99.

The DVD99 had superb video performance, but where it really excelled was in the playback of hi-rez audio discs. Listening to Neil Young’s singing on the 24-bit/96kHz DVD-V version of his Greatest Hits (CD+DVD, Reprise 093624892427) was extremely revealing. The immediacy of his voice on "After the Gold Rush" and "The Needle and the Damage Done" was mesmerizing. I had to keep reminding myself that I was listening to an inexpensive universal player, so good was the sound. I was equally impressed when listening to his Massey Hall 1971 (CD+DVD, Reprise 093624332725), which captures the wonderful intimacy of this concert. With Young’s gentle piano playing, and vocals that are sometimes merely a whisper, songs such as "See the Sky About to Rain" were truly moving.

The DVD-A version of Diana Krall’s Love Scenes (Impulse! 04400532479) is still one of my favorite hi-rez recordings of female vocals, and it sounded excellent through the Cambridge DVD99. Krall’s voice sounded stunning on track 1, "All or Nothing At All," but it was the articulation of Christian McBride’s standup bass that surprised me. Not only were the bass notes deep and extended, but the speed and precision with which they changed pitch were remarkable. The bass was also impressive on "My Love Is," and the finger snaps sounded extremely realistic, set well back in the soundstage with a great sense of depth. SACDs, such as Krall’s Girl in the Other Room (Verve 602498620465), were just as enjoyable, with that sense of ease and naturalness that I associate with hi-rez recordings.

The DVD99 was also a very capable CD player, exhibiting with "Red Book" CDs a coherent, transparent sound that was similar to what it reproduced from higher-resolution formats. Even older recordings, such as Jennifer Warnes’ Famous Blue Raincoat: 20th Anniversary Edition (CD, Universal 776974255424), remastered in 2007, sounded smooth and highly listenable. CDs had plenty of body and dimensionality, things rarely heard from budget-priced players.

Comparison

The video performance of the DVD99 was noticeably better than that of the Oppo DV-970HD ($149, discontinued). There was less shimmering and stair-stepping on the "Jaggies" torture tests on the HQV Benchmark DVD. There also appeared to be less of the video noise that can occur when upscaling DVDs to 720p or 1080i/p. Like the Oppo DV-970HD, the DVD99 can output 480i via HDMI, which is a benefit to those using external video processing. Although the DVD99 had very good video performance, sending 480i video to the Anthem Statement D2 to let its Gennum VXP chipset handle the video processing resulted in an even better picture.

Upscaled DVDs had a little less video noise through the D2, including the night scenes on HQV Benchmark; the same scenes were noticeably noisier through the DVD99, especially when upscaled to 1080i or 1080p. However, the DVD99 was able to more quickly lock on to the bleachers in the oval racetrack scene, and once it did, its image remained detailed and free of moiré patterns. Overall, DVD images upscaled by the Anthem D2 were a little cleaner and less noisy, and there was a tad more "pop" from DVDs of computer-animated features, such as Pixar’s Cars -- the picture was a bit more smooth and "realistic," if that’s possible for an animated film. For instance, shading effects were more finely detailed with the Anthem, which gave Cars a greater sense of space and dimensionality. Nonetheless, the DVD99’s video quality was exceptional for such a modestly priced player.

The Cambridge DVD99 distanced itself from the Oppo DV-970HD when I compared their audio performance through their analog outputs: the DVD99 consistently performed more like a high-quality audio-only player and less like an inexpensive DVD player. The Oppo may have sounded a little richer playing The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne (CD, Elektra 7559621522), but it also slightly veiled delicate details. The Oppo’s bass was more full-bodied, which was pleasing, but it was also a little loose in comparison. Browne’s vocals didn’t image quite as precisely, and in "Lives in the Balance" there was less depth, and less precise lateral imaging of the percussion. All of this resulted in the DVD99 having a larger, more realistic soundstage than the DV-970HD, which sounded two-dimensional in comparison.

Listening to SACDs such as Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms: 20th Anniversary Edition (Vertigo 602498714980) revealed even greater differences between the players. The DVD99 excelled at extracting detail from every recording in extremely transparent sound. The DV-970HD still sounded good, but the strumming of the acoustic guitar in "Walk of Life" was a little hazy and not quite as realistic. The opening of "Money for Nothing" sounded slightly muted, and while the percussion in "Ride Across the River" was well defined if a bit forward, the bass was again somewhat vague. When I switched back to the DVD99, the soundstage opened up and became more expansive. It didn’t have the airiness or ethereal quality of Arcam’s wonderful FMJ CD37 ($2199), which I recently reviewed, but the DVD99’s playback of SACDs was surprisingly good for a $349 player, and noticeably better than the Oppo DV-970HD’s.

Conclusion

The Cambridge Audio DVD99 offers outstanding video and audio quality at a reasonable price. Whether used as a digital transport or taking advantage of its internal video processing, I would not hesitate to insert the DVD99 in a top-flight home-theater system. I also found that its performance as an audio player, especially of SACDs, should make it an excellent choice for anyone with an audio system who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money on an SACD player.

Manufacturer contact information:

Cambridge Audio
Gallery Court, Hankey Place
London SE1 4BB, England, UK
Phone: 44 (0)20-7551-5339

Website: www.cambridgeaudio.com

North American distributors:

Audio Plus Services (US)
156 Lawrence Paquette Industrial Dr.
Champlain, NY 12919
Phone: (800) 663-9352

Website: www.audioplusservices.com

Plurison (Canada)
313 Marion St.
Le Gardeur, QC J5Z 4W8
Phone: (866) 271-5689

Website: www.plurison.com

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