What Hi Fi Sound and Vision 25 MAY 2005

Arcam DiVA DT91

£ 500 4

* * * *

Very good indeed, but perhaps of most appeal to Arcam completists

For
Sounds very good indeed; solid build; easy to use
Against
But the same applies to less expensive rivals

It’ll be a long time before analogue radio is finally switched off, but while DAB radio continues to gain in popularity, most of the action is in portable units, not mains-powered hi-fi tuners. So where does that leave the likes of Arcam’s DT-91? At £500, it’s costlier than many rivals. So, is it worth it?

Certainly, the usual Arcam virtues of fine fit and finish are present and correct on this DAB/FM device. The remote control is logical, the display large and easy to read, and the DT-91 swiftly tunes to a huge number of stations – even in a poor reception area.

Select a station and enjoy: the Arcam delivers a resolutely musical sound and rarely betrays the source of its information as anything so gauche as radio broadcasting. It presents an expansive and convincing soundstage, alive with detail, and with a very well-controlled low-frequency presence.

Real high-quality broadcasts like Radios 2 and 4 sound articulate and insightful – speech has a tremendous immediacy and intimacy – and the Arcam knits together every part of the frequency range with real determination. Add decent timing and almost tyrannical focus, and the DT-91 tuner is revealed as an unflappable music-maker.

The Arcam DT-91 is everything we’d hoped for, and it certainly sounds more articulate and convincing than some rivals. But there are less expensive models that are just as well-built and well-equipped, and a few of these are also in the same ballpark when it comes to performance.

Arcam fanatics will rightly consider this a fine product, but those not adding to an Arcam DiVA system may consider it too pricey.