Pioneer DV-989AVi review

We’re firm believers here at Stuff Towers that Pioneer virtually invented the high-end DVD player. And this ‘989AVi incarnation is the best yet. It feels like it has been carved, meticulously, from granite, and then Pioneer has decided to throw as much in to the chassis as humanly possible without sending the price in to orbit. But it’s not only the tech-spec that leaves its mark.

It’s not beyond reason to expect a DVD player costing nearly a grand to perform well, but this is staggering. Not just with movies either. Music is dealt with in a confident manner, but don’t get us wrong, it’s no substitute for a stand-alone CD player

We can hear you asking: ‘Why spend £850 on an upscaling DVD player when they’re available for  £150?’ Well, the answer is sheer performance. Whether or not it is eight times better than the Helios HVD2085 is impossible to judge. (Is an Aston Martin AMV8 eight times better than a Toyota Aygo? Who knows? Quantifying things like that is, should we say, tough.)

That said, though, this is an exceptional piece of kit for (nearly) sensible money and when you see it you’ll know exactly what we mean.