Arcam Solo Movie 5.1

One box to rule them all.

Arcam's spruced-up version of the Solo does everything its predecessor could, playing CDs and spitting out DAB and FM radio with aplomb, but adds a DVD player and 5.1 surround sound. Hook it up to a TV and a set of speakers and you've got a home cinema system.

Two grand is a big wedge, especially with no HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player included, but everything else about this says "high end" through a megaphone in a deep, booming voice. The box is metal-clad; the connections gold-plated; the remote control reassuringly weighty. Even the glossy manual has the air of a coffee table habitué about it.

An abundance of inputs makes this the perfect AV hub. Two HDMI sockets mean you can hook up a PlayStation 3 and Sky HD box and run everything - video and audio - straight through the Solo. Buy Arcam's £130 rDock and you can also listen to and control your iPod using the Solo's remote, with track info popping up on the crisp, blue LED display. Oh yes.

Performance is spectacular, whether you're talking picture quality from DVD (it upscales pictures to 720p, 1080i and even 768p), or stereo and multichannel sound from DVD-Audio, SACD and regular CD. Even music from an iPod and the DAB radio sounds slick.

Donning "the trousers of nitpicking" for a second, the lack of support for 6.1 or 7.1 surround is a bit disappointing at this price, and it would be nice if you could connect up something via component video, such as an Xbox 360, and have the Solo output it through HDMI. But even so, this AV powerhouse rules. Seriously.