Reimyo CDT-777 Review! by Stereo Magazine, Germany: in English

HIFI EXCLUSIVE CD TRANSPORTAcross the world the high-endcommunity is asking why Reimyo has stoppedmaking its vaunted CDP-777 compact disc player.We know the reason: the brand-new CDT-777 transportEVERYTHING UNDER CONTROLBy Uwe KirbachTogether with Reimyo’s DAP-777 converter (seeSTEREO 11/06) that my colleague Böde so excitedlytested last year, this brand-new CD transport will costyou a good 13,000 euros. Were this combo to play betterthan the more expensive Reimyo one-box player, thencontinuing to build the latter would really make no sense.We don’t want anyone to die from the suspense: The twosound better than the CDP-777 – a whole lot better. Thatin itself is quite a sensation considering that there are nottoo many high-end digital devices that have done so wellin international tests and yet been so maligned as thatbygone Reimyo CDP-777.But let’s wait a second before the laurels start growing allthe way to the sky: The competition didn’t make thingsall that difficult for the Harmonix and Reimyo bossKazuo Kiuchi. This player, with its simply spectacularharmonic tuning, magnificent tonal colors, such spatialillumination and its fleet-footed versatility, was easily farsuperior to many – even more expensive – components.Quite possibly there are some listeners, who have sincebeen liberated from those discordant digital sounds, thatdidn’t notice that the CDP-777 was not the last wordwhen it comes to dynamic punch. Or perhaps they gladlytook that and its somewhat rounded frequency extremesin stride as part of the deal. In the end however, anddespite its hefty price tag, this favorites-killer was stillmore affordable than those super-expensive monsters.What could Kiuchi San have so improved on thetransport side to give his popular player a one-way ticketto obsolescence? The first thing is obvious: separating theintegrated player into a converter and a transport. Ofsignificance here is not just the separate power suppliesand having alleviated the converter of the resonanceemitted by a spinning CD drive. The way the power unitsradiate into the digital circuits is downright harmful aswellThis was clearly evident as I prepared to test the CDT-777: So as not to be entrapped by any uncontrolledeffects, the first thing I did was connect the new ReimyoCD transport to the mains in order to control anyundesirable – and otherwise quite common – radiantinterference affecting the running system. Here is wherethis Japanese gentleman proved to be a model student. Noeffect was audible at all.When I placed it near the big Jadis JD 1 Super Mk IItransport, it showed digital equipment’s typical reaction:a paler, grainier sound. It’s not just those whose job it isto compare sounds that have to listen carefully to hear ifsuch interference totally falsifies their assessment – theimportant thing is that you’ve got to be this meticulous ifyou’re going to make any kind of conclusive statement.Sometimes one tiny centimeter to the left or right is all ittakes, while other times you might discover that there istoo little spacing between the rack’s shelves.This radiation factor is even more perilous for the vigilantdeveloper: After all, he can’t just add more shieldingtoward the outside. Doing so would cause the device’sown electromagnetism to have an even more detrimentaleffect within itself. Kiuchi’s first countermeasure was toinstall three small transformers instead of one big one. Hechose those particularly low-leakage and quiet R-coretransformers that Kitamura Kiden built to hisspecifications. To protect them against electricalinterference, he put a TDK power filter and the Enacomparallel filter from his parent company Combak at thepower input.

Conventional: The control unit withprogram and computer chip for thePhilips drive is the only thingconventional in the Reimyo CDT-777Harder to see are the cable connections, each of whichwas specially selected for this new CD transportdepending on where they are to be used – nothing off theshelf in here. Only the developer himself can really knowhow much experimentation it took before thetransformers and power supplies were ideally positionedwithin the device.Still, you can see one important thing from the outside:the obvious amount of care involved in designing thechassis. Here aluminum plates in various thicknesses ofeight and fifteen millimeters are used, which areapparently manufactured of different alloys. You can seethis by the darker hue and different feel of the solid,enveloping top cover. Apparently Kiuchi applied all hismystifying skills and experience gained from hisHarmonix products into managing the resonance factor.With the CDT-777 he takes the recommendation hemakes in the owner’s manual regarding those uniquetuning feet to an extreme – namely that they be placedwell outside the bottom corners of the housing to producean optimal effect. He even mounted what he calls feetarms on the corners which direct any remainingresonance into each of the spike-shaped bases. Indeedthis shows how that old theory of simply discharging theresonance has moved into a much more differentiatedstage. When you set the transport up, a small disk isplaced between the spike and the arm on three of its feet.Lengthy trials on two shelves revealed a somewhat moreprecise sound when the left front foot was the onewithout the disk. Of course Kiuchi would not with goodreason be the compelling developer of his fantasticHarmonix tuning feet were he not to include a set of RF-909X spike bases for that final touch of fine tuning.Likewise a Harmonix XDC-2 power cord – the cord andbases together are worth about 1200 euros. Certainlythere’s no better way than this to demonstrate howimportant it is to him to give the customer a piece ofequipment that delivers the best initial conditions forputting together any system.What I find most cunning is how he succeeds in tuningfor resonance right at the source of the sound: at the driveitself. Unlike Reimyo’s CD player, this one no longercomes from JVC. Inside the CDT-777 you’ll find aPhilips CDM-12 Pro drive – like in most top-qualitytransports. However, Kiuchi removed it from its casingand embedded it instead inside a low-resonance andoptically low-reflection housing of black plastic walls,which in turn rests on yet another thick plate of aluminum.Loner: Reimyo considers digital XLRconnections to be rather dubious – thespecial cinch jack isn’t

TEST SYSTEMCD TRANSPORT: Jadis JD1 Super MK IID/A CONVERTER: JadisJS 1MK III, Reimyo DAP-777TURNTABLES: BrinkmannLaGrange, Simon Yorke S7TONEARMS: Brinkmann12”, Thales, Simon Yorke9”, 12”CARTRIDGES: BrinkmannEMT x 2, LondonReference, TransfigurationTemper WPREAMP: Kondo KSL-M7Phono/KSL SF-Z, RedRose Model Three SilverSignature, Jadis JP 80, LinnKlimaxPOWER AMP: Jadis JA200, Linn Klimax SoloLOUDSPEAKERS: MerlinVSM MXe, Audio PhysicTerra (subwoofer)CABLES: Kondo KSL Vz,KSL-LP, Hovland MG-2,Breuer, Cardas GoldenReference, NBS Monitor II,Harmonix GoldenPerformance, StudioMaster, Ensemble Dynaflux,MegafluxSound base: The low-resonanceinterplay of the different housingcomponents is what’s so decisiveREIMYO CDT-777About €8200Dimensions: 47 x 13 x 36 (WxHxD)Warranty: 2 yearsDistributor: Warren Quality SystemsTel: +49 (0)6732/936961www.wqs-online.deThe world test premiere at STEREOturned into a triumph for theJapanesemanufacturer:Unsurpassed rhythmic sensitivityand dynamic power form a chorus inthis new CD transport with anunadulterated transparency and loveof tonal colors. It plays at a level farabove any that would leave atechnical aftertaste.LABORATORYThe transport showed outstandingresistance to interference during thevibration test. Worth mentioning is itslow standby power consumption ofonly six watts.EQUIPMENTOnly one cinch digital out, metalremote control, the high-qualitybases and the power cable thatwould normally cost 500 euros areall part of the system.STEREO TESTSOUND RATING 100%COST/BENEFITSVERY GOOD