Reimyo CDP-777 CD Player

The first thing I noticed about the Reimyo CDP-777 CD player was not its sleekly solid appearance nor, when I hit the Play button, its big, full, transparent sound. It was the price tag of $17,000 USD. That’s 17,000 big ones. Or 1700 $10 bills. Or 850 twenties. Or, if you don’t like carrying duffle bags crammed with greenbacks, 170 hundreds.

In short, that’s a lot of loot for a single-box CD player without SACD or DVD-Audio capability, much less the rest of the alphabet soup of new media options. Yes, there’s upsampling, but no external power supply or other visible accoutrements common to upper-tier high-end equipment.

But sticker shock is something we audiophiles are used to in the rarified reaches of our hobby, and the Reimyo’s not even at the top of the food chain. Burmester’s CD turntable-DAC combination goes for $57,000; the dCS Elgar DAC and upsampler are $23,000; Krell offers a $25,000 one-box CD player-preamp; and a handful of others weigh in above $17,000, including a Goldmund DVD/CD player-DAC combo whose $65,000 price should make it a popular item among Colombian drug lords.

The Reimyo and its pedigree
The CDP-777’s high performance is the result of a collaboration among three powerhouses of Japanese audio who came together in something called High Tech Fusion. JVC contributed the transport mechanism and Extended K2 Processing, the signal-processing elements that subject 16-bit/44.1kHz, "Red Book" CDs to a 24-bit, 4x-oversampling D/A conversion rate to yield 705.6kHz. Design and assembly are by Kyodo Denshi, maker of high-precision measuring instruments. And Kazuo Kiuchi’s Combak Corporation contributed its resonance-control processes.

Kiuchi is one of the high end’s great gentlemen -- a diminutive, softspoken innovator with whose work I’ve been familiar for many years. His array of tuning devices was laughed at when they first landed on these shores. That was when distortion-causing resonances were thought best controlled through massive construction and/or expensive, space-eating panels strategically (and intrusively) placed on or in front of walls and furniture. His quarter-sized stick-on dots were thought to be off the wall until people put them on their walls (and their equipment) and discovered that they worked.

My first audio equipment review was of Kiuchi’s Harmonix RFA-78 Room Tuning Devices. That was back in 1993; for several years -- until my wife decided she no longer wanted her living-room walls to look as if they had measles -- the RFA-78s were both conversation pieces and a remarkably effective way to rid the listening room of unwanted resonances.

Most of the CDP-777’s parts, including the power transformer and circuit, were designed specifically for the player. The Reimyo package doesn’t come with an AC cord (what do you expect for $17,000?), but Combak recommends using the Harmonix X-DC Studio Master power cable, loaned to me for this review. A 2m length will run you only $1305; there’s no need to run to your local hardware store to get a Belden.

I mentioned the CDP-777’s "sleekly solid" looks. That description extends to its well-laid-out remote control, with a silver finish that matches the faceplate of the ’777, whose black side plates and top are broken by a centered window that slides back to reveal the disc bay. After a disc is slipped over the drive’s thick shaft, it’s secured with a neatly finished silver puck. Close the window and play. Forget the puck, and nothing will happen other than a bright "Err" notice on the display.

The front panel is logically laid out, with all the usual suspects in their usual places, but with the added convenience for armchair dwellers of LEDs above key buttons that light up when that function is turned on. The display indicates not only track number but index number as well, harking back to digital’s early days, when tracks were often subdivided. And despite the unit’s thick chassis and rigid aluminum plating, its 33-pound weight shouldn’t cause undue back or groin strains.

Having recently spent time with CD players that triple as video and SACD players, I found the CDP-777’s rear panel refreshingly clean. In place of the puzzling multiple-choice hookup options are balanced and unbalanced analog outputs, digital coaxial and BNC output pins, and the power-cord receptacle. The CDP-777 also comes with a manual that’s as well-thought-out as any I’ve seen. In text and diagrams, it tells you all you need to know about operating the unit, and it’s in understandable English, with none of those ugly translations that drive party humor ("Listen to this line, guys . . . "), and no tech gibberish that only a PhD candidate can figure out.

Setup
I wasn’t prepared for a long break-in period for the CDP-777 -- its importers, May Audio Marketing, said the sample on its way to me had been in use for a while. But the time that unit spent in transit, then sitting snug in its carton waiting for me to finish another review, meant that, once installed in my equipment rack, my review sample sounded decidedly underwhelming, its tonal balance tipped up with a shrill mid-treble. Continuous run-in brought it closer to expectations, and supporting it on Harmonix footers yielded an improvement that was later trumped by installing the Harmonix power cable, which eliminated any system noise and further tamed the treble.

I listened to the CDP-777 through the Wyetech Opal preamplifier, Jadis JA-80 monoblock power amps modified with Siltech internal wiring, and the Von Schweikert VR4 Gen II speakers, replaced in mid-review by the latest model, the VR4 Gen III SEs. Wiring consisted of the Siltech Classic SQ110 interconnects and LS188 speaker cables, which have proven outstanding in keeping noise below audible levels and delivering well-balanced sound with flawless timbral integrity.

Sound
My listening sessions consisted of a variety of CDs new and old, ranging from vintage historical reissues to state-of-the-art audiophile favorites, and included a wide range of classical music, jazz, and blues. I spent considerable time just getting accustomed to the CDP-777’s sound; only after I felt thoroughly familiar with it did I move from listening for pleasure to focusing on selected items, pen and notebook in hand.

The first thing that caught my attention was the wall of sound thrown by the Reimyo. This player projected life-sized images. When I played JVC’s CD reissue of the 1959 Mohr-Layton RCA "shaded dog" LP [LSC-2341] of Saint-Saëns’ Symphony 3 [JMCXR0002], the Boston Symphony had a tactile, wall-to-wall presence in my room. That huge orchestral picture was staggering; so, too, was the way the Boston strings positively glowed with warmth in the poco adagio, and the heretofore unsuspected range of organ colors in the last movement. There was no exaggeration of the organ vis-à-vis the orchestra, and as the movement progressed, the passage with two pianos was well-detailed and scaled just right -- the pianos embedded within the orchestra, not in front of it.

If the Saint-Saëns sounded a bit better than my 1S/1S copy of LSC-2341, JVC’s new reissue of Solti and the Chicago Symphony’s recording of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring [JVCXR0225] turned out to be far superior to the London LP [CS6885]. This analog fancier found JVC’s XRCD transfers equal to or better than the original LPs without falsifying the originals, and in this instance the Decca bass is still not ideally defined (though improved over previous releases). But what this disc drove home was the Reimyo’s ability to reproduce complex orchestral passages with unusual transparency and detail. I could also clearly hear the different microphone techniques employed by the RCA engineers and their Decca counterparts.

Being able to hear more deeply into the music can change one’s estimation of a performance. I used to think Solti’s Rite exciting but not among my favorites. I had to revise my judgment after hearing the JVC reissue through the CDP-777, with its huge dynamic range and transparency. For the first time, I was able to connect with Solti’s Rite on an emotional level.

That kind of visceral involvement was also present as I listened to a superb performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony 5 that’s in danger of being overlooked because it’s on a small import label and performed by a conductor and orchestra known to few on this side of the ocean: Oleg Caetani leading the Giuseppe Verdi Orchestra of Milan on a well-engineered CD [Arts 47668]. The CDP-777’s tight, extended bottom end did justice to the extraordinarily realistic balances captured by the engineers. Finally, in a Shostakovich recording, the cellos and basses hold their own against the violins, precisely as they do in the concert hall. Again, the Reimyo reproduced massed string sound that was warm, but with ample bite in the violins.

What convinced me that the CDP-777 was a truly special musical instrument was a brief passage in the Britten Violin Concerto [EMI 57510]. There’s a moment in the Vivace when Maxim Vengerov’s violin sings in its highest register; then, at about the three-minute mark, it’s joined by a solo flute for a brief duet. Through most CD players and/or systems it can be difficult to tell that not one but two instruments are playing; even when they go their separate ways, one needs to listen closely to distinguish them. But with the CDP-777 there was never any doubt -- the player’s separation and transparency allowed me to hear an effect I had previously heard only in the concert hall, one too often muddled even by good systems.

I often check on a new piece of equipment’s handling of recording flaws such as the relatively small one that slightly mars tenor Werner Güra’s Schumann song recital [Harmonia Mundi HM 901766]. He’s well-recorded, but there’s a sibilance that can be bothersome in some songs, such as "Im Rhein," from Schumann’s Dichterliebe, where s sounds, especially at the beginnings of words, sound disturbing through several models of CD player. Through the Reimyo, those sibilants were less intrusive -- and, as a bonus, Güra’s lovely lyric tenor was reproduced with greater weight and density, the voice surrounded by more room sound and air.

That observation held true for massed voices as well. A recent favorite is the superb set of Bach’s Leipzig Christmas Cantatas led by Philippe Herreweghe [Harmonia Mundi HM 8017181/82]. My pleasure was greatly enhanced by the three-dimensionality of solo voices, the tonal colors projected by the chorus, and the CDP-777’s transparency, which let me clearly hear each of the three high-voiced soloists in the "Suscepit Israel" section of the great Magnificat, and easily trace the lines of the fugue in "Sicut locutus," in the same work.

The CDP-777 displayed similar virtues with jazz and blues recordings. Playing Junior Wells’ Come On In This House [Telarc SACD-63395], it projected a wall of sound from the electric slide guitar, drum kit, and wailing small band. Listening through the CD layer, Wells’ piercing harmonica and gravelly voice were captivating, and the CDP-777’s deep, firm bass was especially welcome on the shuffle blues "Tin Goat," in which the acoustic string bass and visceral power of the drums made it hard not to bounce along with the band. Our British colleagues are fond of referring to "slam" as a defining characteristic of a unit’s rhythmic precision. The Reimyo had "slam."

It also had delicacy. Whether listening to Bill Evans’ live chamber jazz and delicate piano filigree on Sunday at the Village Vanguard [JVC JVCXR0051] or Sonny Rollins’ classic Way Out West [VICJ60088], I heard nuances I hadn’t been aware of through other players. The sheer variety of timbres produced by Shelly Manne’s cymbals and rim shots in "I’m an Old Cowhand" amazed me, and at the same time confirmed the Reimyo’s speed and ease with transients. So, too, the warm, fur-wrapped sound of Rollins’ tenor sax in "There Is No Greater Love" confirmed the accuracy of the CDP-777’s tonality. There as elsewhere, the Reimyo’s presence gave the illusion of watching Ray Brown’s fingers moving along the strings of his bass.

Any flaws? Perhaps just one, and it’s not really a flaw but an indication of the Reimyo’s extended frequency response and a neutrality that’s uncolored, accurate, and at times ruthless. On some early digital recordings -- those peddled at a time when the suits bragged about "perfect sound forever" -- mid-treble peaks were closer to chalk on a blackboard than LPs ever managed. Well, dig some of those out of the closet and you’ll hear the harshness and glare that more forgiving units gloss over. What you get with the Reimyo is the complete, unfalsified, unsweetened truth. As we all know, the truth can sometimes hurt.

http://www.ultraaudio.com/equipment/reimyo_cdp777.htm

How To . . . Customize CD Player

If you are a mover and groover and just cannot live without that funky music while you are at your computer, you probably already know about Windows 98's CD Player. This handy tool gives multimedia-capable PCs the ability to play a compact disc directly from their CD-ROM drives.

But even the most funky PC users do not always realize that they can adjust the CD Player to fit their personal needs. So grab your favorite CD, pop it into the CD-ROM drive, start the CD Player, and get ready to jam. Launch CD Player by clicking Start, Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, and CD Player.

The Name Game.
CD Player lets you place all the important information from your CD's case into its memory. This means if you enter the name of the artist, the title of the CD, and all the song titles, the next time you pop in that CD, the information you input into the CD Player will reappear.

To enter your CD's information, select Edit Play List from the Disc menu. At the top of the CD Player: Disc Setting dialog box, type the artist's name and title of your CD. Then go to the Available Track section, which is a list of all the tracks on the CD you currently have in your CD-ROM drive, and click the first track. Next, go to the Track field at the bottom of the dialog box and highlight the field information. Type the song title and click the Set Name button. Continue to follow this process until you have entered the title for each song on your CD.


Setting A Play List.
Once you know what track stands for what song, go to the Play List section of the CD Player: Disc Setting dialog box. Here you also can easily change the order in which the CD Player plays your CD's songs. The Play List section contains the play order of the tracks on your CD. You can change this order by adding, deleting, or moving the tracks within the Play List.

•Add. To add a song to your Play List, either highlight a track by clicking it and then clicking the Add button, or highlight a track in the Available Tracks list and drag it to the Play List.

•Delete. To delete a track from the Play List, highlight it by clicking it, and then click Remove.

•Rearrange. You can reorder the tracks currently in the Play List by highlighting a track and then clicking and dragging it to its new position in the Play List.

If you do not like the new play order of your songs, click the Reset button to place the tracks in their original order.

Seeing Things.
The View menu in CD Player is the best way to customize your viewable options in the CD Player window. You can choose to show or hide the Toolbar, which includes buttons for the Track Time Remaining and Continuous Play commands; Disc/Track Info, which includes the name of the artist, title of the CD, and the song playing; and the Status Bar, which includes the number of minutes for the current track and the total play for the CD. To turn on one of these options, go to the View menu and select the option by putting a check by it; to turn it off repeat the process.

In addition, the View menu lets you choose whether you want to view the Track Time Elapsed, Track Time Remaining, or the Disc Time Remaining. You also have the option to change the Volume Control settings.

Everyday Use.
You can select the Preferences command from the Options menu to customize the everyday use of the CD Player. In the Preferences dialog box, you can choose to:

•Stop CD Playing On Exit, which means that any CD playing when you close the CD Player will stop playing.

•Save Setting On Exit, which means you want to save anything you change during your CD Player session.

•Show Tool Tips, which means you want to see the descriptions that pop up when you hold the cursor over a toolbar button.

To activate these options, click the box next to each one. To inactivate an option, click its box to uncheck it.

Finally, the Preferences dialog box even lets you change the amount of time CD Player pauses between tracks. You can change the Intro Play Length by typing the number of seconds you want it to pause, or by using the arrows in the field to increase or decrease the amount of time. It will not let you go below five seconds or above 15.

The CD Player has almost as many options as your home stereo. Go ahead and get comfortable. It will make your computing (and listening) experience more enjoyable.

http://www.smartcomputing.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles/archive/l0504/9829/9829.asp&guid=