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We tried to listen to the system as a whole and not the details. With the Reimyo in the chain, that was no difficult task as the Reimyo 'sound' is distinct. We would be lying if we claimed that the combination of CDT-777 and DAP-999EX was neutral in the traditional hifi sense of the word. The Reimyo two-box combo is not hifi at all. Its rendering of what is embedded on a 16/44 disc is not a super or high denomination but musical. It extracts the emotion and passion from the bit patterns and hands that to the rest of the chain sans emphasis. Whether it is really unchanged or subtly enhanced is hard to say but what gets delivered into the room is musically coherent in timing and rich in timbre.


Compared to many other digital front ends, the Reimyo combo lacks what in digital photography is called sharpening, where details are enhanced and crispified. The Reimyo sound instead portrays a holistic musical image. Just like live music, the music reproduced in the home with these components maintains in-time integration. A side effect of digital sharpening that occurs with many other digital front ends is a loss of micro timing. It makes you feel that the musicians perform in different rooms and not really together. Of course many recordings are cut 'n' paste jobs of various sub tracks recorded all over the world and at different times, then overdubbed and patched together. Those recordings are heavier quilted patchwork and even the Reimyo set cannot alter that. It's less doctored recordings that make the difference.


The CDT-777 is built around the Philips CDM-12 Pro optical disc drive and its controller. From there the designers followed their own ways inspired by Kiuchi-San. Instead of one big transformer, several smaller are employed to avoid cross impact. Much of what Harmonix learnt over the years with acoustical treatment and materials was incorporated and Reimyo does not shun any material. So plastic shows up next to various metals for the compartments of the transport. The front of the CDT-777 runs only the rudimentary standard controls and the back a single coaxial output. In Kazuo Kiuchi's vision, a balanced output for a digital signal is a compromise.


From that same philosophy stems the separation of converter from spinner. Electrical circuits designed for the transport can interfere with the delicate signal processing of the DAC. Hence the latter is separated and equipped with electronics dedicated solely for conversion. JVC's K2 technology not only filters out the clock and its jitter but also other non-musical noise components from the signal stream. The DAC converts the digital signal to 24-bit words at 8 times oversampling before passing it to the Burr Brown PCM1704U NOS chip. While Kiuchi-San sticks to an unbalanced digital output on his transport, the DAP-999EX welcomes balanced and optical input as well. Output options are balanced and unbalanced. It seems that the transport was meant for this processor while the processor itself is less picky with its partners. It even adds a polarity switch to the back.

As we could not determine any negatives with the Reimyo sub-system in the rest of our room equipment chain, we next investigated by substitution. First we swapped power cords. We had at our disposal cables by LessLoss, Crystal Cable and a prototype by ASI. We began with the transport and the conclusion was stark. Any cable other than the one supplied altered the musical end product. One cable dulled the sound and slowed it down while another added emphasis at the frequency extremes. It was quite clear that the CDT-777 was designed or at least voiced with the X-DC2 cord.


While the transport was unhappy without its own power cord, the converter was more tolerant. Once again we assume that the DAC was designed for a broader audience of transports. Regarding the digital interlink, the ASI LiveLine was the only competitor. All other cables degraded the performance. The French and Japanese cables are both non-conventional by using two separate legs whereas S/PDIF specs prescribe a coaxial geometry. We preferred the French cable which unleashed more timbral coherence in non-classical music where dynamic changes are abundant and intense.


Next we used the CDT-777 in combination with our Audio
Note DAC. Both with the supplied power cable and interconnect, this combination was no real success. The transport was not able to 'drive' the music. As a result the performance softened. Lower register control -- we have to focus on details now as the whole collapsed -- grew sloppy and the higher frequencies missed their inner character. Slow is the best word to describe the situation. Altering the power cable and interconnect somewhat helped but an obviously ideal match remained elusive.


What a difference though when we used our CEC as transport and the DAP-999EX as DAC. In certain combinations, the CEC can be somewhat bold or daring. The Audio Note DAC without oversampling or digital filter is well capable of controlling the transport's output. But the way the DAP-999EX handled this responsibility now was first class. Where the CDT-777 in conjunction with the Reimyo DAC is the mature deliverer of the signal, the CEC added some punk bravado to the picture which was wonderfully channelled by the DAC. With classical music one sat one or two rows closer to the stage and with dynamic Rock, the point at which the music truly grabs you and pulls you in was reached sooner. This converter on its own is a wonderful machine that warrants the best transport one can afford.


However, the two-box combination with all its ancillary feet and cables really is the match to aspire to. If you want digital playback at its best, this is one direct avenue. Kiuchi-San's ideas and the craftsmanship of his partners created a digital sub-system tuned so precisely that you only notice it at power up and while changing out a CD. Otherwise it recedes from attention and rests fully integrated in the whole which it helps to facilitate.

Quality of packing: Double cardboard boxes of excellent quality.
Reusability of packing: Yes, many times.
Ease of unpacking/repacking: Easy.
Condition of component received: Brand new.
Completeness of delivery: Everything necessary including power cords and interconnects.
Quality of owner's manual: Effective.
Website comments: Combak's website is rudimentary.
Warranty: 1 year parts and labor
Human interactions: Friendly and helpful.
Pricing: Value for money.
Final comments & suggestions: The devil's in the details, divinity in the whole.
Reimyo website