HiFi Review Issue No.201 March, 2003
Reimyo CDP-777 CD Player can play back your current CDs (44.1kHz to 176.4kHz) at an unbelievably high-purity S/N ratio. The result is unprecedented musical expression. Through the analog output, play back a 176.4kHz CD at a 24bit 4x oversampling D/A conversion data rate - and enjoy a stunning, super high-purity 705.6kHz! With such features, the CDP-777 can bring a whole realm of untapped sound latent in your CD's to vibrant, vivid life. This is the similar situation to the time when I tested the MSB Platinum Link Plus (the digital technology of the MSB is similar to the Reimyo’s). It felt so touching when I listened to the Taiwanese female vocalist, Chai Chin, her CD “Opportunity to Meet”, and you might say that it was because the recording and music arrangement of this CD was so good. However, I found the reproduction of this CD with the CDP-777 is the most “human” feeling, the combination of the vocal and musical instruments made up a very beautiful picture that looks so harmony and balance. There is no emphasis or exaggeration on either the high, mid or low frequency at all. You’ll just feel so comfortable and relax to enjoy listening to the music. Listening to the song of “Opportunity to Meet”, with its simple arrangement of musical instruments, the very sweet and magnetic voice of Chai Chin is so outstanding and attractive. The midrange reproduction of the CDP-777 does not make you feel very full body, but it is a bit clear and crispy as if it contains the music spirit with which I’m very impressed. Moreover, the CDP-777 is extremely musical. Listening to the CD “Opportunity to Meet” with the CDP-777 CD Player, it’ll really give you a big shock to enjoy such relaxing music.
Through the advanced technology of upsampling in the design of its D/A converter, it has effectively improved the sonic performance, especially to playback those overwhelming percussion band recordings. The CD “Manger” which is one of the most popular testing CD with good recording. I chose to listen to the track 15 <Jazz Variants>, which is a recording of drumming with wide extension of high and low overwhelming frequencies . The CDP-777 is capable to reproduce a very spacious 3D image, and the continuous low frequency is solid, tight and deep. There is almost no other CD player can reproduce such overwhelming sonic performance. I have listening to the same track with the Acoustic Arts Drive 1 CD Transport with MSB Platinum Link Plus D/A Converter with Upsampling technology. I found that the high frequency (the crispy clear sound of the bells) being reproduced by the Reimyo CDP-777 is definitely better. With regard to the reproduction of low frequency (the drums), they are both good with energy and impact, and it is difficult to say which is better as it is just a matter of taste. However, I have to emphasize that the CDP-777 is capable to reproduce those big bands or symphony orchestra overwhelming music with very spacious 3D image steadily. I do believe that it is the cause of its extraordinary design on the power supply. The power supply consists four power transformers in different sizes, so as to provide stable and consistent power/current to its circuit and D/A converter. According to the manufacturer, all components being used in the CD player including the power transformer and even the tinny litter part, are specially made for (e.g. the highest quality of capacitor). It is what made the Reimyo CDP-777 so special and outstanding.
After listening to the percussion music in “Manger”, it is the time to listen to the most enjoyable vocal: the song <Isn’t She Lovely> by Livingston Taylor. I have listened to the same song in many different recordings, but none of them are as good as the one recorded in “Manger” (even the original Chesky recording is not as good). The vocal being reproduced by the CDP-777 is so real and human, very precise imaging, which has completely delivered the soul of the music (the meaning of the lyric). You can also hear every details of Livingston Taylor’s voice including the noise caused by the movement of the mouth etc. Furthermore, at the beginning of the song, there is a whistle blowing. You can hear several beats of very solid and deep low frequency between the first and the second whistle blowing and it may be the sound of musician’s tapping of the beats. Perhaps, I should not mention about it as it does not really relate to the music. However, we can tell from such litter thing that all these details may not be audible through the reproduction of other CD players. You can clearly hear them through the reproduction of the CDP-777. It proves that the CDP-777 can provide ultra high-resolution wide-spectrum CD sound at an unbelievably high-purity S/N ratio.
I listened again to a new and an old recording: <Incredible Violin> by North Star Design and “In Mosco”. These 2 CD are very difficult to playback nicely. The former one requires to have very detailed but smooth and musical sound so as to avoid being too sharp which will hurt the ears. The latter one may be easy to get the live recording feel but it does require a very sufficient ambience as well as very fast transient so as to reproduce the music correctly. Otherwise, it’ll just discount the performance and the music is not lively at all. The performance of the CDP-777 can really make it right. Its charming sonic performance is extremely detailed. The violin sounds so smooth and beautiful but never too sharp, and all other musical instruments just sound perfectly, never too much in everything. You may hear the audiences’ coughing noise in the music hall. The ambience is so good and the violin sound so clean and smooth, a vivid life. Through the reproduction of the CDP-777, it made me feel that it is a very valuable recording CD.
I have shared my experience of listening to the different software being reproduced by the Reimyo CDP-777 CD Player in the above. You may feel that I am doing the review on the software. In fact, I am writing exactly my feelings on the lovely sound being reproduced by the CDP-777 and it is really so touching and so charming.
The CDP-777 is really a very high quality CD Player with its advanced upsampling technology in the D/A converter. It does not only provide you with very good clarity, but it also provides you with unprecedented musical expression. Nothing is too much or too exaggerated. It is really natural. It has really convinced me that there is only “music” in the Reimyo CDP-777
Sam Ho has to add his complementary opinion: I 100% agree with what is written above. The ambience of the CDP-777 is unbelievable good. Its sonic performance is so attractive and its bass is very powerful and fast in transient. It has no problem to challenge any high end single CD Player or separated CD transport with D/A converter at any price level in the market.