Reimyo ALS-777
Magical and Effective AC Line Stabilizer
By the editor in chief of Hi-Fi & Hi-Vi Monthly Jerry Poo
Ever since becoming the distributor of the products delivered by the tuning master from Japan, Kazuo Kiuchi, Billion Music has practically switched from selling records to selling hi-end stereo equipments.
Although the products distributed by Billion Music are all manufactured by Combak, the company owned by Kiuchi, they can nevertheless be divided into three major categories that offer a wide range of products: tuning equipments and wires by Harmonix, electronics by Reimyo, and speakers by Bravo.
I have known Kiuchi for more than ten years, but aside from the fact that he was really picky about sound, I actually didn’t know his products that well as we only exchanged a few words when bumping into each other in exhibitions around the world. The opportunities for me to know more about his products only came when Billion Music has officially started selling his products in Taiwan.
Rather than Kiuchi’s unique sound-tuning philosophies, we will focus on Reimyo’s power stabilizer for now. Why? Because although being a small and light-weight (7.3 kg) unit, this AC line stabilizer has a power output of 1800W with 15 amps of current. It is truly compact yet powerful compared to other power sources for stereo equipments.
Its wonder doesn’t stop here. According to the manufacturer, this power supply does not utilize a wave filter or a transformer but rather a technology called QRT (Quantum Resonance Technology) that was invented by a company named Quantum Products in the U.S. Now, this deserves our special attention because the so-called QRT technology has not been known to me as well as the scientific and academic domains. I got really curious and immediately borrowed one from Billion Music. The result? Absolutely amazing! When you hook the ALS-777 AC Line Stabilizer to your stereo, the units such as the sound source, DAC, and the amplifier instantly makes the sound more tendered, more vivid, smoother, richer, more alive, sharper, and more three-dimensional. It was truly unbelievable!
In order to make sure such improvement was a result of the ALS-777, I tried it with other amplifiers from Logic A-35, Anthem, Pathos, to the million dollar Accuphase and different kinds of speakers, and I even did the testing at a friend’s place. It was truly amazing and unexpected to experience how the music became so vivid with this power source! Most power supplies reduce the background noise or make the details more audible, but ALS-777 gives music a new life by making it less flat or dull. As far as power supplies are concerned, this unit is definitely one of the most amazing ones that I have ever used.
Since the manufacturer has stated that this power unit is effective for both video and sound, and Kiuchi urged me to try it on projectors, I then tested it for its effects on picture quality after the sound-testing was completed. The result was amazing yet again! The projector I used was JVC DLA-HD1, which has been the model that offers the best picture quality and contrast since we started reviewing projectors for the past 17 years. After hooked up to the ALS-777, the picture quality of HD1 got even better! Not only the picture got more stabilized and had less noise, but also the clarity, details, and texture of the edges got sharper. The 100’’ screen looked clearer, more transparent, more vivid, and without being artificial as there was no unnatural sharpness or edge enhancement after the picture got clearer.
I then hooked the unit to other projectors such as Mitsubishi HC3100, SIM2 D80, BENQ TW500, and even a relatively cheap LCD TV, and the result was consistent: instant picture enhancement! On the screen, you see fresh and tender sashimi that looked as if has just been cut, flowers that become more alive, and skin texture that becomes more real. The unit works wonders on all equipments – cheap or pricey; it does not only give glory to the glorious but also practical support for those that desperately need it! This has completely changed my ways of thinking!
Seeing ALS-777’s amazing capacity, my curiosity has turned to its technical aspects. How does ALS-77 work exactly?
I was then again surprised by what I saw after I removed ALS-777’s top cover since the electric circuits inside this power stabilizer was truly astonishing!
Although the three Wattgate power outlets located at the back of the unit are expensive products, a closer look lets you realize that this unit has six outlets which are directly connected to ALS-777’s external power source via shunt winding. At the AC input, a Harmonix AC Enacom noise reducer was attached via parallel connection, and each twin-outlet is connected to a circuit board whose functions remain unknown. What are more mysterious are the three main IC boards inside ALS-777. They include two EPROM MICOM, NE555 sound signal generator, a 8MHz quartz oscillator, and a LED diode that looks like an emitting antenna, which looked rather like a mysterious toy. I only had one conclusion: I have no idea how this thing works!
Since the manufacturer didn’t provide further explanations, I had to turn to Quantum, the U.S. company that provides the technologies for ALS-777, for more information. It turned out that Quantum specializes in using oscillators/transmitters to improve power sources. They offer a wide range of products but didn’t wish to disclose the technical principles behind them.
If the ALS-777 hadn’t provided excellent effects, I wouldn’t have continued my quest for knowledge and would’ve just treated this unit as another scam.
However, it’s exactly because ALS-777 works wonderfully in terms of video and audio, the IC boards inside must have certain functions. What exactly are the working theories of ALS-777?
The first thing I thought about was the active noise cancellation that reduces the RF noise in the power cable. But this is such an advanced technology which cannot be accomplished by the simple circuits onboard ALS-777. Another possibility is that ALS-777 is capable of absorbing the nearby RF signals – or neutralizing them much like a stealth fighter absorbing the radar signals. This turned out to be impossible since a device capable of neutralizing nearby RF signals would certainly affect cell phones or the Bluetooth devices on PS3.
I have spent a long time contemplating on this question, and the conclusion reached by the sound engineer of our magazine, Yong-Hong Ding, and I was that ALS-777 probably utilizes RF to conduct dithering. This involves using a minute amount of RF signals that affect the operations inside the digital circuits via AC power, which increases the accuracy of the LSB reproduction inside the digital signals, and reproduces the tiniest details inside the signals in order to enhance visual and audio qualities.
However, the theory of noise cancellation via dithering in digital signals is usually seen in digital AV processing – using AC to improve the quality is something that has never been heard before. Mr. Ding and I thus could only reach an initial conclusion rather a complete understanding. When we used an analyzer to inspect the RF status inside ALS-777, we did find a minute amount of 12MHz and 16MHz signals being emitted from the three larger IC boards. The three smaller boards seemed like a counter for the unit at its idling state. They showed a zigzag waveform and are probably designed to add a tiny amount of high-frequency in the power source.
Therefore, it seems ALS-777 is indeed not a wave filter, just as the maker claimed. According to my observations, ALS-777 does not have any shortcuts in terms of the power source, and it actually has added more ingredients. However, I am still clueless as how these extra ingredients work. The term “QRT,” on the other hand, is probably just a name rather than a description of the working principle.
Despite the fact that ALS-777’s working principles remain elusive, it nevertheless works magic to my ears as I have never seen such an amazing power supply. Perhaps this unit is not 100% satisfying to all audiophiles in terms of acoustic improvement, yet it definitely wins my vote in terms of improving the output of projectors. Those of you who are extremely picky about picture qualities should definitely try this out and see the effects of power sources on your screen!
I have tested a countless number of equipment before and after our magazine was published. Generally speaking, I was able to explain the working principle in each piece of equipment – good or bad. As for most of the equipments covered in our magazine, we are usually able to use devices to test their characteristics and use the data as supporting evidences for our speculations.
The Reimyo ALS-777 AC Line Stabilizer, however, is an exception. Not only we are unable to explain its working principles, but we are also unable to use devices to analyze it. In other words, ALS-777 is really out of the realm that we usually cover in our magazine, and explaining the magic ALS-777 delivers is really beyond my current capacity.
Regardless, ALS-777 does improve audio and video qualities significantly. If you consider yourself as an audiophile, then you must give ALS-777 a try.
How much does it cost you to own an ALS-777? 198,000 and it comes with a well-made Harmonix XDC-2 power cable. Expensive? Perhaps. But keep in mind that the effects it delivers probably cannot be achieved by equipments that cost millions of NT, and it can even be used beyond the audio domain. Whether this is a good buy is pretty much up to your own judgment.
Among all power supplies, this unit probably has the most mysterious working principles as well as the most amazing AV-enhancement effects, and this is why we highly recommend this unit to all audiophiles!
[close]