I have never been fond of CD players as
a vehicle to the ultimate in digital reproduction.
The compromises entailed in putting all the
electronics, power supplies and digital circuitry
in a single chassis make for a sure disaster
sonically. At least in my mind it did. It didn't
help that the finest sounding digital front-ends in
my experience were separates systems with
isolated digital transports and outboard DACs.
Individual power supplies and independentregu-
lation for each component has always resulted
in superior sound - until now. That's because I
can say without hesitation or fear of error, that
the Reimyo CD player is the finest digital prod-
uct that I have ever used or heard. In my
estimation it has no equal at any price.
The world of digital audio has been
bombarded with the promise of various Hi-Rez
formats. SACD and DVD-A have been all the
rage. This rage has been driven by the promise
of potential profits offered by the introduction of
something "new and improved." A promise that
oftentimes overwhelms the good senses of
manufacturers and purchasers alike, triggering
a spontaneous "new technology" feeding frenzy.
Proclamations of "perfection realized" are part
of the hyperbole. In the past, I too have fallen
prey to the hype and hope of new technologies
making everything else little more than boat
anchors, and for a fraction of the price. Like
everyone else, I hoped that cheap SACD play-
ers (DSD) and DVD-A machines would deci-
mate the sonics of the most expensive Redbook
players and separates.
And indeed, some magazines (print
and electronic) responded with reviews of the
early Sony SCD-1, proclaiming it to be as good
as advertised. In other words... perfect. To the
extent that the raves were the result of careful auditioning, or being
sucked in by the hype, I do not know. What I do know is that my
auditions of SACDs through high quality players from Sony and
others left me cold regarding it and Hi-Rez in general. And with
that, was the feeling that I was being manipulated by corporate
forces beyond my control - except to write about it (Hi-Rez) and
tell the truth. SACD, the darling of some, didn't work for me as it
struck me as intentionally colored no matter the quality of the
player used. It was pretty sounding, and colored sounding,
everything but accurate. Sony's control over the sound and their
morbid fear of pirating has turned the music world off.
To my ears, the Reimyo is the final nail in the Hi-Rez coffin
as it takes from a standard Redbook CD and outputs a musical
performance vastly more musical and true than anything coming
before it. To my ears, players from EMM, Accuphase, Linn, dCS,
Wadia, etal, don't come close. And it's not because the foregoing