I learned long ago to buy what you REALLY want. You clearly want these and if they are running well, get them. You will enjoy every second of ownership. 👍
Old Vs New ..... Transport and dac.
Hi All,
I've been putting together a Vintage system based around a pair if Altec Lansing 604 duplex speakers in their big cabinets 620a , and a pair of Leak pre and power amps from the 50's / 60's.... Now, I was going to go for a turntable front end, but then I got to thinking I might put a decent digital front end together for a change. Ive been buying 50c second hand cd's lately like they are going out of fashion (which they are I suppose) Any way I was thinking of getting the latest shanling CD transport ET3 and a Denafripps mid range Dac. Like the Pontus or te one up from there. I thought that woudld be a decent attempt. BUT THEN... A local Transport and dac came up for sale for around the same money (3k) .... A Reimyo CDT - 777 Transport & Reimyo 999EX Limited Edition DAC. The Transport is running flawlessly and the dac was updted to this spec backi n 2018 by Kuichi San at Combak Harmonix in 2017 I thnk.
I lusted after then back when they came out, I love the form factor, the fact it's a SOTA classic transport and dac etc and the Tonal focus of Japanese design in audio( I know this is a horrible generalisation, but you know what I mean).
Soooooo. My question is do you think that the Japanese pair with their engineering / design and of course sound quality , would stand up to the more modern Chinese pairing. I'm more excited about the Reimyo Transport and Dac, than the Shanling and Denafripps.
My main front ends have all been Vinyl in the past so this is something new for me. I enjoy a focus on Tone and overall performance in my systems, rather than the spotlighting and the search for the ultimate detail.
Anyway, I'd appreciate your thoughts on the above... Thanks for your advice and Help.
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- 24 posts total
The Reimyo stuff was very highly regarded for sound quality and I suspect it would hold its own on CD level digital files even now. I believe the DAC uses the Burr-Brown PCM1704U chip, which is very well-regarded and generally considered to be quite musical. Can you listen to it first? Also, you might want to check into servicing options in the event you might ever need to have it fixed. You may have seen this (link) review. From AI:
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Are you able to hear the Reimyo combo in your system? One of the primary considerations with an older CD transport is the availability of a replacement CD drive/reader mechanism. The original might not be available, but are there substitutes? If so, perhaps buy one now - as a future backup. I have a modded high-end DAC from 2007 that competes quite well with modern DAC’s of today, if not better. I can also tweak the SQ with the digital IC and/or power cord. |
Hi Guys, Thanks for your kind and helpful comments.... HK, I think I will get them, As long as it all works well. We're sorting out a listening session over a couple of drinks, so I'll be able to decide if its going to do what I want. I'm sure it will. And in the scheeme of things it's not huge amount of money, so not a lot of risk. Mich..I'll be able to listen to it using the sellers system, I'm familiar with the sound of his speakers(Sonus faber Guarneri Homage) etc. and while they couldn't be more different from what I'm doing I think I'll be able to tell whether the characteristics I like are there. That Review is interesting in that It talks about the upgraded Dac that I'll be looking at. Lots of great information in there. The review does nothing but encourage me to buy it !!! Steakster. I won't be able to hear it in my system, that would have been nice. But I'll be able to have an extended listen in the seller's system They are 7 hours drive away. Which I'm happy to do.. It'll be an road trip adventure. You make a couple of interesting points about tweaking the IC and PC. The seller is also selling a High Fidelity CT-1 Digital Interconnect. which he says brought an improvement over the OEM harmonix cable. Maybe I'll buy that as well if it works well for me. I've never really investigated the Power cable tuning thing. Can this be used to tune with as great an effect as the digital interconnect ??The Philips mechanism is the CD Pro 2m . Which I see is still available at 1000usd on a website I found, I also found a company that was looking at manufacturing a replacement called the cd Pro V. but I think that's a ways off yet. I also think that I read Kuichi San had bought enough transports at the end for all future servicing requirements.... It would be nice to proactively find an OEM one somewhere that I can hold just in case. Good idea and peace of mind ( somewhat ). Once more, thanks for your comments, I'll let you know how I get on. In the meanwhile if anyone out there has listened or still has the Reimyo Trans and dac. I'd appreciate your thoughts on how you enjoy them as well. Thanks everyone...
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- 24 posts total