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HARMONIX REIMYO
DAP-777 20bitK2 DAC
by Constantine Soo
March 1, 2004
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Specifications:
Format: Redbook CD, 16-bit input quantization
Signal Processing: JVC 20bitK2 Processing IC (16 to 20 bit Conversion)
Digital Filter: 20 bit 8-time Oversampling
D/A Converter IC: 20bit D/A Converter/ Multi-bit
Sampling Frequencies: 48kHz, 44.1kHz, 32kHz. Automatic Switching
Input Impedance: 75 Ohm
Phase Inverter SW: 0 -180 degree on the back panel
Digital Inputs: 1 x Coaxial (RCA), 1 x Optical (TORX), 1 x BNC, 1 x AES (XLR-3P) HOT: No.3
Analogue Outputs: XLR Balance/4.90 Vrms, RCA Unbalance/2.45 Vrms
Frequency Response: DC to 20kHz (±0.5dB)
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: Better than 117dB
Dynamic Range: Better than 100dB
Linearity: ±0.3dB (+10dBm ~ -90dBm) 1kHz IHF-A
THD: Better than 0.003% (30kHz LPF on)
Channel Separation: Better than 105dB (1kHz)
Channel: 2-channel Stereo
Power Requirement: 117V/60Hz, 220-230V/60Hz
Power Consumption: 13.5W
Dimensions: 430(W) x 65.2(H) x 363(D)mm
Weight: 4.7kgs
Manufacturer:
COMBAK CORPORATION (www.combak.net)
4-20, Ikego 2-chome, Zushi-shi, Kanagawa 249-0003,
Japan Tel: 046-872-1119 Fax: 046-872-1125
U.S. Importer/Distributor:
May Audio Marketing, Inc. (www.mayaudio.com)
2150 Liberty Drive, Unit 7,
NIAGARA FALLS, NY
14304-4517, USA
Phone: (800)554-4517 / (716)283-4434
Fax: (716)283-6264
Sales Inquiries: mayaudio1@aol.com
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FOREWORD
Digital audio has been garnering the highest visibility among other equipment
of a complete audio system for two decades, and progression of that segment
of the consumer electronics industry has also been attracting talents from a
wide range of disciplines. To this day, manufacturers continue to advance
their understanding of every aspect of digital audio, and the fiercely
competitive spirit gave birth to generations of technologies of such increasing
complexities, that they almost dwarfed the very invention of the format itself.
Standing at the forefront for advancing the quality of the Redbook CD format,
hardware manufacturers from each continent are not the only ones making
appreciable progress, efforts by record companies in various countries have
also been monumental. Between the hardware and software industries, Sony
made the most visible progress in its development of the Direct Stream
Digital™ archival technology and the Super Audio Compact Disc medium.
Yet, in refining the RBCD standard, Victor Company of Japan, or JVC, has
been the one force undertaking some of the most fanatical measures since
the early 80s, as exemplified in the development of the DAS-900 digital
audio mastering system. The label’s CD’s made with the DAS-900 in the
early 80’s retain a highly resolute sound that can compare favorably even
against many other label’s releases of the day.
For the past few years, JVC has been producing the exclusive Extended
Definition Compact Disc (XRCD), a CD that is created under some of the
strictest quality control protocols in the industry, from recording to disc
pressing. Succinctly, the company’s proprietary 20bitK2 A/D converter is
used during recording, with the Digital K2 machine regenerating resultant
clock signals for transferring to a magneto-optical disc. At the pressing plant,
the 20-bit disc is then reconstituted again via JVC’s 20bitK2 D/A converter,
then converted into a true 16-bit signal using the K2 Super Coding machine.
Finally, the K2 Laser regenerates the EFM-encoded signal during glass
cutting.
The subject of this review, the Harmonix Reimyo DAP-777 DAC, incorporates
the JVC 20bitK2 D/A converter IC.
THE REIMYO K2 DAC
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Spearheaded by Combak Corporation’s Managing Director, Kazuo Kiuchi,
the DAP-777 20bitK2 DAC is the prodigy child of Mr. Kiuchi’s “High Tech
Fusion” concept, signifying a convergence of resources in creating a product
that houses the pride of 3 of the most admired Japanese companies that are
the gems among its own kind: Combak, JVC and Kyodo Denshi.
On choosing Japan Victor’s K2 IC processor for his DAP-777, as well as the
DAC’s overall design, Mr. Kiuchi offers the following words:
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“JVC’s K2 IC Processing is a very unique technology, totally different from
other IC technology. The core of the K2 contains an exclusive process in
the generation of an analog sine wave, which facilitates the outputting of a
full, 20-bit analog signal at the output terminals. Note that upsampling only
achieves a 16-bit resolution, because there is no true information between
16- to 24-bit. The music we hear from upsampling is still of 16-bit resolution,
while the JVC 20bitK2 is a true 20-bit, sine wave product.
When you compare the DAP-777 against other upsampling converter in
playing acoustic instruments, you can hear more information, smoother
textures, more acoustic cues within the listening space, and thus more
touching to the heart of the listener. The sound of the DAP-777 is, therefore,
of analog.
This is also the very reason why many reviewers who tested and compared
DAP-777 and upsampling concluded that the DAP-777 sounded better than
upsampling, and much closer to their reference LPs. Harmonix is of the
opinion that the significance of D/A conversion is not in number of bits but
how much information the unit can truly output.
All internal wires are specially designed for DAP-777 and the wirings are
solder-less as in the new CAT-777 preamplifier and PAT-777 300B stereo
power amplifier.
Designing a simple but good circuit is a wonderful challenge for any
electronic engineer but this is where I’ve done a lot of research in. It can be
stated that Audio is Art and nothing else, and it depends on the individual
who created it and how much he cared.”
The $5.5k K2 DAC is Combak Corporation’s U.S. debut in offering high-end
audio equipment. On releasing the company’s first major product under the
Harmonix name, please refer to the new commentary, “Combak’s Kazuo
Kiuchi on Harmonix Reimyo”.
REVIEW SETUP
Measuring only about 2.5 inches high, the DAP-777 joins Linn’s $9,000
Klimax Twin power amplifier in sporting a modernistic, slim portfolio. A lone,
protruding knob on the left of the front panel controls input selection, and lights
to the right confirms input sampling frequencies and signal lock status. A
toggle on the rear panel is provided for an 180-degree phase inversion. The
DAP-777 accepts all standard digital inputs, such as coaxial, BNC, AES/XLR
and Toslink.
My K2 DAC was previously used by the audiophile record label First
Impression Music, a Seattle, WA-based recording studio whose releases are
trusted by reviewers worldwide in equipment evaluation. FIM’s president,
Winston Ma, fortified the outer rim of the K2 DAC’s AC inlet with a metal
brace for stabilization of heavier AC cords, such as my Granite Audio #560.
Loth X’s $15k JI300 300B integrated amplifier, 47 Laboratory’s $26.8k 4704
PiTracer and Audio Note’s $20k, ALNICO-equipped, silver-proliferated Audio
Note ANE-SEC Silver loudspeakers provided the evaluation platform for the
K2 DAC. For additional perspectives, Sony’s SCD-777ES SACD/CD player
were rotated as a transport with the 47 Lab PiTracer, and Audio Note’s $10k,
M5 preamplifier, as well as Reimyo’s own newest $17k tube preamplifier, the
CAT-777, also took turns in controlling either of the two power amplifiers: the
$9k Linn Klimax Twin stereo power amplifier or the $27k Reimyo PAT-777
300B power amplifier.
Audio Note’s $30k DAC 5 Special provided insights into the potential of the
Reimyo DAC, and digital cables used between the transport and DAC was
AN’s own top-of-the-line Sogon. Interconnects were AN’s Sogon and AN-Vx,
and speaker cables were the SPx, all made with the British company’s
proprietary silver conductors. Also worthy of particular mentioning is Tannoy’s
$19k Churchill Wideband loudspeaker, the 15-inch, Dual-Concentric™
methodology of which contrasted the AN sound in according more in-depth
understanding of the K2 DAC.
AUDITION
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Via the silver-wired Audio Note AN-E SEC Silver loudspeakers,
smooth texturing was the foremost attribute of the K2 DAC, as
First Impression Music’s SACD hybrid, The Four Seasons (FIM
SACD 052), was rendered with an underlying, fine-grained
tonality that complimented a pristine and rich texturing, making
for some of the most fluidic and reverberating tonalities.
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From the warm and intimate acoustics of Italy’s Kirche Chiesa di S. Vigilio
Church, to the refreshingly original and thoughtfully vigorous performance of
the 8-person Sonatori De La Gioiosa Marca, the K2 DAC distinguished itself
in its tube-like delicacy and a soft but pristine top-end.
Manifested by both the Audio Note AN-E SEC Silver and the Tannoy Churchill
Wideband, the K2 DAC also exhibited an ability of producing top to bottom
spectral coherency plus substantial dynamic scaling in portraying contrasts
among instruments, traits normally accorded by machines with far more
substantial power management systems, such as those in the Audio Note
Super DAC, and the Wadia 27 Decoding Computer I once owned.
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