Karel.Do I understand corectly that you preffer AMR over Lector Prime but you must have Lector regardless?Thanks for this article,it was fun to read.
I am still not sure if I preffer Meridian 808 or Lector Prime.I like both of them.Meridian was more truthfull to the source but Lector Prime was more musical.There is one more very strong contender Reimyo CDP-777 which I have not listened yet.Read some articles about it and it seems like very good machine without tubes in the way and still sounding organic and musical without sacrificing high resolution.
Guy who wants to sell me this Reimyo wrote:From what you say, I think you will not be disappointed. Reimyio is VERY organic sounding, it has that natural warmth to the instruments and human voices that most digital gear lacks.
For the past week I have been comparing the Reimyo to dCS Scarlatti full stack (I have a Scarlatti DAC for sale, BTW) which retails for sth close to 60.000 EURO.
I can tell you that I MUCH prefere the sound of Reimyo to the Scarlatti ... the only asspect of sound that the dCS does better is sheer resolution. But the Reimyo sounds much more natural and fluid, much more musical and true to life. With Reimyo you do not want to stop listening, you put the CD to listen to the single track ... and end up listening the the whole CD !
And then someone else wrote:As always with high-end, it is all about careful matching. I would imagine someone would choose the AMR over the Reimyo if their system was overly warm the upper midrange and lower treble leanness of the AMR would balance it out. The Reimyo is very well balanced and should fit into most systems beautifully. I dont think you would be making a mistake by buying the Reimyo. I am pretty confident you will love it.
And also one comparasion:I actually heard the AMR against the Lector at a dealership in Chicago (Essential Audio). Each of the players had its own strengths with the Lector being more organic, rich and harmonically dense while the AMR had a much bigger soundstage (it was huge compared to the Lector) and tighter bass, but was also dry and sort of thin sounding (I didn't expect it from a tube based player). In my opinion the Reimyo falls somewhere inbetween: it is just as lush and tonally dense as the Lector, but it's also more open, dynamic and detailed, similar to the AMR, but with none of the AMR's dryness. This makes it sound very natural and lifelike.
Then this guy from Stereotimes Frank Peraino wrote in his review:The CD-77's bandwidth and spectral balance is unmatched by any player Ive heard. From top to bottom it doesnt bloat, editorialize, romanticize, emphasize or de-emphasize any single band throughout the frequency spectrum. Ive always maintained that a reviewer should never paint him/herself into a corner by declaring any component to be the absolute best. My reason for this philosophy is simple - Ive not heard every component and my perspective may change if and when something better comes along to reveal the limitations of a previous reference. Thank God for that disclaimer. The Reimyo CD-777 has remained my reference for almost five years due, in large part, to its even-handedness. While it may lean slightly toward the rich side of neutral, the Reimyo was seemingly equally adept from top to bottom. The AMR CD-77, however, revealed areas where the Reimyo falls short of providing a truly balanced attack.
The low frequency performance of the CD-77 was stunning in every aspect. From the upper bass down to 40Hz and below, the CD-77's low-end is articulate, tonally accurate, and impactful with foundation shaking extension. Subtle nuances are easily heard. Mid-bass is tight and punchy with outstanding transient attack and harmonic decay. This infuses the music with rhythmic drive yet does so without imposing on the musics crucial midrange. If you think tubed players cant do bass, think again. The tubed CD-77 bettered the solid-state Reimyo in every area youd think transistors would have the edge. Big Horizon by David Wilcox [1994 A&M Records 31452] was one case in point. On track #1 New World and track #9 Strong Chemistry, the CD-77 reproduced the electric bass lines with such clarity and balance that the Reimyos presentation sounded ripe and bloated by comparison. Wilcoxs close-miked acoustic guitar can sound almost like a bass through many lesser players. Through the CD-77 you never get them confused. The AMRs low-bass extension bettered the Reimyos digging deeper with greater authority with the proper source material. Victor Wootens subterranean electric bass on Sojourn of Arjuna from Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Left of Cool [Warner Bros. 9-46896-2] provided the sonic fireworks. While there may be CD players that produce more bass, Ive not heard any with better bass.
It took a while to realize just how good the midrange of the AMR was. Why? This is where the Reimyo truly excels. Yet when the dust settled, the AMR came out on top. While not quite as rich as the Reimyos, the CD-77's midrange is just as musically satisfying and more tonally correct. Id say it was more neutral but this can imply a relative leanness. The AMR again revealed how the Reimyos midrange errs on the fuller, richer side of neutral. It is precisely this quality that makes the Reimyo such an engaging player in my book and why its been my reference for so long. My reference took an uppercut to the chin, however, on the late Chris Jones fabulous CD, Roadhouses & Automobiles, [Stockfish SFR 357.6027.2]. This album highlights the artists folk/blues vocals and lyrics and his beautiful acoustic guitar work. On track #6 Fender Bender, Jones and bassist, Grischka Zepf, engage in an up-tempo instrumental played, for the most part, in unison. The AMR allowed me to more easily differentiate the two guitars. The CD-77's quicker transient attacks and tonal purity markedly improved my appreciation and enjoyment of this fine disc. This effect was partially attributable to the AMRs superior bass performance that allowed the midrange to sing without competition from the lower frequencies.
I am still not sure if I preffer Meridian 808 or Lector Prime.I like both of them.Meridian was more truthfull to the source but Lector Prime was more musical.There is one more very strong contender Reimyo CDP-777 which I have not listened yet.Read some articles about it and it seems like very good machine without tubes in the way and still sounding organic and musical without sacrificing high resolution.
Guy who wants to sell me this Reimyo wrote:From what you say, I think you will not be disappointed. Reimyio is VERY organic sounding, it has that natural warmth to the instruments and human voices that most digital gear lacks.
For the past week I have been comparing the Reimyo to dCS Scarlatti full stack (I have a Scarlatti DAC for sale, BTW) which retails for sth close to 60.000 EURO.
I can tell you that I MUCH prefere the sound of Reimyo to the Scarlatti ... the only asspect of sound that the dCS does better is sheer resolution. But the Reimyo sounds much more natural and fluid, much more musical and true to life. With Reimyo you do not want to stop listening, you put the CD to listen to the single track ... and end up listening the the whole CD !
And then someone else wrote:As always with high-end, it is all about careful matching. I would imagine someone would choose the AMR over the Reimyo if their system was overly warm the upper midrange and lower treble leanness of the AMR would balance it out. The Reimyo is very well balanced and should fit into most systems beautifully. I dont think you would be making a mistake by buying the Reimyo. I am pretty confident you will love it.
And also one comparasion:I actually heard the AMR against the Lector at a dealership in Chicago (Essential Audio). Each of the players had its own strengths with the Lector being more organic, rich and harmonically dense while the AMR had a much bigger soundstage (it was huge compared to the Lector) and tighter bass, but was also dry and sort of thin sounding (I didn't expect it from a tube based player). In my opinion the Reimyo falls somewhere inbetween: it is just as lush and tonally dense as the Lector, but it's also more open, dynamic and detailed, similar to the AMR, but with none of the AMR's dryness. This makes it sound very natural and lifelike.
Then this guy from Stereotimes Frank Peraino wrote in his review:The CD-77's bandwidth and spectral balance is unmatched by any player Ive heard. From top to bottom it doesnt bloat, editorialize, romanticize, emphasize or de-emphasize any single band throughout the frequency spectrum. Ive always maintained that a reviewer should never paint him/herself into a corner by declaring any component to be the absolute best. My reason for this philosophy is simple - Ive not heard every component and my perspective may change if and when something better comes along to reveal the limitations of a previous reference. Thank God for that disclaimer. The Reimyo CD-777 has remained my reference for almost five years due, in large part, to its even-handedness. While it may lean slightly toward the rich side of neutral, the Reimyo was seemingly equally adept from top to bottom. The AMR CD-77, however, revealed areas where the Reimyo falls short of providing a truly balanced attack.
The low frequency performance of the CD-77 was stunning in every aspect. From the upper bass down to 40Hz and below, the CD-77's low-end is articulate, tonally accurate, and impactful with foundation shaking extension. Subtle nuances are easily heard. Mid-bass is tight and punchy with outstanding transient attack and harmonic decay. This infuses the music with rhythmic drive yet does so without imposing on the musics crucial midrange. If you think tubed players cant do bass, think again. The tubed CD-77 bettered the solid-state Reimyo in every area youd think transistors would have the edge. Big Horizon by David Wilcox [1994 A&M Records 31452] was one case in point. On track #1 New World and track #9 Strong Chemistry, the CD-77 reproduced the electric bass lines with such clarity and balance that the Reimyos presentation sounded ripe and bloated by comparison. Wilcoxs close-miked acoustic guitar can sound almost like a bass through many lesser players. Through the CD-77 you never get them confused. The AMRs low-bass extension bettered the Reimyos digging deeper with greater authority with the proper source material. Victor Wootens subterranean electric bass on Sojourn of Arjuna from Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Left of Cool [Warner Bros. 9-46896-2] provided the sonic fireworks. While there may be CD players that produce more bass, Ive not heard any with better bass.
It took a while to realize just how good the midrange of the AMR was. Why? This is where the Reimyo truly excels. Yet when the dust settled, the AMR came out on top. While not quite as rich as the Reimyos, the CD-77's midrange is just as musically satisfying and more tonally correct. Id say it was more neutral but this can imply a relative leanness. The AMR again revealed how the Reimyos midrange errs on the fuller, richer side of neutral. It is precisely this quality that makes the Reimyo such an engaging player in my book and why its been my reference for so long. My reference took an uppercut to the chin, however, on the late Chris Jones fabulous CD, Roadhouses & Automobiles, [Stockfish SFR 357.6027.2]. This album highlights the artists folk/blues vocals and lyrics and his beautiful acoustic guitar work. On track #6 Fender Bender, Jones and bassist, Grischka Zepf, engage in an up-tempo instrumental played, for the most part, in unison. The AMR allowed me to more easily differentiate the two guitars. The CD-77's quicker transient attacks and tonal purity markedly improved my appreciation and enjoyment of this fine disc. This effect was partially attributable to the AMRs superior bass performance that allowed the midrange to sing without competition from the lower frequencies.