Old Vs New ..... Transport and dac.

@borg7x9 

If it were me, I'd get the Reimyo pair in a heartbeat because a) build quality, b) desirability, c) fits in a vintage system far better than modern Chinese midfi, d) resale value.

This of course assumes that your audition at the seller's concludes to your satisfaction.

If the Reimyo uses a Philips CD-PRO transport, there are still tens of thousands of those in daily use out there. Parts availability should not be an issue for a long time. It's quite unlikely you'll ever need to replace the entire CD-PRO; replacement laser pickups cost $50 or less.

@OP - does it matter if modern digital would sound better?. Modern amps and speakers would sound better too, so in the context of the system overall the Reimyo is going to be plenty good enough.

Hi Oberon. Its a dedicated transport and dac. Not a cd player. So you are right. I'll be mostly playing cd's not streaming. Not too worried about gapless playback, but I have read a number of people complaining about it. I'm also not too worried about a Remote, I'm most likely to listen to discs end to end. I'll connect a streamer as well I expect for casual listening and that will have all remote functions. In terms of the fast moving technology etc. Computational power is always moving at speed so there will be difference im sure. Im not sure its al about that though. Input / output stage design, transformer quality, power supply quality can all have a big impact and I think the engineering in the Reimyo will be second to none. Lets see how the audition goes. In terms of reviews the Reimyo was one declared the best dac in the world.. the paring universally got amazing reviews.... However, at the end of the day a review is just some one's opinion. We'll see. Thanks for your comments, it's all helping me think through.  

Hi Glen.. "the Reimyo DAP-999EX Limited DAC is a R-2R ladder DAC. It was designed by Combak/Reimyo in Japan and utilizes their specific R-2R ladder design, according to StereoNET."

So It seems that it is a ladder dac...Probably not such a common thing back in 2010. I was a bot surprised when I learned that. 

It also uses the JVC K2 chip set that is used to master all the JVC xrcd and FIM series of cd recordings, Some of the best recordings on cd I've heard.

So It's got a lot going for it, other than the obsolete cd mechanism (phillips cd pro 2m) and surely the tech has moved on somewhere. How that all translates into sound quality , remains to be seen. From what I've read it should deliver what I'm looking for. I expect it to substantially out perform my Meridian 3 box digital front end I once had and my current  line magnetic cd player (also serves as a usb dac) that uses the ESS9016  chip, which I quite like anyway. It'll be fun.

Thanks Devin,

that's the kind of comment I like, ( supporting my original , possibly deluded, idea that Its going to be great ) :-).... I agree that there must be many, many philips cd pro mechanisms out there. A lot of the high end manufacturers used them I think. As long as its been looked after and I can get it serviced that I don't see why it wouldn't continue to run for many years. Those mechanisms where chosen for their durability/ reliability and accuracy in the first place.

You are right...It will look great along side my goldy/bronze leak stereo 20 tube amp and pre amp, they are quite a similar color.

Thanks for your kind comments.