Although the first units of ALS-777 started to appear on the market about ten years ago, but only recently its constructor – Mr. Kazuo Kiuchi – decided to introduce a version dedicated to European power standards. I do not know the answer to the question, if this delay was caused by the need to find appropriate components, or if the American and Asian market got saturated, and I will probably never find out. Anyway now we do not need to use power cords destined for different working conditions, or use adapters, which are painfully not audiophile. Enter the Reimyo ALS-777 Limited.

In the middle of the fascia made from a thick plate of brushed aluminum there is a warm glowing green LED, with the logo of the manufacturer above it and a chromed plate with Limited written on it – the indicator for the device being in the European version. To the left we have a massive power switch, not very common to be found placed in the front, especially for devices of this category, and an intriguing, very old school load indicator. To the right, there is a nice, decorative plate, informing about the usage  of QRT technology inside the device.

On the back plate we can find five, cryogenically treated Schuko type sockets, coming from the German company Berker. Here we can clearly see the differences between the American/Asian version and the European one: the first has six sockets placed in pairs, and the maximum load for that version is almost two times lower.

The feet for the unit are also not run-of-the-mill ones, but very elegant, conical elements, minimizing vibration by their mass as well as low contact surface with the ground. However you should be very careful, when placing the device on a hard and slippery surface, because when you plug in stiffer and heavier cables, the unit can move uncontrollably.

Looking at the ALS-777 Limited from the theoretical and construction side, the device is a bit strange. Functionally, this is a power strip, but inside the enclosure, there is not only a parallel placed filter, outside of the current path, but also microprocessor controlled American QRT modules (Quantum Resonance Technology), which generate signals, that should, according to the manufacturer, improve the quality of the power supplied to the attached units.

According to that, what you can find in promotional materials and reviews, including the ALS-777 in the power system is unquestionably audible and, as probably with all products bearing the name Reimyo, branded with something, that should be called a company sound signature. A certain combination of smoothness, almost organic homogeneity and spontaneous elegance are something, given it is within our taste, works like a narcotic, addicts us, and releases us only, when we have the complete system at home. You do not have to search far, it is enough to talk to Jacek, who heard the specialite de la maison of Mr. Kiuchi and was taken, heads down. Fortunately I am still searching for my holy grail, so I could approach the newest product from the Japanese manufacture not only with appropriate interest, but also without euphoria. In the end this is just another power conditioner, at least theoretically… I was prepared for the tricks with timbre and palpability, which are served by the Reimyo from the start, and I was not disappointed. Placing the emphasis on musicality, and only in the second place on analyticity makes the listener concentrate mostly on music, in a global way, and not on the individual sounds. Of course the selectiveness in on a very high level, but without the clinical coldness and laboratory, dispassionate analyticity almost every kind of repertoire becomes more digestive. You can concentrate on timbre, on the melodic lines, even in genres theoretically inaccessible, like modern music (“Songs, Drones and Refrains of Death” George Crumb) or heavy-metal growls (“Heavy Metal Music” Newsted). It may seem, that the input remains the same, this is the same bloody steak/ordinary burger (pick one) and only the paper plates and oily paper were replaced with silver tableware and Rosenthal or Villeroy & Boch china. But no, it is different. The content itself becomes also somehow noble. The details, so mishandled originally, so dirty or nervous, become polished, put in place and calmed so that the shine with full brightness, showing their true and forgotten faces. Even older, played until they became boring, albums, like “Misplaced Childhood”, when boosted with the Reimyo ALS-777 Limited surprised with freshness and caught attention like a car we use every day, but which underwent a treatment in a “car spa”. Fortunately the company, amber midrange did not remove the edge in more harsh, or garage recordings, so we did not lose the ability of differentiate recordings. Barb Jungr and Louis Armstrong had their coarseness as they should, only they smiled more often.

However I have a few comments to the slight rounding of the edges of the sound spectrum. The Reimyo “conditioner” slightly softened the spontaneity of the highest and lowest octave, while civilizing the sound spectrum. It was great with the more civilized and worked-out albums, but when trying to use more underground albums, you have to count with an attempt to put the savage Critters into evening dresses. Having noticed that, I tried to find some panacea, that would combine the assets of finesse and nobleness of the Japanese device with the punk-rock savageness. It turned out, that the tested earlier on its own X-DC2 in the role of the main power cable fares well, but changing it to the less fine, but much more powerful Furutech FP-3TS762 placed the sound of my system on the right track. However I need to mention it once more – due to the more heavy repertoire, I listen to quite often, my taste may not be conform with the taste of the audiophile majority. I am aware, that such experiments may be regarded by orthodox audiophiles as profanation and sacrilege, but I tried to get a sound that would fit best into my taste, and not to build an altar for the legend. On the other hand you need to remember the official motto of Reimyo, which states, that every part of the audio system, even the smallest one, has its influence, and there are no shortcuts. So every lover of good sound has to travel his or her ways to reach their nirvana.

A dozen days with the Reimyo ALS-777 Limited allowed me to reach a satisfactory agreement with it, including such a configuration of my system, which placed the common stereotypes and opinions about limiting dynamics by such kind of devices on a shelf together with other untrue fairytales. All owners of Reimyo should listen to the Limited 777 as a must, for other music lovers and audiophiles it is also worth spending a few days listening, because it may turn out, that they move to the first group.

Text and photographs Marcin Olszewski

Distributor: Moje Audio / Reimyo.pl
Price:25 990 zł, powercord Harmonix X-DC2 (worth 4.450 zł) included

Technical Details:
– Number of outlets: 5
– Total power available: 3.450 Watów
– Current handling capacity: 15 Amperów
– Operating power range: 90-125VAC, 50/60Hz; 100-250VAC, 50/60Hz
– Dimensions: 59 mm (H) x 430 mm (W) x 324 mm (D)
– Weight: 7.36 kg

System used in this test:
– CD/DAC: Ayon 1sc
– Digital source selector: Audio Authority 1177
– Stream player: Olive O2M; Dell Inspiron 1764 + JRiver Media Center
– Integrated Amplifier: Electrocompaniet ECI 5
– SpeakersGauder Akustik Arcona 80 + spike extenders; AudioSolutions Rhapsody 130
– IC RCA: Antipodes Audio Katipo; Harmonix CI-230 Mark-II; Neyton Neurnberg NF
– IC XLR: LessLoss Anchorwave; Organic Audio
– Digital IC: Fadel art DigiLitz; Harmonic Technology Cyberlink Copper; Apogee Wyde Eye; Monster Cable Interlink LightSpeed 200
– USB Cables: Wireworld Starlight; Goldenote Firenze Silver
– Speaker Cables: Organic Audio; Neyton Hamburg LS; Signal Projects Hydra
– Power Cables: Furutech FP-3TS762 / FI-28R / FI-E38R; Organic Audio Power; GigaWatt LC-1mk2
– Power distribution board: GigaWatt PF-2 + LC-2mk2 cable; Amare Musica Silver Passive Power Station
– Table: Rogoz Audio 4SM3
– Ethernet cables: Neyton CAT7+
– Accessories: Sevenrods Dust-caps; Furutech CF-080 Damping Ring; HighEndNovum PMR Premium; Albat Revolution Loudspeaker Chips