Cyrus 6a or 8vs2

Kellytm272

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Hi,

Have decided to replace my Arcam A18 amp with Cyrus 6a or 8vs2. Wanted a bit more excitement in the music.

Speakers are Mission 751 freedoms and source is Pioneer N50.

which of the two cyrus amps would be better, considering the 6a can be picked up for £450 and the 8vs2 for around £350 to £400 on eBay?

thanks
 

wilsmusic

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I really enjoyed my 6a...but did feel a need to add a power amp pretty swiftly. This improved the sound staging and added a bit of grunt to the clarity I already had. Can't comment on 8vs.

My advice would be see the 6a as a starting point, not an end point.

will
 

Kellytm272

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Presumably an 8vs2 will sound very similar, but can be got for about £70 less and is more upgradable than the 6a. And I notice it has a higher power output too- will that help run the 751 freedom speakers better too? 70w per channel vs 40w per channel at 8 ohms. Speakers handle up to 75w, 6 ohm and 89db/m sensitivity.

Or could it be that the 6a will be fine in that respect? It's hard to work out as the 8 series amp is previous generation to the newer 6a. So either may sound better than the other. Shame I can't audition both first.
 

drummerman

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I have the 8vs2 plus PSX-R but never heard the newer generation cyrus'es.

A good amplifier doesn't become a bad one because it is a few years old. They measure superbly even by todays standards.

The increased built-in power supply of the 8 series makes a difference as does the external one.

regards
 

MakkaPakka

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I suspect that both will work very well. The 8vs2 will be better in terms of power but it will be around 8 years old and lacks a display. The 6a has a display and will have a couple of years warranty. Depends what your priorities are.

It's worth bearing in mind that there's a continuous supply of Cyrus power amps on ebay under £200 so whichever you choose can be upgraded if required.
 

freedom1971

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This is always the trouble with Cyrus kit and the many permutations of upgrade options. You start out with an integrated and before you know it you've got eight boxes and no money left, which is where I am at right now!

My advice would be to go with the 8vs, which trumps the 6a power wise, then you have the option to upgrade with PSX-R or power amp (or both) in the future. In my experience, PSX-R gives better detail & soundstage and power amp gives fuller sound & more bass weight. Just a matter of your own preference really.
 

freedom1971

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I think Smartpower & Smartpower+ are probably about the best value secondhand, There are always some coming up for sale around the £200 mark.

You will usually have to pay more for a PSX-R. I wouldn't worry about buying models a few years old as Cyrus are pretty rock solid reliability wise.
 

drummerman

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Kellytm272 said:
Thanks for all the info. Sounds like it's the 8vs2 then. Will any psxr or power amp work? Cyrus ones that is. And are there any power amps to avoid?

thanks again

Yes, any PSX-R will work. They have an easy life electrically so problems are rare but its worth noting that brushed black has been introduced later so chances are it will be newer if the owner doesn't have any paper work.

regards
 

unsleepable

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But don't amplifiers require maintenance? Apparently, condensers dry out with time—and there are other tasks to be performed. My brother works in this, but with professional audio rather than Hi-Fi equipment. I understand that Cyrus also offers maintenance for their own amplifiers. And I think I read somewhere that they recommend their amplifiers to be serviced every 10 years.

The Cyrus 8vs2 model was launched in 2006 or earlier—at least it won a What Hi-Fi award in 2006. The 6a model is from 2012. They are 6 years and two generations apart—I believe that there were at least the XPs in-between.

Even if Cyrus has not made any technological advances in 6 years, do you think that the 8vs2 may be close to requiring maintenance, or that this is not really necessary? And there is another thing I've always wondered about… Is there any differences between the Cyrus 6 and 8 series, apart from the power and the upgradability options—which are clearly restricted depending on the model?
 

drummerman

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unsleepable said:
But don't amplifiers require maintenance? Apparently, condensers dry out with time—and there are other tasks to be performed. My brother works in this, but with professional audio rather than Hi-Fi equipment. I understand that Cyrus also offers maintenance for their own amplifiers. And I think I read somewhere that they recommend their amplifiers to be serviced every 10 years.

The Cyrus 8vs2 model was launched in 2006 or earlier—at least it won a What Hi-Fi award in 2006. The 6a model is from 2012. They are 6 years and two generations apart—I believe that there were at least the XPs in-between.

Even if Cyrus has not made any technological advances in 6 years, do you think that the 8vs2 may be close to requiring maintenance, or that this is not really necessary? And there is another thing I've always wondered about… Is there any differences between the Cyrus 6 and 8 series, apart from the power and the upgradability options—which are clearly restricted depending on the model?

Electrolytes will eventually need replacing. Their 'life span' is usually quoted in working hours by manufacturers but these are often just guide lines there to give the manufacturer some protection in case of 'come back' and usually refer to professional or other worst case scenarios where components are stretched to the limit. Not your typical domestic, well engineered amplifier.

You will find amplifiers and other electronic components decades old with no obvious degradation to parts. Its more likely things such as speaker protection relays will eventually give up ... cyrus don't use them.

But you are right, having a new model with warranty will give some peace of mind.

In my experience though, it is far more likely a new factory fresh component will fail quickly than an amplifier that has been working well for a few years. - Still, buying second hand has it's risks.

As to the differences between the 6/8 series; Both have the same circuit layout, pre-amp and output devices. The differences are in the power supply where the larger of the two models uses a more substantial transformer and power supply capacitors. The option to add a PSX-R is, as you identified correctly, also only available on the 8. I think the possiblity to trim input levels for different sources is available to both.

If you only ever listen at low levels you probably don't need the 8 but even there, dynamic musical peaks will be served better by the larger amplifier and the PSX-R will aid transparency and further improve dynamics.

These are lovely, 'musical and engaging' amplifiers which portray tonal shading and timbre well but don't rip everything apart (pardon the pseudo reviewer language), not in the mould of some of the more stilted and 'correct' ones. By that I mean they do the ebb and flow of the music well. They also measure good.

Finally, yes cyrus do service most of their old components provided parts are still obtainable (careful with cd players). Its not cheap but if you have a well sorted system then spending £150 to £200 to get a serviced/repaired amplifier back could well be more economical than buying something else new.

regards
 
Personally I'd be wary of plumping for the 8VS2. It's a very good amp but it is very speaker dependent. Having had the 8VS2 on home dem a couple of times, it's great with female vocals and the detail is excellent but on one occasion I had the Roksan Kandy LIII running side-by-side and the latter was far better balance-wise. I've not heard your Missions so couldn't say how they would gel. If it was my money I'd buy a s/hand 8XP: heard that with MA GX100 and RX6s, and to my ear, it sounded the beans.
 

drummerman

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plastic penguin said:
Personally I'd be wary of plumping for the 8VS2. It's a very good amp but it is very speaker dependent

Low output impedance, distortion and stable into lower loads with good current reserves and headroom. Cyrus measure well.

Speakers don't really come into the equation as these will be treated equally by the amplifier as to frequency response. Large deviations will be due to the speakers themselves rather than the amplifier (which is not always the case).

Ultimate power is the limiting factor though that can be addressed too, at a price. 70w will be enough for most situations/rooms (I believe it measures closer to 90w/8ohm and 140w/4ohm.

Its not the best amplifier in the world, certainly but the combination with a PSX-R makes a very persuasive argument for cyrus imo, especially at second hand prices.

There are of course others which offer a different take on things.

Regards
 
drummerman said:
plastic penguin said:
Personally I'd be wary of plumping for the 8VS2. It's a very good amp but it is very speaker dependent

...the speakers themselves rather than the amplifier (which is not always the case).

Ultimate power is the limiting factor though that can be addressed too, at a price. 70w will be enough for most situations/rooms (I believe it measures closer to 90w/8ohm and 140w/4ohm.

Its not the best amplifier in the world, certainly but the combination with a PSX-R makes a very persuasive argument for cyrus imo, especially at second hand prices.

There are of course others which offer a different take on things.

Regards

Exactly my point. Having preferred the kandy and not heard the Missions it would be too much of a risk to buy blind IMHO.
 

Balderdash

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I had an 8vs (not 8vs 2). It was ok but sounded lean in my system and ultimately fatiguing hence why I changed. I would advise that you listen first as Cyrus sound isn't to everyones liking.

They are also dull as dishwater to look at.
 

Kellytm272

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Guys, thanks for your hell. I picked up the 8vs2 on eBay for £310. Looking forward to hearing it with the mission speakers - I remember how good my cyrus 3 and original 751s sounded!

At lower volumes (live in a flat), what would make a bigger improvement? A psxr or smartpower?
 

Kellytm272

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I did reply earlier, but for some reason it got flagged as spam.

Thanks for all your help.

One last thing, I live in a flat so can't have volume levels too high. Under those conditions, would a smartpower or psxr bring better benefits?

Thanks again.
 

drummerman

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A psx-r will yield the biggest improvement imho. You can expect a lower noise floor and better dynamics, soundstage, sweeter and more defined treble and tighter bass. It improves everything and will make the amplifier sound more refined like an altogether more expensive amplifier.

It's plain audible and obvious but there have been folks which preferred the more 'raucous' sound of the non-psx'r'd integrated.

You bought at a very good price, even if you decide it isn't for you you can sell on for no loss. Why not just wait and see what you think first? You should be able to get a good condition PSX-R for between £200 and £300, depending on age if you feel the improvements would be worthwile in your system.

As to speaker matching, mentioned in your other thread, if you want excitement then Rega and Mission are safe bets. Neither will be at cost to all refinement though naturally something has to give. If you like rock etc then Missions MX2 (stand) or MX3 (floorstander) are worth considering. For some more money you could look at Rega's R3 (or RS3). - R1's (RS1's) are rather bass light. I personally find Rega's tweeters somewhat harsh/unrefined and the front porting to prone to expose internal cabinet reflections but there's no denying that they make for an entertaining listen.

Let us know how you get on.

regards

regards
 

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