Cyrus 6VS2 v used arcam alpha 8?

[admin_exported]

Got the option to buy an ex-demo Cyrus or a used arcam alpha 8, there is £200 in difference between the two - thinking of pairing it with a beresford DAC to play music from a Mac.

Any advice on which way to go?

Initially I will be using MS 902i speakers, but will also upgrade those soon.

 

[JoelSim]

Depends on whether you want a thin or a warm sound.

 

[Anonymous]

Quite new to hifi - currently have an old CA amp - so this is hopefully a big step up.

I want detail and like the fact I can upgrade the Cyrus, but the arcam is a bargain and a friend had one many years ago and I recall that the sound was good - but the age difference is a concern and there are plenty of good reviews about the cyrus.

 

[Messiah]

Cyrus is all about the detail. Probably best described as clinical.

 

[mcjwalters]

IMO the Cyrus is by far the better option. I listened to Arcam against Cyrus when I was planning my system and the difference for me was like day and night. The Cyrus had, and still has large sound stage with great power and authority where the Arcam was very thin sounding and didn't impress at all in any way shape or form.
If you can listen with to them with some speakers that you may be interested in at a later date try the the BR5's to partner the Cyrus.

 

[Anonymous]

Another option would be to put current plans on hold and wait a while to buy the AVI ADM 9.1 - but thought that I could get the use out of a new amp and then sell to move on.

Is there anything between the arcam and the cyrus in terms of balancing warmth and detail?

 

[JoelSim]

Chalk and cheese in sound. To my ears Arcam gives a nice homely sound, Cyrus thin and brittle.

I wouldn't go for either though, if you want a decent Arcam go for an A85.

 

[plastic penguin]

BH:

Got the option to buy an ex-demo Cyrus or a used arcam alpha 8, there is £200 in difference between the two - thinking of pairing it with a beresford DAC to play music from a Mac.

Any advice on which way to go?

Initially I will be using MS 902i speakers, but will also upgrade those soon.

Cyrus is fabulous little amp that oozes detail and dynamics, although avoid it with Mordaunt Short speakers. As Joel stated it will sound brittle and disjointed. Unless you're prepared buy gutsy speakers, like Dynudio, B&W or Epos then definitely look at Arcam.

I do think that the DIVA range will serve you better with music than Alpha 8.

 

[Anonymous]

BH:
Got the option to buy an ex-demo Cyrus or a used arcam alpha 8, there is £200 in difference between the two - thinking of pairing it with a beresford DAC to play music from a Mac. Any advice on which way to go? Initially I will be using MS 902i speakers, but will also upgrade those soon.ÿ

Have heard Arcam 7 which a friend has and also recently demo'd a new Arcam (don't know model but circa £700 new) against similar priced Rotel. On both Arcams, I found they lacked a bit of detail and, I don't know...not enough "ooomph" somehow. I ended up with 2nd hand Cyrus 8vs instead which I think was great value for money and I've been able to fine tune the detail to my liking and find warmer combinations pairing it with different components. Word of warning though - the combination of the Cyrus, MS902i and my original Technics CDP was bright and a bit (OK, in retrospect, "very") tiring to listen to, although swapping out the Technics for a Marantz CDP made it much smoother, as did change of interconnects. Like you I intend to switch the speakers, so I tried to disregard them from my decision-making re other components. To be fair about it, it'd be interesting to demo the Arcam again as my journey has definitely seen my taste change from preferring very forward to a somewhat smoother sound and just maybe I might not be so disinclined towards the Arcam now. Anyway, as always I guess it'll depend on your personal taste and also the sonic characteristics of the current Beresford since that's the component that'll be a constant for you. There's a good WHF video for newbies (like me, as you'll have guessed) on matching sonic characteristics of components - you'll find it elsewhere on this website under the 'videos' section (funnily enough!).

 

[smuggs]

alot of these guys are pros, but you have just got into it like me,so any will sound great. over the last 14 months i have had about 8 amps which i have played music through from yamaha av amp,denon av amp ,2 old rotels ,arcama alpha 8 and 9, cambridge audio and a couple of others and the alpha 9 is class but not a million miles better than the 8 i would go with the arcam save the 200 pound learn more about hifi and enjoy the step up in quailty and get some nice speaker cable and then in the next 12 months work out what you like /dislike about the sound and work out what is the best upgrade i.e speakers/amp/cabling and then use the 200 and more saved funds to do a upgrade. This is imo only,m good luck

 

[Anonymous]

I much prefer the Cyrus to ARCAM sound but you need to hear both with speakers similar to yours.

The 6vs2 is very much the bottom of the range and upgrading might be an expensive option. Often it is better to sell your old kit on ebay and buy a better model.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks to everyone for your comments.

I have ordered the Cyrus 6VS2, managed to get a brand new one for £350, which seems to be a really good price. I know the rest of my kit will probably hold it back, but think it is a good place to start and look forward to auditioning speakers and sources in the coming months.

This has been a really helpful forum with balanced and informed views.

Thanks again and I'll post comments and first impressions when up and running!

 

[Anonymous]

BH:

Another option would be to put current plans on hold and wait a while to buy the AVI ADM 9.1 - but thought that I could get the use out of a new amp and then sell to move on.

Is there anything between the arcam and the cyrus in terms of balancing warmth and detail?

Pioneer A300R Precision as modded by Tom Evans .... these are very good IMHO especially if you can snag this one for approx £150 (or less) ....

when you get your AVI's, you will get more for this amp if you advertise it correctly on ebay and sell worldwide

 

[bluebrazil]

now with the new xp amps i think the only way to upgrade a 6vs2 is by adding a 6 power

 

[Anonymous]

According to the website Leicester Hifi centre will upgrade a 6VS2 to a 8XP D for £1000 - so at £350 for the 6VS2 this is a cheaper than paying for the 8XP D.

 

[smuggs]

good stuff if you have that money.

 

[Anonymous]

Set up the 6VS2 and even with the MS 902i and from box use it sounds great.

Can't wait for it to run in.

 

[Anonymous]

BH:
Set up the 6VS2 and even with the MS 902i and from box use it sounds great. Can't wait for it to run in.

Excellent - sounds like you got a bargain and I hope you thoroughly enjoy it. Would be interested to see what speakers you eventually end up going for to match the amp. Right now I'm thinking maybe Arcaydis DM1 although not sure how much of a step up that would be from the 902i's.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, the Arcaydis are on my short list, as are the EB Acoustics EB1, Monitor Audio RX1 and the B&W 685.

One of the earlier comments on this thread suggested I would need more 'gutsy' speakers than the MS902i - I want to run the amp in and will see how the sound changes, but I think I will look for something with a bit more 'body' than the MS902i presentation (don't know if I am describing this properly, but hopefully you'll know what I mean). The MS902i replaced some Eltax symphony 6 I think it was. These were floorstanders and did have that extra depth as I recall.

In terms of the amp - I wanted detail and straight out of the box there was plenty. Even after only a few hours of run in you can hear the sound stage expanding and getting what I can only describe as depth, but with the detail I was after.

Did you find the characteristics of our amp changed with run in?

 

[Anonymous]

I know exactly what you mean about the MS902i although I still think for the money they're great with the detail. The problem I've got is a very small listening room (3.5m x 2.5m or thereabouts) so I don't want something quite as meaty as the B&W685s and ideally I would avoid rear ported. Also, on the one hand I'm not sure how much cash it's worth spending to get tangible benefits in such a small room, and on the other hand I don't want to get something sub £300 when perhaps an extra £100 would have made all the difference. It's a tricky one and when I get nearer a purchase I expect I'll be seeing what the knowledgeable folks on here think about it.

Re the Cyrus, I love the detail and forward presentation of the amp as well. Mine didn't have any run-in time that I noticed but then again I bought a 2nd hand factory refurb'd unit (not for much less than your new one, I have to say!) so it wasn't by any means out of the box and I expect the previous owner did all the breaking in that was required. I'm quite envious actually - just after I got mine I sat up for nights on end discovering previously unheard detail in old CDs and you've got that pleasure in front of you.

 

[Anonymous]

I know, it's like owning a whole new cd collection - so many instruments are coming out of the background.

I'll keep an eye out for a thread on speakers and would love to know how you get on when you get around to changing the speakers.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

could you tell me where you got the Cyrus for £350?

Cheers.