Cyrus 6xp cd6se Thin, bright , lean help!!!

[admin_exported]

Hi there

I have just borought the new Cyrus 6xp and cd6se with chord chameloen innterconnect and van den hul teatract speaker cable.

I'm running a old set of Castle Harlech S2 which are a bit forward and bright on there own.

The system has been running for 3 days solid and would have thought that it is more or less run in by now.

I brought this system of the back of owning some older cyrus gear namely a cd8x + a8 with some kef q35 quite a few years back and loved.

I am looking to upgrade amp cd player in the future to 8 series spec, but in the short term looking to change the speakers, I have a budget of up to £2000, any suggestions to get a fuller warmer sound.

Thanks eddy

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi Eddy, welcome to the forum (and the new year).

Firstly, you need to be 100% certain that you like the Cyrus sound compared to other brands at the same price....did you listen to anything else at the time you made the recent change?
I don't think the Castle's are bright, lean speakers; so I don't know if you can fully solve your problem with speakers.

If you want to try, look to Dynaudio, Spendor and Proac.

My advice would be to listen to other brands, in order to make sure that Cyrus is the right sound for you.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for reply happy new to you to,

I listen to them at my local hifi dealers and loved them, that was through some spendors, which model i'm not sure.

The detail is great so is the imaging but really lacks weight and punch, was'nt sure weather its a cable issue or speaker, i was using the Castle harlechs s2 "which were known at the time for being a little bright which is unusal for castle" with marantz pm 17 and dv7600 which balanced really nice. With acoustic and vocal they sound great but anything more weighty they really struggle.

thanks eddy

 

[SteveR750]

Eddy, not that it is much consolation, but what you describe if familiar with a number (but by no means all of course) or people who have listened to all Cyrus systems. I found it too weedy both in the shop and at home, at least until you get into the pre/mono power options with separarte PSUs but that's getting to silly money levels.

I think you would find Rokan a more satisfying tonal balance, and Naim if you want something in between.

 

[CnoEvil]

Thanks for reply happy new to you to,

I listen to them at my local hifi dealers and loved them, that was through some spendors, which model i'm not sure.

The detail is great so is the imaging but really lacks weight and punch, was'nt sure weather its a cable issue or speaker, i was using the Castle harlechs s2 "which were known at the time for being a little bright which is unusal for castle" with marantz pm 17 and dv7600 which balanced really nice. With acoustic and vocal they sound great but anything more weighty they really struggle.

thanks eddy

Can you replicate at home exactly what you heard at the dealers (room acoustics aside), including cables/mains leads/expensive filtering etc.....Cyrus + Spendor are often a good mix.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for reply guys

I could find out what was used in the dealers, I might go down the route of upgrading the amp to 8xp to get the power levels up and a power supply for the amp. Think i've got used to the very smooth sound of the pm17 and power, I love the realistic sound of the cyrus.

I think i will try a few different speaker combo out at local dealers

 

[CnoEvil]

Thanks for reply guys

I could find out what was used in the dealers, I might go down the route of upgrading the amp to 8xp to get the power levels up and a power supply for the amp. Think i've got used to the very smooth sound of the pm17 and power, I love the realistic sound of the cyrus.

I think i will try a few different speaker combo out at local dealers

IMO You should also try amps from Musical Fidelity and Leema, as they might give you the right compromise....it can't hurt, and helps to ensure your decision is the right one.

 

[Anonymous]

Eddy, not that it is much consolation, but what you describe if familiar with a number (but by no means all of course) or people who have listened to all Cyrus systems. I found it too weedy both in the shop and at home, at least until you get into the pre/mono power options with separarte PSUs but that's getting to silly money levels.

I think you would find Rokan a more satisfying tonal balance, and Naim if you want something in between.

Afraid Steve's right, thats the Cyrus sound I'm familiar with, thin weedy and hard. I would never buy another Cyrus product again after hearing what I was missing out on.

 

[CnoEvil]

Eddy, not that it is much consolation, but what you describe if familiar with a number (but by no means all of course) or people who have listened to all Cyrus systems. I found it too weedy both in the shop and at home, at least until you get into the pre/mono power options with separarte PSUs but that's getting to silly money levels.

I think you would find Rokan a more satisfying tonal balance, and Naim if you want something in between.

Afraid Steve's right, thats the Cyrus sound I'm familiar with, thin weedy and hard. I would never buy another Cyrus product again after hearing what I was missing out on.

That's cutting to the chase.....I was dancing round the issue, but it is also my worry.

Do lots of demoing with different alternatives, before parting with any money.

 

[matthewpiano]

You've had some great advice here. No point blowing more money on the cyrus route until you are absolutely satisfied it is the right sound for you. They make some great kit but I often feel that the more 'affordable' (!) end of their range is cleverly geared towards putting you on the box-adding upgrade route and that you can possibly achieve more enjoyable results for less with other brands.

There have been two occasions when I've enjoyed Cyrus kit. The first was at an ex-colleagues house some years ago, where I was greeted with a big stack of Cyrus electronics and a pair of Mission 753 speakers. The second was hearing another fairly big stack of Cyrus playing through some Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Baby Grand speakers. I've never been particularly bowled over by their so-called 'entry-level' products.

Try your existing kit with a range of different speakers but also audition alternative electronics before you starting spending more and more money chasing something which might end up being elusive with this particular path.

 

[eternaloptimist]

Afraid Steve is NOT right- parituclarly in regard to the newer Cyrus kit (since the 8vs etc).

I have Cyrus pre/power combo which is not in the least "thin weedy and hard" and am not missing anything! Listening with the Audiovectors to female vocal is sublime. I have listened to a lot of gear and love the Cyrus detail.

I suspect you have 2 issues. The main culprit is likely the speakers with the Cyrus gear. Cyrus is very detailed. Speakers that pair well included: Audiovector (I would say that...), Dynaudio (but need lots of power), ATC (ditto), Spendor, PMC, Proac. Are you able to take your speakers to the shop?

The second issue is power. The 6XP is not a particularly powerful amp. I don't know your speakers but unless they are sensitive, you may find the control lacking.

So, overall.... I suggest looking at your speakers.... If you don't want to change them, you may need to move from Cyrus.

 

[matthewpiano]

Steve is right if that is what he has heard from Cyrus kit. There are no absolutes in all this and anybody's comments about hi-fi are relative to their own experience and preferences.

 

[eternaloptimist]

My response was in reply to post #7: "Steve is right.." etc. This was an "absolute" statement, hence my "absolute" response.

"In my opinion" etc etc he is wrong. *Obviously* everything is opinion related to personal preferences etc.

In any case, I think the 6XP is probably best mated to sensitive standmount speakers in a smaller room.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for response guys

I've got to admit the old cyrus kit that I had was very detailed and a bit lean, which was more my taste then warmer sounding kit , but the new gear that was on demo in the shop was much fuller but still had the cyrus trade mark sound.

I must admit i have been listening to them for the last few hours and they seem to be getting fuller sound, i don't know if they are fully run in yet.

Has any one had experience of the time it takes to run in the new cyrus gear.

 

[Crossie]

I like the Cyrus sound so my views are biased and my wallet is empty.

The Castle Harlecs are by reputation forward and bright, going by the reviews but they do have sensitivity of 89dB so the 6XP should have enough power for them. I have used Spendor A5's in the past and they will give you a different sound that you might be after. If you have liked the Cyrus sound in the past then it is well worth trying some different speakers before ditching your 6 series kit. Take your shoe boxes to your local dealer and have a listen there are lots of choices for two grand.

Does your CD6se have the se2 upgrade?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi crossie

Yes its the cd6se2, I brought cyrus gear with the view to upgrade it over time, I new that the speakers would'nt be best suited to cyrus, but feel they are quite a bad match for cyrus.

I'am looking to upgarde the amp and cd to 8 series spec + power supplies.

 

[plastic penguin]

What are your room acoustics like? If you have a reflective room I think the Cyrus just maybe too cloying.

 

[wbarr]

Best upgrade I made was to purchase a pair of PMC Twenty 21s and stands to add to the same system. They play very well with the 6se 2 and 6xp and should easily grow with any upgrades. I got the Cyrus combo in July 11, impressed after a demo. If it helps, it took quite some time for them to run in and for the sound balance to settle down (from thin and bright). Hope this helps. I also found using a DMN solid core interconnect between the CD and amp brought worthwhile control and tightness to the sound.

 

[peterdenny]

I use Dynaudio DM2/6 with 6XP, works well but the DM2/6's can be bass heavy if used too close to walls so use port bungs. Not light weight or shrill. The Dynaudio's do need a fair time to open out and sound good, I thought it was my imagination until I had to replace my original pair.

 

[SteveR750]

Afraid Steve is NOT right- parituclarly in regard to the newer Cyrus kit (since the 8vs etc).

I have Cyrus pre/power combo which is not in the least "thin weedy and hard" and am not missing anything! Listening with the Audiovectors to female vocal is sublime. I have listened to a lot of gear and love the Cyrus detail.

I suspect you have 2 issues. The main culprit is likely the speakers with the Cyrus gear. Cyrus is very detailed. Speakers that pair well included: Audiovector (I would say that...), Dynaudio (but need lots of power), ATC (ditto), Spendor, PMC, Proac. Are you able to take your speakers to the shop?

The second issue is power. The 6XP is not a particularly powerful amp. I don't know your speakers but unless they are sensitive, you may find the control lacking.

So, overall.... I suggest looking at your speakers.... If you don't want to change them, you may need to move from Cyrus.

Afraid I am! as are those that have the same impression, after all, that's all it is...just an impression.

The only decent Cyrus set up to me ears was an pre xp + PSX + 2 x mono blocs.

I preferred the K2 over an 8xpd in the demo room, and in my system at home. Granted the CD players are very good indeed, I once owned a CD6se, and frankly an 8SE + PSX was awesome.

 

[Anonymous]

My response was in reply to post #7: "Steve is right.." etc. This was an "absolute" statement, hence my "absolute" response.

"In my opinion" etc etc he is wrong. *Obviously* everything is opinion related to personal preferences etc.

In any case, I think the 6XP is probably best mated to sensitive standmount speakers in a smaller room.

For me Steve hit the nail on the head. I worded my response strongly because in my equipment history the Cyrus system I owned was definitely one of the most anemic and colourless I've had. Since then I've owned a lot of Hi Fi and all of it has sounded better than Cyrus stuff to my ears. If it doesn't agree with your experience then good for you, carry on enjoying your gear, but when you see a thread with the title "thin, bright, lean and it chimes with my own feelings then I'm going to say that maybe they are hearing the same Cyrus sound as me, theres no need to take it personally.

 

[shafesk]

If it doesn't agree with your experience then good for you, carry on enjoying your gear, but when you see a thread with the title "thin, bright, lean and it chimes with my own feelings then I'm going to say that maybe they are hearing the same Cyrus sound as me, theres no need to take it personally.

[/quote]

I agree with your opinion Spectre. For instance, my X-cans paired with the AKG sound superb to me, although a bit clinical, the detail and resolution I get from the pairing is outstanding. However, some people have complained that the pairing sounds harsh and unforgiving with low quality recordings. I for one believe that the point of a good system is to be able to hear everything there is in the song. If a song sounds bad through a revealing set up the artist didn't care about the recording in the first place. I do not bother to listen to such artists because if you do not care about the quality of the sound, you are not a very good musician to begin with. I believe it is up to us audiophiles to fight the battle of 'dynamic compression', it only takes a few wise men to start a revolution.

Coming back to the point, yes some might find bright what others call detailed but we are all here to find our sweet spot of tonal balance and resolution. We all have our favourite manufacturers who have given us the tonality and resolution we crave for and sometimes in trying to defend them, we forget the more important issue at hand-to solve the problem of the op. Wonderful creatures, us humans are.

Just my two cents.

 

[alan harknett]

I have a very simular situation with Cyrus kit 8se cd 8vs2 pre and 2x 8 mono power amps, i tried several home speaker demo's and have now settled on vienna concert grand speakers but be aware that i am sure the same sort of sound can be had from different kit at a much cheaper price. Also check out different cable options between cd and amp also amp and speaker cable, both will change the sound dramatically i settled on Chord Antham2 and at the moment i'm useing an old set of Vandan Hull CS122 speaker cable. Also i'm sure you know it also depends on the cd's you chose to(dem) listern to, poor production on a good revealing system sounds even worse IMO cd compression and recording engineers/artist are to blame.

 

[matthewpiano]

... i tried several home speaker demo's and have now settled on vienna concert grand speakers but be aware that i am sure the same sort of sound can be had from different kit at a much cheaper price...

This is exactly what I was getting it in my post.

Also, good point about recordings. Cyrus kit is very revealing and bad recordings are going to sound exactly that.

 

[Anonymous]

You've got a very good amp and CDP there; you just need to find the right speakers!

Having a Cyruis set-up as well and doing many speaker demo's recently I found that the best makes that worked for me were B&W CM range, M/A RX and GX range, PMC DB1i's and GB1i's and the Neat Motive 2's

I found that Spendor, Dali, KEF and ATC speakers didnt work very well with my tastes in music; sounded ok but a bit thin/light/painful at times