cyrus cd8x - is there an av amp suitable?

[admin_exported]

hi guys,

i've just grabbed a bargain cyrus cd8x for just over £400 brand new, which i am well chuffed about!

i currently have an old yamaha htr 5550 av amp and a brand new mission e3 av package with e34 floorstanders up front. now i know you're probably all thinking the speakers are a low spec for the cd right?

the thing is i didn't intend going this far down the audio route, i just fancied upgrading my speakers from what i had previously (eltax cinnemax package) - i did, but now i've got the bug again (thought it died with me a few years ago!) i don't really want to have 2 amps, but i will if everyone says no av amp will do!

i know i need to upgrade the amp for movies anyway so i'm thinking 2 birds with 1 stone etc.

budget would be up to £1000 and i quite fancy the idea of bi-amping the speakers

or do i need a dedicated stereo amp, or would it be worth having a cyrus pre-amp into an av amp?

need help with this as i really want the cd8x to be given the chance to shine as much as possble.

cheers

 

[Anonymous]

plus i'm not too bothered about amps with upscaling etc as my dvd already does that and i have sky hd plus i should imagine any further kit i buy will be 1080p anyway.

i know most amps have it now i'm just saying its not high on my list

sound quality is

 

[Anonymous]

come on chaps need some help with this

 

[Anonymous]

come on this has 111 views and no response!

do i take it that no one else here has clue either?

 

[Messiah]

What about this?? Review here.

There is no doubt however that a stereo amp will give better results but I think this will be a fine balance of the two for the money in a one box solution.

 

[Gusboll]

Guess what my suggestion would be! The 8vs2 + Master 8 has its limitations from an AV perspective but if you want AV and to preserve stereo hi-fi, give it a go.

Mine sounds great even with a speaker upgrade in the planning (probably PMC FB1i).

 

[Messiah]

I thought about suggesting that but I think it will be hard to get with that budget.

I also got the sense that movies are more important so I assumed that an amp that decodes the HD formats would be needed.

Otherwise I too can recommend the AV Master as it sounds great but is limited.

 

[Anonymous]

what made you pick the marantz over the onkyo 875 as the review does say the onkyo is better for less?

what about some of the latest offerings from yamaha

or would i get a more pure/proper sound if i bought maybe a second hand naim nait or cyrus 8vs2 wired in to a decent av amp and then bi-wired speakers from the av amp

i don't know if it is possible to wire an amp directly into an av amp to exit through the speaker terminals without signal being lost/ compromised - perhaps you could let me know if this would work

i know its true i will always get a better sound through a designated stereo amp but is it the case that there would be a huge difference between the types of options stated.

i'm playing my cd8x through an old yamaha htr 5550 which i paid £300 for 5 years ago and it definately sounds like there is a shroud over the speakers, vocals sound like they are in the background if you know what i mean

 

[Messiah]

Just a quick note on the vocals while I think about the rest (and my battery is dying) but I have owned many Mission speakers over the years and I have found that vocals sound like this on a lot of them, certainly when used with AV amps....

 

[Anonymous]

yes messiah you're quite right movies are definately important i'd say the split is 70/30 movies/music

had brief look at the cyrus av setup but if i do buy a new av amp it has to have all the latest codecs for me as its just not beneficial in enough ways otherwise

but i'm not too bothered about he upscaling side as i have sky hd and my dvd player upscales anyway plus when the time comes for me to buy a blue ray player it will be 1080p anyway

main emphasis is sound and usability for the gear i've got

 

[Anonymous]

Messiah:...I have owned many Mission speakers over the years and I have found that vocals sound like this on a lot of them, certainly when used with AV amps....

oh dear

thats upset me now,

i knew i should have auditioned them but i was just nowhere near anyone who sold them

so is the amp i've got rubbish with music compared to the latest offerings or is it my speakers that i'm actually dissapointed with?

 

[Messiah]

Okay,

I picked the Marantz because I find this to be quite a musical amp for this type of product and given their pedigree with 2 channel compared with Onkyo I would favour the Marantz to nail this area better.(There are other reasons but I don't have the time to explain)

However, if I was going to pick an AV amp with movies being the high priority then I would pick this. I have always been impressed with Yamaha receivers and have used a few over the years.

For the best of both worlds you could connect a stereo amp (like the Cyrus 8vs2) to a receiver such as the Yamaha 863. You would need to connect the front pre-outs on the yamaha to an input (like AV) on the Cyrus Amp. Then set the volume on the Cyrus to the 12 O'Clock position (easy to remember) and run the calibration on the Yamaha. Then when you listen to movies you put the Cyrus onto AV and the volume to 12 O'Clock. (Just remember to reduce the volume again when finished). Your front left and right speakers would be connected directly to the Cyrus as would the CD player. So when listening to music the receiver is not used.

Hope this makes sense....

 

[Messiah]

mark whyatt:
i knew i should have auditioned them but i was just nowhere near anyone who sold them

so is the amp i've got rubbish with music compared to the latest offerings or is it my speakers that i'm actually dissapointed with?

Well that was my experience with previous Mission speakers. I have not heard the e34's (although I heard some 79(2)'s (I think) and was greeted with a similar sound as previous models)

However, I think the Missions will be great for the movies and that is what matters. I think you just need to decide if this itch for music is gonna get worse. Although the step up from a £300, 5 year old Amp to a nice new one for a grand should give you a great sonic leap.

 

[Anonymous]

No question for me, I would choose the Onkyo 875 or 876 over everything.
It's a Full class A amplifier, its pre amp circuitry is 1st class (burr brown op amps etc), has a very large / heavy transformer, with a 200w x 7 power output. There is nothing you can buy for this spec at its price.

It is just a touch off for clarity on music, and this is due to its noise floor on the signal path to the speakers. Buy a BT mains conditioning unit off Ebay and that completly deals with that, giving you then a performance that beats Cyrus 8 /PSX!

Sorted

 

[Anonymous]

trevor79:...... a performance that beats Cyrus 8 /PSX! Sorted

blimey that's a pretty bold claim!

if you're right, how can onkyo sell an amp that does about 20 different functions for the same price as a cyrus/naim etc stereo amp?

and vice versa

are we being ripped off by the audiophile guys because its a more discerning audience and av bigger sellers?

 

[Anonymous]

Messiah:I have found that vocals sound like this on a lot of them, certainly when used with AV amps....

having said that, the central speaker in my setup is very clear and precise with vocals, and i'm sure it has the same drive units as the fronts.

so, this should mean its the amp i've got that's not sending a good enough signal in 2 channel stereo to the fronts?

i think i'll go down the new av amp route first and if i'm still itching for the finer sound with music i'll cross that bridge.

like you say i should notice a massive difference compared to my current amp.

anyone out there got my speakers? (miision e34) if so what are you driving them with?

cheers

 

[Tonestar1]

Hi,

I would try auditioning the Arcam AVR350 was £1550 (Now £600 if you can still get one) Sounds fantastic with music. IMO better than a £5-600 stereo amp, maybe even better but thats all I auditioned up to. Only box it doesn't tick is the latest blu-ray codecs but it doesn't bother me. I will use it through multi-channel analogue when I upgrade to blu-ray. I beleive this will become part of the THX(maybe blu-ray) standards anyway (All player must be able to decode all codecs)

In stereo amplification the idea is to let the amp concentrate on the amplifying not processing, so you get the cleanest amplification possible. I'm unsure why people insist on having an AV amp do this as all it does is add to the noise in the box. Also an AV amp tends to be far more expensive than each individual source ao why not upgrade source when new kit comes out. An amp should be one of the longest lasting components in a set-up not something that should be swapped every couple of years.

All IMO of course

 

[Anonymous]

Tonestar1: ..... An amp should be one of the longest lasting components in a set-up not something that should be swapped every couple of years.

welcome to the party,

i totally agree with you on that

it seems that when buying av amps a lot of peoples concern when buying is making sure the purchase is as future proof as possible - a lot liking buying a computer!

i looked at the rating for the arcam 280 (musical star but only average with av) is the 350 much better?

 

[Anonymous]

plus does thx make much difference in a room 15' x 15' anyway?

 

[Tonestar1]

I was primarily looking for a stereo amp, thinking about sorting out an AV set up at a later date untill I heard the AVR350 on the recommendation of my local dealer. It totally blew me away with its stereo performance. It won AV amp of the year in another well known hi-fi publication and also received a very favourable reveiw from WHF, if you're concerned about the reveiws.

THX is just a set of standards that cost a lot of money to obtain and IMO no it won't make much of a difference. The point I was trying to make (probably badly lol) was that all the latest codecs will be available from your source.

As an ex pre-power amp fan I prefer to let the amp amplify and the other stuff do the donkey work. Unfortunately cost/box count wouldn't permit such luxuries on this occassion.

 

[Anonymous]

mark whyatt:
trevor79:...... a performance that beats Cyrus 8 /PSX! Sorted

blimey that's a pretty bold claim!

if you're right, how can onkyo sell an amp that does about 20 different functions for the same price as a cyrus/naim etc stereo amp?

and vice versa

are we being ripped off by the audiophile guys because its a more discerning audience and av bigger sellers?

Yep, but it is true.

Basically it is down to the speck and build of the component. Onkyo smashed the playing field when it brought out its new range. Never ever had such a high speck class 'A' Amp been built before at £1000 retail. It was unheard of!

No wonder even in its 'out of the box' basic set up spec it wiped the floor in AV amps.
However with tweaking the 'Gain' settings on the Pre amp stage, plus feeding it with a clean mains supply it is transformed into a truly 'high end' performer.

Outside of a Thornes 160 deck it is the best bargain I have come across in over 20 years of brand new quality Hi Fi. (the Meridian 207 in 1989 was expensive but sublime!)

(Used to buy 2nd hand when I was skimping and scraping)

 

[JoelSim]

If you do 70/30 movies/music then keep with AV amp, that must mean that you listen to music for a couple of hours a week. If you intend to listen for 20+ hours a week then buy a proper separates hifi system.