cyrus dacs vs the rest

[stpierre76]

Just wondering how good the cyrus dac is in the pre xpd?And how much should one spend to get a fair big improvment over the dac in the pre xpd?(also mean what dacs better the pre xpd?)Does one need to spend 1000 quids to better it or are there better alternative for much cheaper.Especially for use with usb and computer based playback

sincerely yours

 

[Anonymous]

Something like a Rega DAC (£500) is musically more involving the the Cyrus (though tonally quite different - the Cyrus is very forward, the Rega is better balanced) and it's USB interface has been designed to isolate the rest of your system from the electrical noise that all PC's generate which normally would have a marked negative effect on the system.

A PS Audio DAC (£900) would flatten the Cyrus, it also is better balanced and is notably more informative and precise than the Rega. It too has a sensibly designed USB stage.

 

[Andrew Everard]

AlanNorak, please disclose your trade status in your signature/bio, as required by House Rules, or your account will be closed - Mods

 

[plastic penguin]

stpierre76:

Just wondering how good the cyrus dac is in the pre xpd?And how much should one spend to get a fair big improvment over the dac in the pre xpd?(also mean what dacs better the pre xpd?)Does one need to spend 1000 quids to better it or are there better alternative for much cheaper.Especially for use with usb and computer based playback

sincerely yours

Do you have Cyrus kit already? If so, I would imagine the Cyrus DAC is the obvious choice in terms of synergy, aesthetics etc. I know in the WHFI review the XPD got a glowing appraisal...

 

[Clare Newsome]

Andrew Everard:AlanNorak, please disclose your trade status in your signature/bio, as required by House Rules, or your account will be closed - Mods

Indeed - especially as the retailer Alan represents does not stock Cyrus.

As we've said many times, retailers - and manufacturers - are welcome here, as long as they are open about their industry status, and clearly list the brands they sell/represent.

 

[Crossie]

The obvious choice for a DAC better than the Pre XPd is the DAC in the Pre XPd QX; this sits between the DAC in the CD 8se and the DAC X+ being a stereo version of the twin mono DAC's in the DAC X+.

 

[datay]

That said, I have been a bit disappointed with the Qx. There is no way, to my hearing, that the 6SE through the Qx is noticeably better than the 6SE itself, implying that it doesn't sit above the 8SE (which has the same balanced mono DAC arrangement as the DAC X+, with different chips, I think). Research done into the chips themselves (on another site) proves that the single chip in the Qx is not the same one in mono in the DAC X+, IIRC.

I'd love to hear different - perhaps I need a better optical cable out of the 6SE? Jeremy Brown from Cyrus told me his 6SE optical into Qx beats the straight 6SE, why am I not hearing that...?

 

[Crossie]

I was at Cyrus last Thursday and was told by Jeremy that the QX is superior to the 8se DAC. My XTse to QX is certainly better than the 6se, to my ears anyway. I have not heard the QX against the 8se. It is a shame that the 6se does not have a digital coax rather than the optical as this is often percieved to be superior.

 

[datay]

I've got to admit I'm pretty perplexed - optical, which it has to be out of 6SE as you note - into Qx simply does not reveal any discernible improvement.Except the need for +5dB gain for A/B listening. What's more, I have PSX-R attached to the Pre which should enhance the dac. (Was speaking to Jeremy Brown via email before Christmas, he tested the same set up and told me 6SE optical into Qx did sound noticeably better, what is going on with mine...?)

Now, as I understand it, the 8SE is the same chip as the 6SE but balanced in mono, so an upgrade from 6SE to 8SE might not be that noticeable (same sound obviously), but does give opportunities for using PSX-R and coax out if using as a transport (and benefiting from the power design of the 8). If I do upgrade via factory, I might trust you on the CD XTSE+. Currently £887, I'm probably better off getting a different dac and settling for optical out of the 6SE.

In the meantime, any tips? I might get a different optical lead on 7-day return to see if it's that.

Apologies to OP for thread hijack, hopefully this is relevant to your question about Cyrus dacs.

 

[eternaloptimist]

I am clearly a Cyrus fan (see sig!) but... the DAC in the PreXPd (non Qx version) is not great...

I bought the PreXPd for the Preamp function (not the DAC) and it is a lovely Preamp. The internal DAC was fun to play with and convinced me to move to streamed FLAC files, but... it is not as good as the DAC in the CD6SE - sounds a little "muffled" - the bass is not as sharp and the treble doesnt sparkle. In exhaustive blind testing (heh, heh) with my wife it was clear which was which and the analogue in from the CD6SE was consistently picked as better than the optical in from the CD6SE.

Then... I moved to the Wyred-4-Sound DAC2 and suddently... Ahhh.... we are back!

The Qx upgrade is reportedly better, but the same money (unless purchased as part of the original) was 2/3 of the cost of the W4S DAC2 which is wonderful!

Just my 2 cents...

 

[datay]

The W4S DAC2 is about £1200 in the UK, so 2/3 of the full retail price of the PreXPdQx, and 3 times the price of the upgrade from 'd' to Qx - you got a bargain (which we have heard about a few times

). My Qx was used, so I paid a couple of hundred less for it than I would have done to factory upgrade my then 6XP to just PreXPd, thankfully.

Still, I'm not hearing any improvement thru the Qx over 6SE analogue when apparently I should, so I would recommend OP or anyone else look elsewhere for a dac, unless the Cyrus one-box solution particularly appeals.

 

[eternaloptimist]

datay:
The W4S DAC2 is about £1200 in the UK, so 2/3 of the full retail price of the PreXPdQx, and 3 times the price of the upgrade from 'd' to Qx - you got a bargain (which we have heard about a few times

). My Qx was used, so I paid a couple of hundred less for it than I would have done to factory upgrade my then 6XP to just PreXPd, thankfully.

Still, I'm not hearing any improvement thru the Qx over 6SE analogue when apparently I should, so I would recommend OP or anyone else look elsewhere for a dac, unless the Cyrus one-box solution particularly appeals.

GBP1200! Ouch!! In Australia, the W4S DAC2 is around $AUD1500 = approx. GBP920.

The retail price of the PreXPd is around $AUD3500 = approx. GBP2160... As a result it was cheaper for me to buy a repro PreXPd from the UK, ship it to Australia even with customs tax!

The Qx upgrade is $AUD1000 = approx. GBP620.... (sounds like its considerably more than in the UK).

When I look at the Cyrus prices in the UK I turn a shade green!

 

[datay]

I checked after I wrote that - it's £1299.

Any idea how I can get this 6SE sounding better through the Qx? Which is after all also being powered by PSX-R. Probably going to get a Wireworld Supernova 6 toslink - glass optical, can always return it in 7 days if that doesn't reveal any more detail. (I can of course settle for the analogue out but I want to hear the supposed Qx improvement, others have said its better, Jeremy Brown himself...repeating myself here...

)

 

[eternaloptimist]

I am not sure you will hear a huge difference with the CD6SE via the Qx (but what would I know, have never heard the Qx DAC!)

Have you tried streaming 24 /96 files from a laptop / PC via USB? If you use a software media player capable of "bit perfect" streaming you might find this brings out the best of the Qx!

I use J River MC 15 which is fantastic. Is only USD$50 but there is a free 30 day trial (small download).

Download a few test files from 2L: http://www.2l.no/hires/index.html

I suggest downloading them in FLAC. Make sure the resolution is not higher than 24 /96 or it wont work (easily)

Setup J RIver MC 15 using WASAPI

And enjoy!

 

[datay]

All my files are 16/44.1. Anything that comes out that I buy on file I buy as a FLAC, but still not 24/96. I use foobar2000 with WASAPI output. Laptop via USB I'm happy with as it is. I will check out the test files though, thanks. Does the Qx even support 24/96 via USB? I think maybe not.

Not really the point - I have a vast collection of CDs (several hundred) that I don't intend to rip at present, so will be playing them on the 6SE (Surely they'd be 16/44 anyway?). Since I ended up with the Qx (I'd have bought a different dac if it hadn't come with the PreXP), I'm just trying to figure out why others are getting performance out of it that I'm not. In the end it's not that big a deal as the sound is fine, from analogue 6SE outputs as well of course.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

datay:
The W4S DAC2 is about £1200 in the UK, so 2/3 of the full retail price of the PreXPdQx, and 3 times the price of the upgrade from 'd' to Qx - you got a bargain (which we have heard about a few times

). My Qx was used, so I paid a couple of hundred less for it than I would have done to factory upgrade my then 6XP to just PreXPd, thankfully.

Still, I'm not hearing any improvement thru the Qx over 6SE analogue when apparently I should, so I would recommend OP or anyone else look elsewhere for a dac, unless the Cyrus one-box solution particularly appeals.

You can buy direct from their website (I'm planning on getting the DAC1) and it's a lot cheaper. You can choose colour and voltage and the shipping is only about $75. Obviously you will get a customs bill but for the DAC1, it cost £899 over here and I can get it direct for £670 shipped with just customs to pay.

 

[datay]

Customs, and you may get hit with a VAT bill @20% = £134 (unless that's what you meant). Granted you still save. I've just ordered something from overseas (Taiwain, Teralink usb-spdif converter), waiting to see what I end up paying on the doorstep...