Cyrus products.... What do I need?

[Dean Morris]

Hi,

I really need some help with choosing the right Cyrus products.

I currently have arcam dv79, arcam av250 and monitor audio rs6 speakers.

Im looking to upgrade to a purely audio setup that I can plug my iPod, computer, tv and have a cd player and blue ray coming out of the amp.

Firstly would this be a good upgrade... Cyrus 6a DAC, Cyrus 6 cd player and PMC gb1i speakers?

The other question is.... Can I bi wire the speakers with just the 6aDAC or do I need to get a power amp?

With regards to upgrades any ideas on price list to upgrade to 8 then 8dac in future?

Also with regards to the the additional power supply psx would I need one for each unit and does it make a big difference?

 

[Crossie]

Upgrade and service prices here http://www.cyrusaudio.com/cyrus-audio-upgrading

 

[gregvet]

Have you demo'd the system you are thinking of getting? Only reason I ask is Cyrus is a very different sound to arcam, and some people dont get on with the Cyrus sound.

I have an arcam based system and a second Cyrus based system tho, and love both for what they do differently.

In response to your questions, you can biwire from the amp on its own, although this may have little effect. Worth trying tho if you have two runs of speaker cable or only need short runs. If you want to biamp rather than biwire (which can be much more effective, and is how I run my PMC's) then you will need a power amp for this. Having said that, if you end up getting an x power (for eg) I would single amp from the power amp, either using the 6 dac as a pre amp or changing it for a pre xpd.

Personally if you are already thinking of upgrading, I would go straight for the 8 dac amp as its quite a lot gutsier than the 6, but either will drive the PMC's fine I should think.

When upgrading, sometimes it works out cheaper to sell the original item and buy the new one, especially if you can get ex demo, rather than paying Cyrus to upgrade. It is nice to get your own unit back tho, so it's swings and roundabouts really.

Hope you enjoy your new system

 

[Dean Morris]

That's great so to bi amp I can go with power amp, 6 dac and cd player???

So can you explain a bit further with regards how to set this up? Do you send the power amp to the low and 6dac to the hi in the speakers?

What dies the pxr power supply do?

I haven't tried only read about that set up.

The aacts setup for me isn't very exciting when I listen to music. I find the treble to be harsh and the bass responce is a bit flubby sounding and does lack in bass

Im hoping the setup listed will sort this out? What's your opinion on both? Obviously I will test these out before going ahead

Will the Pmc gb1i be an upgrade to the monitor audio speakers? Do the pmc work well with arcam?

 

[gregvet]

Yes, in this set up you woud typically use the more powerful amp for the lower frequencies, and the 6 dac amp for the high frequencies. Always make sure you have removed the speaker links before biamping tho

Personally I find one better amp can be better than two less powerful, so its worth considering all options when planning an upgrade. The nice thing with the X power is that you can switch it from a stereo amp to a more powerful mono, which gives lots of upgrade options.

The PSX-R is an upgraded power supply compared the one built into the amp. I believe if used with the 6 dac (can you do that even? The entry level cyrus amps didnt used to have a psx-r port, but that may have changed) the psx-r feeds a constant clean DC supply to the DAC and preamp section of the amp, allowing the built in power supply to focus purely on the power amp section. This may be the wrong way round tho!

The PMC's are lovely speakers, I have the FB1i's in my Arcam system, but they sound great with the Cyrus too. I would suggest that the bass will be much tighter, and better quality, but I am not sure there will be more than you are used to, as the Monitor Audios have bigger bass drivers (so can move more air), and Arcam tends to be a bit 'wooly' in the bass department IMO, which can come accross as more bass. Personally as long as there is some bass slam, i am more worried about bass quality than quantity. Hence the Spendor SA1's on my Cyrus amp

 

[gregvet]

Just checked, you cant use the psx-r with the 6 dac, just with the cd players. Pesonally, if you are going to use the dac in the amp anyway, i wouldnt bother getting an expensive cyrus cd player, if you already have a cd player with digital out then just use that. Alternatively you could get the CD T Transport, but that doesnt take a psx-r either. You have to go higher up the family tree to be able to use the psx-r, ie the 8 dac and the CD XT SE2, but those two cost £2,900 between them, what is your budget?

 

[Anonymous]

Be careful of your naming. I think you are looking for the Cyrus 6 DAC, and not the Cyrus 6a. There is no such thing as a 6a Dac. Confusing i know, but you want digital inputs so you are looking for the 6 DAC.

I concur with the other guy who said that if funds allow, go for the 8 Dac.

Trying not to be pedantic, but you also will want your ipod, computer etc going INTO the amp rather than the amp going into them

I would suggest a visit to your friendly local cyrus dealer. You may save a bit of money online, but a good dealer can be very valuable and worth the extra cash. He can advise what you need, demo in store and arrange a home demo, and give you continued support down the line.

As you can see from my sig, I went down the Cyrus route and can certainly say Im happy I did.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I would suggest a visit to your friendly local cyrus dealer. You may save a bit of money online, but a good dealer can be very valuable and worth the extra cash.

Cyrus can't be mail ordered anyway

 

[mitch65]

I would suggest a visit to your friendly local cyrus dealer. You may save a bit of money online, but a good dealer can be very valuable and worth the extra cash.

Cyrus can't be mail ordered anyway

Guess selling direct didn't work out for them then.

 

[ifor]

I would suggest a visit to your friendly local cyrus dealer. You may save a bit of money online, but a good dealer can be very valuable and worth the extra cash.

Cyrus can't be mail ordered anyway

If they can't be mail ordered why does their website have prices, baskets and checkout?

 

[Dean Morris]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I guess I will need to go and listen to some of the suggestions made.

Another alternative...

I could get a arcam rDAC to get the dv79 an extra lift and push the quality up?

I currently have QED silver anni cable which I have bi amped using the avr250. I could get atlas hyper 3.0 for a more punchy bass and less top sound?

Would that make a difference? Just might save some penny's until I can really get a new system.

 

[CnoEvil]

IMO. You should get some mains cables from Clearer Audio - Copper-Line Alpha Plus / Copper-Line for the amp and a Copper Line Alpha for the DV79. These have a good trial period, after which they can be sent back if you're not happy.
http://www.cleareraudio.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1&zenid=2e8ec416d207cadaf2a8f36a070cdfea

I think getting the Hyper 3 is also a good idea and should give you a more punchy, balanced sound.

If doing the above hasn't given you what your after, then look to an rDac (or alternatives).

FWIW I own the DV79 and owned the Arcam AVR 350.

 

[Frank Harvey]

If they can't be mail ordered why does their website have prices, baskets and checkout?

Ok, let's clarify further. Cyrus products aren't allowed to be mail ordered by Cyrus retailers (although I have found out recently that the 6 CD and ^ amp now can be).

 

[ifor]

Thanks for the explanation David.