eBay bargin? Cyrus Two for £40

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

I won an auction today for a Cyrus Two, paying £40. Is that a bargain?

I'd been looking at Audiolab 8000As for ages, which normally went for around £100. This happened to come up this morning, so I did a bit of googling and liked what I read. I basically wanted a good phono stage so I can get into vinyl, whilst upgrading from my Denon starter amp.

How do people think it will compare to an 8000A, if people have heard both? It should arrive tomorrow, and I'm quite excited about listening to it! I doubt I'll regret the purchase though. £40 to become a Cyrus owner? I thought that'd never happen!

 

[Anonymous]

That's a bargain! Most people think it is better than the 8000A - although it divides opinion!

 

[Anonymous]

They are both great classic amplifiers. Heck - £40.00 worth will lead you to your next upgrade in no time.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

You have an amp with a diamond of a phono stage there sir. Just find a PSX (not PSXR) going for a song and you have a giant-killer...

 

[mcjwalters]

That is a very sweet amp. And with a great Phono stage on it too. Fab bargain and very easy to upgrade when you wish. I love Audiolab stuff but Cyrus is, in my view, more energitic in it's presentation and you have a great classic amp.
Enjoy.

 

[Anonymous]

Well that was overwhelmingly positive

The PSX upgrade is an interesting path, and no doubt I'll look into this at some point. Not right away though. I'm kind of tempted to try a DIY PSX - I've seen this mentioned on diyAudio. Could be a fun project.

Thanks for the responses guys! Only 11 hours till I can try it out myself.

 

[Anonymous]

I had a Cyrus 2 and it was fab, miles better than audiodrabs 8000A as well. the PSX gives you a noticeable upgrade. The speakers dissappear, bass improves and you get more of the cyrus "honey"

£40 is a steal.

 

[Anonymous]

Well I had a little fun with the amp last night, though it was a little late to really test it out. Interestingly, I think it got better as it got warmer. Did anyone hear last night's Proms? The Tallis Scholars sounded quite enchanting, despite my weak radio 3 signal!

I've noticed it picks out instruments very well, and has certainly revealed more details I hadn't noticed before. The stereo placement of those instruments isn't so good through my speakers though. I might have a play with the layout, as it was fine through headphones. How likely is it that my speakers are out-classed by the amp?

the PSX gives you a noticeable upgrade. The speakers dissappear, bass improves and you get more of the cyrus "honey"

The manual says that internal tweaking is needed when the PSX is added. Is this something easily DIY'd if I were to get hold of a PSX (or build my own =)?