Musical Fidelity X-Ray V8, Cyrus CD8X or Arcam FMJ CD36

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indietronic

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May 21, 2008
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hi ! i'm about to buy a new cd player to replace my aged -still good-sounding though- technics.. i want detailed sound (mainly for 24-bit remasters i buy and listen) with musicality, not harsh highs (like the marantz 5001 .. i'm listening right now..) so i found the 3 models brand new to be sold at reasonable prices (bargains actually) on e-bay. which one you suggest i should buy ? (other gear include nad 3001 + indiana line speakers) . if one has to suggest some other model (PLEASE from E-BAY only) it would be appreciated...actually my main purpose was to find Rotel RCD 991 AE in excellent condition... many thanks

indie.




 
i have the mf xray - fantastic player and at £450 from moorgate acoustics which is cheapest i've seen including ebay - good retailer as well bought a few bits from them including my v8 cdp and dac
 
Actually id be really interested in these comparisons. I have the cyrus cd 8x which i brought at an absolute bargain price. I really like the sound appart from one issue. Its just (really really slightly in my system) a bit bright. I am considering swapping for a musical fidelity xray v8 or one of arcams players as these are known to be less bright. I am however worried about losing the good points of the cyrus - speed, detail retrieval, tight clean bass to mention some. It might be a case of grass not greener on the other side. I certainly dont want a fuzzy sounding player in the search for a warmer sound. I am however willing to comprimise a BIT in detail retrieval to get better bass performance and a fuller warmer sound. If any one can mention which of the players would do this that would be great! Otherwise ill stick with what ive got. Its a classic case of not auditioning (bargain price second hand so no opportunity) so not knowing completely where i stand with regards to its competition.

With regards to you initial query if you can live with a (really really slight) forward sound the cyrus is highly recommended! Good luck in your search!
 
i find the v8 cdp very clear, detailed, punchy, bass tight - intsruments and vocals have a real sense of life to them - my only critism is that perhaps it sometimes loses a little bit of excitement with rock/metal because the sound is far more detailed when perhaps you would prefer it being a little more raw.
 
SHAXOS:Actually id be really interested in these comparisons. I have the cyrus cd 8x which i brought at an absolute bargain price. I really like the sound appart from one issue. Its just (really really slightly in my system) a bit bright. I am considering swapping for a musical fidelity xray v8 or one of arcams players as these are known to be less bright. I am however worried about losing the good points of the cyrus - speed, detail retrieval, tight clean bass to mention some. It might be a case of grass not greener on the other side. I certainly dont want a fuzzy sounding player in the search for a warmer sound. I am however willing to comprimise a BIT in detail retrieval to get better bass performance and a fuller warmer sound. If any one can mention which of the players would do this that would be great! Otherwise ill stick with what ive got. Its a classic case of not auditioning (bargain price second hand so no opportunity) so not knowing completely where i stand with regards to its competition.

With regards to you initial query if you can live with a (really really slight) forward sound the cyrus is highly recommended! Good luck in your search!

imo a very good, neutral player and not worth changing for anything else around the same price.
 
what about
Arcam FMJ CD36?

or even cheaper models coming out NOW like harman kardon 990 or even marantz 5003 ?
 
The FMJ sounds warmer than the XRay and possibly has a little more realism. The XRay will have a bit more excitement and is more neutral. Both very good players but the XRay did it for me. Cyrus I've never heard. I suspect that unless you have comparably revealing speakers and amp the Arcam will disappoint you.
 
matengawhat, can I ask what your pairing the X ray v8 with? I am currently looking to upgrade my Arcam CD82 and at £450 for the v8 I may be able to sooner rather that later.
 
does Musical Fidelity X-Ray V8 play cd-r(w)/mp3 or what other formats beyond cd-audio ? also does it support cd-text or not considering its hi-end character ?
 
The XRay will play CD-Rs and according to the book, CD-RWs. Otherwise that's all you get but it's amazing for the (current) money.
 
It would be the Arcam every time for me. Detailed, crisp, you could listen to it all day without fatigue. One other thing, most people on this forum who criticise Arcam haven't actually heard them, they are just going by the comments of one of two people who prefer a different kind of sound.

ÿ

ÿ
 
TBH the MF or Arcam would both slot into pretty much any system and would be superb. Not sure about the Cyrus as some say it's a little bright but any Cyrus kit I've heard hasn't been my cup of tea.
 
i've heard the MF X-Ray v3 in the past and i liked its detailed sound. what's the main difference (i cant find a v8 to take some listen thats why'm asking instead) between v3 and 8 ?

indie.

ps i see you dont even say a word about marantzes and harman kardons.

ps2 : is there any chance i find some new cheap xt-100 (net/online shop) to accompany mf x-ray v8, in case i order in online ? i guess instead of my good ol' nad mf xt100 would be a perfect match... but i'd need a good bargain price too...
 
Haven't heard the vsn 3 so can't comment. Haven't heard any recent Marantz or HK either but they're in a different class.

If you look out on the Web or ebay for a while you'll probably see the XT-100 appear for a respectable price and probably an Xplora DAB tuner too. At least then you could slot them into the MF system. I bought without ever wanting to do this, except maybe for the DAC.
 
so, dear igglebert can you give me a short review of the
Musical Fidelity X-Ray V8
and how it matches with your rotel and spendors or other geart, what kind of music you mainly hear, and how happy you are with it, after all.. thank you
 
I did a review some weeks ago on a thread that Drummerman started, something like 'Let us be reviewers' but it's not on the forum anymore. For some reason it has been deleted. Sorry but I can't be bothered to do it all again! Let me do an unordered brain-dump of what I think...

In comparison to my old Kandy CDP the XRay 8 is clearer, more detailed, has tighter and deeper bass and gives the overall impression of being faster. On the other hand, the Kandy was better for rock music as it seemed to have a bit more gusto with some tracks, thus, you could say that the XRay is a tad polite on occasion. The XRay is more neutral and smoother compared to the Kandy's slight brightness or even brittleness (we're talking MK3 not L3 here). The XRay has a very slight treble lift from neutral but nothing to mark it as bright. The Kandy's bass wasn't as defined so when used with my sub there was more boom than with the XRay.

The XRay, Spendor and Rotel combo works rather well, especially considering how far behind the amp is in price comparison. The Spendors can present a huge amount of detail which I think suits the XRay well. They can also kick out a very tight and fast bass which, again, suits the XRay. The Rotel does a grand job but I think the bass definition can be improved, the treble could be smoother (an SA1 strength with the right amp) and the midrange could be more detailed (another SA1 strength but not an RA series strength!). I think the Rotel pulls it off because of it's musicality, i.e. it's verve, dynamics and punch.

I expect that the Arcam FMJ36 would have sounded more natural in this set up but my fear was a loss of excitement. The SA1s can really bounce along with the right amp. For £500 on the XRay and £200 back on my old Kandy I just took the plunge and ordered one and am now doing the best bit, listening 🙂

Good luck...
 
thank you for your quick answers!

if anyone can help me get a bargain price (net-only) for a xt-100 OR (big or) any other amp that you think should match the xray well please let me know !
 
Keep an eye on Lintone audio as they have some bargains, e.g. the Cyrus 8VS2. An interesting experiment that I'm trying is a used Quad 405 or 405-2 from ebay with another preamp of somesort, such as a Rotel RC03. You can get the Quad for between £100 and £200 (many recently serviced) and they can provide a good sound. What speakers are you using?
 
igglebert:I did a review some weeks ago on a thread that Drummerman started, something like 'Let us be reviewers' but it's not on the forum anymore. For some reason it has been deleted. Sorry but I can't be bothered to do it all again! Let me do an unordered brain-dump of what I think...

Perhaps we did it just to well ... perhaps a manufacturer put some pressure on to have it removed ... perhaps we just can't find it
emotion-2.gif
 
drummerman:

igglebert:I did a review some weeks ago on a thread that Drummerman started, something like 'Let us be reviewers' but it's not on the forum anymore. For some reason it has been deleted. Sorry but I can't be bothered to do it all again! Let me do an unordered brain-dump of what I think...

Perhaps we did it just to well ... perhaps a manufacturer put some pressure on to have it removed ... perhaps we just can't find it
emotion-2.gif


Good conspiracy theories, both, but it's actually here.
 
...I was hoping you'd find it for us Andrew, cheers. I think I'll be leaving the review writing for the pros though
 
igglebert:Keep an eye on Lintone audio as they have some bargains, e.g. the Cyrus 8VS2. An interesting experiment that I'm trying is a used Quad 405 or 405-2 from ebay with another preamp of somesort, such as a Rotel RC03. You can get the Quad for between £100 and £200 (many recently serviced) and they can provide a good sound. What speakers are you using?

indiana line arbour 5.04
 
im running a mf a5 pre amp with two arcam p35s power amps and a pair of ma rs8s although just bought a pair of focal 908s as fancied a change. although plan at moment is to keep both although that depends on the gf and not saying my lounge is more and more resembling the local hi fi shop
 
So what are the Focals like? Did you manage to audition the Spendor SA1? Sounds like quite a step away from the RS8, quite a lot to get used to.

EDIT Just saw your thread on this...gulp...good luck with it!
 
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