Service or change?

[MajorFubar]

I can't see me doing any of this for a few months, because The Boss has made it very clear that I have recently spent my quota on new HiFi

But still I muse...

Firstly I love my old Cyrus 2. I really do. It's one of the last (Issue 7) with no h/p socket and a front toggle-switch below an LED power-light (just to identify it to fellow Cyrus 1-2 nerds). Also it has the best phono stage I have ever heard in any amp, period, which is also important to me.

But it has issues. Ideally some of the RCA sockets need resoldering as sometimes one channel on a couple of inputs only works when you gently push their plug rearwards or forwards. Plus the source selectors are crackly.

Cyrus have quoted me £188 for a full service which covers, and I quote, "any necessary repairs, a full service & clean, re-flood the tracks and change the capacitors, vigorous soak testing, shipping costs and a 3 month service warranty." Now that sounds damn good to me and I'm 90% sure it's what I want to do.

But let's say for argument's sake I decided to spend the same on a new or very recent s/h amp.

Is there anything out there which will better my Cyrus 2 for £188?

 

[Anonymous]

For £188 the little Cyrus will continue to make you happy for many years...you already know it & enjoy it...so, stonking little amps. Benny.

 

[the record spot]

I got my 717 for £177 18 months ago. Yes, you can beat the Cyrus 2 alright, popular though they are. £188 for a service ahead of actually seeing the thing and then giving you a quote is a tad keen I think. I had my amp serviced and new parts to replace the worn ones for £100 and the Sansui has more under the bonnet than the Cyrus. I'd shop around I think.

 

[MajorFubar]

Well that's one vote for keep it and one vote for change it

Anyone care to post a tie-breaker?

 

[Mr Morph]

Anyone care to post a tie-breaker?

I think it comes down to how you feel about your current amp. If it satisfies you and makes you happy, then £188 doesn’t seem a great price to pay. Changing the caps seems unnecessary to me, if only because I’ve found that the amps I’ve owned tend to get better over a long burn in (decade+). They seem to treat the music with greater delicacy the more they age.

Unless you’d be buying from a dealer, the chances are that any second hand amp you buy will need some service work done to it, which will be extra expense. You could pick up a used PM66KI to go with your CDP for about £150-180, but amps are rarely sold without having some minor (or major) niggles. More often than not, the ‘niggles’ are the reason why they are being sold!

If you’ve lived with your system for some time, and it still impresses you with the sound it makes I’d get the amp repaired, because you may find yourself having to re-balance the whole system with a new one. I don’t think ‘The Boss’ would like that too much? And one last thing, it always makes sense to have a dust cover for amps when they are not in use. Even in the cleanest of homes there are still massive amounts of microscopic dust and pollen floating around. This always ends up gathering inside the source selector and volume track (hence the crackle). Prevention is better than cure!

 

[eggontoast]

Cyrus have quoted me £188 for a full service which covers, and I quote, "any necessary repairs, a full service & clean, re-flood the tracks and change the capacitors, vigorous soak testing, shipping costs and a 3 month service warranty." Now that sounds damn good to me and I'm 90% sure it's what I want to do.

Sounds expensive for what they are going to do, what is even worse is that they can still only offer you a 3 month warranty after this full service and vigorous soak test. My previous dealings with Cyrus service department have also been poor and left a sour taste in my mouth. If it was me I would keep the amp since you like it so much and find a competent electronics engineer to service/repair it for you for half the cost.

 

[MajorFubar]

Thanks for all your input guys.
And particularly thanks for your heads-up re the Cyrus service dept.
You'd think a small low-volume manufacturer like Cyrus would be able to run their service dept with the tight precision of a Swiss watch

 

[Anonymous]

I would certainly stick with your existing amp and get it serviced, if it floats your boat. I just did a quick google on amplifier servicing and found this site http://www.amplabs.co.uk/Vintage%20amp%20repair.htm costs look to be cheaper than Cyrus are quoting.

I had both my Muse 300W mono blocks serviced by a chap referred to me by Audiofreaks not so long ago, that costs around £270 which I thought was reasonable...any used amp you buy is likely to need some work sooner or later so unless you want to seriously upgrade, I would stick with what you've got.

 

[bretty]

Hey Major,

I had the same model Cyrus 2 that you have, with a PSX. I loved it for a while, but then got my head turned by my current Exposure kit. The Cyrus has flaws, but what it does well it does REALLY well. However, you love the sound of yours so i'd say stick with what you have. Nothing's gonna beat it for under £200, unless you go trawling on e-bay and get lucky.

I think Cyrus are charging WAAAAAY too much for the service. Try and find a local specailist to do it and I reckon you'll save yourself a tonne, easy. And then go spend the money you've saved on a used PSX. Adding a power supply usually makes a small difference, but in the Cyrus 2's case, adding a PSX completely transforms it. It gives an extra 20wpc for starters (from 50wpc to 70wpc) and with the extra power comes a better bottom end and grip.

 

[MajorFubar]

I agree with your verdict: you're right it's not perfect but what it does do it does exceptionally well.

I have been on the lookout for a PSX for quite a while.

But on their own (ie not packaged with an amp I don't need), they are few and far between on the Bay of E.

When one turns up there's a bunfight and if you're not there in the last 30 seconds of the auction well you can just kiss it goodbye.

On top of that I'm too pernickety. It would just HAVE to be the same issue as my amp, ie late model with the toggle-switch and LED.