Speakers for Cyrus Gear

[admin_exported]

Guys

Looking into the possibility of replacing my Rega R3's to go with the following setup. I'm finding sometimes the listening a little fatiguing at higher volumes. I realise that this is the nature of Cyrus but i love everything else about the sound. I have experimented a lot with cables and interconnects etc so open to some further suggestions also:

Cyrus 8vs2

Cyrus CD8x

CA Dacmagic

Chord Rumor and also Thick copper cable

Chord Chameleon silver Plus

VDH D102 111

Budget is anything up to £400 but that will include anything i get if i sell my Rega's. I'm happy to buy 2nd Hand and am happy with floorstanders or bookshelfs on stands. Listening room is approx 12ftx11ft so not too large. My music taste is very broad but mainly consists of rock, Pearl Jam, RATM, Arctic Monkeys.

cheers for any help.

 

[plastic penguin]

Although slightly over budget, Epos would be a better match than Rega.

http://www.epos-acoustics.com/thestore.php

Or perhaps B&Ws 685 and maybe Focal. The latter is smoother than a freshly shaven badger...

 

[d_a_n1979]

In agreement with PP re the B&W or Focal speakers; heard a different range of the above speakers with Cyrus gear and they do very well together.

The B&W CM7's do work VERY well withy Cyrus gear IMO (my missus had them with her 8vs2, XPower and 8SE CDP combo) and it was superb but I realise you would have to be lucky to find a set 2nd hand for your budget. They still retail at £999 I think.

Don't discount the new range of Monitor Audio RX speakers. They've dont great work with the tweeter and it isnt as bright/harsh any more so maybe look at demo'ing the RX2's or even the RS6's.

 

[Frank Harvey]

One thing to try before changing speakers, is to look at your speaker cable. See if you can lend a run of Odyssey, as this is smoother than Rumour, and might do the trick.

If not, your budget is the limiting factor here. And one thing that doesn't help is your type of music! Stuff like RATM need big, powerful systems to sound good, otherwise they tend to just sound bright and a little harsh. The recommendation of the Monitor Audio RX series is a good one as they're quite smooth. You'd be looking at the RX1 to fit within your budget, but if you can stretch to the RX2 for £100 more, these provide far better bass punch thanks to their 8" bass driver.

The main thing to do is stay away from 4ohm speakers, these just zap the power from Cyrus integrated amps lke the 6vs and 8vs.

 

[jockey.wilson]

I love the Dynaudio sound with my Cyrus CDP and amp. I also use Chord Rumour 2, which helps with openess and a smooth treble.

Contour 1.3MkII's fetch about 600 pounds used if you can find a pair, although I would probably look at a less demanding newer pair of Dynaudio standmounts if volume is a priority. That said your listening room is relatively small so maybe Audience 42 or 52se would be better.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Unfortunately, one of the 4ohm ranges that the Cyrus integrated amplifiers has problems with are the Dynaudios

Your amp is ok Jockey as it's the 8xpd (plus it's being helped out by a PSXR), which is quite different to the older 6 and 8's. Although adding a power amplifier to yours would make quite an improvement, I think.

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers for all the feedback guys. I have looked into th epossibility of the B&W 685's but wondered if i would be losing much from my rega's, if anything at all? It's not that it is unlistenable at all i just wondered if it is worth a try. I do love all else about the Rega's and have been happy with them for some years.

Cheers

 

[d_a_n1979]

Get some demo's sorted Frank

You could always take your gear along and demo the speakers; I think the M/A RX2's will be a good comeptitor to the R3's but with more bass and a smoother midrange. Still VERY detailed though.

I sometimes wonder if I should have gone for the RX2's over my RX6's and I've only had the system a week!!! My excuse was that they take up the same footprint so went for the RX6's for the deeper bass

The B&W 685's are superb speakers but IMO they are more of a top-end budget speaker now; more so with the likes of the RX2's and the EB Acoustics out on the market!

I do think that the Dynaudio DM 2/6's or the 2/7's would be worth demoing. I appreciate where FrankHarveyHifi is coming from but the Cyrus 8vs2 will drive them fine as long as you're not after out & out house shaking volumes! You could always look to add a PSX-R or even an XPower amp in the future (saying that there's one on eBay currently)

 

[Frank Harvey]

d_a_n1979:I appreciate where FrankHarveyHifi is coming from but the Cyrus 8vs2 will drive them fine as long as you're not after out & out house shaking volumes!

It's not so bad with the 8 as it is with the 6, but it's always best to have something in reserve, rather than pushing an amplifier to it's limits. This will affect the amplifier's dynamic output, and it's ability to produce sudden transients, preventing the amplifier from sounding effortless and natural.

 

[d_a_n1979]

Yup; agree with that

What surprises me is that my folk-in-laws have the B&W CM7's with a Cyrus 6vs2 and 6SE CDP and the system sounds superb (fair enough they listen to a lot of motown music etc but they still like stuff like massive attack...)

The CM7's are easier to drive than the Dyn's but they're still not be most efficient speaker out there and the Cyrus 6vs2 does very well!

 

[Frank Harvey]

I think it helps that the Cyrus 6vs and 8vs are quite lean sounding amplifiers - if they were more neutral or bass heavy, there would be a lot of speakers they just wouldn't match. It's just that the 6 has a problem controlling excessive bass of 4ohm speakers, and the 8 to a lesser extent.

 

[plastic penguin]

FrankHarveyHiFi:

d_a_n1979:I appreciate where FrankHarveyHifi is coming from but the Cyrus 8vs2 will drive them fine as long as you're not after out & out house shaking volumes!

It's not so bad with the 8 as it is with the 6, but it's always best to have something in reserve, rather than pushing an amplifier to it's limits. This will affect the amplifier's dynamic output, and it's ability to produce sudden transients, preventing the amplifier from sounding effortless and natural.

That certainly rules out ATC then?

 

[Frank Harvey]

A match with a 6vs is a no no. As far as an 8 is concerned, it will drive them, just as a Nait 5i would, and many other sub £1k amplifiers, but they just won't do the speakers justice, not control their bass properly. I'm just passing on here what we've found when using amps like the Cyrus and the ATC's extensively with the many other products we have in our demo rooms

 

[plastic penguin]

FrankHarveyHiFi:

A match with a 6vs is a no no. As far as an 8 is concerned, it will drive them, just as a Nait 5i would, and many other sub £1k amplifiers, but they just won't do the speakers justice, not control their bass properly. I'm just passing on here what we've found when using amps like the Cyrus and the ATC's extensively with the many other products we have in our demo rooms

Sorry, David, it wasn't a knock, just some harmless fun. Just thinking about the OPs budget, the SCM7 would come nicely into range? Or do they have the same power problems on their bigger siblings?

 

[Anonymous]

Supprised that no one has mentioned Spendor speakers, as these are nice and smooth, and control the highs of the vyrus gear very nicely indeed.

 

[Anonymous]

Am i wasting my time looking into replacement speakers when really i'd be best looking for a 2nd hand PSX-R for the amp for example? Like i say i think the Rega's are a great speaker and everything else about them i love.

 

[plastic penguin]

Good call - the only snag there is the OP has stipulated a max budget of £400, so unless there are some S3/5Rs going on one of the auction sites, he may struggle.

 

[d_a_n1979]

FrankTheTank:Am i wasting my time looking into replacement speakers when really i'd be best looking for a 2nd hand PSX-R for the amp for example? Like i say i think the Rega's are a great speaker and everything else about them i love.

I dont think it's a bad idea; at least if you bought one via eBay and it didnt make the improvement youre after you can always sell it back on.

I do agree that a change of speaker cable and/or interconnects may mnake some good differences as well

I think speaker cable along the lines of QED Revalation or the Chord Oddessey would be worth looking at as would possibly the Black Rhodium Prelude interconnects or the likes of Van den Hull 'The Wave' etc... OR, what about Cyrus' own cables?

 

[Anonymous]

d_a_n1979:FrankTheTank:Am i wasting my time looking into replacement speakers when really i'd be best looking for a 2nd hand PSX-R for the amp for example? Like i say i think the Rega's are a great speaker and everything else about them i love.

I dont think it's a bad idea; at least if you bought one via eBay and it didnt make the improvement youre after you can always sell it back on.

I do agree that a change of speaker cable and/or interconnects may mnake some good differences as well

I think speaker cable along the lines of QED Revalation or the Chord Oddessey would be worth looking at as would possibly the Black Rhodium Prelude interconnects or the likes of Van den Hull 'The Wave' etc... OR, what about Cyrus' own cables?

Yeah i hope so Dan, cheers for all the feedback. To be honest it's probably more a case of tweaking rather than wholesale changes. what i did find interesting is that after i took the amp of my tacima, the sound is now less bright/harsh by quite a noticeable amount. I have seen the previous posts regarding these "strangling" the dynamics of amps and can safely say that in my experience with my amp, that i would agree. I noticed an old post by Bretty that said he used some Van Damme Blue and this sorted some brightness out on his older Cyrus system. This may well be worth a go as it's about £1.40 p/m on eBay. does anyone else have any experience of this cable?

Cheers

 

[Anonymous]

Chord oddy and a van den hul interconnect may do the trick, could just take the edge off things. Look on ebay as there are good deals to be had with both.

A PSX-r would help, as used to have one on the same amp as you.

My spendor s3e's were £410 so not too far away from the proposed budget.

 

[drummerman]

I had a pair of ProAc Studio's with my cyrus system. Had the ProAcs before for a while but found them to be a good match. I like Rega R3's but they are a bit forward and can be harsh with anything but smooth products, hence Rega's own are a good balance.

 

[jockey.wilson]

FrankHarveyHiFi:

Your amp is ok Jockey as it's the 8xpd (plus it's being helped out by a PSXR), which is quite different to the older 6 and 8's. Although adding a power amplifier to yours would make quite an improvement, I think.

I don't disagree, and my next and last cash splash is on a power amp (upgrading 8XPd to a PreXPd at the same time). That said the system sounds great, BUT having had a pre power (Naim) before, I know what extra dynamism is injected.

Cant decide between Chord or Bryston though. Tough call.

 

[shado]

You could try the KEF IQ50, a compact floorstander where if you shop around you should be able to locate for £400. I enjoy the clarity and detailed midrange and they don't embarrass my Cyrus kit.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

jockey.wilson:FrankHarveyHiFi:

Your amp is ok Jockey as it's the 8xpd (plus it's being helped out by a PSXR), which is quite different to the older 6 and 8's. Although adding a power amplifier to yours would make quite an improvement, I think.

I don't disagree, and my next and last cash splash is on a power amp (upgrading 8XPd to a PreXPd at the same time). That said the system sounds great, BUT having had a pre power (Naim) before, I know what extra dynamism is injected.

Cant decide between Chord or Bryston though. Tough call.

Hi jockey.wilson

I hope you will not mind me responding.

Bryston amplifiers are excellent however for me Chord Electronics amplification is awesome. Their bespoke HF/UHF power supplies and other technologies help deliver power to speakers at blistering speed. Their power supplies are unaffected by mains quality and charge capicitors at 80000 times a second (on some models this figure is even higher). This is faster than the speakers can drain the capicitors. This helps Chord Electronics amplifiers ability to offer unconditionally stability and thereby exert control on speakers with vice like grip which i believe gives stunning levels of performance.

I hope this helps.

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[gregvet]

I was very impressed when I heard Leema Xero's being driven by Cryus 8XPd (just to give an other option to the OP).

They are available for £399 currently.