In 1984, Mission introduced itsCyrus line of electronics. Thesecomponents developed an enthusi-

astic following but were somewhatovershadowed by Mission's own loud-speakers, at least on these shores.Indeed, the last TAS review of anyCyrus product was in 1988, but theCyrus team has been far from idle.Since that time, Cyrus has continuedto evolve its line of high quality, afford-able electronics and split from Missionlast year to become a separate com-pany. The new entity, Cyrus AdvancedAudio and Video Systems, has createda broad, modular line of electronics.When I received the "half-width" CyrusCD 8x player, 8vs integrated amplifier,and one PSX-R power supply, I won-dered just how good these mighty-mites might be.

These new Cyrus 8-series compo-nents produced a surprisingly musicalsound, making me think, at times, thatI was listening to tubes and analog

instead of solid state and digital. The8vs integrated amplifier, sporting anarray of useful inputs and outputs,offers the greatest flexibility andexpandability that I have found amongintegrated amplifiers, giving away littlein this respect to separates. Besidesits dual sets of speaker outputs, whichallow easy bi-wiring, the 8vs pre-ampsection can drive add-on outboard

Cyrus power amplifiers via pre-ampoutputs while simultaneously continu-ing to drive the 8vs' internal poweramplifier (something few other inte-grated amplifiers can do) so it can alsobe used as part of a Cyrus bi/tri-ampli-

fication solution. Better still, the CD 8xplayer rivals my reference DAC, partic-ularly when mated with Cyrus' optionalPSX-R external power supply. Thissystem's strong musicality, conven-ience and small footprint, make it pret-ty compelling.

However, all was not well at first.When I initially hooked the Cyrus sys-tem up to my restored and modified

original Quads, I thought that theCyrus was just another in a long line ofsolid-state components, some muchmore costly, that didn't mate well withthese 'stats. Everything soundedclosed down and too polite. I decidedto let all the Cyrus components cookfor over a week and played back-ground music on them at low volume24/7. You know what? These babiesunderwent a total transformation!Think Clark Kent into you know who.The midrange opened up dramatically,the bass was much more forceful, andthe highs were more extended. Icouldn't believe it was the same sys-tem. With the standby feature on the8vs, you'd be well advised just to leavethem on.

One of the Cyrus' greateststrengths is its ability to "get out of theway" and to let the strengths of varioustypes of speakers shine through. Forexample, the Cyrus didn't impinge onthe Quad's glorious midrange but gotdeeper and tighter bass out of themthan my reference tube amplifiers do,so I found that I didn't need a sub-woofer as often. And where some dig-ital/solid-state combos might make the

Jim Hannon Equipment Review

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Page 10AVguide Monthly • NOVEMBER 2005

Cyrus 8vs Integrated Amplifier, CD 8x Player, and PSX-R Power SupplyHalf-width components that deliver full-size tube-&-analog-like sound.

Cyrus 8vs Integrated Amplifier

These new Cyrus 8-series components produced a surprisingly musical sound, making me think, at times, thatI was listening to tubes and analog instead of solid stateand digital.

Canton Vento 807 DCs sound bright,the Cyrus components matedextremely well with them, preservingthe Vento's signature resolution, tran-sient speed, and top-end extensionwithout skewing their neutral tonal bal-ance. Finally, the Cyrus' performancewith the Hyperion HPS-938s was themost "thrilling" of all, since the Cyrusdidn't diminish that speaker's explo-sive and articulate mid-bass—itsbest attribute.

All-around musicality is my top cri-terion for judging audio gear, and it isone of the Cyrus 8-series system'sgreatest strengths. Mated with theQuads, Miles' trumpet on Sketches ofSpain [Columbia], Coleman Hawkins'sax on The Hawk Relaxes[Presitge/Moodsville/OJC], and SarahVaughn's voice on Ballads [Blue Note]had great musical timbre, a sense ofmusical rightness and naturalness that

one hears in a live performance at ajazz club. Because there wasn't a hintof coldness or upper midrange glare—common problems with many digital

systems—I could listen all day withoutaural fatigue (and did). The music"breathed" and had a touch of sweet-ness and warmth.

Yet this musicality does not comeat the expense of a loss of clarity or a

blurring of transients, as can happenwith some tube-based amplifiers in thisprice class. Indeed, I really enjoyed lis-tening to solo jazz and classical piano

recordings through the Cyrus system,such as Ivo Janssen's excellentrecording of the Bach Toccatas [Void],or Bill Evans's finest hour [Verve],because the leading edges of tran-sients were so well maintained. Listento the mallets striking the tympani onthe Berlioz Requiem [Telarc] and you'llhear what I mean.

What is the secret to Cyrus' per-formance? Stuart McGregor, Directorof R&D, says that Cyrus products mustnot only measure well on the testbench, but must pass extensive listen-ing tests, too, and the extra monthsspent fine tuning these designs reallyshows. The build quality on these unitsis superior to that of many units cost-ing far more and a lot of attention hasbeen paid to keeping signal pathsshort and isolating critical circuits frominterference. Each unit in the Cyrusline has the same half-width form fac-tor, with a chassis that is die-cast as asingle piece from non-magnetic alloy.Not only does the chassis look good,but it also reduces microphonic effectswhile shielding the audio circuitry.Another plus is that a Cyrus system,even with a bevy of separate compo-nents, takes up very little space.

The 8vs integrated amplifier exem-plifies the Cyrus design philosophy. Ithas the new "vs" (virtual servo) tech-nology from Cyrus' top-of-the-line sep-arate preamplifier, the Pre Xvs. Itsremote has many useful features likecontrols to adjust balance and phase,and the ability to match the sensitivityof all inputs with the CD input. Nice!The 8vs ran as cool as could be withno problems at all, even when one of

Jim Hannon Equipment Review

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Page 11AVguide Monthly • NOVEMBER 2005

Cyrus PSX-R Power Supply

Cyrus CD 8x Player

What is the secret to Cyrus' performance? StuartMcGregor, Director of R&D, says that Cyrus products mustnot only measure well on the test bench, but must passextensive listening tests, too, and the extra months spentfine tuning these designs really shows.

my spade-to-banana adaptors lost itsgrip on the speaker cable and causeda short. The 8vs also accepts anoptional intelligent external power sup-ply, the PSX-R, which drives the pre-amplifier section. When I added it, thesoundstage became deeper and morethree-dimensional and had better res-olution. This is a worthwhile upgrade.

Surprisingly, the Cyrus CD 8x play-er rivaled the musicality of my refer-ence Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 21DAC, though it fell a bit short of thatstandard in terms of resolution and

soundstage depth. However, with theaddition of the PSX-R, that gap wasalmost closed in my reference systemand vanished when using the Cyrusintegrated. The PSX-R drives theCD 8x's most "noisy" components,like the motors. Again, it's a worth-while upgrade.

So what's not to like about thesesmall Cyrus components?Unfortunately, they're not the outrightbargains they are in the U.K. becauseof the sagging U.S. dollar. Second, ifyou're an analog junkie like I am, you'llhave to add a phono stage. The 8vsmated beautifully with the separatephono stage of my custom MFA pre-amplifier, but Cyrus also makes a com-panion phono stage, the Phono X, thatlooks quite tasty. I'd love to get myhands on one. Third, the keys on theadvanced remote controller serve mul-tiple functions, depending on theCyrus device used, so you'll need torefer to the manual to take full advan-tage its capabilities. Lastly, the Cyrussystem is not the last word in imagedepth, resolution, or dynamic range,although its performance in each ofthese areas is more than acceptable.

Its 70 watts per channel sounds like alot more but can poop out on somedynamic peaks. If you have powerhungry speakers and like to listen athigh volumes, you're going to have tobi-amplify the system for more power.This is easily done with the addition ofany other Cyrus amplifier, like theMono Xs, which provide 150 wattsper channel.

The performance and price of thisCyrus combo make it hard to justifyspending a lot more on a digital sys-tem. Not only does it almost disappearphysically in your living or listeningroom, but the 8-series' engaging musi-cality, expandability, and convenience,as well as Cyrus' history of offeringcost-effective upgrades, makes thiscombination hard to beat. Keepyour eyes on these guys. They'vebeen unleashed!

Jim Hannon Equipment Review

© Copyright 2005, Absolute Multimediawww.avguide.com

Page 12AVguide Monthly • NOVEMBER 2005

Cyrus 8vs Integrated Amplifier, CD 8x Player,and PSX-R Power Supply

WEAKNESSESNot a great match with power-hungry speak-ers; image depth somewhat foreshortened;advanced remote controller takes some gettingused to but is worth it.

STRENGTHSMusicality, natural timbre, and transient speed;ability to drive difficult loads; systems designapproach provides great flexibility, expandabili-ty/upgradeability, and convenience; build quality and size

MANUFACTURER COMMENT

Many thanks for taking the time to look beyond the initial “out of the box” experience. Cyrus is avery unusual audio company for several reasons not least because it is owned by the enthusiastswho have run the business since 1998. Another unusual aspect is that, bucking the industry trend,our board is not pressurised by venture capital bankers demanding unfeasible growth to fund bor-rowings. Following our MBO in 2005 Cyrus is privately financed and it’s this that allows us to spe-cialise and take whatever time is necessary to bring properly finessed projects to market.

Our engineers cut their teeth on the first audiophile CD players in 1988 and more recently the rev-olutionary DML loudspeaker drive panel of the Cyrus Icon. While we may be the new kids on theNorth American block, we have in fact a long history of award winning models in Europe.

Our upgrade philosophy is embedded into the range and as you mention in your review, bringsmany acoustic and financial benefits to the consumer. The concept that one may enter the Cyrusfamily at an affordable price point and maintain the value of the initial investment through to someseriously capable audio system options is unique. The luxury of upgrading a CD 6s CD player toan 8x and then onto the (forthcoming) CD 8xt transport is unprecedented yet this explanationoffers only a single example of the true value of our modular system engineering. Other systemoptions include hard disc audio servers, wireless multiroom controllers, and A/V systems that whileproviding stunning sonics, can be operated from a single button, our proprietary MC BUS logiccontrol eliminating all the wires, switching and fuss usually associated with the rather negativeWAF factor.

We would humbly suggest that we aim to offer U.S. consumers something unique, compact, under-stated and fine sounding together with a valuable upgrade path. Thank you for opening the firstwindow on Cyrus Audio in the USA.

Peter BartlettCyrus Audio Limited

SPECIFICATIONSCyrus 8vs Integrated AmplifierPrice: $1795Power output: 70 watts per channel Number and type of inputs/outputs: 7 lineinputs; dual speaker, pre-amp, Mc-Bus,and headphone outputs Dimensions: 8.5" x 3 x 14.4"Weight: 12.34 lbs.

Cyrus CD 8x PlayerPrice: $1995Type of outputs: 2-RCA, 1-optical, 1-digi-tal, Mc-Bus Dimensions: 8.5" x 3 x 14.4"Weight: 7.7 lbs.

Cyrus PSX-R Power SupplyPrice: $795Dimensions: 8.5" x 3 x 14.4"Weight: 10.1 lbs.

DISTRIBUTOR INFORMATIONTHE SOUND ORGANIZATION11140 Petal Street, Suite 350Dallas, Texas 75238 (972) 234-0182www.soundorg.com

ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENTMFA Venusian preamp (Frankland modi-fied); VPI Aries/Graham/Koetsu; MusicalFidelity Tri-Vista 21 DAC; Edge G-4 andPrecision Fidelity M-7A (modified) poweramplifiers; Hyperion HPS-938, Quad ESL-57s (PK modified), and Canton Vento 807DC loudspeakers, etc.