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Mission Cyrus Amps (Later Models)

greg788

pfm Member
How would you characterize the sound quality of the later Cyrus models (6, 8, etc.)? I'm pondering buying a 6 but, aside from professional reviews that suggest an emphasis on resolution over all else, that's about all I know about them.
 
I bought an 8vs2 to run as a stop-gap when I accepted a ridiculously good offer on my old Naim system (a guy came to buy my CDX and made me an offer on the whole lot when I demo'd the CDX to him!). Anyway, the 8vs2 was astonishing for the money and I only got round to replacing it after around a decade or so of use when I upgraded my speakers and needed something beefier.

I recently had it recapped by John Caswell prior to him taking my XTZ for a service and it came back sounding as good as ever. I was going to sell but now I've invested in the recapping it's tipped the value balance for me; my brother now has it on 'permanent loan' replacing his Rotel pre/power combo.

Musically I found it quite a gutsy, taut sound (which I wanted, coming from Naim) and more control and grunt than you'd expect from such a modestly shoebox-sized amp. Like Naim though, they do seem to be a bit 'Marmite' and divide opinion.

FWIW, I really liked mine and for the sort of money you'd be looking at (mine had no takers even at £275 when I listed it here) it's a relatively small risk to buy and try - you'd probably lose nothing selling it straight on if you don't like it.

Just a note re. the caps - it'd be worth whipping the cover off and checking the state inside any prospective purchase if you can. This was what had happened to mine: https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/cyrus-capacitor-query.248131/
 
I’ve had a 6vs2 and a 8 DAC before. Both were very good amplifiers. At their best they can generate almost a cathedral sound: airy and spacious with excellent staging. Sure, they’re detailed and pacy but I’ve never heard the harshness that some people associate with Cyrus.
 
I've owned Cyrus for years across many models and have never accepted the often regurgitated view in the press.
Word is they are somewhat bright, lean sounding amplifiers with an emphasis on detail, and not particularly 'musical'.

Poppycock!

Some politically motivated flat-earth 'reviewer' in the 80s slagged off Cyrus amplifiers at a time when the British hi-fi scene was extremely tribal. The comments stuck.

In reality a Cyrus amp sounds just like other good amplifiers from Arcam, Audiolab, Quad, Pioneer......it's a long list of designs which share a broad topology of being solid state, high negative feedback, flat response, low distortion and high damping factor, i.e. aligned with about 95% of quality audio amplifiers produced over the past 50 years.
Such amplifiers are largely neutral with variances between being tiny, often only apparent under controlled A/B conditions.

In short they are tried and rested, reliable, neutral amplifiers with plenty of power for the form factor able to drive all but extreme loads.
 
^^ What Robert says. I was a bit wary after reading those reviews for donkeys years but wanted to try Cyrus for myself, been extremely pleased with the sound, dipped a toe in then went for a Phono Sig/Pre2DAC/X-Power into ProAc bookshelves. There’s detail and imaging but not what I’d call a hard/bright sound.
 
I’ve owned a few, they’re great. All the ones I’ve owned and heard have had a big sound stage, lots of detail, plenty of punch, they’re very good... I bought a Cyrus 3 and a Q power last Sunday and I’ve been enjoying those a lot!

I’d be careful about buying a Cyrus CD player, but their amps, I wouldn’t hesitate.
 
I had an 8vs2 and other cyrus components for a long time. After acquiring the amplifier I soon added a PSX-R then another one for the CDP. Added tuner.

I enjoyed it but after switching to Hegel amplification didn't miss it.
 
I've had both an 8vs and 8 xpd. They are phenomenal amps with the 8xpd having the luxury of a built in DAC. The only downside I found was both models would heat up considerably when driving low impedance loads at high volumes, causing the amp to go into protection mode and shut down temporarily. The amps can put out boatloads of good clean power, but the heatsinks can't keep up. This is only a problem if you are a headbanger and use power hungry speakers.

The amps made such a big impression on me that I purchased a Cyrus Phono Signature unheard, hoping for a similar quality. Turns out, it's the best phono preamp I've ever used. I've had it three years and the only upgrade I'd consider would be the addition of a Cyrus PSX.
 
I’ve had a 2 plus PSU for years as a backup/second system/ dogsbody. I recently used it to power my arcs just to check it was still working. Had a great session. I doubt it’s even been serviced: certainly not in the twenty years I’ve had it.
 


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