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Advice/recommendation for lean sounding amp.

kernow said:
Spend less on cables in future
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Na I love Chord cables. I got the interconnects new at 40% off rrp as they’ve just been updated and the speaker cable new at 30% off rrp with the posh ohmic plugs.

Deep down I new I’d be upgrading the kit so I bought half decent cables with that in mind.
 
nick webb said:
Hi all,

After being without a hifi set up for a few years (divorce) and having to listen to a Sonos Beam for music duties albeit in night time mode and bass turned right down, I thought it was time and decided to get a little budget set up.

i plumped for a Cambridge Audio axa 35 amp, Acoustic Energy AE100 mk2 speakers and Blusound Node gen 3 front end and Chord Clearway interconnect and Chord Rumour X speaker cable.

I think for the money spent it’s very impressive. The problem is I only have a small room in my new property and the sound is just too big/ full and warm.

I recently picked up a pair of Amphion Argon 0 speakers and they are fantastic and now I need a new amp to get the most out of them.

In the past I owned a AVI Lab series integrated amongst many others. This is the sound I’m now after. I want tight, lean controlled bass. Is there anything out there with a similar presentation? I’m thinking maybe a Audiolab 6000A though I’m happy to buy just a straight amp with no dac as I’m happy with the dac inside the BS Node. From memory I think Cyrus gear is along these lines, is that the case? I’ve seen some Cyrus 8A’s knocking about at good prices. Does anyone have any experience of this amp?

Okay, well I’m back in the rabbit hole and could use some much needed advice.

Many thanks in advance.

Nick.
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I would recommend a class D power amp with hypex ncore modules. Audiophonics ncore 125/250 is a very good and clean sounding amplifier. Slightly better sounding than amplifiers with the tpa3255 chip that everyone raves about ( they are good sounding to ) . And maybe get a digital source with a good PEQ implemented. The last option is maybe more important for the sound than changing the amplifier. ( in my opinion )
 
During part of the covid era I used an AX35 and it was ok for the price, but didn't really excite me - a few months back I plumped for a Cyris i7-xr when the retail price was reduced from £2295 to c.£1395, and for that, I reckon it stands up well against its peers and as a result, I have returned to enjoying music as opposed to simply tolerating it!

I have to be careful as my listening room adjoins my neighbours' main living room and so far they have not complained about any noise. This is well worth looking at in my view - and having previously owned Naim (ie XS-2, and a pre/power/napsc set-up) the Cyrus wins hands-down though I know some may scoff at that.

My bro-in-law has older but modded Cyrus stuff (8?, 8A?, 8-Dac? - can't quite recall) and his set-up always sounds impressive to me.
 
Caliente said:
During part of the covid era I used an AX35 and it was ok for the price, but didn't really excite me - a few months back I plumped for a Cyris i7-xr when the retail price was reduced from £2295 to c.£1395, and for that, I reckon it stands up well against its peers and as a result, I have returned to enjoying music as opposed to simply tolerating it!

I have to be careful as my listening room adjoins my neighbours' main living room and so far they have not complained about any noise. This is well worth looking at in my view - and having previously owned Naim (ie XS-2, and a pre/power/napsc set-up) the Cyrus wins hands-down though I know some may scoff at that.

My bro-in-law has older but modded Cyrus stuff (8?, 8A?, 8-Dac? - can't quite recall) and his set-up always sounds impressive to me.
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Yes I saw that deal on the Cyrus i7 - XR and it very much interests me. I read in one review that the bottom end is fuller than previous Cyrus models. Could you give me an idea of how it sounds to you. I can get a Hegel H95 for that price which is also meant to be a clean sounding amplifier. Considering both amps at present.

Also there is a Cyrus 8A on eBay for £585 do you think that is a good price. Standard 8’s seem to be going much cheaper. Do you know what the difference is between models?

Many thanks
 
Caliente said:
During part of the covid era I used an AX35 and it was ok for the price, but didn't really excite me - a few months back I plumped for a Cyris i7-xr when the retail price was reduced from £2295 to c.£1395, and for that, I reckon it stands up well against its peers and as a result, I have returned to enjoying music as opposed to simply tolerating it!

I have to be careful as my listening room adjoins my neighbours' main living room and so far they have not complained about any noise. This is well worth looking at in my view - and having previously owned Naim (ie XS-2, and a pre/power/napsc set-up) the Cyrus wins hands-down though I know some may scoff at that.

My bro-in-law has older but modded Cyrus stuff (8?, 8A?, 8-Dac? - can't quite recall) and his set-up always sounds impressive to me.
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Also, could you describe how the Cyrus i7/xr sounds compared to the axa 35 please? Did you find the axa 35 too full and warm?

Also, is the i7 good at low listening levels as that’s one area the Hegel H95 is supposed to excel at and this is especially important to me?

Any input would be gratefully received.
 
luxury_scruff said:
I had the Cyrus i7-XR and now have the i9-XR, both are good sounding amps.

The i7-XR will be out of stock soon, so move quickly!
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Hi

Could you give me a brief description of how it sounds and best place to buy? Is it bright sounding? Reviews seem few and far between.
 
Thing is Nick, I don't have your ears, your room and your music - nor your associated equipment.

There's a lazy assumption made about Cyrus being bright sounding, which has been perpetuated through the years. Quite frankly it's bollocks. I had the i7 for a few months and was really pleased with it. I personally believe that I was one of the first people to buy it, and this is a few years ago, back in lockdown. before that I had the Rega Brio and the i7 sounded better to me. It had a one-pixel fault on the display screen and Cyrus were extremely helpful and arranged to pick it up, and they also loaned me an i9 whilst they fixed it. I couldn't let the i9 go after hearing it, and we came to a financial arrangement and it stayed.

I would describe it as articulate and musical. Fast and exciting too. High-end is smooth, bass is deep and with texture. I play a wide range of music and I haven't found it wanting yet.

Looks like there is one here (I'm not sure where you are based): https://www.referenceaudio.co.uk/cyrus-i7-xr#variant_2265

Oh and don't let the horophile above bully you with his drive-by quips, he's a full-weight whopper on every forum that we both go on, and often gets pulled up.

No more questions Nick, get one tried. Buy it if you like it. Return it if you don't.
 
nick webb said:
Hi all,

After being without a hifi set up for a few years (divorce) and having to listen to a Sonos Beam for music duties albeit in night time mode and bass turned right down, I thought it was time and decided to get a little budget set up.

i plumped for a Cambridge Audio axa 35 amp, Acoustic Energy AE100 mk2 speakers and Blusound Node gen 3 front end and Chord Clearway interconnect and Chord Rumour X speaker cable.

I think for the money spent it’s very impressive. The problem is I only have a small room in my new property and the sound is just too big/ full and warm.

I recently picked up a pair of Amphion Argon 0 speakers and they are fantastic and now I need a new amp to get the most out of them.

In the past I owned a AVI Lab series integrated amongst many others. This is the sound I’m now after. I want tight, lean controlled bass. Is there anything out there with a similar presentation? I’m thinking maybe a Audiolab 6000A though I’m happy to buy just a straight amp with no dac as I’m happy with the dac inside the BS Node. From memory I think Cyrus gear is along these lines, is that the case? I’ve seen some Cyrus 8A’s knocking about at good prices. Does anyone have any experience of this amp?

Okay, well I’m back in the rabbit hole and could use some much needed advice.

Many thanks in advance.

Nick.
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Rotel RA 820. You'll pick one up for very little, just try it -- I doubt you'll be disappointed.
 
I would also second looking for a class D amp. I've owned four and can say the bass is lean & detailed. I found I could get away with a louder volume and not annoy the neighbours. Class D amps also tend to be super fast and have blacker backgrounds in my experience.
 
Yes, I did find the AX35 to be somewhat warm and wooly (not sure about being fat sounding). One thing that I have noticed is that vocals and drums/percussion are much much clearer and more involving than before. I'm no expert on Cyrus stuff though as I said my bro-in-laws' does sound impressive and full of dynamics. Saying that you would expect that taking into account the price difference.

That Hegel is very, very tempting .

As for reviews, I noticed valuable and largely complimentary stuff on AV Forums.
 
luxury_scruff said:
Thing is Nick, I don't have your ears, your room and your music - nor your associated equipment.

There's a lazy assumption made about Cyrus being bright sounding, which has been perpetuated through the years. Quite frankly it's bollocks. I had the i7 for a few months and was really pleased with it. I personally believe that I was one of the first people to buy it, and this is a few years ago, back in lockdown. before that I had the Rega Brio and the i7 sounded better to me. It had a one-pixel fault on the display screen and Cyrus were extremely helpful and arranged to pick it up, and they also loaned me an i9 whilst they fixed it. I couldn't let the i9 go after hearing it, and we came to a financial arrangement and it stayed.

I would describe it as articulate and musical. Fast and exciting too. High-end is smooth, bass is deep and with texture. I play a wide range of music and I haven't found it wanting yet.

Looks like there is one here (I'm not sure where you are based): https://www.referenceaudio.co.uk/cyrus-i7-xr#variant_2265

Oh and don't let the horophile above bully you with his drive-by quips, he's a full-weight whopper on every forum that we both go on, and often gets pulled up.

No more questions Nick, get one tried. Buy it if you like it. Return it if you don't.
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Thank you for taking the time to reply. I fully understand what you’re saying.

I think I need to try and source a home demo.
 
Caliente said:
Yes, I did find the AX35 to be somewhat warm and wooly (not sure about being fat sounding). One thing that I have noticed is that vocals and drums/percussion are much much clearer and more involving than before. I'm no expert on Cyrus stuff though as I said my bro-in-laws' does sound impressive and full of dynamics. Saying that you would expect that taking into account the price difference.

That Hegel is very, very tempting .

As for reviews, I noticed valuable and largely complimentary stuff on AV Forums.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply. I’ll check out AVForums.
 
I would try Yamaha A-S500 or something in that A-S range. Sound is naturally lean until you use the loudness or tone controls.

I'm currently using a Mosfet Sony TA-FB 940 QS. Might be a little too assertive but they are still very musical and highly underrated amps imo.
 
Rick_F said:
I would also second looking for a class D amp. I've owned four and can say the bass is lean & detailed. I found I could get away with a louder volume and not annoy the neighbours. Class D amps also tend to be super fast and have blacker backgrounds in my experience.
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What class D amps have you owned mate?
 
Sony TA-N5550, pure bliss, sweetness but was a bit to "lean" for my ESL-63s. They need some TLC but, wow.
 
Am i right in thinking the cyrus xr7 is class ab ? Been some superb offers on these amps .certainly cyrus sounded good at cranage this year
 
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