Cyrus is a company that refuses to stand still. Its MD, Peter Bartlett, is keenly aware that in hi-fi you need to keep things fresh if you want stay in business. The new 8 XP d integrated is a good example of this approach, it crams in more inputs and features than any previous Cyrus amplifier and most of the competition to boot.
Yet it still fits in the half-width casework that is synonymous with the brand. After all, we've seen some densely packed back panels in our time, but in the sockets-per-square-inch-department this takes the biscuit.
SOCKETS A'PLENTY: For it's size, Cyrus have crammed a very large number of inputs on the back panel
It's not just about inputs and outputs though, what is really significant about the 8 XP d is what Cyrus has managed to fit inside the casing. The preamp is based on the same circuit topology as the company's £2,000 plus DAC XP and, while it's not fully dual-mono like the XP, it is based on the same concept when it comes to components and layout.
The 8 XP d costs £600 more than its vs2 predecessor, but much of the increase can be attributed to the preamp section. The other source of cost is the inclusion of an onboard DAC indicated by the d suffix, something you won't see on the 6 XP integrated, but which is available as an upgrade.
The DAC used is a Burr-Brown device, the precise nature of which is not divulged. All that Cyrus will say is that it's the same as you can find in a, "very expensive UK-made music server starting with N." – so no prizes for figuring that one out!
However, as anyone who follows such things will be aware, it's not what you've got, it's how you use it that counts and here Cyrus has gone such lengths as including separate toroidal transformers for the signal and control sections of the amplifier, in an effort to keep noise at bay.
QUALITY DAC: The DAC used in the 8 XP d hails from much more expensive offerings
The DAC takes inputs from RCA coax and Toslink optical S/PDIF inputs, as well as a USB socket on the back panel (the latter makes it the first Cyrus product that's fully compatible with PC sources and allows it to effectively operate as a high-quality soundcard). USB is not the greatest digital audio interface that a PC can offer but it is, as the name suggests, pretty well universal and avoids the cost and complexity of adding an onboard soundcard with a 'proper' digital output.
Cyrus makes the point that a PC attached to this amp via USB has greater potential for good sound than a dedicated server, this on the premise that the amp can offer a quieter environment than something which has to combine hard drives with D/A conversion. Cyrus should know as it used to make such a thing... anyone remember the LinkServer?
The power amplifier has been upgraded by a new power supply section, in fact the whole amp has a new PSU and this is claimed to be less noisy than previous iterations. It also allows for the amp to have an ecologically sound, sub-one-watt power consumption at standby, so you can leave it on without fearing the wrath of your tree-hugging, eco-warrior neighbours.
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