What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
14 JUL 2008
Cyrus CDxtse/DAC X
Many companies claim to have 'gone back to the drawing board' when they launch a new product but for once, where
Cyrus and its new range of CD players is concerned, that boast is actually true.
Well, half-true in this instance – the DAC X tested here is broadly unchanged since What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision last tested it back in 2005 (when, incidentally, it cost £1000). In the case of the CDxtse, though, Cyrus really did start from scratch.
By creating its own transport mechanism and writing dedicated software (no small feat for any company and doubly impressive for a firm as relatively small as this one), Cyrus has raised the bar for CD player performance by an unprecedented margin.
Not that you'd know it to look at the CDxtse. The only visual clues to the huge changes this product embodies compared to the CDxt it replaces are the all-but invisible 'CDxtse' at the bottom of the casework and the new slot-loading disc drawer. This change alone is to be warmly welcomed, as previous Cyrus CD players had a vicious, cheap-feeling disc tray.
Profoundly impressive from the off
The CDxtse/DAC X combination is profoundly impressive right from the off. Playing Jeff Buckley's Lover, You Should Have Come Over, the Cyrus pair create an expansive, explicit soundstage – individual musical strands are simple to follow yet integrate smoothly.
Timing, a traditional Cyrus strong suit, is immaculate here – each strum, pluck or hit starts and stops with great precision and easy fluidity, making light work of testing tempos or sudden changes of emphasis.
There's an eye for detail the most nightmarish Sergeant-Major would be proud of, and the ability to lay the minutiae of a performance bare without ever losing sight of the performance as a whole.
Bass gets plenty more punch
Just as fast and plenty more dynamic than Award-winning Cyruses of the past, this duo judges high-frequency attack scrupulously and give vocalists whole fistfuls of expression and character.
And down in the low frequencies, where previous Cyrus efforts have often sounded how a whippet looks, the CDxtse/DAC X offer punch and substance to go along with the sort of pace and texture that lifts the player away from its nominal competitors.
We listened to a stack of music, spanning decades of recordings and a heap of genres, and this pair left us smiling every time. Now that this review is finished, we're going to listen to some more.
What makes it special?
(1) Separating the CD player's transport mechanism from its digital-to-analogue conversion is always a good idea, but it means accommodating two boxes instead of one. Luckily, these two Cyrus units take up no more room than most one-box players.
(2) Why stop at just two boxes? Cyrus' dedicated off-board power supply, the PSX-R, is yours for £400 and brings significant improvements to bear on what is already a strong performance when driving the transport or DAC. In fact, buy two for optimum quality – and try explaining to friends that your CD player consists of four boxes.
(3) Old Cyrus CD players had a disc drawer as noisy and dangerous as Arkwright's till. The new 'se' range features a swanky new slot-loading mechanism - it's an improvement, no doubt, but it's certainly not in a hurry. A little patience is required - and will be amply rewarded.
(4) The DAC X features balanced XLR outputs as well as unbalanced RCA sockets. If your amplifier is equipped with corresponding inputs, use the XLRs – your CDs will sound even more expressive and exciting.