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Cyrus Pre2 DAC, Pre2 DAC QXR and DAC XP Signature comparison.

 

                                                                                                                           Cyrus DAC XP v Pre2 DAC QXR

 

Following the recent release of the QXR DAC from Cyrus we’ve received a number of enquiries about how it performs over the non-QXR DAC, and whether Cyrus’ DAC XP Signature is still worthy of the top spot in their range.

To satisfy our own minds we decided to formally compare the Pre2DAC QXR with the DAC XP Signature, adding the entry-level Pre2DAC into the equation to get an idea of what the QXR DAC offers, given that this is available as an upgrade to pretty much any DAC equipped Cyrus integrated amplifier or pre-amplifier.

 

 

Given how well KEF loudspeakers combine with Cyrus, we chose a pair of their stand-mounted Reference 1 loudspeakers, driven by Cyrus’ potent and tuneful Mono X300 Signature monobloc power amplifiers to help illustrate the differences.

 

                                                                                                                          Cyrus Mono X300 Signature

 

In keeping with the theme, the logical digital source was Cyrus’ Stream X Signature, and as a classic vinyl spinner we chose the iconic Michell Engineering Gyro SE with TecnoArm and Ortofon’s Quintet Blue moving-coil cartridge.  The phono stage kind of chose itself: the rather wonderful Cyrus Phono Signature, this time with PSX-R2 external power supply.

 

                                                                                                                          Cyrus Audio with Michell Gyro SE

 

We began with streaming via the Stream X Signature, kicking off with Vaughan Williams’ ‘A Sea Symphony’ (Joan Rodgers Simon Kenlyside/ BBC Symphony Orchestra).

The sound with the non QXR version of the Pre2DAC was enjoyable, with the choir and orchestra boldly and clearly presented, but switching over to the Pre2DAC QXR was something of a revelation! The orchestra was so much clearer, cleaner and more dynamic, with more powerful bass. This was not an in-your-face delivery by any means, just much more dynamic yet also more fluid and realistic than the non-QXR DAC.

 

                                                                                                                            Cyrus Pre2DAC QXR

 

Moving up to the DAC XP Signature gave another big lift in the musical experience: the sound was even more lush and transparent, with a delightfully natural choral sound, vibrant brass, deep powerful organ and bass drum.  The KEF loudspeakers produced such clear pin-sharp stereo imagery that every part of the orchestra was finely placed and clearly audible – no doubt aided by KEF’s point-source UniQ drive units.

 

 

Shifting genres, we opted for the title track from Steeley Dan’s album ‘Aja’ which opens with guitar, electric piano, gamelans and vocals. Through the non-QXR Pre2 DAC the sound was powerful and positive, but with a suspicion of treble untidiness. Swapping to the Pre2DAC QXR gave the same kinds of benefits as with the Vaughan Williams piece – in other words, the music was delivered with a much greater sense of ease and cleanliness with clearer vocals and cymbals, and the gamelans had a richer, rounder and more realistic sound. Not only that, the bass was more powerful and better defined.

Moving on to the DAC XP Signature gave an even greater and more dramatic hike in sound quality, with a lusher and more fluid quality and greater naturalness. In addition, this track was significantly more dynamic, becoming more involving, cleaner, clearer and generally more ‘alive’.

The analogue circuits in the non QXR and QXR versions of the Pre2DAC are identical, so there was no need to compare these, however, the analogue circuits of the DAC XP Signature are notably superior the Pre2 DAC, so comparisons here were essential.

Swapping to vinyl initially through the Pre2 DAC/Phono Signature and playing Michael Jackson’s iconic ‘Beat It’ from his album Thriller, we were struck by the powerful intro, with driving bass, beautifully articulated vocals and jabbing guitar. Here was a brilliantly produced album delivered with dynamic vigour and clarity, without descending into harshness of any kind in this system.

 

                                                                                                                           Michell Gyro SE

 

A similarly clear and convincing sound was had through this combination playing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto on vinyl LP (Igor Oistrakh playing violin, with David Oistrakh conducting the Vienna Philharmonic (RCA Red Seal).

When moving the analogue source into the DAC XP Signature the improvements were substantial, confirming that the analogue preamp section of the DAC XP Signature is clearly superior to the Pre2 DAC.

Cyrus products may look similar from the outside but it’s what’s inside that counts and it is abundantly clear that the DAC XP Signature, while not quite twice as expensive as the Pre2 DAC QXR, still performs to a much higher standard despite the DAC being technically older.

These observations are purely comparative of course: whilst the Pre2 DAC is an excellent component in its price bracket (especially when specified with the QXR upgrade), it’s quite simply outclassed by the DAC XP Signature with both digital and analogue sources, despite the Pre2 DAC QXR being the newer model. Quite simply, the DAC XP Signature is sublime and the perfect upgrade for any Cyrus pre-amplifier whether you need the DAC or not!

Something else that became clear whilst making these comparisons is that the Mono X300 Signature power amps, which are very smooth, transparent and dynamic, benefit greatly from a similarly refined and potent source, where the less expensive Pre2 DAC is, not surprisingly, better matched to the Cyrus X Power or Stereo 200.

Not to be overlooked is the considerable hike in sound quality that’s available for almost any DAC equipped Cyrus amplifier or pre-amplifier – of any age – when the QXR DAC is installed for a cost of £600. The QXR DAC brings such a big lift in performance that we venture to suggest it could be the best value-for-money upgrade you could make to your Cyrus system without trading up.

                                                                                                                Cyrus QXR DAC

If you’re considering upgrading from a Pre2 DAC/Stereo 200 system or similar to a DAC XP Signature and Mono X300 Signatures, we believe in most cases it would be sensible to upgrade the preamp first and there are two areas of improvement (DAC and pre-amp), and not the other way around, however, if you have a suitable DAC equipped preamp from Cyrus and a power amplifier such as the Stereo 200, it would be well worth having the QXR upgrade carried out as it represents excellent value for money.

Please keep an eye on our website and social media feeds for details of a forthcoming Cyrus and KEF based event, where the combinations above can be heard and compared along with others.

 

Sound wave

 

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