Cyrus Pre-XR Pre-Amplifier
Cyrus has nearly four decades of experience crafting award-winning products, designed and assembled entirely in-house at Cyrus in the UK. From the start, Cyrus’s mission has been to infuse the latest in technology with superb engineering to create ‘emotional’ musical experiences.
A fundamental step change in design approach for XR series has been possible due to an accumulated understanding of DAC technologies and power supply designs, combined with Cyrus’s recently updated manufacturing processes and the availability of higher-grade components. XR series, whilst faithful to the Cyrus core acoustic philosophy, provides remarkable sound quality benefits and substantially increased dynamic range, allowing every layer and nuance of the music to shine through. Indeed, the clarity and detail of the XR series will keep the listener wanting to go back and listen to tracks heard a thousand times before.
One of the driving principles behind the design of the XR series has been noise reduction. Tremendous efforts were made to protect and isolate the signal path from potential sources of noise. Another significant area of focus was power supply design. Using only the best components, XR delivers outstandingly high quality and reliable power to every bit of the circuitry to ensure optimal performance. Last but certainly not least is the crucial DAC that reconstructs analogue signals with incredible accuracy and precision.
The Pre-XR is one of the first wave of products, heralding the new XR series of Cyrus components. The familiar Cyrus precision die-cast case is the same, but everything else has changed.
The power supply design of the Pre-XR has received special attention. An over-specified 74VA power transformer delivers power to a high capacity power supply reserve. Within the circuit design, a generous total of 15 independent power supply regulators regulate, then sub regulates quiet power. Digital control circuits are assigned a separate mains power supply, completely isolated from the signal circuitry.
The Pre-XR analogue preamp features relay input selection and a new high-performance gain stage. This short path design makes the analogue preamplifier extremely transparent. With four analogue inputs and phono MM, the Pre-XR will cover just about any system requirement for analogue connectivity.
The Pre-XR features a choice of balanced audio drive via XLR connectors for best performance in systems where it is partnered by high-end power amplifiers with balanced inputs along with standard unbalanced outputs.
The Pre-XR includes a port for the new PSU-XR power supply. Thirty years ago Cyrus broke new ground with the introduction of the PSX-R, the first-ever regulated power supply upgrade that automatically adapted to match perfectly the power requirements of any connected product. The PSU-XR raises the bar by sourcing no less than five independent regulated supplies in a single box. For the Pre-XR the PSU-XR steps in to take over power supply for the analogue stages of the preamplifier.
The DAC input stage of the Pre-XR features a new 2nd generation version of the award-winning QXR DAC, but with an all-new high-speed analogue buffer stage. Seven digital filter alignment options are user adjustable to suit the taste of the listener. Input options include USB audio (to 384k sample rate) and DSD to DSD512, 2 x SPDIF digital and 2 x optical digital inputs.
Naturally, the XR series also features a new aesthetic. All products in the new XR series are wrapped in a new "Phantom Black" paint finish, introduced especially for the XR series. If you’re worried that they won’t coordinate with your existing Cyrus products, don’t fret. The colour is sympathetic to both the existing core and signature range.
The XR series user interface is also new, incorporating capacitive touch buttons with satisfying audible feedback. The new UI also features a high resolution LCD screen and reassuringly weighty solid metal rotary encoder.
4 x Analogue inputs
1 x Phono MM input
2 x Optical inputs
2 x Coaxial digital inputs
1 x Asynchronous USB input
1 x Analogue preamplifier out
1 x Headphone output
PSU-XR upgrade port
Headphone amplifier, 2 x 138mW into 16 O (<0.1% THD)
SPDIF supported formats 16/44.1k – 24/192k
USB supported formats 16/44.1k – 32/384k
DSD supported formats up to DSD512
DOP supported formats up to DOP128
Custom input naming
iR14 Remote control included
Dimensions (H x W x D) – 73 x 215 x 360 mm
Weight 4.3kg