What is Cyrus ONE?
With its jazzy style, relatively affordable price and a list of features with explosive tendencies, the Cyrus ONE is a compact stereo amplifier aimed directly at the younger generation of music listeners. 19659003] Bluetooth aptX and a built-in phonograph stage will satisfy streamers and vinyl lovers alike, while a high-quality headphone amplifier offers a sophisticated silent disc experience. For greater transmission versatility and multi-room capability, the Cyrus ONE now also comes with a Google Chromecast Audio, a cable to connect it and a three-month TIDAL subscription.
It is powered by the third generation Class D hybrid amplifier of the British brand. and it promises to maintain the recognized quality of sound of the company, in spite of being the most affordable stereo amplifier of the range.
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Cyrus ONE – Design and connections
Inspired by the original Cyrus 1 released in 1984, the ONE retains the compact footprint of previous Cyrus amps, but animates things with a front plate bright black glossy. Its sleek design and minimal clutter lead the normally high-fidelity brand to a lifestyle territory, but it works.
Two huge knobs on the front: one for the entrance selection, one for volume: it sports a beautiful rubberised finish and rotates it with a smooth action. There is no display panel, but I did not miss it: a ring of white LEDs around each knob clearly indicates the selected input and volume level, and does a little dance when you turn it on for the first time. They are bright by the box, but can be dimmed using the remote control.
Under the front panel there is a 6.3 mm headphone output and a coarse power button.
Any fear that Cyrus has brutalized the quality of the construction by courting the youngest the vote is dispelled by the stout body. From the inflexible top cover to the solid chassis, it is industrial grade material. The 220 mm rack width is an advantage, but it seems disproportionately deep.
On the back there are four line-level RCA inputs, one of which is an AV bypass connection that allows you to use one with your existing home theater system, plus an input with ground connection for the mobile magnet phono stage and stereo preamplifier to power an external power amplifier.
There is a micro USB port for firmware updates and bi-wire / union posts compatible with the banana connector. The absence of digital inputs and a USB DAC is a little disappointing, but is partially offset by the inclusion of a Chromecast Audio and a 3.5 mm phono cable.
Cyrus One – Features
Cyrus & # 39; third generation class D amplifier provides 2 x 100 W power. Eleven separate power supplies maximize the separation of circuits, while a large toroidal transformer provides a linear power supply with minimal noise.
There is also a high-voltage Class A on-board headphone amplifier, which is automatically activated when headphones are connected. – The main toroidal supply changes all its power to the headphone circuits and the volume is reduced to zero.
Cyrus says that ONE is powerful enough to control any speaker, regardless of its size. Intelligent Speaker Impedance Detection (SID) automatically matches the output response of the amplifier to the electrical load of the speakers.
Through intelligent circuit design and the use of digital amplification, Cyrus has eliminated the need for heat sinks, preventing components from being exposed to extremes of damaging heat.
Bluetooth aptX provides high quality music streaming from mobile devices, while the addition of the Chromecast Audio package is welcome. Over time, you could also switch to one of the dedicated Cyrus transmission components, such as Stream X Signature or Stream XP2.
Cyrus ONE – Operation
The setup is easy, but ONE is dropped with a horrible remote button blister that is not up to the quality of the main unit. It is small and uncomfortable to hold, in addition to the buttons must be pressed hard. There are volume, balance and attenuation controls, plus a button for each entry; Annoyingly, there are no Bluetooth controls.
Fortunately, Cyrus recently launched a smartphone application that is much more pleasant to use. You will need to update the unit's firmware via USB (available at www.cyrusaudio.com) to use it, which also eliminates an audible test pulse when you turn on the unit.
The layout of the home page is clear and spacious, with six buttons representing the inputs, along with volume and attenuator controls. Touch the equalizer symbol at the bottom and you can set a maximum volume or adjust the balance. Distributed in only two pages, it is very simple but it is well designed and it is much better than the physical zapper.
Cyrus ONE – Performance
Even at this point of lower price, ONE shows his serious audiophile intentions. It is a powerful and articulated system that handles music with the kind of transparency and perception that you expect from a brand like Cyrus.
Hooked on a CD player, there is a lot of punch and weight in kicks and bass lines when you throw a Dance driven by the rhythm of the melody in your path. The bass is tighter than Botox by Carol Vorderman, and refuses to rumble or flap while sending the volume north.
Its sound is large and solid, with a coherent balance between frequencies. Fill a room without really trying, and casually release the most exciting hymns with excellent composure.
The ONE also demonstrates a lot of rhythmic style and attack. Transmitted via Bluetooth, the drums resembling Dilla in Tom Waters' "Wake Up This Day" really break, while the live traps that trigger the sound "Say Nothing" by Incognito sound full and vigorous, making it virtually impossible to keep your head quiet
perhaps ONE's greatest asset is its lucid high-frequency reproduction. It communicates brilliantly textures and subtleties, such as the touch of the strings of the guitar or the breath in a saxophone mouthpiece. Such transparency makes music seem more realistic and natural.
"Back To Your Heart" by Lindsey Webster is full of details, from the tail of the reverberation on the drums of the box to the hi-hats that hover over the song. The Cyrus extracts the quality of Sade from Webster's voice, suffocating and suffocating.
The middle range is full of body and texture, so you can feel the emotion when Lianne La Havas sings "Good Goodbye". The most forceful elements, such as the synths and riffs of the electric guitar, do not tighten or harden, and the Rhodes chords sound very rich.
I can not criticize the image of ONE either: the way in which the effects and the percussion pass clearly between the speakers is charming, while the general sound of the stage is open and spacious.
The ONE continues the great work with a turntable connected to the phono stage. There is even more wealth and body in the middle range but with equally eloquent high frequencies and metronomic sense of rhythm.
Should I buy the Cyrus ONE?
With the addition of a Chromecast Audio, the ONE finally comes much closer to being the audio hub that sings and dances everything its name suggests, easily justifying its price. It looks elegant, the quality of the structure is excellent inside and out, and it sounds fantastic.
It's the sonic equivalent of sinking into a leather armchair with a single glass of fine malt: absolute luxury. Its sound is transparent and insightful, with bags of power and hits. Great dynamics are not a problem when the song demands it, and there is an impressive balance when you turn up the volume.
The only crack in the armor is the cheap remote control. As your daily point of contact with the product, it is more important than you might think, and this makes the operation cumbersome. Fortunately, the smartphone application offers a superior alternative for the connoisseur of technology.
Verdict
Cyrus judges younger voters with a compact, elegant amplifier that delivers impressive sounds at an affordable price and even includes a Chromecast Audio and Bluetooth for additional transmission intelligence.