CYRUS CD Xt SE+ / CYRUS PSX-R
CD transport with optional PSX-R power supply.
Before making a purchase, many of us are often faced with a choice: transport or CD player.
In the review below, I will try to briefly explain what this is all about. Those in the know can skip this introduction and go straight to the review of the great transport CYRUS CD-Xt SE+
The era of digital sound offers wide possibilities of transmitting signals in increasingly better forms. The convenience provided by modern digital devices is one of the key elements of replacing an analog signal with a digital signal. Bluetooth or streaming of digital data via the Internet is becoming more and more popular in modern audio devices, and modern digital-to-analog converters are becoming increasingly better at processing large amounts of digital signal data into an analog signal.
Despite everything, it would seem that turntables are coming back into favor, because from a technical point of view, the analog signal is unmodified, which makes it seem the most perfect in transmission, thus ensuring the shortest path from the source to the amplification device. An analog signal, unlike a digital signal, is more difficult to transmit and more susceptible to distortions caused by distance, so several degradation factors may also appear in it. Digital, on the other hand, must pass through electronic systems equipped with specially designed DSP processors that introduce changes to a greater or lesser extent. Therefore, both signals encounter obstacles on their way, which are ultimately more or less heard in the loudspeakers. The basic difference of an analog signal over digital data is that this signal is not modified in any way by the additional electronics of DSP processors, which the digital signal must pass through to finally be converted into an analog signal, because that is the only one our amplifiers can receive. That's why we hear more and more loudly, not only in the world of music lovers, about the so-called DACs (Digital Analog Converters) are devices that convert 0s and 1s of a digital signal into a source of an analog signal continuous in time and amplitude. The exceptions to these devices are turntables, cassette and multi-track tape recorders. Therefore, if your integrated amplifier has at least one digital input connector, you can be sure that it has a built-in digital-to-analog converter, the only exception being the service connector.
CD transport vs CD player
So what really distinguishes the two devices reading digital data from each other?
From the point of view of the average person, it would seem that it is just a name, because both devices read digital data using the same operating scheme, with the difference being that the CD player has a built-in digital-analog decoder, but the transport does not. Hmmm, so how does the CD transport cope with decoding the digital signal?to an analog signal? Well, it cannot cope with it at all, because the main and only role of the CD transport is only to read the digital signal and transmit it in the purest and unchanged form to an external digital-to-analog converter, which will decode this data into analog form. One could therefore ask the question: who came up with the idea to deprive the CD player of the converter (DAC) of digital data into an analog signal, and what are the benefits of such a procedure?
The answer is not clear, and both devices have their supporters and opponents. The CD transport has the advantage of separating the sensitive preamplifier circuits from the reading electronics, which should translate into better quality of the audio signal., just as it is the case inexemplary separating the preamplifier from the power amplifier. Here we come to a simple and logical explanation of the main difference between the two devices.
The difference between a CD transport and a CD player is the same as in the case of an integrated amplifier and a separate preamplifier with a power amplifier. It's mainly about the physical separation of both devices, which has its advantages and disadvantages. I don't want to favor one over the other. The CD transport allows you to select a separate external DAC. The DAC is already built-in in the CD player. External DACs required for CD Transport are usually better equipped with inputs and offer greater possibilities than those integrated in CD players. It is true that there are CD players on the market that have several inputs for a DAC system with the possibility of connecting even a computer, but this class of devices is so marginal that there is no point in dwelling on it.
If we have several devices, we will usually have to use better-equipped external DACs anyway. Modern external digital-to-analog converters can increasingly take over the role of a stand-alone DAC or a full-fledged preamplifier, because many of them have digital or analog volume controls and even a remote control. Modern external digital-to-analog converters often provide many DSP settings and the option to change filters, something that even the highest priced CD players cannot boast of.
To sum up briefly, a CD transport is a neutered CD player without a DAC.
If you have a good digital-to-analog converter, a CD transport may be a better choice for you. CD players will be used by people who do not have a DAC in their sets.
CYRUS CD-Xt SE+
The British manufacturer CYRUS is a manufacturer of specialized and valued audio devices that has been known for years. The brand is also known as MISSION or MISSION/CYRUS. Its founder is Peter Bartlett, a former employee of the British audio equipment company NAD (New Acoustic Dimension). An interesting fact is that in the 1980s, CYRUS was one of the two brands chosen by Philips to promote the CD (Compact Disc) format. The company's ambitions were very high, and dissatisfaction at that time with the ready-made CD drive kits used by various CD player manufacturers became the driving force to go its own way and create an improved design that evolved and quickly turned out to be a success. Instead of focusing on correcting misreading CD data, CYRUS focused on designing software and hardware to maximize the format's performance. This is how the first work on the SE (SERVO EVOLUTION) mechanism was created, whose task is to read the disc as accurately as possible the first time, extracting as much data from the disc as possible.
Construction and appearance
The appearance of CYRUS devices is specific, minimalist and original. Designed a small die-cast housing in two quartz colors and brushed black accompanies most devices, becoming a visual highlight company card. It is worth mentioning that a rigid chassis equipped with visible radiators located on the back of the side walls accompanies all devices in this segment. On the front there is a small switch, which is illuminated in red in standby mode, when switching to working mode the diode changes color to green, the same backlight color has a small display placed in the middle, under which there is a slot drive, quite rare in this class of devices. automatic insertion of discs.
On the angled lower part of the housing, just below the slot drive, there are buttons controlling the device. The player can be controlled using the remote control included in the set and any other remote control from the Cyrus set from the same series.
Returning to the SE drive and technology,as the manufacturer declares, this isservo mechanicsimproves disc reading by up to five times. Servo Evolution eliminates the use of corrections as is the case in other competing players from other manufacturers. This translates into more correct reading of data from the disc the first time, which gives you quite an advantage over the competition. You can hear it, and Cyrus players with the proprietary Servo Evolution technology are considered among the best in their class. The slotted disc accepting mechanism is quite noisy and capricious. Although the reading itself is practically inaudible, there are records that Cyrus simply cannot handle. The problem most often occurs with home-burned discs, but it should be mentioned that there are also original discs that cannot be read by Cyrus. For comparison, even the cheapest players have no problem with the same discs. The biggest problem is probably the slot drive, which can cause problems with the disc spitting out completely. The mechanics always work, but discs with a thicker structure may remain in the drive, which sometimes has problems with completely ejecting the CD. This is quite frustrating considering the price and class of the device.
On the back, above the input of the power cord with an IEC C13 plug, there are 2 digital outputs, one coaxial 500 mV / 75 Ω RCA and one optical S/PDIF. On the right side there are MC-BUS input and output connectors used to communicate and control one remote control of Cyrus devices connected in a loop. Below them, we can see an unusual 5-pin USE PSX-R ONLY connector used to connect an additional external PSX-R power supply, which improves the device's performance by providing a separated, stable power supply for the most sensitive circuits of Cyrus devices.
The sound, as is the case with every CD transport, depends largely on our DAC digital-to-analog converter. The CD transport delivers only digital data to the converter, which converts it into an analog signal. The truth is that if this data is transmitted with errors, even the best digital-to-analog converter will not be able to present its full capabilities. Therefore, if we want to get the most out of our DAC, the best partner will be a good transport.
SOUND
A lot of precisely read and transmitted data without corrections has a positive effect on the speed of transmission, reducing Jitter delays, which significantly affect the final quality.
CYRUS CD Xt SE+ feeds our DAC with a lot of clean and precise data, which a good DAC can convert into a signal rich in detail with speed, subtlety and dynamic kick. A large amount of information read from the disc and correctly transferred to the external transducer is reciprocated with a natural-sounding sound and a rediscovery of music. The rest depends only on a well-made album and good company.
FUNCTIONS
-
CD Servo Evolution engine (highest possible data reading performance, improved resolution of your DAC)
-
Custom servo software developed by CYRUS -
cy (designed for high-end sound)Exceptional reading accura -
Precision Slotted Disk Drive (Quiet, Low Contact) -
High-quality disc mechanism -
Specially tuned motherboard optimized as a digital source component -
Dual toroidal power transformers -
Oversized power supply with excellent stage isolation -
Precise anti-jitter circuit (high re-clocking accuracy minimizing errors) -
Purpose-engineered analog output - Low-noise filter design provides flat response across the entire audio band with effective suppression of out-of-band digital images -
High bandwidth optical laser transducer (reduction of reading errors from the light path) -
Phase inversion function for absolute phase correction -
Double programming mode (has an additional programming mode that allows you to skip unwanted songs). -
Upgradeable with an additional external PSX-R power supply (increasing performance through further power isolation). -
MC-Bus system bus (integrated system control with the entire series) -
Remote control control
SPECIFICATION
-
500mV coaxial digital output
-
Output impedance 75 Ω
-
Sampling rate accuracy 44.1k ± 50ppm
-
Clock jitter <80pS
-
Coaxial digital output
-
Optical digital output
-
MC-BUS system
-
Dimensions: height: 73mm / width: 215mm / depth: 360mm
-
Weight: 3.1 kg
-
Color: Available in two colors: Silver-Quartz / Brushed Black
-
5-pin input for an additional optional PSX-R power supply
Prepared by: Łabędź Przemysław
