CD I

Cyrus CD players have a history of class-leading performance, but none have so consistently wowed critics as the remarkable CD i. Judged the best CD player for four consecutive years by What Hi-Fi? Magazine. The CD i is without doubt one of the most influential integrated CD players ever designed.

You’ve never really heard your CDs until you’ve listened to them on a CD i.

CD is the format of choice for many audiophiles. When listening to recordings from the likes of Chesky Records or Opus3, it’s hard to argue against that – but CD hardware needs to be given the respect it deserves.

The CD i is one of our proudest achievements as a company.

CD I - DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

Our CD players are better because they generate far less background noise than most. We call this our SE or Servo-Evolution technology. The principle itself is quite simple. Usually the laser mechanism (servo) which reads the data from a disc makes tiny movements side to side quite quickly to re-read miss-read data – this create ‘servo noise’ and that impacts the ‘noise-floor’ limiting the quality of the sound output.

The principle objective with our CD players is to extract the data on the disc as accurately as possible the first time – and that is only possible through some very careful design and calibration in both the hardware and software elements of the player.

The CD i is our ‘integrated’ model in the range, including a built in ‘Digital to Analogue’ converter, converting that digital data into a beautiful analogue signal, using an extremely refined 32bit DAC.

The circuit of the CD i has been designed in 2 discrete sections, allowing the product to be upgradeable through the addition of our separate power supply (the PSX R₂). This addition completely isolates the DAC section of the product, improving timing and eliminating any intermodulation which can impact the delicate analogue signals output. Whilst not necessary for outstanding performance, this addition is a valuable upgrade for the serious audiophile.

CD i  雷射唱盤

對於許多音樂愛好者，CD光碟和高性能CD雷射唱盤將仍然是未來數年的訊源選擇，他們所珍藏的珍貴CD光碟，是他們主要的音樂來源。即使在一個混搭著多媒體系統的家庭裡，將大量的CD光碟音樂轉檔至網路硬碟 (NAS)成為音樂檔案，再以串流方式播放音樂，儼然已是一種流行，但對於許多聽眾而言，CD光碟仍然是收集高品質音樂的最佳方式。

Cyrus CD“引擎心臟”從光碟讀取出的聲音性能是相當卓越的。Cyrus的CD雷射唱盤不像其他的CD雷射唱盤一樣採用通用解決方案。Cyrus的CD雷射唱盤獨特地運用我們特製化研發的光碟讀取系統（Servo Evolution），比起大多數其他的CD雷射唱盤能減少20％的數據轉換錯誤。我們的目標是盡可能藉由拒用標準組件和重新設計自己的CD“引擎心臟”，來製造最好的CD雷射唱盤，用以提供來自於CD光碟最好的資料解析度。所有Cyrus的CD雷射唱盤都能呈現優秀的聲音；閣下可在三款型號之間作適當的選擇，因為每個型號都是以我們卓越的CD“引擎心臟”技術所構建的。我們的網站解釋了我們如何開發世界上最先進的專業CD伺服系統，我們稱之為Servo Evolution，現在已至其第二代（SE2）。

CD i 這款雷射唱盤是為沒有數位類比轉換器(DAC)的系統所設計，能提供具有32bit DAC的完整解決方案。 這款並榮獲英國WHAT HI-FI雜誌2016年度CD雷射唱盤類風雲器材大獎，也榮獲許多其他優秀的媒體獎項。

OUTPUTS

SPDIF optical – 1
SPDIF coaxial – 1
Stereo RCA analogue – 2 Pairs Fixed
PSX-R upgrade port – Yes
MC-BUS – Yes

FILE/SIGNAL COMPATIBILITY

Maximum Signal Resolution – 16-bit/44.1kHz

DIMENSIONS (MM)

Height – 73
Width – 215
Depth – 360
Weight (kg) 3.6

REVIEW By What Hi Fi

Cyrus CD i review

Best CD player £1000+, Awards 2017. A five-star CD player from Cyrus is no surprise, but this one takes things to a new level 

Tested at  £975

Our Verdict 

A five-star CD player from Cyrus is no surprise, but this one takes things to a new level

For 

Dynamic expression

Rhythmic ability

Entertaining listen

Hugely detailed

Upgrade path

Modern remote

Against 

Dated display

Noisy loading disc

We are part of The Trust ProjectWhat is it?

Reviewed on 17th February 2014

Cyrus hasn’t put a foot wrong with its CD players for as long as we can remember. It’d be fair to say that its track record has been phenomenal.

So it’s no surprise that the new Cyrus CD i – the successor to the Cyrus 6SE and Cyrus 8SE – is another gleaming example of the company treading the right path.

MORE: Awards 2015 - CD players

Video review

Sound quality

In fact, Cyrus says this is its best-sounding CD player yet. And, as much as we’ve loved the company’s previous models, we’re more than happy to back that claim.

Even after a very short listen, we are convinced of the scale of Cyrus’ achievement here.

We played Hans Zimmer’s Dream is Collapsing from the Inception soundtrack and right away the CD i displayed the uniform, articulate and intuitive presentation that we’d expect from a more expensive player.

Offering buckets of detail, the finer flurries of quieter instruments surfaced, while the more intense parts of the score soared into a dramatic climax.

Each layer of the composition was precisely unpeeled, and each instrument passed through the mix with coherent flow and tact.

More after the break

But the rhythmic talent here is what really raises our eyebrows. Pace and momentum is exercised with articulation and vibrancy.

We found ourselves entertained by the Cyrus’ dynamic agility and neutral balance in a way that’s rare at this price.

Though fast and fluid, the sound is much weightier than any of the company’s previous models.

Even when we switched to Timbaland’s Morning After Dark – which has a fleshy, hard sound, heaps of sub-bass and thumping beats – the CD i didn’t bat an eyelid.

As if that weren’t testing enough, we dug out a live recording of Linkin Park and were equally impressed at the amount of clarity and definition it extracted against the background crowd noise – even if the spacious soundstage seemed a bit forsaken.

Build and design

We may not have heard quite this calibre of sound from a Cyrus player before, but we’ve become fairly accustomed to the blueprint design of its machines.

Unboxing the long, narrow aluminium chassis, therefore, isn’t exactly a bolt from the blue.

We generally like its solid build, fuss-free design and simple, easy-to-read black-on-green display – though the latter now looks thoroughly outdated in today’s market and could do with a rethink.

In earlier SE models, we found the cheap-looking plastic remote a noteworthy negative, so we’re rather pleased that the new one is more in-keeping with rival players’ handsets, boasting a plush and organised set of backlit buttons.

Features

The company says that the CD i shares similar features to its latest CD transport, the CD Xt Signature.

This means having a slot disc loader, a more stable clock and the latest version of its customary Servo Evolution disc-reading engine, which relies more on reading the data correctly the first time than on error correction to colour in the blanks.

The company claims the new transport now has as much as 20% fewer CD reading errors than any other off-the-shelf alternatives it found – and the amount of detail it grabs from the music goes a long way to prove it.

The new transport is, however, a little noisy when loading a disc, though as silent as you’d hope it would be during playback.

Found at the back of the system are two pairs of analogue outputs and standard digital optical and coaxial outputs.

True to Cyrus fashion, upgrades can also be achieved by connecting to the company’s PSX-R external power supply (£500) for naturally more power, clarity and detail.

But we’re certain you’ll be happy with the CD i alone for a long time to come.

Verdict

We’re hugely impressed with the CD i and we’re confident you won’t find a more entertaining, more revealing player until you near the £1500 mark.