AmericaHiFi
Sponsor: America Hi-Fi
Thank you, we are looking for just a few more people for the Loaner Program. If you are interested, and willing to write a review here, please consider signing up!
New Loaner Program from AmericaHiFi - Cyrus ONE HD Amplifier - AND REVIEWS!
- Thread starter AmericaHiFi
- Start date
I'm in Washington and I'm interested. I am not familiar with Cyrus Audio - but I just looked over the PDF of your product and it looks like something I would have fun testing. I'd love to see how this stacks up for my 2.1 speaker setup and as a headphone amp.
Does the amp have an LFE Sub input? Can you tell us more about the DAC in the unit?
Thanks, looking forward to hearing from you.
Does the amp have an LFE Sub input? Can you tell us more about the DAC in the unit?
Thanks, looking forward to hearing from you.
AmericaHiFi
Sponsor: America Hi-Fi
Thank you for your interest!
The Cyrus ONE HD is built for a 2.0 speaker setup, there is no output for subwoofer.
The DAC is very nice (ESS Sabre Unit), here I quote from the Cyrus Press Release (complete with English spelling!)
DIGITAL CREDENTIALS
The ONE HD adds a whole digital section to the Cyrus ONE. Centred around a high-end ESS
Sabre DAC, the unit offers optical and co-axial digital inputs as well as an asynchronous USB
B input for connecting a laptop which can handle up to 32/192k files as well as DSD 128.
This is the first time that Cyrus has used a DAC from the ESS stable, in preference to a Burr
Brown. However, over recent years, ESS have really advanced their high-end DACs, and now
offer better performance at this level, and at Cyrus we always want to use the best
components available. This meant that the R&D team has spent a long time tuning the DAC
implementation to ensure that even with a DAC from a new stable, the ONE HD still carries
the Cyrus sonic signature that customers expect.
The Bluetooth input has also been upgraded to aptX HD, which is the highest quality
Bluetooth available, better than “CD quality” aptX. The ONE HD is one of the first true Hi-Fi
products to carry this. Compatible smart phones (that can output aptX HD files) are
currently rare but will become more commonplace over the next few years.
AmericaHiFi
Sponsor: America Hi-Fi
Yes - please sign up if you are interested in joining the loaner program, we will be announcing the final list in this thread soon - and contacting everyone for details!
I thought some of you might appreciate this YouTube clip by Cyrus Audio, discussing and introducing the ONE HD, I think it speaks for itself - the passion and hard work that they put in to making this a five star rated product, click below, just a short clip.
I thought some of you might appreciate this YouTube clip by Cyrus Audio, discussing and introducing the ONE HD, I think it speaks for itself - the passion and hard work that they put in to making this a five star rated product, click below, just a short clip.
Climber
100+ Head-Fier
I'm in Colorado and very curious about the ONE HD. Years and years ago a friend had a Cyrus/Linn system that I remember really enjoying and the brand has stuck in my head since. The speakers I'm enjoying most right now are Spatial Audio M3TM open baffles and some LS3/5a -- quite different but both addicting in their own ways. I have a variety of amps on hand that would make for interesting comparisons, including a Rogue Sphinx 3, an older Nait, and some low-wattage SET amps. For headphones, I've got a range of everything from Grado and Meze, to Audeze and Dan Clark. (My current headphone amps are a Lyr 3 and a Gilmore Lt II.)
AmericaHiFi
Sponsor: America Hi-Fi
I bet the Spatial Audio M3TM sound amazing! Hopefully you will enjoy the Cyrus ONE HD! Thank you for signing up!
rsbanner
New Head-Fier
The Cyrus look really nice, I would love to participate, but I will be travelling! Maybe next time!
I'm quite interested in participating. I'm in Utah, and have no prior experience with Cyrus Audio.
I've done a few Headphone reviews here on Head-Fi, and have also done a lot of tinkering in the portable DAC/Amplifier space. If I'm selected I would be testing on hard to drive headphones like the Hifiman Arya, easier to drive headphones from the Ultrasone line, and testing with gaming sources. I've also been looking for a nice desktop amplifier for some time now. This one checks all the boxes for me, so I'd love a chance to give it a try.
I've done a few Headphone reviews here on Head-Fi, and have also done a lot of tinkering in the portable DAC/Amplifier space. If I'm selected I would be testing on hard to drive headphones like the Hifiman Arya, easier to drive headphones from the Ultrasone line, and testing with gaming sources. I've also been looking for a nice desktop amplifier for some time now. This one checks all the boxes for me, so I'd love a chance to give it a try.
AmericaHiFi
Sponsor: America Hi-Fi
Thank you, yes you will be in the list!
I will be very interested to see your review - especially if you also test some gaming sources!
AmericaHiFi
Sponsor: America Hi-Fi
Hello Head-Fi Members,
LAST CALL for anyone interested in participating in the Loaner Program for the Cyrus ONE HD. Please sign up in this thread!!!
I have just sent messages to the current participants:
Tutetibiimperes, Haquocdung, Wiljen, RajP, Maelob, Tonymac136, Ngoshawk, Markbk, Xkonfuzed, Climber and Dramlin.
Please can you respond as soon as possible (and definitely within the next 48 hours!) so that I can begin the program and ship the Cyrus ONE HD.
If any of you did not receive the message, please reach out to me directly!
Thank you.
Robert
AmericaHiFi
LAST CALL for anyone interested in participating in the Loaner Program for the Cyrus ONE HD. Please sign up in this thread!!!
I have just sent messages to the current participants:
Tutetibiimperes, Haquocdung, Wiljen, RajP, Maelob, Tonymac136, Ngoshawk, Markbk, Xkonfuzed, Climber and Dramlin.
Please can you respond as soon as possible (and definitely within the next 48 hours!) so that I can begin the program and ship the Cyrus ONE HD.
If any of you did not receive the message, please reach out to me directly!
Thank you.
Robert
AmericaHiFi
AmericaHiFi
Sponsor: America Hi-Fi
Cyrus ONE HD Loaner:
Here is the list, the loaner will ship out this week (by Friday May 14th), and I will notify each of you in turn:
1 - Dramlin
2 - Climber
3 - Ngoshawk
4 - Wiljen
5 - Tutetibiimperes
6 - Maelob
7 - Xkonfuzed
Here is the list, the loaner will ship out this week (by Friday May 14th), and I will notify each of you in turn:
1 - Dramlin
2 - Climber
3 - Ngoshawk
4 - Wiljen
5 - Tutetibiimperes
6 - Maelob
7 - Xkonfuzed
Cyrus One HD Review
I got the opportunity to try the Cryus One HD for the last two weeks as part of a loaner program. I had previously never heard of Cyrus as a brand, so I didn’t have any expectations going in. Overall I was quite surprised at the sound quality in a positive way. There are a few oddities with the amplifier that may impact how useful it is to you though, so we’ll get into all the details here shortly. My review is focused on usability and sound quality from a headphone perspective. I’ve spent decades tinkering to find the best headphone sound and, while I have put effort into a proper speaker setup, I’ve focused my audio efforts on the headphone side. So, those looking for speaker specific details will want to look at other reviews.
Usability and Features:
The One HD is an integrated stereo amplifier that has high quality audio components. It’s essentially a small AV receiver with a focus on sound quality, minus the video inputs/outputs. Compared to typical AV receivers it is about half the width & height, making it roughly the size of a shoebox. The One HD is capable of powering front speakers (2 x 100W), and includes a large toroidal transformer to power a class AB headphone amplifier. That headphone amplifier is what caught my attention. How much power does it output to the headphones? Not sure, Cyrus doesn’t say in any of their documentation that I can find. Good news is that the headphone amplifier does power hard to drive headphones without any loss in sound quality (more on that later...).
On the front side you get two large knobs on a glossy faceplate. The left is your input selection, and the right is the volume. Both have white LED’s to show what the current input or volume level is. The knobs turn with a soft satisfying click, and also feel quite nice. Nothing feels or looks cheap.
The input knob works exactly as you would expect. You can quickly select between all of the different inputs: Bluetooth, USB B, Optical, SPDIF, 2 Analogue inputs, Turntable, and AV. Here's a shot of the back of the unit, showing how all of those inputs are laid out:
On the Volume knob side things get interesting. There are 21 LEDS to indicate the volume level so you may assume that there are 21 volume steps, but that’s not the case. I counted 90 steps to max volume. Further, when you move the knob there isn’t an equal number of clicks in between the different LED levels. Here’s a quick breakdown of how many turns/clicks it takes to reach the next LED light:
Odd… also, why would I go to the trouble counting the clicks? Well the unit doesn’t remember the volume level after you turn it off and on, even though it does remember the last input selection. The end result is that every time you turn the unit on you will need to manually adjust the knob back to your desired level, which is made harder than it should be since the LED lights only give you an approximation of the volume level. It’s not a big deal by any means. I didn’t find that I minded it, but I can’t help think that a small numerical display would be easier and more user friendly.
Power wise, I had no issues getting to the right volume on sensitive headphones (115db per 1mW @ 32 ohms). There was no channel imbalance at low volumes, and it was there is a lot of room both above and below to find your ideal listening level. For hard to drive headphones like the Hifiman Arya (90db per 1mW @ 35 ohms), I would get to a comfortable listening level at about LED #8, or about 60% of the amp max volume. There was no sense that the amp was struggling with the Arya’s; there was no thinning of the sound, or lack of dynamics. I also connected two headphones (around 100db per 1mW) at the same time via a Y split cable, and the amp handled it wonderfully at about LED 6-7, or 50-60% max volume level.
In terms of other features, the amplifier does support the use of a remote control via a phone app. You can't turn the amplifier on/off via remote as the power button is a physical switch (no standby mode), but once the amplifier is on you can change the inputs, volume via a slider bar (no numerical display in the app), mute, change the LED brightness (levels 1-5), and also change the channel balance. Everything works exactly as it should on my android phone. You can also use a TV remote to control the amplifier, although no dedicated remote is included. I was able to set up my Harmony TV remote to work with the amplifier, and it worked great. Makes me wish this amplifier included a dedicated remote control, which would have been preferred at this price point. I used the One HD at night with headphones to watch TV and Movies, and using a remote made it easy to change the volume between scenes/shows.
Other random items to mention is that the amplifier runs cool on the outside. On average the case was about 2 degrees Celsius warmer than the ambient temperature. The all metal matte black case looks great in person too.
Sound Quality
I’ve mentioned a few oddities with usability above, but luckily the sound quality does make up for it. Using digital inputs (Optical & RCA SPDIF in my case) the tonality is completely neutral, and extremely clear allowing the headphones to have a clean signal to sound their best. I would describe the sound as “clean”, which may come off as initially bright if you are used to warmer amps. What makes the sound special here is the incredible separation and layering thanks to that clean precise sound. I don’t say incredible in any loose way here, this amp has bested every other amp I’ve ever tried when it comes to layering, separation, and detail. Bass is also a strong point. Many amps hit hard and clear, but many lack texture which the One HD does beautifully. Truly the only negative I can find is that if you are used to a warm amp then vocals will shift back to neutral (instead of being up front), as other details of the sound suddenly pop from all directions. For individuals that love soundstage, detail, layering, and a clean presentation (not warm, but also not sterile), this is a jackpot.
Skipping the digital inputs and going straight analogue will give you that same clean amplification combined with whatever coloring comes from your source. So if you prefer a warmer presentation you can achieve that by using a different DAC in front, and your choice of RCA cables. I prefer the digital inputs as I find that the integrated DAC/AMP combo is pristine, and any external cables or DAC’s will slightly reduce that wonderful laying and separation.
Bluetooth input worked well in my case. Carefully comparing the sound quality to other digital inputs there was a hint less detail and precision for some reason, but the core sound remained. Overall Bluetooth sounded better than my Denon AVR-X4000 receiver does using its digital inputs. Definitely a viable audiophile level option for those looking to stream sound to an amplifier.
Gaming is where positioning and immersion matters, and I found that the One HD is absolutely what I was missing in this area. Coincidentally I had been on the search for a headphone that would be more “musical”, just so that gaming would be more immersive. I’ve been using the Arya’s in gaming for the last year, but they have seemed too airy or thin. Despite producing a near perfect sound with great positioning, the thinness of the Arya’s didn’t really allow the sound to capture my attention. I didn’t realize it before, but the One HD is actually what I was looking for in that area. Thanks to the clean presentation sounds pop from their respective positions in a way that grabs your attention (in a good way). The sound is as full as it should be, and as a result it is easier to be immersed in the game. I’m looking forward to revisiting some past games with great music just to experience them again.
Rapid fire comparisons:
Denon AVR-X4000:
The Denon AVR-X series is on the higher end of the typical AV receivers, so I’m treating this one as a high end receiver vs the Cyrus One HD. AV receivers usually have a completely different feature set compared to the HD One, so I’m only talking about sound quality from the headphone jack for this comparison. For headphones the One HD improves detail, layering, separation, tonality, and bass all by a bit. Basically it sounds a little better in all aspects. The difference is easily heard, but also not dramatic or extreme. The improvement is enough to be a difference of enjoying a show or game, vs being immersed into it with the One HD. I found that I clearly enjoyed watching TV & playing games much more with the One HD vs the Denon.
Topping E30+L30
Comparing a lower end, but still great, DAC/AMP combo just for those curious about what moving up would be. The biggest difference is the layering, separation, tone, and details. Switching back and forth between the two, the E30+L30 stack sounds almost a bit dark compared to the One HD. The stage width and height is about the same between the two, but the layering & separation makes the One HD sound more 3D around your head. The one thing the E30+L30 does better is vocals, being up front and full in a more warm presentation. The Cyrus isn’t lacking in the vocals, but they end up sharing the large stage with every other instrument to where your focus shifts to be on all the different sounds you hear. End result is that the one HD has a more clear solid 3D presentation to it, with such vivid details swirling all around you that it becomes a more immersive experience.
Conclusion
The One HD has got a few odd quirks in its functionality—I would have liked a clearer volume system, dedicated remote, and a standby feature to allow for 100% remote control operation. Luckily, those quirks end up being minor issues that are easy to live with once you start listening to the wonderful sound. It never ceases to amaze me on how you can get 95% sound quality from some high quality gear, then you find that last few percent is what changes your enjoyment of a song or game entirely. The One HD is that last few percent that I’ve been looking for. It synergizes with all of my headphones in a way that makes TV, games, and music a more immersive enjoyable experience.
I got the opportunity to try the Cryus One HD for the last two weeks as part of a loaner program. I had previously never heard of Cyrus as a brand, so I didn’t have any expectations going in. Overall I was quite surprised at the sound quality in a positive way. There are a few oddities with the amplifier that may impact how useful it is to you though, so we’ll get into all the details here shortly. My review is focused on usability and sound quality from a headphone perspective. I’ve spent decades tinkering to find the best headphone sound and, while I have put effort into a proper speaker setup, I’ve focused my audio efforts on the headphone side. So, those looking for speaker specific details will want to look at other reviews.
Usability and Features:
The One HD is an integrated stereo amplifier that has high quality audio components. It’s essentially a small AV receiver with a focus on sound quality, minus the video inputs/outputs. Compared to typical AV receivers it is about half the width & height, making it roughly the size of a shoebox. The One HD is capable of powering front speakers (2 x 100W), and includes a large toroidal transformer to power a class AB headphone amplifier. That headphone amplifier is what caught my attention. How much power does it output to the headphones? Not sure, Cyrus doesn’t say in any of their documentation that I can find. Good news is that the headphone amplifier does power hard to drive headphones without any loss in sound quality (more on that later...).
On the front side you get two large knobs on a glossy faceplate. The left is your input selection, and the right is the volume. Both have white LED’s to show what the current input or volume level is. The knobs turn with a soft satisfying click, and also feel quite nice. Nothing feels or looks cheap.
The input knob works exactly as you would expect. You can quickly select between all of the different inputs: Bluetooth, USB B, Optical, SPDIF, 2 Analogue inputs, Turntable, and AV. Here's a shot of the back of the unit, showing how all of those inputs are laid out:
On the Volume knob side things get interesting. There are 21 LEDS to indicate the volume level so you may assume that there are 21 volume steps, but that’s not the case. I counted 90 steps to max volume. Further, when you move the knob there isn’t an equal number of clicks in between the different LED levels. Here’s a quick breakdown of how many turns/clicks it takes to reach the next LED light:
| LED # | Clicks to next LED |
| 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 19 |
| 3 | 15 |
| 4 | 11 |
| 5 | 7 |
| 6 | 3 |
| 7 | 3 |
| 8 | 3 |
| 9 | 4 |
| 10 | 2 |
| 11 | 3 |
| 12 | 3 |
| 13 | 3 |
| 14 | 3 |
| 15 | 3 |
| 16 | 2 |
| 17 | 1 |
| 18 | 1 |
| 19 | 1 |
| 20 | 1 |
Odd… also, why would I go to the trouble counting the clicks? Well the unit doesn’t remember the volume level after you turn it off and on, even though it does remember the last input selection. The end result is that every time you turn the unit on you will need to manually adjust the knob back to your desired level, which is made harder than it should be since the LED lights only give you an approximation of the volume level. It’s not a big deal by any means. I didn’t find that I minded it, but I can’t help think that a small numerical display would be easier and more user friendly.
Power wise, I had no issues getting to the right volume on sensitive headphones (115db per 1mW @ 32 ohms). There was no channel imbalance at low volumes, and it was there is a lot of room both above and below to find your ideal listening level. For hard to drive headphones like the Hifiman Arya (90db per 1mW @ 35 ohms), I would get to a comfortable listening level at about LED #8, or about 60% of the amp max volume. There was no sense that the amp was struggling with the Arya’s; there was no thinning of the sound, or lack of dynamics. I also connected two headphones (around 100db per 1mW) at the same time via a Y split cable, and the amp handled it wonderfully at about LED 6-7, or 50-60% max volume level.
In terms of other features, the amplifier does support the use of a remote control via a phone app. You can't turn the amplifier on/off via remote as the power button is a physical switch (no standby mode), but once the amplifier is on you can change the inputs, volume via a slider bar (no numerical display in the app), mute, change the LED brightness (levels 1-5), and also change the channel balance. Everything works exactly as it should on my android phone. You can also use a TV remote to control the amplifier, although no dedicated remote is included. I was able to set up my Harmony TV remote to work with the amplifier, and it worked great. Makes me wish this amplifier included a dedicated remote control, which would have been preferred at this price point. I used the One HD at night with headphones to watch TV and Movies, and using a remote made it easy to change the volume between scenes/shows.
Other random items to mention is that the amplifier runs cool on the outside. On average the case was about 2 degrees Celsius warmer than the ambient temperature. The all metal matte black case looks great in person too.
Sound Quality
I’ve mentioned a few oddities with usability above, but luckily the sound quality does make up for it. Using digital inputs (Optical & RCA SPDIF in my case) the tonality is completely neutral, and extremely clear allowing the headphones to have a clean signal to sound their best. I would describe the sound as “clean”, which may come off as initially bright if you are used to warmer amps. What makes the sound special here is the incredible separation and layering thanks to that clean precise sound. I don’t say incredible in any loose way here, this amp has bested every other amp I’ve ever tried when it comes to layering, separation, and detail. Bass is also a strong point. Many amps hit hard and clear, but many lack texture which the One HD does beautifully. Truly the only negative I can find is that if you are used to a warm amp then vocals will shift back to neutral (instead of being up front), as other details of the sound suddenly pop from all directions. For individuals that love soundstage, detail, layering, and a clean presentation (not warm, but also not sterile), this is a jackpot.
Skipping the digital inputs and going straight analogue will give you that same clean amplification combined with whatever coloring comes from your source. So if you prefer a warmer presentation you can achieve that by using a different DAC in front, and your choice of RCA cables. I prefer the digital inputs as I find that the integrated DAC/AMP combo is pristine, and any external cables or DAC’s will slightly reduce that wonderful laying and separation.
Bluetooth input worked well in my case. Carefully comparing the sound quality to other digital inputs there was a hint less detail and precision for some reason, but the core sound remained. Overall Bluetooth sounded better than my Denon AVR-X4000 receiver does using its digital inputs. Definitely a viable audiophile level option for those looking to stream sound to an amplifier.
Gaming is where positioning and immersion matters, and I found that the One HD is absolutely what I was missing in this area. Coincidentally I had been on the search for a headphone that would be more “musical”, just so that gaming would be more immersive. I’ve been using the Arya’s in gaming for the last year, but they have seemed too airy or thin. Despite producing a near perfect sound with great positioning, the thinness of the Arya’s didn’t really allow the sound to capture my attention. I didn’t realize it before, but the One HD is actually what I was looking for in that area. Thanks to the clean presentation sounds pop from their respective positions in a way that grabs your attention (in a good way). The sound is as full as it should be, and as a result it is easier to be immersed in the game. I’m looking forward to revisiting some past games with great music just to experience them again.
Rapid fire comparisons:
Denon AVR-X4000:
The Denon AVR-X series is on the higher end of the typical AV receivers, so I’m treating this one as a high end receiver vs the Cyrus One HD. AV receivers usually have a completely different feature set compared to the HD One, so I’m only talking about sound quality from the headphone jack for this comparison. For headphones the One HD improves detail, layering, separation, tonality, and bass all by a bit. Basically it sounds a little better in all aspects. The difference is easily heard, but also not dramatic or extreme. The improvement is enough to be a difference of enjoying a show or game, vs being immersed into it with the One HD. I found that I clearly enjoyed watching TV & playing games much more with the One HD vs the Denon.
Topping E30+L30
Comparing a lower end, but still great, DAC/AMP combo just for those curious about what moving up would be. The biggest difference is the layering, separation, tone, and details. Switching back and forth between the two, the E30+L30 stack sounds almost a bit dark compared to the One HD. The stage width and height is about the same between the two, but the layering & separation makes the One HD sound more 3D around your head. The one thing the E30+L30 does better is vocals, being up front and full in a more warm presentation. The Cyrus isn’t lacking in the vocals, but they end up sharing the large stage with every other instrument to where your focus shifts to be on all the different sounds you hear. End result is that the one HD has a more clear solid 3D presentation to it, with such vivid details swirling all around you that it becomes a more immersive experience.
Conclusion
The One HD has got a few odd quirks in its functionality—I would have liked a clearer volume system, dedicated remote, and a standby feature to allow for 100% remote control operation. Luckily, those quirks end up being minor issues that are easy to live with once you start listening to the wonderful sound. It never ceases to amaze me on how you can get 95% sound quality from some high quality gear, then you find that last few percent is what changes your enjoyment of a song or game entirely. The One HD is that last few percent that I’ve been looking for. It synergizes with all of my headphones in a way that makes TV, games, and music a more immersive enjoyable experience.
Any one have any info on the headphone power output.
AmericaHiFi
Sponsor: America Hi-Fi
Hello gikigill.
Thank you for the question, it is not documented, but let me go back to QED and get some specifics for you.
Robert.
AmericaHiFi
AmericaHiFi
Sponsor: America Hi-Fi
Thank you for the well written review Dramlin.
Anyone interested in reading more about the Cyrus Range, we have them in stock now.
You can visit our site for details, pricing, and to order:
AmericaHiFi.com/cyrus
Thank you!
Robert
AmericaHiFi
Anyone interested in reading more about the Cyrus Range, we have them in stock now.
You can visit our site for details, pricing, and to order:
AmericaHiFi.com/cyrus
Thank you!
Robert
AmericaHiFi
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