Stream Xa -- What Hi Fi? Sound and Vision Awards 2015 "Best Streamer £1,000 - £1,500"

"Engaging and transparent, the Stream Xa has a rare knack for drawing you into a song and keeping you there."

Cyrus Stream X Signature

• When it comes to sound the traditional brand shows why it has proved good and was able to win a lot of international prizes for 30 years. The British combo convinced us by the rich deep bass, which is in no way expressed in a roar, but expressed precisely and accurately.
• Lets the groups of instruments merge in such a musical way and is a tasteful blend of clean structures, enriched by a personal touch. Components of character - that is precisely what the producer from the island is making since immemorial times.

Cyrus Stream X₂

• The Stream X₂ times precisely; leading edges are well defined and free from grain in a style that few CD players can better.
• I have almost stopped listening to CD since discovering this and am coming to the conclusion that streamers are better than computers at delivering digital signals. This was clearly backed up when I put the Cyrus up against a Macbook running Decibel software, the latter had a USB connection to the DAC while the Cyrus was on coax which may have a bearing but the advantage was quite distinct.
• The streamer has considerably more gravitas, there is a palpability to the sound that makes everything more vibrant and real. I used a superb 24/96 recording called ‘Chasing the Dragon’. This is one of the best in terms of room acoustics that I’ve encountered and with the Mac you get a good sense of the scale of the venue.
• When the Cyrus takes over this becomes more solid and three-dimensional largely because the bottom end is fully fleshed out. This underpins the soundstage in a dramatic fashion and brings the music into your own room in a remarkably convincing fashion.
• Delivers massive amounts of detail, the noise floor is very low so you can hear right down into the mix.
• It makes for a palpable sense of realism with a great recording and makes you want to hear more hi-res material.
• The sound is dynamic, never short on pace and opens up your digital files to an extent that few CD transports can hope to emulate.
• Cyrus has succeeded in making an easy to set-up and use streamer that delivers the sonic goods.

Cyrus Stream XP₂ Qx & Stereo 200

• Price / Performance: "excellent"
• Once again this proves that a Cyrus device creates its proverbial musicality from the wonderful midrange. Even verbal contributions appeared unbelievably natural, colourful and in fact a little bit charming.
• The sound pattern provided by the Cyrus combination is characterised by resilient easiness and rhythm with fantastic timbres carried by a downright outstanding and harmonious midrange reproduction, for example in Joe Jackson’s “Steppin‘ Out”. The tonal accuracy can be heard down to the minutest detail, especially in vocals and small line-ups
• The Stereo 200 is one of the few Class D amplifiers that are able to take on the best of the comparable parallel classes A and AB. There is no trace of pale timbre or dull trebles which certainly results from the relatively high upper frequency limit and the trained ear of Peter Barlett who personally adjusts every device for the serial production.
• The top-class Stream combines DAC, network player and pre-amplifier for rather reasonably priced 2790 Euros. Only an analogue input will most likely be missed by some people. Overall, this device is energetic and puts heart and soul into playing music while it stays smooth and deeply musical. The same goes for the super strong power amplifier. Kudos!
• Measurements - Stream XP₂ Qx:
  • Distortion factor (400 Hz/-9 dB): 0.003 %
  • Output Resistance Cinch: 94 Ω
  • Output voltage Cinch ( 0 dB FS): 2.18 V
  • Power consumption off | standby | idling: 0 | <2 | 13 W
• Measurements - Stereo 200:
  • Continuous Output into 8 | 4 Ohm: 175 | 286 W per channel
  • Peak output into 4 Ohm: 355 Watt per channel
  • Intermodulation at 50 mW | 5 Watt | Pmax -1 dB: 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.04 %
  • Power consumption off | standby | idling: 0 | <2 | 17,5 W

Cyrus Streamline₂

• Streamline 2 played very evenly, at first even with a slight distance. Already after five minutes of listening could say that Cyrus cares about the behavior of the ratio between bandwidth ranges and do not allow yourself a moment of forgetfulness, even with a more aggressive and dynamic music. Unprepossessing chunk of the game just fine, pursuing the idea of high fidelity. What's more, it reveals the differences between recordings, but not Pastwa over worse realized.
• Conclusion: Natural, versatile sound and rich equipment is a big pluses, but the biggest seems to be price. For 5900 zł we get a device that can serve as a home entertainment center. Simply connect the column and possibly other devices you want to use as the source of the sound. Streamline 2 is such a super-mini tower with audiophile twist.

Cyrus Stream XP₂ Qx

• Best streamer £2000+, Awards 2013
• Stream Massive Attack’s Teardrop and the Cyrus doesn’t lose a single ounce of the ethereal vocals.
• It has all the hallmarks of the Cyrus sound: detail is breathtaking, the timing is razor sharp but never clinical, and the delivery is fast and uninterrupted.
• There’s plenty of space at the top end for the music to reach a natural high without ever feeling strained or getting too bright, while basslines are agile and strong.
• The Stream XP2-Qx serves up an energetic, enthusiastic and truly immersive performance

Cyrus Stream Xa

• Hi-Fi Choice awards the Stream Xa their coveted Hi-Fi Choice Recommends Badge
• The Stream Xa is masterful with CD-originated material
• Playback leaves you sitting with a big dumb grin on your face
• If you want a new streamer in place of your CD player, this should be on the list

Cyrus Stream XP₂ Qx & X Power

• "Cyrus upgraded its equipment for the future, but remains the high quality standards of the English brand loyal. The new Stream XP₂ Qx and the X Power amplifier in any case constitute a great, musical team, which combines British culture of sound and functionality. "

Cyrus Stream XP₂ Qx

• Best streamer £2000+, Awards 2013.
• Stream Massive Attack’s Teardrop and the Cyrus doesn’t lose a single ounce of the ethereal vocals.
• It has all the hallmarks of the Cyrus sound: detail is breathtaking, the timing is razor sharp but never clinical, and the delivery is fast and uninterrupted.
• There’s plenty of space at the top end for the music to reach a natural high without ever feeling strained or getting too bright, while basslines are agile and strong.
• The Stream XP2-Qx serves up an energetic, enthusiastic and truly immersive performance

Cyrus Stream XP₂ Qx

• Best streamer £2000+, Awards 2012
• This superb streamer sounds absolutely fantastic
• Fast, precise sound

Cyrus Stream XP Qx

• The Stream XP is one of a few products I have tested over the last year that has helped convince me it is time to rip my CDs and stow them away
• What's important is the appearance of the sound it produces, wich can be uncannily rich, detailed and musical
• I don't think you'll find something that sounds better, even if there are plenty of more shiny alternatives
• Highly open and revealing sound; well featured

Cyrus Stream XP

• Impressive sound quality for a streamer
• High feature count

Cyrus Stream XP

• Wired or wireless the Cyrus Stream XP won't disappoint
• Files sound great
• Natural, engaging delivery
• Awesome sense of timing

Cyrus Streamline₂

• Best streaming system up to £2000, Awards 2012.
• An undoubted star with stellar sound quality, ease of use and advanced functionality.
• Open and dynamic, it extracts a stunning level of detail presenting music with brilliant clarity and precision.
• There’s no edge to treble or softness to bass, leaving you to simply focus on enjoying the music. 
• The real upgrade here is the improved file compatibility and sure enough hi-res 24/192 files sound superb. Listen to Muse’s The 2nd Law and lead trackSupremacy has incredible scale and power. 

Cyrus Streamline

• A practical and stylish way to access most digital sources
• Detailed sound with clean and clear treble; plenty of digital inputs;

Cyrus Streamline

• Cyrus's first music streamer works wonders with digital music collections
• Fantastic insight and exceptional timing
• Energetic, driven sound
• Stream a few CD-quality WAV files and the Cyrus makes an immediate impact, with a wonderfully open and inviting soundstage.
• It extracts a stunning level of detail. Instruments and vocals are beautifully layered and music sounds fluid yet unhurried, allowing the listener to savour every moment.

Cyrus Streamline

• "Cyrus Streamline is a network drive amplifier "all in one" providing consistent performance and good sound level as well as a great versatility"
• "Associated with good speakers, it may be the heart of a high-fidelity system that's comfortable with many musical genres"

Cyrus Stream X

• Several aspects of the sound will appeal to lovers of classical music in particular.
• Detail is also good, indeed one of the best in the group. It’s there in plenty, but is never forced on one’s attention and it is kept very neatly in proportion as part of an over-arching whole. Nevertheless, if you want to hear exactly what’s going on in a recording, this is one very good way of getting to it.

Recommended 3rd party App for Cyrus streamers:

mconnect Player - media player app to support UPnP/DLNA and Google Cast(Chromecast):

Recommended install for Synology and Qnap NAS users:

MinimServer - you'll get excellent sound quality from your music collection using MinimServer as your DLNA media server.