Hydrology Posted July 27, 2015 Posted July 27, 2015 (edited) Ok, the gear list:- XTZ 99.36 Speakers Cyrus Pre XPd Pre-amplifier with onboard DAC Cyrus 8 Power x 2 Cyrus CD8SE2 CD Player ProJect RPM10.1 Turntable Ortofon 2M Black MM Primare R32 Phono Pre-Amplifier Sony HAP-Z1ES Digital Music Server Sony KD79X9000 79" 4K TV Apple TV Mini X8-H Plus 4K Media Player More pics to come. Edited October 22, 2015 by Hydrology 11
Guest myrantz Posted July 27, 2015 Posted July 27, 2015 Sony KD79X9000 79" 4K TV ^ Looks impressive!!!!
gcgreg Posted July 27, 2015 Posted July 27, 2015 The Cyrus gear looks great, there's a lot to be said for matching stacks from an aesthetic standpoint, never mind sonically.
Hydrology Posted August 31, 2015 Author Posted August 31, 2015 Primare R32 Phono Pre:- RPM10.1 and Ortofon 2M Black:- 5
illusion Posted August 31, 2015 Posted August 31, 2015 Really nice Hydro. Is that a beryllium tweeter?
gemini07 Posted August 31, 2015 Posted August 31, 2015 I have to ask the question given the range and nature of the gear you've got: with the same music, how do you rate vinyl vs CD? I haven't heard your speakers, but they obviously have a metal tweeter. I know the Cyrus gear is very revealing, so I suspect that the CD format is likely to sound hyper detailed in comparison, or is vinyl more 'lush' to your ears?
Juicester Posted September 1, 2015 Posted September 1, 2015 Great looking system. Would I be right in assuming you view your speakers as the weaker link? Turntable looks superb!
Hydrology Posted September 6, 2015 Author Posted September 6, 2015 Really nice Hydro. Is that a beryllium tweeter? It is a ribbon tweeter.
Hydrology Posted September 6, 2015 Author Posted September 6, 2015 I have to ask the question given the range and nature of the gear you've got: with the same music, how do you rate vinyl vs CD? I haven't heard your speakers, but they obviously have a metal tweeter. I know the Cyrus gear is very revealing, so I suspect that the CD format is likely to sound hyper detailed in comparison, or is vinyl more 'lush' to your ears? I love the formats equally, although I do find more extending listening tends to be more vinyl-based. But I would agree with your comment - vinyl does sound more lush.
Hydrology Posted September 6, 2015 Author Posted September 6, 2015 Great looking system. Would I be right in assuming you view your speakers as the weaker link? Turntable looks superb! I think we would all somehow consider our speakers the weakest link! I am constantly looking at options for upgrading - however finances right now just simply won't allow it! As it is Im a big fan of the XTZ speakers. Previously was running ELAC, and these were a step in the right direction at the time.
Juicester Posted September 6, 2015 Posted September 6, 2015 I think we would all somehow consider our speakers the weakest link! I am constantly looking at options for upgrading - however finances right now just simply won't allow it! As it is Im a big fan of the XTZ speakers. Previously was running ELAC, and these were a step in the right direction at the time.No for me I'd be replacing every other component before speakers. 1
Hydrology Posted September 21, 2015 Author Posted September 21, 2015 New Leather/Cork mat from Tonar in place:- 6
Hydrology Posted October 9, 2015 Author Posted October 9, 2015 A new addition to the setup, the Sony HAP-Z1ES Music Server And a better look at the 79" 6
htm_1968 Posted October 9, 2015 Posted October 9, 2015 Nice! How does the sony server compare to your Cyrus CD player?
Hydrology Posted October 10, 2015 Author Posted October 10, 2015 (edited) Nice! How does the sony server compare to your Cyrus CD player? I'll be honest, I love my Cyrus, but I think I've found the product that now makes it redundant. I'll still buy CDs (I do like the ownership, collect-ability and the fact you have something tangible to touch/feel) but I will simply rip the CDs uncompressed and place on the Sony server. The Sony has a very organic sound, doesnt feel cold and sterile like some digital music can. Edited October 10, 2015 by Hydrology 3
htm_1968 Posted October 10, 2015 Posted October 10, 2015 I'll be honest, I love my Cyrus, but I think I've found the product that now makes it redundant. I'll still buy CDs (I do like the ownership, collect-ability and the fact you have something tangible to touch/feel) but I will simply rip the CDs uncompressed and place on the Sony server. The Sony has a very organic sound, doesnt feel cold and sterile like some digital music can. I used a series of very expensive Naim CD players up until about five years ago. I was very pleased to switch to a VortexBox and a streamer and sell the CDP. Much better quality and no problems finding the CD (or finding the box and then learning it has the wrong CD in it) any longer. That Sony looks like a useful bit of kit. Is it easy to back up the rips? I'm obsessive about backing up my VortexBox as I am aware just how nasty a job re-ripping all those CDs would be.
Hydrology Posted October 10, 2015 Author Posted October 10, 2015 I used a series of very expensive Naim CD players up until about five years ago. I was very pleased to switch to a VortexBox and a streamer and sell the CDP. Much better quality and no problems finding the CD (or finding the box and then learning it has the wrong CD in it) any longer. That Sony looks like a useful bit of kit. Is it easy to back up the rips? I'm obsessive about backing up my VortexBox as I am aware just how nasty a job re-ripping all those CDs would be. Im in the middle of re-ripping my entire CD collection as WAV (up from 320Kbps previously) and when complete the entire collection will be housed on the Sony, with a duplicate drive as backup. Its labourious but kinda fun at the same time, as Im listening to albums that I haven't for years. The missus, while giving me her blessing, was still none-too-pleased when we had a "solution" that seemed to work, but when I showed her the iOs/Android app she was hooked immediately. Think I'll be putting my Cyrus CD8SE2 for sale soon...
Strykerhawk Posted October 10, 2015 Posted October 10, 2015 Nice looking system, glad the Sony is working out for you.
jeromelang Posted October 11, 2015 Posted October 11, 2015 Think I'll be putting my Cyrus CD8SE2 for sale soon... Dun be such a hurry to sell your disc player yet. The Sony inverts absolute polarity in the digital domain. (Affects both RCA and XLR outputs) You would want to keep something in the house to play back digital music in the correct absolute polarity, wouldn't you?
Hydrology Posted October 11, 2015 Author Posted October 11, 2015 Dun be such a hurry to sell your disc player yet. The Sony inverts absolute polarity in the digital domain. (Affects both RCA and XLR outputs) You would want to keep something in the house to play back digital music in the correct absolute polarity, wouldn't you? I want to keep something in the house that sounds good. Right now the Sony beats the Cyrus. 1
Rocky Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 Good to hear you are enjoying the Sony. I placed an order for one last weekend so hoping it will arrive this week. I was disappointed that Sony has dropped the TuneIn radio streaming. Not sure why but one can only hope they will either re-instate it down the track or do a firmware update to use another service. Wasn't a deal breaker for me but it still stinks...
Hydrology Posted October 27, 2015 Author Posted October 27, 2015 (edited) Good to hear you are enjoying the Sony. I placed an order for one last weekend so hoping it will arrive this week. I was disappointed that Sony has dropped the TuneIn radio streaming. Not sure why but one can only hope they will either re-instate it down the track or do a firmware update to use another service. Wasn't a deal breaker for me but it still stinks... They dropped vTuner but implemented TuneIn radio, which works fantastic. Have a listen to More Digital when you get your unit - they are an Aus based digital radio station broadcasting at 32kBps (yes, not a typo, low quality bitrate!) and the sound quality through the Sony is amazing! (not my kinda music though!) Edited October 28, 2015 by Hydrology
Rocky Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 Ah! Good to hear. I thought it was vTuner but when I checked the user guide I downloaded it mentioned TuneIn so got my wires knotted.
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