Cyrus Pre-XR preamp and PSU-XR power module: unbalanced circuits on high-end elements
Cyrus has introduced a series of compact xr audio devices with six components, two of which-the Pre-XR pre — amplifier and the optional PSU-XR power module-can be considered unifying.
The Pre-XR is equipped with a new design transformer in the power supply with improved filter capacitors. The electronics are built on high-end stable elements — according to Cyrus, this has already expanded the bandwidth and increased the dynamic range, which reached the level of 110 dB.
The on-Board DAC also increased the dynamic range compared to the proprietary XP Signature. The preamp is equipped with the same Phono corrector as in the xr series integrated amplifiers.
The Pre-XR is intentionally designed in an asymmetric circuit design. According to the developers, the downside of a fully balanced version is doubling the number of parts and the signal path, which adds 3 to 6 dB of noise. They were avoided in Pre-XR.
However, the preamp’s balanced XLR output is still provided on the back of the Pre-XR. The new product also has four analog inputs plus a Phono corrector input, two optical and two coaxial digital inputs, one asynchronous USB input, a headphone output and a PSU-XR power module connection port.
According to Cyrus, this device can significantly improve the performance of the xr series components. The PSU-XR power supply is equipped with a built-in microprocessor that communicates with the powered device to Refine parameters.
The PSU-XR can power up to three separate circuits and provide up to 256 power levels each. It has the largest transformer in the history of Cyrus devices.
Compared to the well-known Cyrus PSX-R2 model, the PSU-XR power module is 60% more powerful and half as efficient, so the 5-pin connector was replaced with a 15-pin one. With each of the XR series models, the PSU-XR module uses a power distribution option designed specifically for it between individual components.
In the UK, a Pre-XR preamp costs £4,000. The price of the PSU-XR model has not yet been announced.
