Email not displaying correctly? Click here to see in your browser

Products Reviews Signature Retailers

Dear Victoria,

In this month's news;

Our MD Simon Freethy gives his view on the recent UK High Court ruling on the legalities of CD ripping.

Cyrus has been around for over 30 years now and our unique half width chassis has been present for much of that. Find out exactly what makes it so special.

Last month we introduced you to our Head of R&D David Maroto, this month we asked him to select three of his favourite tracks to share with us and with you.

High Court ruling reverses recent change on CD ripping legislation in the UK

It was only last year that the government in the UK had agreed to allow members of the public to lawfully copy CDs and other copyright material that they already owned for their own private use. In the last few weeks a High Court ruling has quashed these changes, putting the law back to the position it was before the government changes, making it now again technically illegal to make copies of your own CDs and DVDs.

In the same way that no one was prosecuted for making party tapes in the cassette deck era, I doubt we will see the strong arm of the law raiding people’s homes. The High Court action has been bought by various bodies representing the artists and rights owners, who are looking to limit the lost revenue from non rights paid copies being made of their music. This recent ruling however is more a case of those bodies securing a big stick to help them secure their real agenda, which is for the UK to fall into line with the rest of Europe.

In Europe the issue is resolved with a tax on blank storage devices to cover copyright losses, so blank CDRs and NAS drives have a small premium built into the price which is then divided amongst the music industry. Some see this as unfair, as not everyone purchasing storage devices will be using them to copy music or films. However in my view it is a small price to pay for the convenience of listening to your music, which you have bought legally, in the way that suits you best. It works in Europe, so there is no need to re‐invent the wheel in the UK. As usual it comes down to politics, and which of the music industry or the hard drive manufacturers are employing the best lobbyists at Westminster!

In the meantime, to remain strictly legal in the UK, rather than simply ripping your own CD collection to a NAS drive, you will need to build your streaming library by purchasing all your high definition music files from providers such as HD Tracks or Qobuz. There is some interesting stuff there, and it's a fun way to discover music, but it seems a bit perverse that the law forces you to put your CDs into a CD player to enjoy them.

I am sure this will do no harm to the growing trend for online streaming services. I myself use Tidal, as one of my music sources because all the tracks streamed from here are at least CD quality. I run it on my laptop and connect the laptop to the USB B input on my Cyrus 8 DAC, so I get the benefit of the full laptop version of the Tidal control, and the full sonic benefits of my Cyrus DAC and amplifier working on decent quality source file. Tidal are currently running free a 30 day trial offer, highly recommended

Simon Freethy.

The perfect chassis for audio

A striking visual feature of any Cyrus system is the aesthetic lines of the half width chassis. Created by pressure die‐casting aluminium, the beauty of this monolithic classic is more than skin deep.

The hand finished casework is an integral part of the products’ sound. Cyrus has invested in sophisticated die‐ cast tooling to create an electronically shielded and mechanically vibration free environment for the sensitive audio circuits which are hung inside the inverted chassis.

Microphonic interference can occur when certain components transform mechanical vibration into unwanted electrical noise if the chassis is excited. The Cyrus chassis has been designed to provide an enclosure that is immune from a wide range of frequencies.

Inside a common steel chassis, components such as transformers radiate electromagnetic fields which induce unwanted electric currents and secondary magnetic fields within the ferrous box, thereby adversely affecting other components in the same enclosure. In the Cyrus die‐cast chassis our choice of non‐ferrous aluminium means this effect is avoided.

The Cyrus chassis:

A solid foundation used to build all classic models. Die‐cast by injecting molten aluminium under extreme pressure gives a dense rigid case to build upon. The non‐magnetic, thermally efficient construction gives a stable mechanical and electrical platform. Components are suspended upside down from the casting greatly reducing any vibration issues. Manufactured in Sweden ‐ each casting is individually hand finished before painting in England. Versatile, bespoke design gives a uniquely recognisable Cyrus footprint.

The benefit of using the same chassis structure across all products is a level of consistency in performance. It also allows customers with older units to have the internals upgraded/updated to the latest design without the trouble and expense of selling the entire system and starting again.

This upgradeable design concept has been created by Cyrus to provide the widest possible choice and the longest useful life for our products. We want to help you to build a better music experience from the outset.

The exceptional upgrade options we provide can be seen here.

Three Track Thursday

Thursdays just got more interesting at Cyrus.

We are all passionate about music, each with our own individual tastes which are all very different. Every Thursday (when possible) we down tools for just 20 minutes and a member of the Cyrus team shares 3 of their favourite tracks.

Three Track Thursday was recently hosted by our Head of R&D, David Maroto.

His favourite 3 tracks are:

1 Ray LaMontagne ‐ You Are The Best Thing

This was first song David heard at Cyrus Audio during a listening test.

2. Kavinsky ft the Weeknd ‐ Odd Look

David likes to listen to this when he is out training on his bicycle, for inspiration.

3. Bebo Valdés, Diego el Cigala ‐ "Lagrimas Negras”

A Cuban style track in his mother tongue, released in 2004 and labelled by a NY Times critic as the album of 2004.

Why not have a listen to David's tracks and tell us what you think. Or share with us your 3 favourites.

Cyrus Audio www.cyrusaudio.com @Cyrus_audio www.facebook.com/CyrusAudio [email protected]