Anyone tried the DVD8 and compared to Arcam, Meridian, other Cyrus etc. I would have thought the CD replay is good, but is the DVD replay up to standard?
I tested a Cyrus 7 against a DV88, 2800 etc. and wasn't that impressed...very lacking in features and poor picture compared to the others...CD replay was good, especially with the PSX but not that much better then DV88
I have had the opportunity this weekend to observe a friend install their new DVD8 and PSXR which was replacing an Arcam DV88+.
I think it is generally accepted that the Arcam produces good picures and sound but has had its share of software issues. The picture produced by it on his 7' screen by his B4 projector was very good indeed and the Arcam's CD replay was also very reasonable. However, straight from the box, the DVD8 was a class above. The picture was excellent with natural colours and terrific detail retrieval surpassing the Arcam. Again with no running in yet (hopefully things will improve further) CD replay was clear and carried authority. Once more a clear step up.
So IMO if you can live with two shoe boxes this pair are a very worthwhile contender in their price bracket. DV27 watch out!
G.M, he is using the PSX-R power supply but no other Cyrus kit.
He has a lexicon DC1 and Rotel power amp. This is the first Cyrus kit I have seen and have to say I am very inpressed. I owned a DV27 for a few weeks, until I couldn't put up with DTS dropout etc, and believe the DVD8 to surpass that in both sound and picture quality.
If you are looking in that price bracket it has to be a serious contender.
Bruce123, I also meant to ask if he had gone for the upgraded dac option?
At £350 I was wondering if it makes a big difference to cd playback in the dvd7+/8
regards,
G.M.
G.M. No he did not go for the upgraded DAC's as he has opted to use a purely digital connection utilising the ones in the Lexicon.
It sounded impressive, trust me it is worth an audition.
bought a DVD8 last month as a replacement for my SD210, it resides in my Cyrus monobloc system and I have to say I am very impressed with DVD and audio playback, I traded in a Dad3q-24 with PSX-r for the DVD8, and the sound quality is as good if not better, no immediate plans for the £350 dac upgrade at the moment.
personally I would have bought the Cyrus DVD7 ages ago if it had component video out, which is why I have waited till now to upgrade from my very watchable Toshiba SD210 with component output
must admit brand loyalty had a lot to do with my purchase, I am a big Cyrus/Mission fan. And perfectly happy at the thought there may be a slightly better DVD player available for the same money or less than the DVD8 [effectively I got the DVD8 for about a grand after trade in]
DVD8 is very good musically, but I didn't feel the picture was as good as an 88+ (and certainly not a DV27). It seemed less sharp and less detailed. It also lacks progresseive scan, and when I spoke to Cyrus they said they had no plans to offer it as an upgrade. This was the real clincher for me as I would be using it with a plasma.
However....if I was going for a complete Cyrus set up and not worried about prog scan then it's worth considering. Well made too.