First and foremost, we would like to say a big thank you to our lovely customers who came to the event – we hope you had a great a day as we did! Secondly, we would like to also say thank you to Jason Saxon, our Field Sales & Training Representative from Cyrus, for taking the time to come down to London and host the event for us and some of our other branches. It’s been a great experience for all of us learning about the new Cyrus XR series, (especially for myself still being somewhat of a newbie), which really is a work of art in itself.

What is the '“Cyrus Experience Tour”?

The ‘Experience Tour’ is a chance for Cyrus to share with you some of their passion and enthusiasm for music; to share some of their knowledge and decades of experience to help you make better and more informed decisions about Hi-Fi.

The programme has been developed to help enthusiasts of all backgrounds to learn more about good reproduction and the difference it can make to your enjoyment of music.

On to our Event…

For us in store, the event started the day before we opened to the public. It was my first time meeting Jason; he arrived in the afternoon and after exchanging pleasantries, we unloaded the equipment and he began setting up. During this time, I sparked some general chit chat about Cyrus. Whenever I meet someone from a manufacturer I like to ask about their product USPs (Unique Selling Points), which helps me learn about each product and the manufacturer’s individual merits.

Whilst talking about the individual products we were setting-up, Jason kept referring back to the history of Cyrus, where & how they started off, how they came to be as popular as they are now and what makes their products unique.

Our demonstration room set-up for the Cyrus XR series

For those of you that aren’t aware, Cyrus started off under another name, Mission Electronics in the early 80s and was founded by Farad Azima, with the assistance of his brother Henry Azima as the developer, and Stan Curtis. They released their first products under the name Cyrus in 1984 - amplifiers Cyrus One and Cyrus Two. And the rest is history! As many of you will know, Cyrus has become one of the most well-known Hi-Fi manufacturer in the UK ever since. One of Cyrus’ most popular features and selling points is it’s signature compact design, be it an amplifier, CD player or streamer. It’s smaller size allows these products to fit into a modest space and look aesthetically pleasing wherever it’s placed, without compromising on sound quality. It’s ease of use never falls short either! The products are only available in black, however they come in different finishes – brushed black and phantom black, which provides variety in textures rather than colours, and let’s face it, sometimes black has the upper hand in creating that little bit more elegant and sophisticated look. The XR series however, are sold exclusively in phantom black, which is the smoother texture of the two.

Jason brought along two Mono X300 Signature Power Amps and a Stereo 200; in-store we already had the i7-XR, i9-XR, Cdt-XR, Cdi-XR and the Pre-XR out as demonstration units. We created a nice little set-up using the Cyrus Hark III shelf-rack, as well as having an appealing layout across other units in the demo room. After listening to a few different configurations, I had come to the conclusion that the XR series is nothing less than a revolution in audio quality. It represents the best-in-class application of new DAC technologies, Power supply Design, Circuit topology, User Interface and it is built solely in the UK using components of the highest specification. In layman’s terms, it sounds bloomin’ brilliant! Providing some of the cleanest and most detailed audio quality I’ve heard in awhile, it’s compact size has no relevance in its ability to fill a room with musical magic. The details are crisp without being harsh, giving audiophiles the joy in being able to hear every detail without taking away the bigger picture of the song as a whole.

From left: the *CDt-XR*, the *Stereo 200* and the *CDi-XR*

From top: The *Pre-XR*, *CDi-XR* and two *Mono X300 Signature Amps* on the *Hark III shelf rack*

Let the public in…

As with most of our in-store events, we felt the day would work best if we were to assign customers their own time slot, ensuring they had one-to-one time with Jason and be able to ask questions, along with a demo of the XR series. The customers were really pleased with the fact they had the opportunity to delve in at this depth and get to know the products. The first customers of the day were a couple looking to upgrade their existing Cyrus 8 equipment, which was great as they already had an in depth knowledge of the brand, plus they had an idea of what they were looking for which always makes the demonstration process much more easy going. The gentleman in particular really became engrossed in the listening experience. He showed us this by leaning forward attentively, catching every detail of the music. The customers left with big smiles on their faces, which we can only assume meant they left very happy!

The next customer was also looking to upgrade some existing Cyrus equipment. I sat in for this particular demonstration and Jason gave a great talk-through of the new products. He provided lots of detailed information for the customer and was very engaging. In turn, the customer asked lots of questions which Jason answered thoroughly but simply enough that you don’t need a degree in engineering to understand. As we listened along to the music, our customer was keen on listening to both the i7 & i9 in comparison to one another, ensuring he was making the best decision relative to his system at home. He too was very happy and had great chat, leaving with a smile on his face. To be honest, this was a similar vibe for everyone that attended the days event.

Overall, we had a very successful day! The customers that came in were friendly, attentive and passionate, enabling Jason to provide the best demonstrations possible. They were enthusiastic to learn about the XR series and were all really keen on getting the best equipment for their systems. Additionally, having great conversations and banter with the customers really makes it all worthwhile, if they’re happy then we’re even happier!

Missed the Cyrus Experience Tour? Want to see for yourself and take a listen? Give us a call or drop us an email to book a free demonstration!

Thanks for reading.

Elena, Jason & John - Audio T Enfield

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