Here at Audio T Southampton, we like to think we have a pretty good knowledge of the brands available in the Hi-Fi market, but once in a very rare while, we’re caught off guard and get introduced to something completely new…

We first came across SUMIKO here in the Southampton store when a customer walked through the door and asked if we could supply them with one of their cartridges. We were initially a bit taken aback as we had not heard of SUMIKO before, but boy are we glad we do now.

We were intrigued by this ellusive brand and ordered in three products from their range - Two moving magnet and one moving coil.

I went out to a customers house with the Blue Point No3 Moving Coil model in hand to put it up against his current cartridge on his Michell Gyrodec. It’s safe to say that the SUMIKO blew his cartridge away! I was amazed at how much detail and depth it had in comparison. It changed the whole soundstage of his Gyrodec. It sounded much more open and you could hear every note cleanly. We tried a few different albums from Elvis and The Beach Boys to classics like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon and Dire Straight's’ Brothers In Arms.

I left the customer with a new cartridge and huge smile on his face, and in all honesty, I couldn’t hide my large grin either.

I have since tried different SUMIKO cartridges on a few different turntables in store, and each time I am amazed at the way it breathes new life into each one!

A brief history of SUMIKO

For over 40 years, SUMIKO have provided an array of phono pick-up cartridges to discerning audio enthusiasts around the world. Boasting a portfolio of products that touches all price points and technologies.

SUMIKO was founded in 1972 in Japan by three people, notably of which was American theoretical physicist David Fletcher. Before he co-founded SUMIKO he used to work for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, working on various different research projects. Unfortunately David Fletcher passed away early into 2021 at the age of 81.

Fun Fact: SUMIKO was named after one of the founders' wives.

MDC 800 Tonearm and Talisman A Cartridge

In the early days of SUMIKO they used to provide two services; the first being the import side of the business with introducing new and different brands to North America, ranging from Koetsu, Grace and many more. The other aspect of SUMIKO company is what they are primarily known for these days; that being, their spectacular cartridges, starting with the Talisman MC cartridges of which there were four: A, B, S and the Virtuoso. Another one of their founding products was the MDC 800 Tonearm, appropriately nicknamed "The Arm".

The RAINIER MM and Palo Santos MC Cartridges

Nowadays SUMIKO focus on their range of cartridges, with them now producing two different ranges, from the Oyster Series featuring the Rainier MM cartridges, all the way to the phenomenal Reference Series and the stunning Palo Santos Presentation Moving Coil Cartridge.

It really is a travesty that SUMIKO is not as well known here in the UK as they deserve to be. Superb quality at a lower price than a lot of their competitors. For us it was a no brainer to start stocking these and absolutely sing their praises.

If you’re interested in hearing one of these great cartridges or want to know more about their range please don't hesitate to give us a call and arrange a demonstration.

Thanks for Reading

Wayne - Audio T Southampton.

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

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SUMIKO can be found at the following Audio T stores

SOUTHAMPTON

As a member of the Audio T family, we are often encouraged to take equipment home to get some real world, hands-on experience. I saw this as my chance to get up close and personal with the Cyrus XR range. So, over the Christmas period I was lucky enough to be able to take home, what I consider to be my ideal Hi-Fi setup from the many systems we stock here at Audio T Cardiff.

The Setup

The system consisted of -

Rega planar 6 turntable with Ania pro cartridge

Trichord Dino phono stage

Cyrus CDI XR cd player

Cyrus i7 integrated amplifier

PMC Twenty5 21 stand mount speakers

Chord cable shawline rca interconnects

Chord cable shawline X speaker cable with Ohmic banana plugs

All this makes for one amazing system, and in my eyes, a perfect setup. But, after listening to them in the shop and demonstrating them to customers, my main focus was on Cyrus. It’s nice to be able to put my ears to use and listen in the comfort of my own home. As we know, every room sounds different.

It’s probably worth noting that most of the photos you see here are in our demo room at our Cardiff shop, just in case you thought I had a weird living room…

Cyrus Audio

So, casting our minds back in to the history of Cyrus, the brand was founded in the early 80s in Cambridgeshire. Originally formed as part of the Mission Speaker Company, then called Mission Cyrus, their debut amplifiers took the industry by storm. Parting ways with Mission Speakers in 2005, Cyrus came back on to the scene as the Cyrus Audio we know today. Fast forward nearly two decades, and they’re still innovating, releasing new products whilst retaining their classic, sleek look, and always featuring their great sound which Cyrus are known for. Now, with the latest in Cyrus technology, here we have the XR range.

i7-XR rear panel including Chord co. Shawline Analogue

Cyrus i7-XR Amplifier

So, first onto the amplifier. The Cyrus i7-XR. I thought I’d start with this unit even though it has a more powerful sibling, the Cyrus i9-XR. So let’s get into it!

Pre and power amplification all in one box. Power aside, the i7-XR responds from DC to beyond 100KHZ ensuring ruler flat frequency response, keeping those unwanted phase shifts out of earshot. It also has a very generous, over-specified, power supply delivering 52w. On the preamp side the i7-XR has a true analogue preamp at its soul, featuring a high performance gain stage that makes this preamplifier extremely transparent. Connectivity wise, you have plenty of analogue and digital connections on the back to choose from, as well as a built in moving magnet phono stage. Also, not forgetting the amazing award winning QXR DAC on board, which has seven digital alignment options to suit the listeners taste.

Cyrus CDi-XR

Now onto the CD player. The CDi-XR is designed as Cyrus’ reference CD player, forged from evolution of its predecessors and years of research. Cyrus has developed their own servos for this new model, which are designed to read as much information on the disc first time around without re-reading the disc. This type of technology results in a better conversion of digital information for a pristine audio experience.

With all the precision engineering and research that has gone into building this amazing CD player, I would say the CDi-XR is almost perfect in every way. From the way they’ve shielded the components inside the chassis, right down to how they contain the noise in the circuitry. Much like the 7i-XR, the CDi-XR again features Cyrus’ award winning QXR DAC on board.

Cyrus CDi XR rear panel including Chord co. Shawline Digital

The listening…

Now to the important bit… How does this fantastic equipment sound?

Starting with vinyl running through the Rega Planar 6, via the Trichord Dino phono stage, into the i7-XR and then on to the fantastic PMC Twenty5 21.

Rega Planar 6 with ANIA PRO cartridge & Trichord Dino phonostage

First up, Bruce Springsteen’s live album from the 1979 concert, “No nukes” The track “Badlands” sounded big and warm with a lot of detail, especially when the amp warmed up to its potential, giving you that feel of a true live performance.

Second album to spin on the Rega Planar 6 was Black Label Society’s, “Doom Crew inc”. Special attention was paid to a favourite track of mine, “End of days” which I found to be tight with a lot of punch, which is a tone we’ve come to expect from American guitar God, Zakk Wylde, who a lot of you would know as Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist over the years.

Finally, an undisputed classic… Pink Floyd’s “Dark side of the moon”. “Breathe”, sounded mesmerising, really big and warm but with a lot of clarity. Everything right down to the iconic “Uni-Vibe” guitar FX pedal that Dave Gilmour used in his rig when this album was recorded in 1973.

From Analogue to Digital…

Now onto the awesome CDi-XR. I was eager to find out how it sounded connected via the coax and using the onboard XR DAC of the Cyrus i7-XR amplifier.

PMC Twenty5 21i rear panel including Chord co. Shawline X speaker cable and Ohmic plugs

Albums and tracks I listened to that stuck out for me included the following:

First up we have “The Devil put Dinosaurs Here” by 90s grunge band, Alice in chains. The track, “Low Ceiling”, had an amazing amount of detail and presence, most certainly aided by the way it had been beautifully recorded. I found a great trick up the sleeve of the i7-XR. A selection of different filters that can be used, depending on how the album was recorded and mastered, to bring out the best of the tonal attributes.

Second album by Massive Attack, “Protection”, features the track “Karmacoma”, which was recorded in the late 90s. For anybody who knows the track, the bass is a key feature that some might say is a little overbearing. The performance through the CDi-XR had an overall clarity and balance that made the track truly enjoyable to listen to. Playing with the filters really came in handy in bringing out the best of Massive Attack’s iconic sound.

Finally on to “Beyond the veil”, a track from the album “Cautionary Tale” by Dylan Leblanc, which sounded absolutely perfect straight from the moment of hitting play. A really well recorded track that I thought brought out the best in the CD player, with really good production and plenty of detail.

On a side note: Dylan Leblanc is an amazing newcomer to the country scene hailing from Shreveport, Louisiana. With four albums under his belt and another one on the way, He’s definitely worth checking out.

In Summary…

As I said at the start of the blog, I feel that Cyrus XR series truly shows off the decades of research and design that brings this range to life, and more importantly to our ears. My listening experience went from strength to strength not just the clarity, warmth and presence from the Cyrus system, the ease of use and how everything complemented in the signal chain.

But why take my word for it? Why not have a listen for yourself.

Thanks for reading.

Matt, Nick & Kerrin - Audio T Cardiff

If you are curious about how the new Cyrus XR range we have teamed up with Cyrus Audio to bring you the Cyrus Experience Tour on Saturday 22nd January 2022 at Audio T Cardiff.

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Cyrus can be found at the following Audio T stores

Rega can be found at the following Audio T stores

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SUMIKO Has Landed at Audio T Southampton