Cyrus announces major advance in hi-fi CD quality, upgrade path for recent players
The Servo Evolution project delivers a radical advance in measurable and perceived definition. The SE system provides significant improvement in data recovery and lower system-induced noise when compared to other systems currently available. Because the SE system produces much improved first time read data accuracy, it is far less dependent upon error correction systems. Sound quality is truly state-of-the-art.
Benefits include:
• Specifically developed for audio data standards
• Up to 5 times fewer data errors
• Less dependent upon error correction
• Better signal to noise ratio
• Improved laser control accuracy
• Upgrade path from recent Cyrus CD players
The new SE system will be first seen in 3 new models, including 2 integrated CD players, to be launched in November 2007. The integrated CD players include a £700 CD 6 SE and the more advanced £1000 CD 8 SE, featuring dual mono DAC’s and multiple power supplies. A dedicated £850 CD transport called CD Xt SE uses a bespoke power supply design.
All 3 models are based around the all new Servo Evolution (SE) platform. SE is a wholly Cyrus-developed CD servo system, replacing the company’s dependence upon ordinary OEM CD and DVD-ROM drives. The new players also benefit from Cyrus’ new, low-contact, slot-loading, disc drive system.
More details on the new Cyrus Servo Evolution technology
A CD ROM drive is optimised for high speed data retrieval. It is not the best tool for reading a CD audio disc, which was conceived as a low speed, read once, system. Other proprietary drives, if not originally designed, are typically low cost, high volume designs with inevitable compromises in the early stages of the data retrieval process. It is simply not enough to take the data from the drive and feed it to a DAC application and expect the best possible audio performance.
It is commonly misunderstood that CD data retrieval is all digital and always perfect. The laser light reflected from the CD surface is converted into an electrical signal, which is in fact analogue. The quality of this analogue signal is directly linked to the rise and fall of errors in the later digitising process. A good analogue light signal is completely dependent upon the ability of the servo systems to control the focus of the laser light spot, providing smooth tracking of the data stamped onto the disc surface in a spiral from the inside to the outside edge. The Cyrus-designed system, unlike the servo systems bought in by almost every other manufacturer, is optimised for audio data retrieval.
Developing a ‘no compromise’ platform specifically for the requirements of high-end audio has typically been beyond the technical ability of specialist hi-fi manufacturers and many use a proprietary drive, unaware of the improvements a properly designed CD servo engine can provide. This project has required significant investment and underlines the company’s confidence and long term commitment to compact disc as the dominant, uncompressed, digital audio format for the foreseeable future.
The Cyrus SE system provides clearly enhanced audio resolution when compared to our previous CD platforms. The audio data is read with a much lower block error rate, up to five times better than ordinary CD playback engines. This enhanced level of data integrity significantly reduces the need for the data to be passed multiple times through the error corrector, generating less electrical noise and improving system resolution.
Cyrus engineers have been at the forefront of CD design for all of the format’s twenty five year life, receiving numerous international awards for their class-leading CD players.
The earliest players to benefit from the new Servo Evolution engineering will also be recognisable as the first to incorporate a new low-contact, slot-loading mechanism. Replacing the standard tray with a high quality, slot-loading system delivers both mechanical and cosmetic advantages.
More CD SE Details:
• CD Audio was never perfect. For over twenty years, hi-fi manufacturers have been struggling to improve the performance provided by off-the-shelf CD drives designed primarily for data (not audio) retrieval.
• The Cyrus Servo Evolution (SE) platform has been fully developed in-house to extract the maximum performance from the Red Book CD audio format. Cyrus has over 25 years of CD engineering experience and now, for the first time, has had the resource made available to develop a servo engine without commercial compromise.
• SE is a major project within the Cyrus R&D Department. The focus of the Servo Evolution project is to break away from the restrictions of OEM CD drives and their inherent limitations and compromises.
• The digital signal retrieved by the high performance SE platform has a much lower block error rate than is found in ordinary CD playback engines. Because the error correction circuitry needs to work less hard, lower noise is evident in the data conversion process.
• The unique ‘made for hi-end audio’ circuitry of the Cyrus SE platform provides a clearly audible advance over the OEM drives we have used before.
• The Cyrus SE platform greatly reduces the need for error correction. Over five times better data retrieval than proprietary drives when tracking typical disc defects (scratches and fingerprints), avoiding the audible error correction strategies required by lesser drives.
• The Transport and Servo systems have been specifically designed to complement the Cyrus die-cast chassis. Vibration and resonance effects are virtually eliminated from these sensitive system components.
• The SE models benefit from a shorter signal path that protect the data stream from spurious outside RF interference.
• The high quality, slot-loading mechanism has been selected to eliminate contact with the disc surface. The internal roller systems only touch the disc edge, so the user can withdraw and load the disc without touching the CD playing surface.
• The compact nature of the Cyrus chassis has meant limited space for both a drawer and control buttons. The new slot-loading front panel layout ensures easy ‘play’ and ‘track’ selection while loading the disc.
Specifications:
Disc loading method, full custom slot-loading, with Cyrus control logic.
Cyrus-developed hardware. No compromises - designed for audio.
Cyrus-developed software with bespoke (minimal) error correction strategy.
Digital audio compatibility SPDIF, IIS (44.1 kHz Fs).
Mechanically designed to specifically exploit the strengths of the Cyrus low resonance magnesium chassis.
Features/Benefits:
In-house developed Servo engine - no compromise data path designed specifically for audio. Optimised for single speed digital audio playback - not a reworked DVD or CD-ROM drive.
Designed for as little error correction as possible - to minimise electrical noise, thus providing less disruption to the power supply of the sensitive analogue audio stages.
High precision quartz reference intelligent clocking scheme - accurate alignment of clock edges eliminates timing errors, producing a much tighter 3D focus.
Cyrus-developed fully balanced light path - until the signals from the laser are processed digitally, the ‘front end’ of all optical disc players are actually analogue. The new Cyrus-developed circuitry improves the signal to noise significantly, thereby minimising data errors.
Extensive use of Star-earthing - minimising power supply effects on the audio signal.
