The Pre-XR is one of the first wave of products, heralding the new XR series of Cyrus components. The familiar Cyrus precision die-cast case is the same, but everything else has changed. With ground-up engineering inside, an all-new phantom black paint finish, touch-sensitive controls and a higher resolution display that is customisable for brightness, contrast and polarity, the high-quality finish of XR makes a strong statement.

High capacity power supply

The power supply design of the Pre-XR has received special attention. An over-specified 74VA power transformer delivers power to a high capacity power supply reserve. Within the circuit design, a generous total of 15 independent power supply regulators regulate, then sub regulates quiet power.

Digital control circuits are assigned a separate mains power supply, completely isolated from the signal circuitry.

Balanced and unbalanced output options

The Pre-XR features a choice of balanced audio drive via XLR connectors for best performance in systems where it is partnered by high-end power amplifiers with balanced inputs. An unbalanced output is also provided.

All new analogue preamplifier

The Pre-XR analogue preamp features relay input selection and a new high-performance gain stage. This short path design makes the analogue preamplifier extremely transparent. With four analogue inputs and phono MM, the Pre-XR will cover just about any system requirement for analogue connectivity.

PSU-XR port

The Pre-XR includes a port for the new PSU-XR power supply. Thirty years ago Cyrus broke new ground with the introduction of the PSX-R, the first-ever regulated power supply upgrade that automatically adapted to match perfectly the power requirements of any connected product. The PSU-XR raises the bar by sourcing no less than five independent regulated supplies in a single box. For the Pre-XR the PSU-XR steps in to take over power supply for the analogue stages of the preamplifier.

Pre-XR digital performance

The DAC input stage of the Pre-XR features a new 2nd generation version of our award-winning QXR DAC, but with an all-new high-speed analogue buffer stage. Seven digital filter alignment options are user adjustable to suit the taste of the listener. Input options include USB audio (to 384k sample rate) and DSD to DSD256, 2 x SPDIF digital and 2 x optical digital inputs.

Fully configurable

A new menu system makes the Pre-XR highly customisable yet easy to set up. With a tree-style navigation structure and both local and remote control navigation, menu settings are quick and simple to select.