I have always been a vinyl collector and listener and I am near to the end of upgrading. I want to share my thoughts on a couple of phono stages. I have a Pink Triangle PT1 which I have had since I was a teenager and will never part with. It has a Syrinx PU3 arm and Dynavector 10x5 HOMC cartridge. I also recently bought a Rega P10 with Apheta 3 cartridge. Both turntables are in use so I need a phono stage which can take at least 2 inputs - I can’t bring myself to put the PT 1 into storage and buy a MC only phono stage. I bought a second hand Rega Aria as it seemed it fit the ticket. It was not a final choice but I bought it for a price where I can sell it without a significant loss. I stopped listening to the PT 1 as it sounded so poor in comparison to the P10 (not a huge surprise at the time). So I thought about upgrades - there is the Rega Aura but that is the same price as the P10. I came across the Cyrus 40 PPA which seemed like a great choice and better matched to the P10 than the Aria but I could not demo it and with the upgraded power supply it costs as much as an Aura. I also have never owned Cyrus so it would have been an expensive experiment and there are no demo / return stock to buy. Instead I noted that the Cyrus Classic Phono Pre is now reduced in price and so I picked one up at a really good price (40% of the 40 PPA cost) to see how I got on. It is burning in nicely and I am really impressed. Firstly it has 4 inputs so no problem there and the resistance and capacitance can be set by remote so you can easily compare. Secondly the MM circuit is so much better than in the Aria. It has brought my PT 1 back to life. It sounds so much more alive and analytical. Really impressed. On the MC side, I am also preferring the Cyrus, but the difference is not a great as with the MM. Now of course I have seen Rega have released the Aos which look really impressive on paper but it is no solution for my 2 deck system. I am tempted to buy the optional power supply for the Classic as it has also been reduced in price (with the release of the 40 PPA) instead of considering another phono stage in the future. The Cyrus Classic looks dated but I don’t care about looks. Pleasant surprise.
Congratulations on the purchase of the Cyrus Classic Phono stage, especially at the discounted price too. It’s a very versatile piece of kit, which I’ve heard and it’s very good.
At some point in time, it is worth auditioning the Rega Aura. There is (predictably) a hand in glove synergy between the Aura and the P10 which somehow adds up to more than the sum of their parts - a rather special combination.
Don’t listen to the Aura with the Naia though, as you’ll be meeting The Devil at the crossroads to make a deal!
+1 on the Aura. I’ve used Aura for the past 3 years with my Ekstatik and it’s glorious. Best phono stage I ever auditioned.
The PSXR power supply takes the Cyrus Signature up a notch. I use it with the P8 and it sounds very good. Worth trying especially at a discount price.
My set up does have Aura written all over. If the PT 1 gives up the ghost then it would be the obvious choice but I am enjoying the PT with the Cyrus MM input too much at the moment. I hope I never come across the Naia but it costs 3 times what I paid for the P10 so it is out of my price bracket.
Thanks for your sharing your experience - the Aura seems to be the obvious choice if I ever want to upgrade.
I am seriously considering it. I first want to get the Classic broken in so I can tell what the PXR is bringing. Which brings another question - a PXR second hand or a discounted PXR 2 new or nearly new ? There is a scary repair video which compares the PXR to the PXR2 and there is almost no difference except for the power caps. The PXR can be bought relatively cheaply second hand these days.
I upgraded to Aura from the Cyrus Phono Signature & PSX R2 power supply. The upgrade was astonishing and beat the offerings from Linn & Naim hands down in my system. Having said that, the Cyrus wasn’t exactly a pup!
The power supply inside the Aura is very sophisticated and has a lot to do with its 13kg weight!
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.