Qx DAC Module (Premium option)

Product Overview

Built into many Cyrus models are the hooks to fit our higher performance Qx DAC card. The Qx DAC is a sophisticated decoding system built onto a separate card that includes additional power regulation to feeds from the host product. By adding a Qx card you will improve the sound quality of all connected sources and you can expect better resolution with clearer high frequency definition across all your digital inputs. The DAC XP+ benefits from many ideas that ‘trickle down’ from the most exotic Cyrus digital engineering found in the DAC X+.

Further Information

For customers who have invested in our premium 8 Series amplifiers or the Stream XP the Qx DAC is the ideal way to exploit the full potential of these models. By upsampling the incoming data to 192 khz and being compatible with higher bit rate 24 bit files the Qx module offers the potential to hear how good the highest downloadable files can sound. However the Qx system improves playback of all data streams be they high quality signals from a Cyrus CD source or your TV, all incoming data is processed to upgrade all digital inputs.

Technical Information

The description of a “DAC” implies that the whole thing is just a chip! While the choice of decoder is an important part of the designers plan it is by no means the whole story. Getting the best performance from any Digital to Analogue Converter requires detailed understanding of the power supplies and filtering stages to ensure that the recreated music signal is made from the highest quality electrical signal possible. In fact Cyrus learned many years ago that it is entirely possible to boost the anticipated performance of any converter IC by properly understanding the strengths and inevitable weaknesses of the design. This has been a specialisation of Cyrus engineers for over 20 years so you can be sure that the Qx card is a DAC system built into a very high quality core platform.

At a basic level of audio it is relatively easy today to build a ‘latest spec’ DAC that can indeed be a chip with a power supply. Clearly Cyrus wants to develop much more rewarding systems and the understanding we have gained, over the years designing many digital projects, allows us to tune the sound balance to capture the subtle elements that could be so easily lost. Cyrus is all about these subtle details that subliminally contribute to our appreciation of what an artist gave in emotion and skill that make hi-fi so rewarding when we get it right!