The line is not flat, but nor are we really roused by anything we hear. There is little sense of urgency in what is delivered, nor much to suggest the artist is wholly convinced of what it is they’re trying to say. At best, it is all a bit messy at worst, more intricate pieces can sound almost entirely unrehearsed.ĭynamics are a disappointment, too. The One Cast finds timing a struggle and is less than adept at organising instruments so that their input feels beneficial. In that sense, there is cause for a certain amount of celebration.īut there is nothing here to suggest you’ve spent over a thousand pounds on a serious piece of hi-fi equipment. You’ll want a clean-sounding pair of speakers, but this isn’t an amplifier that is easy to provoke. Its balance and smoothness also bring versatility. If Cyrus is attempting to lure listeners used to smart speakers at a fraction of the price, then it certainly does so in terms of information. There’s plenty of weight and warmth to the sound, with nothing poking out as to cause disturbance, and the level of detail is reasonable. In terms of sonic presentation, the One Cast sounds like the One HD, for better and for worse. Cyrus is operating at a price point where this kind of cheap feel is frankly inexcusable. The dials are anaemically lightweight, and it feels as though even a half-hearted tug at the front panel could rip the One Cast’s face clean off. The merits of its aesthetic design are a matter of personal preference, but there is a flimsiness to the overall build that massively belies the price tag. In fact, at a quarter of the price, it would likely only pass for adequate. The One Cast is also entering a market where value for money has vastly improved in recent years. But by the time you’ve added a pair of suitably-matched speakers, cables and a pair of stands, you’re bound to be at least a couple of grand down.īut even ignoring that, this does not feel like a mid-range amp. It's rare that a product debuts at a price cheaper than its predecessor, but this price increase is hard to stomach, given that there has been no improvement to the sound quality. The One HD wasn’t cheap at just under a grand, but Cyrus has here added almost a third of the price again. What it hasn’t tackled, however, is the price. The One Cast piggybacks outboard smart speakers to offer all the intuitive features they offer, and, as far as is possible, its form is agreeably compact to suit most environments. That should satisfy those in agreement with the company’s assessment, but means already we’re tempering our expectations before we’ve plugged in our reference speakers.Ĭertainly, Cyrus is able to allay the fears of anyone so-far shy to enter the hi-fi market on the basis of space or convenience. Pleased with the performance of that four-star amp, Cyrus decided to tune the One Cast in much the same way. What hasn’t changed since the introduction of the One HD – the last amplifier released in this line – is the sonic profile. There are pre-outs to connect to additional power amplifiers, and a high-power Class A/B headphone amp, while Speaker Impedance Detection will automatically calibrate the One Cast to your speakers. The fourth generation of the company’s Hybrid Class D amplifier is capable of outputting 2x 100W. Want to connect your TV and use the One Cast as a hub for all of your home entertainment endeavours? There’s an HDMI ( ARC) input for that, as well as the option of configuring an analogue input for AV integration. The One Cast features both optical and coaxial SPDIF inputs for digital playback, as well as analogue RCA fittings, one of which leads to the on-board moving-magnet phono stage based on Cyrus’s Signature model. That isn’t to say you can’t still plug outboard components in. This is a conscious decision, as the company believes most streaming will be done via cast. Thanks also to Apple AirPlay 2 and built-in Bluetooth, it’s possible to play pretty much anything from compatible devices without the aid of a cable – though it’s worth noting the latter is not the aptX version found on the Cyrus One HD amp. Having battled with many sub-par digital creations in the past, we’d agree it is probably a smart move. It is also an admission that app development is not Cyrus’s forte, in the same way designing hi-fi components isn’t Spotify or Tidal’s strength. This will also wake up a sleeping One Cast, and override any inputs already selected without having to find the remote or twist a dial. Cyrus has decided not to develop its own app for the One Cast, and that actually makes a whole lot of sense. Casting is made simpler, for starters, with the user needing only to set the unit up with Google Home and then hitting the cast button from whichever app they’re playing media.
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