Stream-XR

The Cyrus Stream XR is the streamer in the XR Series, Cyrus’s middle range, sitting between the Classic STREAM and the 40 ST.

It is a network source component in Cyrus’s familiar half-width case, running the BluOS platform. There is no amplifier inside it: it feeds an amplifier you already own.

What Apple Home actually does with it

This is an AirPlay 2 device rather than a HomeKit accessory.

• It shows up in the Home app as a speaker you can play to, and as an AirPlay target in Control Centre.
• You can assign it to a room and group it with HomePods for synchronised multi-room audio.
• Siri can send music to it by room name.
• It can be the audio output in a scene or an automation.

It is not an accessory you switch on or set the volume of from the Home app. Power, input selection and volume stay with the unit, its remote and its own app.

Before you buy

Cyrus’s half-width format is a real consideration. The components are designed to stack and to sit two-abreast on a standard shelf, which suits a small room, but they look out of place among full-width boxes.

BluOS supports AirPlay 2, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect and internet radio, but not Bluetooth or Chromecast.

Buy a streamer when the amplifier and the speakers are already right. If they are not, spend the money there first.

Specifications