Cyrus 40 AMP review

Cyrus Audio was founded in 1984. It was originally Mission’s electronics sub-brand before becoming independent and its first products were a pair of affordable integrated amplifiers, the classic Cyrus One and Two. These were excellent and proved successful enough to establish strong foundations for the brand. They also set the half-width physical template it has become synonymous with.

That first generation of amplifiers remained on sale for the best part of a decade before they were replaced by the Cyrus 3 in the early ’90s. This was a more sophisticated and upmarket design, but it is arguably most notable for its use of an unusual inverted die-cast casing design. This classy and clever casework has been used on pretty much all of Cyrus’s core hi-fi products since then, including in the current Cyrus Classic series.

While there is nothing wrong with the casework itself – it is distinctive, rigid and nicely made – it is also true that three decades on, improved manufacturing techniques and technology allow the company to do better. And it has. The new 40 Series marks a new beginning for Cyrus, giving it a fresh, forward-looking range of products for the first time in years.

Currently, the 40 Series consists of four components: the 40 AMP integrated amplifier we have on test here, the 40 ST music streamer (£2995 / $3995 / AU$4999) and a CD player (40 CD costing £2995 / $3995 / AU$4999) are the primary pieces. The final member of the quartet is the 40 PSU (£2495 / $3495 / AU$4499) outboard power supply, which in traditional Cyrus fashion offers an upgrade path for the other three units. The company’s products have always tended to be upgradable and we’re pleased that Cyrus has continued to offer such an option.

We’ve already reviewed the 40 ST streamer, and very good it is too, but we also have samples of the CD player and PSU in our test rooms and the reviews will follow in due course.

Design & build

The Cyrus 40 AMP’s casework looks refreshingly clean and modern to our eyes. It is made of brushed anodised aluminium and has a glass front. While the casing follows the brand’s traditional half-width proportions, it is also a little bigger in all directions when compared with the previous generation of Cyrus products. This growth is handy for a component like this amplifier as it gives the company’s engineers more leeway to fit the internal circuitry and makes heat management a little easier.

You will find five touch buttons on the left of the 40 AMP’s front panel and they allow direct access to input selection, the balance control and the mute function. A lit Cyrus logo at the top is the power switch, which is a nice touch. The volume dial on the right is a chunky-feeling control that operates with crisp precision and on our sample has little in the way of wobble or free-play. Together, the classy new casework and nicely made volume control give the 40 AMP a quality feel that an amplifier at this price deserves.

This integrated’s 5-inch TFT display is a massive improvement over previous Cyrus efforts and is crisp and clear enough to view from a distance. The display is useful for showing the current input and also proves handy for working through the unit’s set-up menus. There is a fair bit of control on offer here, from excluding unused inputs (something that’s useful because the 40 AMP can only toggle through the options rather than offer direct access) to setting gain for each one, as well as selecting the on-board digital filter. There are various Standby options and the ability to change the brightness on the LED ring around the volume control and the display.

The amplifier’s control software proves stable in use but isn’t as slick as some we’ve experienced. For example, the numerical volume display doesn’t quite track the movement of the volume control accurately, if you change the level quickly. This is more of an observation than a complaint, and we’re sure this can be improved quite easily with a software upgrade. We’re pleased to note that the 40 AMP comes with a five-year warranty, which shows the faith the brand has in its design and manufacture.

We like the supplied remote. It is a bespoke design for this new range and is a well-thought-out handset that feels good to hold and is simple to operate. It is so much nicer to use than the usual off-the-shelf, button-packed system remotes that come with most of this amplifier’s competition. The shape and colour of it even echo that of the new 40 Series chassis, which is again a neat touch.

Connections & features

We have no complaints about the way Cyrus has specified this amplifier either. On the analogue side, there is a quartet of line-level inputs, a moving magnet phono stage as well as preamp and line outputs. For digital fans, there is a pair of coaxials, an optical, a USB Type B as well as an HDMI eARC for those that want to integrate this amplifier into a stereo AV system.

Don’t get excited by the Ethernet or USB-A ports on the back. There isn’t any kind of streaming capability on board to play music files from any attached NAS or local storage. Those connections are for system control and service/update purposes.

You will find ESS Sabre’s ES9039Q2M DAC chip at the heart of the 40 AMP’s digital circuitry and that is capable of handling up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256 datastreams. As is fashionable, Cyrus offers users a choice of digital filters. There are eight options, and as is usual, the differences between them are subtle. The choice comes down to your system and taste, but we prefer Minimum Phase or Linear Phase filter options in Slow Roll-Off mode, as these sound the most natural to us.

This is a decently powered amplifier for the size, with a claimed 81 watts per channel into 8 ohms that rises to 124 watts as impedance halves. Connect the 40 PSU outboard power supply and those figures rise a little to 92 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 144 watts into 4 ohms.

While the 40 AMP isn’t necessarily a powerhouse, it does have enough poke to drive our reference and relatively low-sensitivity ATC SCM50 speakers (85dB/W/m) to high volume levels without stress.

Sound

An amplifier at this level demands good quality partnering equipment. Our main sources are Naim’s ND555/555 PS DR and the Cyrus 40 ST music streamers. We use our Apple MacBook Pro (loaded with Audirvana music-playing software and plenty of high-resolution music files) to test the 40 AMP’s digital section and our resident Technics SL-1000R/Vertere Dark Sabre MM record player for the phono input. During the test process, we connect the Epos ES-14N standmounters, Wilson Benesch Discovery 3Zero alongside our reference ATC SCM 50 speakers. We have Rega’s multiple Award-winning Aethos, Copland’s excellent CTA407 and PMC’s talented Cor amplifiers on hand for comparison.

We weren’t sure what to expect from the 40 AMP. Much of what we have heard from the Cyrus brand over the last decade – 11-time Award-winning CDi CD player and Phono Signature phono stage apart – has been solid rather than exceptional. It is fair to say we were surprised (in a good way) when we started listening.

This amplifier is a composed and stable performer that feels firmly in control regardless of the music being played. It shares the 40 ST streamer’s sonic character, and that’s a great thing since we’ve just given that product a glowing review. Beyond the 40 AMP’s enviable composure, we notice that it sounds unusually clear and articulate. It is a responsive and agile performer that never veers towards sounding lightweight in the way that some products from Cyrus have done in the past.

These traits translate into a wonderfully musical experience as we work our way through our music collection. We start with the 40 AMP’s line inputs and are pleased with the ease with which it handles complex recordings such as Massive Attack’s Heligoland or Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring. Those who value analysis will love the way this integrated offers a magnifying glass view of the recording, tracking multiple instrumental strands with ease and allowing the listener to enjoy an unexaggerated view of instrumental and vocal textures. There is delicacy in the way this Cyrus renders notes, and despite the crisp presentation, there is no sign of being overly etched or forced. The leading edges of notes are drawn with care, while the harmonic envelope that follows is full and rich up to the point of decay.

Tonally, this amplifier is a little forward in nature but doesn’t go so far as to skew tonality or sound aggressive. It is essentially neutral and refined, balancing analysis and enjoyment better than pretty much any alternative we have heard at this level. This Cyrus will tell the listener all about the shortcomings of a recording yet never overstate the case, and that’s a great trait to have. Stereo imaging is equally impressive, and while not the most expansive, it is pleasingly stable and impressively focussed.

The Stravinsky symphony highlights the Cyrus’s dynamic ability and the terrific way it handles swings and contrasts. It is good enough in this respect to make otherwise excellent alternatives such as Rega’s Aethos sound a little flat-footed. There is plenty of punch here, more so than rivals that claim to be more powerful on paper, and an ability to grip bass that gives the amplifier an enviable amount of articulation in this region. Listening to Massive Attack’s Paradise Circus is a real treat. Equally, the way the 40 AMP conveys rhythmic drive is terrific, delivering a lovely sense of momentum when the music demands.

It has become fashionable for amplifier manufacturers to add digital modules to their stereo amplifiers. While this makes sense on paper, our experience is that most of these circuits tend to disappoint, offering little benefit over the DAC sections built into any good price-comparable source. We are pleased to say that the 40 AMP’s digital section is excellent. Regardless of input, it is a clean, clear and expressive performer that retains all the dynamic and rhythmic expression we hear from the line stages. It also proves a seamless operator, making switches from CD-spec 16-bit/44.1kHz and high-resolution PCM files to DSD without hesitation or issue. Our only complaint is that the 40 AMP’s display doesn’t show the resolution of the incoming signal, which is a shame. We are sure this can’t be hard for Cyrus to sort out.

The built-in phono stage is equally admirable. It can cope with moving magnet cartridges and high-output moving coils while retaining the fine characteristics of the other inputs. This circuit is quiet and we didn’t hear any hum on our set-up, even at higher volume levels. On a final note, the 40 AMP sounds good with a wide range of headphones too. We try Grado’s RS1x, Focal’s Stellia and Sony’s MDR-Z1R and find that the amplifier has no trouble driving them to decent levels.

Regardless of input, adding the 40 PSU outboard power supply makes a marked improvement in most sonic areas, which is a good thing given its hefty price. With the supply connected, the 40 AMP sounds bigger and more muscular, with dynamic peaks handled with even more ease. The soundstage expands and there is greater finesse with the way the integrated handles subtleties. The use of the 40 PSU offers a substantial and obvious step up in most areas, though we do note that the 40 AMP on its own edges ahead when it comes to rhythmic integrity and overall cohesion. The deficits are small though, and overall we still consider the addition of the outboard power supply a good choice.

Verdict

It is fair to say that the Cyrus 40 AMP is a terrific product. It is well made and sensibly featured, but it is the excellent sound quality that sets it apart from the competition. We can’t think of a better all-rounder for the money, and given the quality of its rivals, that is saying something. Having heard the 40 ST streamer and now the 40 AMP, we believe that they have the star quality necessary to give the brand the kind of rebirth it craves. Highly recommended.

First reviewed: January 2025

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 5

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