Cyrus Audio has embraced the maxim that life begins at 40, with the launch of its 40 Series of hi-fi products. Because while this might be the British firm's 40th year in business, it's keen to stress this isn't an anniversary range, but a new beginning – a look forward, rather than a look back. And the future looks bright indeed...
The range comprises four devices: an integrated amplifier, an integrated CD player, a network streamer and an external power supply. There's also a phono preamp coming in 2025. All the new products are made in Britain, crafted from anodised aluminium with all key components custom designed.
The devices look pretty sleek, with edge-to-edge glass designs housing TFT displays for showing full colour album art. The aluminium chassis (still a half-width size as most of Cyrus' iconic electronics are) are finished in anodised brushed black, while the volume control is made from five separate elements. There's a new remote control too, with the same finish.
It's all change on the inside, too. The new DAC design from Cyrus is based on the ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M chipset and uses HyperStream IV Dual DAC technology.
The 40 AMP integrated amplifier is designed as the hub of your hi-fi set-up, whatever your sources. With 100 watts per channel into 6 ohms, Cyrus claims it can drive even the most demanding of loudspeakers. Its electronic circuit was designed from the ground up by Cyrus' R&D team.
It boasts a host of digital and analogue connections, as well as a low-noise moving magnet phono stage which inherits many of its design features from Cyrus' Classic PHONO (Cyrus claims this means low background noise and high dynamic range). An HDMI eARC is also onboard for hooking up your hi-fi speakers to your TV.
The 40 ST streamer is powered by the BluOS hi-res streaming platform for playing back 24-bit/192kHz tracks across your home network. Using the BluOS mobile app, you can access 20 music streaming services that are natively integrated, as well as thousands of internet radio stations and your own music library via a network drive. Roon, AirPlay 2 and MQA decoding are also on board, and it has coaxial and optical inputs for connecting digital music sources.
The 40 CD uses the same DAC as other 40 Series products, while the power supply has been redesigned to minimise interaction between the different signals. That means the digital control circuits run from a dedicated supply, while another powers the other parts of the player. Nine individual stage regulators smooth and distribute power within the player according to demand – Cyrus claims it has taken CD playback to another level. Given its excellent track record in CD players, this sounds very promising indeed.
Finally, the 40 PSU external power supply. Cyrus has been in this market since the 1980s, and the latest model has its own onboard microprocessor. It can be attached to all products in the 40 Series to configure the optimum power level to keep them running at their best. All output voltages are controlled digitally, making them stable and virtually noise free.
Pricing is as follows:
- 40 AMP: £3995 / $4995 / AU$TBC
- 40 CD: £2995 / $3995 / AU$TBC
- 40 ST: £2995 / $3995 / AU$TBC
- 40 PSU: £2495 / $3495 / AU$TBC
Cyrus says that the 40 Series is only the first part of its product roadmap for its new beginning, so look out for more electronics on the horizon.
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