The Cyrus Sound

Those who know the Cyrus sound know exactly what we mean when we say that this Cyrus 40 AMP again has that distinctive, playful, airy sound. It’s just “fun” to listen to a Cyrus. This has already been proven with the Classic series, the CD player test and again with this 40 series. Still impressive that Cyrus manages that every time.

Airy and fun

The character of the Cyrus actually remains intact at every input. Although we do hear clear differences between the Sonnet dac and the internal Cyrus dac. The Cyrus is a bit fresher and more focused on air than the Sonnet which focuses more on flow and richness. However, this does not get in the way of the “up-beat” character. Even with the Sonnet dac coupled to the Cyrus, we hear this signature.

What also stands out is the airiness and nimbleness of the playback. The Cyrus is always in the mood, we notice. Of course, a moody track is not going to sound like a big-ass party; you shouldn’t see it that way. But the drive, energy and air with which the Cyrus presents is always tangible and noticeable. Very nice.

The Cyrus allows you to adjust the dac filters (Cyrus uses the ES9039Q2M). You have a choice of Minimum Phase, Linear Phase Apodyzing (default), Linear Phase Fast and Slow Roll Off, and Slow Roll off Low Ripple, and Minimum Phase Slow and Fast Roll Off.

We have tried the various filters and certainly hear subtle differences. It is – to us – mostly audible in imaging and smoothness. It is up to you to choose the best one. This is a matter of taste after all. We do recommend that you set it once and leave it at that; you can very easily drive yourself crazy with tweaks like this.

Vinyl

We also connected our STD turntable with Le Son high-output MC element to the Cyrus. This can be done simply on the MM input, since it is a high-output MC. The result is definitely fine. We hear the speed and precision of the Le Son element well. The Primare R35 is a bit blacker in sound, but the Cyrus is definitely quiet and musical. An ‘average’ user will really not need a separate phono stage.