A visit to this year's Bristol Hi-Fi Show provided further evidence of a Cyrus revival

I’ve got to put my cards on the table; I have something of a soft spot for Cyrus Audio. Consider me a critical admirer rather than any sort of fanboy, though.

This affection stems from my earliest days in this hobby of ours. I was building my first system and looking for an amplifier to drive a pair of Wharfedale Diamond Mk1s.

Months of reading reviews led to several dealer visits (a belated thank you, Harrow Audio!), resulting in a final head-to-head between Rotel’s RA820B and the original plastic-cased Cyrus 1. The latter won. It not only sounded better (more detailed, agile and precise), but its half-width, slightly odd styling just charmed me.

That little Cyrus amplifier served me well right up until it was part-exchanged for a Linn Axis record player, as I continued my hi-fi journey. Even though I didn’t own anything from the company, I watched with interest as Cyrus grew from a mere sub-brand of Mission Loudspeakers into an adventurous and independent manufacturer.

Over time, the brand’s product range expanded from the original pair of budget integrated amplifiers (rather logically called the One and Two) to include pretty much every part of the system chain from CD players and streamers to speakers and equipment racks.

Cyrus evolved away from its budget roots to mid and premium price points, even edging towards the lower slopes of the high-end with some of its top-end preamplifier/monobloc combinations.

Much of its 40-odd years have been successful, packed with great products and equally positive reviews. What Hi-Fi? Awards were regularly won, and justifiably so.

However, from my point of view, this positivity faded over the last decade. The company’s once modern-looking half-width casework now just looked old. It was introduced in the early 90s, and cost constraints meant it had hardly changed since then.

Cyrus components still sounded capable, but in our view, most were now overtaken by the best of the competition. The sole honourable exception is the terrific CDi CD player that has won more awards than we care to remember.

Over most of the last decade, it has felt like the company lacked focus, producing some odd things like cheap Bluetooth speakers and a portable USB DAC (good as it was), while the core hi-fi products barely evolved. New product launches became occasional and same-again events. I worried for the Cyrus brand and its long-term survival.

But, not anymore. A management change and fresh focus seem to have brought about a rebirth of sorts. The first fruit of this shift is the 40 Series launched in 2024. Still half-width, still every inch Cyrus, but with modern casework, classy aesthetics and, most importantly, class-leading sound quality. The 40 AMP integrated, 40 CD player and 40 ST music streamer won their respective categories in our Awards this year.

A visit to this year’s Bristol Hi-fi show reinforced my positivity towards the brand, thanks to the launch of its premium 80 Series. These are full-width components that still manage to look like Cyrus products. The styling cues are shared with the 40 Series, so there is now a cohesive family look, and I for one, like it.

Cyrus has announced three products in the new series: the 80 AMP (streaming amplifier, £5400), the 80 PRE (streaming preamp, £4500) and the 80 PWR (power amplifier, £4000). As with the 40 ST, these new streaming products are based on Bluesound’s BluOS streaming platform, which is one of the most stable and accomplished around.

A quick look at the specs doesn’t reveal any obvious feature gaps. The inclusion of a moving magnet/moving coil phono stage, an HDMI eARC input alongside good analogue and digital connectivity, shows that someone at Cyrus has thought carefully about what products like these need.

There is no shortage of power output either, with the 80 AMP and PWR both producing 150 watts per channel into 8 ohms, and 250 watts per side as impedance halves. The PWR can a;sp be configured as a 300-watt monobloc, if desired.

Seeing the 80 Series products up and running at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2026 filled me with optimism. They feel well-made and look classy. Even the pricing feels realistic given what they seem to offer.

Any definitive judgment has to wait for the full review, of course. We’ve been promised samples just as soon as they are available. I can’t wait to have a listen.

MORE:

Read our Cyrus 40 AMP review

12 of the most exciting products I saw at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2026