Cyrus 40 PPA review

What Hi-Fi? is no stranger to Cyrus Audio’s phono stages. We have been using the company’s terrific Phono Signature in our reference system for almost a decade, thanks to its excellent sound quality and useful range of features. So when the company launches the ambitious 40 PPA, we’re keen to have a listen.

It might be tempting to think of the Cyrus 40 PPA as simply the previous generation phono stage in a swanky 40 Series casing, but that isn’t fair. While the two designs are clearly related, Cyrus’s engineers have worked hard to improve the performance.

Design

Beyond the lovely modern styling and large, clear display, you will find that the main circuit board has had a thorough going over.

It now features a six-layer circuit layout rather than the previous four. Doing this helps to minimise unwanted interactions between the circuit components and helps to reduce noise levels. The internal power supply arrangement has been revised, leading to a massive claimed 20 per cent reduction of noise levels as a result.

As has become traditional for the brand, it is possible to add an optional outboard power supply to boost performance. However, the 40 PSU is hardly a cheap upgrade at £2495 / $3495 / AU$4499, though it is also fair to say that it lifts the 40 PPA’s performance to a significant degree. More on that later.

Features & connectivity

On the features front, this is an impressively equipped phono stage, probably the best we have come across anywhere near this price. It has four inputs, for starters. While this is undoubtedly excessive for most users, for those with multiple decks, it is a pleasure not to have to swap around cables every time another record player is used.

Such a range of inputs is also an absolute gift for anyone who routinely has to compare multiple record players, be they a retailer or reviewer.

Each input can be tailored for a specific cartridge. With a gain range of 30-65dB in 5dB steps, the 40 PPA should be electrically compatible with all but the most extreme low-output cartridges on the market. It also offers a good range of moving coil cartridge loading options (capacitance and resistance) to help optimise performance.

In addition, there is also a warp filter that reduces very low frequency output to avoid excessive bass driver travel with less-than-perfectly flat records. Unlike some we have tried, this filter doesn’t spoil the 40 PPA’s performance significantly.

It’s fair to say that most premium phono stages also offer similar cartridge loading options, but the advantage this Cyrus has over most rivals is that the setting can be adjusted with a remote control rather than just on-unit dip switches (as is the norm).

The remote operation means that the listener can make sound comparisons between different loading values from the listening seat, which makes the whole cartridge optimisation process notably quicker and easier.

Alongside the four phono inputs, there are stereo analogue outputs in both single-ended RCA and balanced XLR flavours, and rather helpfully, a ground lift switch that is likely to help in situations where hum is an issue. There are also connections for servicing and system integration.

The big change for the 40 Series over previous Cyrus products is the new casework, of course. This preserves the brand’s trademark half-width proportions but looks fresh and modern. It is beautifully made and finished to a high standard.

The casework, along with the range’s large, clear display, instantly makes the brand’s long-established Classic line-up look generations out of date. That said, we aren’t great fans of the front panel touch buttons, which are a little erratic in use.

The display isn’t just for appearances, either, as it shows the configuration for each input and makes the initial set-up of the 40 PPA a breeze. It also has a cartridge output level indicator, and while the indicator isn’t as fluid in movement as some we’ve seen, it proves useful in optimising the gain level for any specific cartridge.

Any phono stage at this level demands a top-class record player. We use the Technics SL-1000R with a range of cartridges that include moving magnet designs (Nagaoka MP-200 and Vertere Dark Sabre) and moving coils (Ortofon MC-X30 and the Kiseki Purpleheart).

The rest of our system is our usual reference amplifiers, the Burmester 088/911 Mk III pre/power and PMC Cor integrated, both feeding the ATC SCM50 speakers. We also use the Fyne Audio F1-8 standmounters to gain a different perspective on the 40 PPA’s performance.

Sound

We hear much of the character of the earlier Phono Signature design in the 40 PPA; the newer phono stage sounds similarly balanced and articulate. But there is no doubt that the newcomer clearly offers a step up in performance. If you feed it a suitably high-quality signal, it is a better performer in every area, from clarity and dynamics to delivering a more spacious soundstage.

By the standards of the price, this Cyrus is an impressively detailed performer. It digs deep into the recording and brings out low-level subtleties that most of the competition ignore. Just as importantly, it takes this mass of information and arranges it into a musical whole that communicates the emotional content of the recording superbly. We are impressed with the low levels of hiss and hum produced.

The 40 PPA’s transparency is obvious whether we listen to Michael Jackson’s Bad album or Holst’s Planets Suite. Listening to Jackson’s Smooth Criminal, we note the Cyrus’s ability to track low-level instrumental strands and the impressive way it handles dynamic contrasts. There is plenty of punch when the music demands it, yet the phono stage is still able to render instrumental and vocal textures with considerable skill.

Best of all, despite delivering a deeply analytical view of the recording, the 40 PPA remembers to have fun. It communicates the song’s relentless rhythm track with enthusiasm and punches hard.

The Holst suite shows the more sophisticated side of the Cyrus 40 PPA’s character. It is a highly neutral performer with little in the way of unwanted emphasis in any part of the frequency range. Yet, unlike some that achieve neutrality, it doesn’t sound tonally grey, instead delivering a sense of natural richness when the recording demands.

Stereo imaging is wide and deep, and perhaps most importantly, remains stable when the music becomes dense.

Large-scale dynamic shifts are delivered with confidence, and without hardness or strain entering the equation, while top-end insight is up with the best at the price. High frequencies have attack and bite, combined with a good level of refinement.

Let’s not get this wrong. If the recording is thin, hard or aggressive, this phono stage doesn’t soften the edges. The 40 PPA delivers whatever the record player gives it, whether that is good or bad. That’s why anyone contemplating buying a phono stage like this has to be sure that their record player is up to the standard required.

Add the 40 PSU power supply unit and the results get even better. Admittedly, this upgrade more than doubles the cost, and moves the 40 PPA into some exotic territory, but there is no denying the increase in scale, authority and dynamic finesse the addition of the outboard power supply offers.

The 40 PPA/40 PSU pairing builds strongly on all the solo unit’s good qualities without introducing any sonic downsides. It’s an impressive upgrade, albeit an expensive one.

Verdict

To sum up, the 40 PPA is a great performer. Provided the rest of your system is talented enough, its blend of excellent detail resolution, articulation and expressive dynamics is sure to please. This is also a well-made and well-featured unit.

Add it all up, and we have no choice but to highly recommend this Cyrus phono stage.

Review published: 19th September 2025

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 5

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Read our review of the Cyrus Phono Signature

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