Cyrus One HD amp adds DAC and aptX HD Bluetooth

Any Cyrus fan will probably recall the One amplifier launched in 2016, as its contemporary aesthetics marked a departure from the brand’s more typical, rather agricultural look. So why the One HD so soon, you ask? Digital inputs.

While the One has analogue connectivity (including a phono stage) and aptX Bluetooth, the One HD expands on that with extra optical, asynchronous USB and coaxial inputs, linked to a 32bit DAC. The Bluetooth connectivity has also been upgraded to Qualcomm’s aptX HD specification.

The 100-watt-per-channel One HD is an addition to the One series, not a successor.

The MM phono stage, based on principles of the brand’s Phono model, is now on its own isolated circuit board - and Cyrus says every part of the amplifier circuit and linear power supply have been subject to a reworking. The in-house designed hybrid Class D amplifier, for example, has been upgraded to a fourth-gen example.

There are three line-level RCA inputs too, one of which can be set to fixed gain to allow integration with a separate AV amplifier.

The HD One HD is priced at £999, compared to the £700 price sticker of its sibling. So with more features and – fingers crossed – an improvement in sound, could this be the amplifier to finally challenge the Rega Elex-R?

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Becky Roberts

Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of Australian Hi-Fi magazine. During her 10 years in the hi-fi industry, she has been fortunate enough to travel the world to report on the biggest and most exciting brands in hi-fi and consumer tech (and has had the jetlag and hangovers to remember them by). In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.