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Cyrus 40 PPA

Phono stage

Relative price

typical

Among the 44 phono stages in the catalogue, this one is typical.

A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.

What it is

4 MM/MC inputs with per-input loading; 6-layer PCB (vs 4-layer in Classic Phono predecessor); balanced XLR + RCA out; 5-year warranty.

EVIDENCE STATUS (post-refresh 2026-05-12): What Hi-Fi 5-star review confirmed; AVForums Ed Selley 10/10 Best in Class confirmed; The Ear, HiFi Pig, ecoustics, Martins Hi-Fi, Audio Affair all positive launch reviews. Per-component evidence audit findings already collated to working confidence; this entry is more thoroughly evidenced than most of the catalogue.

Competition record

Assessed against 10 rivals across the sixty systems: it takes the slot in none of its 55 head-to-heads.

Where it gives ground

The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.

  • quietness at rest ×43
  • low-level clarity ×15

Who it comes up against

Naim NVC TT MM/MC

15 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Naim NVC TT MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Cyrus 40 PPA is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.

seemingly infinite bass responseEnjoy the Music (Lyle), 2024 (system)

Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC

14 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path, Twin Arms

Against the Anchored brief, the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the van den Hul The Frog, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Cyrus 40 PPA is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Frog gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.

no noise at all at idle... quiet as a digital sourceAVForums (Selley) 2025

Rega Aura Reference MC

7 lost · BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Intimate, Reference

Against the Intimate brief, the Rega Aura Reference MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the van den Hul The Crimson, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

With the EAR Yoshino 868L (Line), the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

On its own merits the Cyrus 40 PPA is the weaker phono stage for that brief.

no noise at all at idle... quiet as a digital sourceAVForums (Selley) 2025
no noise at all at idle... quiet as a digital sourceAVForums (Selley) 2025

Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl

6 lost · Anchored, PRaT, Romantic

Against the Anchored brief, the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl keeps the slot decisively.

With the van den Hul The Frog, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Audiolab 9000Q, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Cyrus 40 PPA is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Frog gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.

no noise at all at idle... quiet as a digital sourceAVForums (Selley) 2025
no noise at all at idle... quiet as a digital sourceAVForums (Selley) 2025

EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC

4 lost · Artisan, Reference, Twin Arms

Against the Artisan brief, the EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the van den Hul The Colibri, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Audiolab 9000Q, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Cyrus 40 PPA is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Colibri gives up quietness at rest under the Artisan weighting.

no noise at all at idle... quiet as a digital sourceAVForums (Selley) 2025
no noise at all at idle... quiet as a digital sourceAVForums (Selley) 2025

Tom Evans Groove+ SRX MkII

3 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Tom Evans Groove+ SRX MkII keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Cyrus 40 PPA is the weaker phono stage for that brief.

Whest Audio 60Se Pro

2 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Whest Audio 60Se Pro keeps the slot decisively.

With the Goldring Eroica HX MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Cyrus 40 PPA is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Goldring Eroica HX MC gives up quietness at rest under the Silent Path weighting.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.

no noise at all at idle... quiet as a digital sourceAVForums (Selley) 2025

Cyrus Classic PHONO

2 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Cyrus Classic PHONO keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Cyrus 40 PPA is the weaker phono stage for that brief.

Whest Audio TITAN Pro II

1 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Whest Audio TITAN Pro II keeps the slot decisively.

With the Goldring Eroica HX MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Cyrus 40 PPA is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Goldring Eroica HX MC gives up quietness at rest under the Silent Path weighting.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.

no noise at all at idle... quiet as a digital sourceAVForums (Selley) 2025

Michell Apollo + Muse PSU

1 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU keeps the slot decisively.

With the Goldring Eroica HX MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Audiolab 9000Q, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Cyrus 40 PPA is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Goldring Eroica HX MC gives up quietness at rest under the Silent Path weighting.

no noise at all at idle... quiet as a digital sourceAVForums (Selley) 2025
no noise at all at idle... quiet as a digital sourceAVForums (Selley) 2025

What the reviewers said

reference-tier Cyrus phono with PSX-R2 compatibility Cyrus 40 PPA positioning (40-series flagship)· Micro-dynamic resolution
no noise at all at idle... quiet as a digital source AVForums (Selley) 2025· Electrical noise floor
digs deep... low-level subtleties most ignore What Hi-Fi? 2025· Micro-dynamic resolution
crisp, detailed... weight and presence AVForums (Selley) 2025· Presence & articulation
more transparent AVForums (Selley) 2025· Spatial resolution

How it scores

Clarity

  • Electrical noise floor 82 from listening evidence
  • Spatial resolution 76 from listening evidence

Voice

  • Presence & articulation 76 from listening evidence

LowerVolume

  • Micro-dynamic resolution 76 from listening evidence

Specifications

mm capableTrue
mc capableTrue
mm gain db30/65
mc gain db30/65
mm load resistance kohm47
mm load capacitance pf220/470/1000/3000
mc load resistance options ohm11/22/47/100/150/300/470/1000/4700/47000
mc load capacitance options pf220/470/1000/3000
snr db87
rumble filterTrue
output level mv9000
output impedance ohm100
balanced outputTrue
dimensions mm220/88/365
weight kg4.8
psu externalFalse
notes