Cyrus Phono Signature Pre-amp pockets a Stereonet Applause Award…
Stereonet's James Michael Hughes runs his rule over Cyrus Audio's MM/MC phono preamplifier, the Phono Signature…
Read the review in full at Stereonet—plus see highlights below and find more detail and tech spec at our product page.
"being able to change settings quickly and without fuss – and from your listening seat if necessary – makes the Phono Signature unusually user-friendly”
"No fewer than four turntable inputs are offered. This might seem excessive, but what about enthusiasts running a single turntable fitted with several tonearms? In such situations, a phono stage with four individually adjustable inputs is just the job”
"I initially used Cyrus' default settings, and the sound was very good.”
"Then things improved noticeably after I experimented with the different loading and gain settings. The adjustment options on the Phono Signature really seemed to make significant differences to the sound. In my experience with other phono stages, this isn't always the case.”
"Being able to alter the settings via the remote handset is something I really appreciated. It's definitely a game-changer; no more having to settle for a compromise one-size-fits-all setting that hopefully covers every situation. Instead, you can quickly change settings as the need arises
—even to suit individual LPs.”
"I found the 70dB extra-high gain setting especially useful… (it) sounded noticeably crisper and more dynamic." "This was particularly noticeable on LPs cut at a low level. At 70dB, the sound has noticeably greater immediacy and presence”
"It produces a neutral and natural tonal quality while sounding crisp, detailed, and clean. There is nothing falsely warm or euphonic about its presentation, but at the same time, it doesn't sound dry or lacking in depth and breadth”
"I've owned this disc for just over forty years and played it on many different systems… I always felt slightly disappointed the LP did not sound as quite good as it might have done, but via this Cyrus combo, it sounded excellent—better than I'd ever heard it before”
"This left me distinctly impressed with the Phono Signature. It is comfortably one of the best phono stages I've ever used, one able to get the best out of almost any cartridge, whether MM or MC”
"Adding the PSX-R2 resulted in a subtler and more finely detailed sound with increased delicacy and refinement, plus extra depth and width to the soundstage. Things were more effortlessly holographic in terms of spatial presentation, with voices and instruments appearing less confined by the boundaries of the loudspeakers; they seemed to float free in a space between and around the enclosures.”
"Having owned this LP for over thirty years, it's always been average in terms of impact and dynamics. Still, with the Phono Signature gain set at 70dB, the recording was transformed, making it more focused and vivid than I'd experienced before”
"The new Cyrus Phono Signature sounds great and offers tremendous connectivity and flexibility in terms of its loading options, and convenience too. It is an essential audition if you're in the market for a mid-price phono stage; catch it if you can."
