Cyrus 40 CD

The 40 CD is Cyrus's current flagship CD player, and it arrives at a moment when the case for physical media has never been more clearly articulated. Streaming is convenient; CD is definitive. You know exactly what you are playing, and a well-engineered CD player extracts every bit of information from the disc with a consistency that network sources — dependent on server loads, network conditions, and software stacks — cannot guarantee in the same way.

Cyrus have been making CD players for a long time, and the 40 CD reflects that accumulated knowledge. Two technologies in particular define it: Servo Evolution, which addresses disc reading accuracy, and a custom ESS Sabre DAC implementation that the company describe as their most advanced to date.

Servo Evolution

Servo Evolution is Cyrus's name for their approach to CD transport mechanism control. The principle is straightforward: the more accurately the laser servo reads the data from the disc on the first pass, the less error correction work is required, and the lower the noise floor of the resulting digital signal. Error correction is not free — it introduces jitter and processing artefacts. A transport that reads the disc correctly the first time produces a cleaner signal before it even reaches the DAC.

Cyrus developed Servo Evolution nearly ten years ago. The 40 CD represents its current state, and the result — as the company describe it — is an almost silent noise floor from the transport stage.

ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M DAC

The DAC is built around the ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M chipset with HyperStream IV Dual DAC technology. This is a 32-bit converter, and its implementation in the 40 CD is entirely Cyrus's own work — not a reference design, but a custom circuit where every component has been individually analysed by the engineering team and the board layout fully optimised. The goal is to extract the maximum possible performance from the chipset rather than to simply deploy it.

The ES9039Q2M with HyperStream IV is among the most capable DAC architectures currently available. In the 40 CD, it is being driven by a transport stage that has been engineered to feed it the cleanest possible digital signal. The combination represents Cyrus's most advanced digital playback to date.

Power Supply Architecture

A CD player contains a particularly complex mix of signals: fast digital audio, sensitive analogue audio, high-current servo circuits, and system control electronics. These circuits interact if they share a power supply — digital noise contaminates the analogue stages, servo current demands affect the audio supply. Cyrus's solution is complete segmentation.

The digital control circuits run from a dedicated high-efficiency supply. Other stages are fed from an over-specified universal power supply. Nine individual stage regulators smooth and distribute power within the player according to demand. The result is a power supply architecture that treats each circuit domain as independent and feeds each of them appropriately.

40 PSU Upgrade

Even with this architecture in place, further improvement is available via the Cyrus 40 PSU external power supply. The 40 PSU connects to the 40 CD via a single cable. It provides multiple supplies, and all output voltages are digitally controlled internally — extremely stable and virtually noise-free. If you are buying the 40 CD as a long-term component, the 40 PSU is a natural second step rather than an afterthought.

Chassis and Display

The 40 CD is presented in the 40 Series brushed and black hard-anodised aluminium case with a full-width and height linear heatsink. The 3.5-inch full-colour TFT display sits inside a toughened glass front panel with hidden-until-lit capacitive touch controls. It is a deliberate, considered design — not showy, but clearly engineered to a standard.

Digital Outputs

In addition to its two line-level analogue outputs, the 40 CD provides both a digital coaxial and a digital optical output. This means the 40 CD can also serve as a CD transport feeding an external DAC — useful if you are already invested in a DAC elsewhere in your system, or if you want to experiment with different DAC implementations using the same transport.

Connectivity

RJ45 Ethernet and USB-A ports are provided for firmware updates, ensuring the player can be kept current without returning it to a dealer.

Technical Specifications

Who Is It For?

The 40 CD is for the listener who takes CD seriously and wants a player that reflects that commitment. It is a natural partner for the Cyrus 40 Amp — the two components share the same chassis design, the same DAC architecture, and the same upgrade path via the Cyrus 40 PSU. For those who also stream, the 40 CD's digital outputs allow it to sit alongside a streaming source without redundancy — it covers the physical media side of the system, the streamer covers the network side.

It is not the right choice for those who have already left physical media behind — streaming via the 40 Amp's DAC or a dedicated Cyrus streamer will serve that use case better. The 40 CD is for those who know the disc in their hand is the reference.

Buying from Martins Hi-Fi

Martins Hi-Fi has been in Norwich since 1968. Elizabeth Gould runs the business today, and we stock only brands we have heard properly and stand behind.

The 40 CD is available to hear in our Norwich showroom, partnered with the 40 Amp and appropriate loudspeakers so you can judge it as part of a complete system.

When you get in touch, you'll be speaking with Dave, Chris and Tim — experienced specialists who can advise on this product and your whole system.

Contact us at info@martinshifi.co.uk, call 01603 627010, or WhatsApp on 07554 687137. You can read more about how we work on our Why Martins Hi-Fi page. We are at 85–91 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY.