Cyrus 40 PPA Phono Preamplifier

The 40 PPA is Cyrus's flagship phono preamplifier, and it arrives as a product the company are confident about. They have been designing and building phono stages in the UK for a long time, and the 40 PPA represents the current endpoint of that work. It is not a refinement of a previous design — the audio flow has been completely reimagined from beginning to end, with careful shielding of sensitive signals throughout.

At £1,995, it sits at a price point where the engineering decisions visible in its specification — four turntable inputs, fully independent per-input configuration, balanced outputs, a warp filter — are not marketing additions but practical reflections of how serious vinyl listeners actually use their systems.

Four Turntable Inputs

The 40 PPA accepts up to four turntables simultaneously. Each input is independently compatible with both Moving Magnet and Moving Coil cartridges. For MC cartridges, gain is adjustable in 5dB steps per input; resistance and capacitance are also independently configurable per input. Settings are retained in memory, so switching between turntables restores the correct configuration for each cartridge without any manual adjustment.

This is a specific and practical capability. Those who run multiple turntables — different arms for different cartridges, different decks for different records — understand the frustration of a phono stage that requires reconfiguration every time they switch sources. The 40 PPA removes that entirely.

Stereo Output Level Meters with Peak Hold

MC cartridges vary considerably in output level — a low-output MC might produce 0.2mV, a high-output MC several millivolts. Matching gain correctly to each cartridge determines how much headroom is available in the system and directly affects the noise floor. The 40 PPA's stereo output level meters with peak hold function provide a real-time visual reference that makes this adjustment precise rather than approximate. It is a feature that belongs on a serious phono stage and is not commonly found at this price.

Advanced Circuit Design and Power Supply

The 40 PPA's power supply is a high-capacity, very low noise DC design. A phono stage amplifies the signal from a cartridge by a large factor — any noise in the power supply is amplified along with it. Cyrus's approach — high capacity, very low noise, with careful attention to circuit layout and component placement — keeps the noise floor low and the dynamic range wide. The result is an extremely wide dynamic range ensuring extended signal levels long before clipping.

The attention to circuit layout and component placement extends throughout the board design. Sensitive analogue signals are carefully shielded from interference — a discipline that matters more in a phono stage than almost any other component, given the signal levels involved.

Warp Filter

A switchable warp filter is provided. Warped records generate subsonic bass signals that serve no musical purpose but consume amplifier headroom and can stress loudspeakers. The warp filter removes these signals at source, protecting the downstream system and restoring the headroom they would otherwise occupy.

Balanced and Unbalanced Outputs

The 40 PPA provides both XLR balanced and RCA unbalanced outputs. Balanced outputs are particularly useful for longer cable runs between source and amplifier, rejecting common-mode noise picked up along the cable. For those connecting to the Cyrus 40 Amp or Cyrus Classic AMP, RCA is the standard connection path.

Ground Lift

A ground lift switch is included to address ground hum — a common and persistent practical issue when connecting multiple turntables from different sources and manufacturers. Its inclusion reflects the 40 PPA's positioning as a multi-source component rather than a single-turntable convenience feature.

Remote Control

The 40 PPA includes a custom-designed remote that allows full setup and operation of the unit, as well as control of other 40 Series Cyrus products. For a phono stage with four independently configurable inputs, remote operation is a genuine practical benefit — switching sources and adjusting settings from the listening position rather than reaching behind the rack.

40 PSU Upgrade Path

The 40 PPA includes a port for the Cyrus 40 PSU external power supply. For a phono stage, where the noise floor of the power supply directly affects the noise floor of the audio, the 40 PSU represents a meaningful upgrade — providing a more stable, lower-noise supply to the analogue stages than the internal supply alone can achieve. If you are buying the 40 PPA as a long-term component, the 40 PSU is worth planning for at the outset.

Firmware updates are handled via RJ45 Ethernet and USB-A ports, keeping the 40 PPA current without requiring a dealer visit.

Technical Specifications

Who Is It For?

The 40 PPA is for the serious vinyl listener who needs a phono stage capable of handling multiple turntables and cartridges without compromise. It is the natural phono companion for the Cyrus 40 Amp — providing the MC capability and multi-source flexibility that the 40 Amp's built-in MM stage does not offer. It will work equally well feeding any preamplifier or integrated amplifier with a line-level input.

For those running a Cyrus TTP Turntable with a moving coil cartridge, the 40 PPA is the correct phono stage to partner it with. The combination of precise MC loading, four independent inputs, and the 40 PSU upgrade path makes it a component that will not be the limiting factor in an otherwise well-engineered system.

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 PPA is available to hear in our Norwich showroom, set up with a range of cartridges and turntables so you can judge its cartridge matching capability and multi-source flexibility for yourself.

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.