Cyrus Classic Stream

The Classic Stream is Cyrus's most accessible streamer, and it carries more engineering than its position in the range might suggest. The circuit design applies concepts developed for the XR Series — Cyrus's flagship range — in a cost-efficient form that fits the Classic chassis. The result is a streaming DAC that sits naturally alongside existing Classic Series components and performs well above what the price alone would imply.

BluOS Streaming Platform

The Classic Stream runs BluOS — a multi-room audio platform developed and maintained by a third party, which means its development roadmap does not depend on Cyrus's internal software team. That matters for longevity. BluOS supports music playback from Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, Spotify, and dozens of other streaming services. It handles music stored on NAS drives, local network storage, and internet radio. The controller app runs on iOS, Android, Kindle, Mac, and PC.

The platform supports lossless wireless transmission up to 24-bit/192kHz across a home network — the full resolution of the files, delivered without compression or conversion en route.

Roon Ready

The Classic Stream is Roon Ready, meaning it can act as a Roon endpoint. Roon aggregates music from local storage, NAS, iTunes libraries, Tidal, and Qobuz into a single interface with full metadata, radio, and DSP capability. For those already running Roon in their home, the Classic Stream connects to it without any additional configuration beyond the standard Roon endpoint setup.

AirPlay 2

AirPlay 2 allows the Classic Stream to receive audio directly from any Apple device — iPhone, iPad, Mac — and to participate in a multi-room AirPlay 2 system. Siri voice control is supported, so playback can be directed by voice command. For households already in the Apple ecosystem, this is a convenient and reliable secondary control path alongside the BluOS app.

MQA Decoding

The Classic Stream includes full MQA decoding. MQA is an end-to-end system that encodes master-quality recordings in a file that can be streamed at manageable data rates and decoded back to the original studio master quality at playback. The Classic Stream handles both the decoding and rendering stages of MQA, so files from Tidal Masters and other MQA sources are reproduced at their full authenticated quality.

QXR DAC

The DAC is built around the ESS ES9038Q2M chipset — a 32-bit converter — tuned by Cyrus's engineering team as part of their QXR DAC design. Every component in the DAC output stage has been individually analysed, and the board layout has been optimised to achieve the best possible performance from the chipset. Signal-to-noise ratio is -108dBA; THD+N is 0.0035%. These are the measured figures from the official specification sheet, and they reflect a DAC that has been properly engineered rather than simply specified.

Line level analogue outputs feed the system downstream. Optical and coaxial digital outputs are also provided for those who want to use the Classic Stream as a transport feeding an external DAC.

PSX-R2 Upgrade Port

The Classic Stream includes a dedicated port for the Cyrus PSX-R2 external power supply. When connected, the PSX-R2 routes power internally to the analogue stages — specifically the post-DAC circuitry — providing a more stable, lower-noise supply than the internal power supply alone can deliver. No modification is required; the two units configure themselves automatically on connection.

If you are buying the Classic Stream as a long-term component, it is worth considering the PSX-R2 at the same time. The upgrade path is built in from the start.

Chassis and Build

The Classic Stream is housed in Cyrus's half-width die-cast aluminium chassis — the same chassis design that has been in continuous use for over 30 years across the Classic and XR ranges. Each chassis is hand-finished using a process called linishing. Cyrus estimate that more than 80% of products built in this chassis remain in use today, and the company's upgrade programme allows internal components to be updated within the original chassis — a practical approach to longevity that distinguishes Cyrus from most of the industry.

The Classic Stream is made in England.

Connectivity

RJ-45 Ethernet (GigE 1Gbps), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac, 2.4GHz and 5GHz), line level analogue outputs, optical output, coaxial output, MC-BUS connection for Cyrus system integration, PSX-R2 upgrade port.

Supported Audio Formats

MP3, AAC, WMA, WMA-L, OGG, ALAC, OPUS, FLAC, MQA, WAV, AIFF, MPEG-4 SLS — up to 192kHz 24-bit.

Technical Specifications

Who Is It For?

The Classic Stream is for the existing Cyrus Classic Series owner who wants to add streaming without replacing their amplifier. It is also a sensible starting point for someone building a new Cyrus system around the Cyrus Classic AMP — the two components are designed to work together, share the same chassis dimensions, and can be controlled as a system via MC-BUS.

It is not the right choice for those who need balanced outputs or USB audio input — the 40 Series addresses those requirements. For anyone who wants to add a turntable to the same system, the Cyrus Classic Phono is the natural companion.

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 Classic Stream is available to hear in our Norwich showroom, partnered with the Classic AMP and appropriate speakers so you can assess the system as a whole.

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.