Thought I'd add my experiences of these as I , my family and friends have all had them, and I recently serviced 4 of them.
I ran a Cyrus 2 (I wanted the high quality MC stage more than the bigger transformer) from 1986 to about 1992. 2 close friends chose Cyrus 1s at the same time.
I gave it to my brother who uses it to this day with his Linn LP12 Akito. I serviced it for him 2 months ago and was still impressed how good it sounded. He bought a couple of used Cyrus 1s for his daughters , both still working well. Nothing came close for the prices Mission asked back then - £150 for the 1 and £300 for the 2.
Recently I've bought a 1 for a good friend who runs an Oracle Delphi (!) through it powering Mission 753 floor standers into his huge converted church hall.
I tried a few classic amps for him : a marantz pm40se , a rotel 840bx4 and a Pioneer A400. Quite frankly they sound poor compared. Dull, lacking clarity, lifeless. You could see why they sell for low prices s/h. The Cyrus sounds like it's from an entirely different class and strikes me as bargain for the prices they go for.
Couple of weeks ago I bought a cyrus 2 for another friend just getting back into vinyl now his kids are old enough not to wreck his tt.
I use a 2 grand Tom Evans Groove Anniversary phono stage into a 5 grand Belles IA-01 amp and Proacs. Front end is a mk6 Delphi/SME V/Lyra Delos. You can say I'm an audiophile.
I still rate the Cyrus amps VERY highly. I'd say the Cyrus outperforms the Naim Nait.
The only small 'budget' integrated amp I can think of would be the Myst tma3 but they are rare.
Points of note :
Apart from a bigger transformer, slightly bigger psu caps and a proper MC stage, the Cyrus 2 and Cyrus 1 have the same circuit.
They sound the same with MM and all other inputs.
Later models (issue 07 and final version with improved on switch) had better heatsinking and more robust circuit tracks, but the exact same circuit. Freshly serviced -
*they'll all sound exactly the same*.
Paradoxically the later metal cases break more easily earlier plastic cases.
Earlier models are easier to repair if a transistor should go, as they have an adjustable bias.
Finally, they are all OLD and will have tarnished selector switches (though they are high quality Alps units) that need dismantling and chemically cleaning. Certain electrolytics will also be getting on a bit.
My recommendation would be to pay around 100gbp for a 1 of any vintage, in good cosmetic condition and a further 120gbp for a professional service. You'll have a fine amp of genuinely audiophile quality for £220 !
Pay another 40 for a 2 if you have inefficient speakers or a MC cartridge.
