Cyrus amps - what do they sound like?

Hi. I was impressed by a friend's old Cyrus 1 drive ability so I went out and got myself a used Cyrus 3. The Cyrus 3 has very poor drive ability. It absolutely cannot handle anything but 8-ohms speaker. I tried a 4-ohms speaker and the protection circuit cuts in before 11 o'clock. In fact, there is a warning label on the amp to NOT use 4-ohms speaker. As for the plus side, the 3's is extremely refined and the 1 is simply not in contest. It's one of the most refined amp I ever come across.

i too am really interested in cyrus for the usa. just noticed that they are importing them through a distributor in dallas, tx. info is on the cyrus website in the uk!!

I had a Cyrus 1 (mkII) for a long time, and loved the power that came out that small, shoebox-sized (metal!!) case. It really had the speaker in a firm grip, delivering lots of detail, good soundstaging and firm bass. Eventually I bought new speakers (some kevlar-coned B&W's), and that was a bit to much. The natural replacement at that point was the Cyrus III, to which I listened but didn't like. With the III, Cyrus had a little dip, but according to the reviews, they're back. Great thing about the Cyrusses is the way you can upgrade them bij adding a PSX-power supply, or buying separate power amps.
As for Naim: the older gear has their own, to my ears oddball, sound. They're superfast, very rhytmic and very detailled, but also a bit forward and with no soundstaging. It seems that newer models have a more mor-sound, so maybe I'm judging to harsh, but I didn't like Naim. But if you got a chance: listen to it, it might be what you're looking for.

Thanks for the info. I will be looking forward to giving them a listen when there is a local distributor.

I was a happy owner of a Cyrus 2.Very nice sound ,it was paired with my Mission 753 speakers.I never bought the PSX ,so I don't know how it would sound with it.The PSX increased the power output from 50Wx2 TO 70Wx2 I believe.The case of the Cyrus was very impressive and solid.It was some kind of cast metal,very heavy.
The size was about the same of a shoe box,and it was a heavy unit for it's size.I was impressed with the sound coming out of it.One thing I didn't like was the way the inputs/outputs RCA plugs were placed,they were at the back of the unit and facing up instead of rear.They were collecting a lot of dust like that.I end up giving away my Cyrus 2 to my brother who leaves in Greece.He still has it.
Over all not a bad sounding unit for smaller systems and with an imressive build quality for it's size.
Hope that helps you I also have an old review on it ,but I got to look for it.
Regards