For the purpose of studying the spectral properties of energy transfer between large and small scales in high-Reynolds-number turbulence, we measure the longitudinal subgrid-scale (SGS) dissipation spectrum, defined as the co-spectrum of the SGS stress and filtered strain-rate tensors. An array of four closely spaced X-wire probes enables us to approximate a two-dimensional box filter by averaging over different probe locations (cross-stream filtering) and in time (streamwise filtering using Taylor's hypothesis). We analyse data taken at the centreline of a cylinder wake at Reynolds numbers up to Rλ ∼ 450. Using the assumption of local isotropy, the longitudinal SGS stress and filtered strain-rate co-spectrum is transformed into a radial co-spectrum, which allows us to evaluate the spectral eddy viscosity, v(k, kΔ). In agreement with classical two-point closure predictions, for graded filters, the spectral eddy viscosity deduced from the box-filtered data decreases near the filter wavenumber kΔ. When using a spectral cutoff filter in the streamwise direction (with a box-filter in the cross-stream direction) a cusp behaviour near the filter scale is observed. In physical space, certain features of a wavenumber-dependent eddy viscosity can be approximated by a combination of a regular and a hyper-viscosity term. A hyper-viscous term is also suggested from considering equilibrium between production and SGS dissipation of resolved enstrophy. Assuming local isotropy, the dimensionless coefficient of the hyper-viscous term can be related to the skewness coefficient of filtered velocity gradients. The skewness is measured from the X-wire array and from direct numerical simulation of isotropic turbulence. The results show that the hyper-viscosity coefficient is negative for graded filters and positive for spectral filters. These trends are in agreement with the spectral eddy viscosity measured directly from the SGS stress–strain rate co-spectrum. The results provide significant support, now at high Reynolds numbers, for the ability of classical two-point closures to predict general trends of mean energy transfer in locally isotropic turbulence.