Bryston 4B3 vs Mac MC462 vs Pass Labs X250.8, OR... GRYPHON Diablo 300?

I have a Pass 250.8 + SimAudio 740P preamp combo which I really like.  About a year ago I changed speakers (switched from Magico to Spendor) and the 250.8 was chosen as it mated very well with the Magicos (e.g. lots of power and a little warm sounding).   Over the last summer the heat the 250.8 puts out into my listening room (with no AC) was getting me down so I thought about swapping amps since the Spendor D9s I now own are easy to drive and not as lean sounding as the Magicos.   I figured I could maybe save some $$$ and not have to deal with the excessive heat the big Pass puts out.   The Bryston 4B3 was my first choice to try as it is very well reviewed, bulletproof, and I'm a previous Bryston owner of multiple pieces and a big fan.

I purchased a used 4B3 and dropped it into my home system after disconnecting the 250.8.   It was everything I read about, great bass, fast, smooth, very revealing.   Compared to the Pass I found it had a more forward and detailed sound, but it was still smooth and not bright.   Just a different perspective.   With my D9s I think it even had better bass then the 250.8.   Side to side soundstage was about the same. 

Where I found the 250.8 beat it to my ears and tastes was in the front to back soundstage and the feeling that the instruments and people were more real or 3D like in my listening room.   The 4B3 sounded like an amazing 2D ultra detailed recording, the 250.8 sounded like the real thing because of the extra space and depth in and around all of the sounds.    I ended up keeping the 250.8; in my system its output with good recordings just sound so much like live music (maybe a handful of rows back though).

Good luck with your search...

@ddafoe: Did you step up from a Pass Labs 150.8 ?

I went from a SimAudio 600i to the Pass 250.8 + XP10 stack.
The 600i was amazing and much better value than the Pass pair. 
After trying a couple preamps I ended up with the 250.8 + 740P combo and felt that was another level up from the 600i.   Since the 740P lists for the price of the 600i, I suppose that should not be a surprise...

I'm tempted to try a SimAudio 860a with the 740P to see how that compares with the 250.8, but they don't come up used very often.

@nyev, if you are in Canada, keep an eye out for good deals on SimAudio separates or the 700i integrated.   I've been extremely taken back by the sound quality and over-all quality of the two SimAudio pieces I've had in my system...  

I'm currently using:

Roon on RaspPi, hifiberry digi+ pro,  iFi AUDIO iPower power supply
Shunyata ZTRON Anaconda Digital Cable
SimAudio Moon 380D DSD
Shunyata ZTRON Anaconda XLR
SimAudio 740P
Shunyata ZTRON Anaconda XLR
Pass 250.8
Shunyata ZTRON Anaconda Speaker Cable
Spendor D9s
and various Shunyata power cables

My Raspberry Pi based streamer seems out of place compared to the other components :)   Music still sounds amazing through it though and it works like a champ with Roon.

Cheers

I've never heard a Gryphon product.   I'm very curious as to how the Diablo 300 compares to a Pass X250.8/X350.8 + excellent preamp like the XP-20/XP-22,  Sim 740P, or say AR REF5SE.   A great sounding and powerful integrated is very appealing; that being said for the price a very solid amp/pre pair + interconnect can be put together on the used market that would also sound awesome.     Is the Gryphon still in another league from these North American products?

I've seen used 250.8s for ~$5500USD, 350.8s for ~$8000, XP-20s for ~ $5000, XP-22s for ~$7000, 740Ps for ~$5000, and AR REF5SE for ~$6000.   There is a Diablo 300 on this site now for ~$12K.   Throw in $800 to $1K for an excellent interconnect (like a Shunyata Anaconda for instance) and you can mix and match a pretty awesome stack for a little less or a little more than the integrated.

As much as I like my 250.8, I still think adding the 740P to my system made one of the largest improvements compared to all of my various electronic upgrades over the many years.   That is where I wonder if the biggest advantage to going with separates over these amazing but pricey integrateds is the ability to tailor the preamp section to your amp of choice.

Obviously using the MSRPs of these separates compared to the Diablo or other similar products is not fair and one can see where the integrateds provide excellent value.  But, if the integrateds are not available at similar discounts used, then maybe the value proposition shifts...     Of course, none of this holds if the Diablo is another level above these separates in sound quality.

Cheers