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I listened to the Gryphon Diablo today , what an experience !

I just had an opportunity to audition  the Gryphon Diablo 300 at Evolution Home Theater. They have recently become the authorized Gryphon Dealer in Atlanta. First a little background.  I normally listen to my Sonus Faber Amati Tradition powered by a Plinius 9200. My music is from Tidal, played through a Cambridge  Audio Azur 851N network player or via my network hard drive. I thought that this combination sounded great and was very happy with my system until today when I heard the Gryphon.Although I expected some  improvement with Gryphon, I did not expect to be blown away by the amplifier, However after hearing the amplifier for the first time,  that is exactly what happened!The Gryphon 300 was set up to use the internal DAC with Tidal via a music server.  The speakers were the Sonus Faber Serafina’s. I had previous heard both the Amati’s and the Serafina’s  on MAC equipment and thought the Amati’s sounded significantly better on the MAC gear,When I listened today  and compared the music with my own system, I heard significant improvement with the Gryphon. The first thing I noticed was the pinpoint control the amplifier exerted on the speakers.  This was manifested by an extended frequency range with both improved  bass and treble. It seemed as though a veil or haze had been removed from the music with a marked increase in clarity, detail, and analytics.  Yet the amplifier showed no coolness or harshness and after listening for several hours to a variety of music (mostly jazz, classical, and rock) there was no evidence of fatigue. The soundstage was large, three dimensional and detailed.  It was an improvement over my Plinius in every way.It also changed the way that I look at my music system.  I used to think that it was all in the speakers and with great speakers all that was needed was a good amplifier.  I learned today that a great amplifier with very good speakers, can sound better than a good amplifier with excellent speakers.I can hardly wait until I can make the time to be able to demo the Gryphon in my own music room with my Amati speakers.
hemoncdoc
aharmon285
1 posts
 
I am currently running a MAC MX122 Preamp to a couple of MAC Amps in my HT. Overall I happy with the performance but after hearing the D3 I was blown away.  It is possible to integrate the D3 into my current rig and use it for the fronts only in the HT so I can use the Diablo 300 strictly for 2 Channel listening without compromising the experience?

audiofound
81 posts
 
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, had the same experience. Anyway you cut it, the Gryphon D300 is just plain incredible in every aspect. I've tried not to like it because of the somewhat healthy price tag...to no avail. When I heard it I was hooked. I'll have one soon.
divertiti
222 posts
 
What you heard wasn't only the amplifier. What you heard was the entire system in that room. Everything from the music server to the size and treatment of the room had more collective effect on the sound than the amplifier alone. It will be interesting when you have the amplifier at home and directly compared in your own system in a controlled environment, enabling you to revisit these conclusions.
audiofound
81 posts
 
divertiti. you are so right. At least I got to hear it through the same speakers that I own (Harbeth Super HL 5+ 40th Anniversary).
hajfimannen
3 posts
 
I have always had Sonus Faber speakers and went from an Audio Research DSi200 via Jeff Rowland Continuum S2 (both Class D) to the Gryphon Diablo 300 (A/B). I am now running it with Amati Futura and Valhalla cabling through out the system. 
The organic warmth of the SF speakers, absolute control of the Diablo and dynamic speed of Nordost is a really great combo in my ears. 

Also, going from Class D to A/B was a step up in my combo. With the Futuras I had a bass problem around 60 Hz. A quite normal room mode. 
In comes the Gryphon and the problem is gone. Hmm. Nice. Yes. But what happened. Jeff Rowland delivered 2x800W so lack of power was not the issue. At the High End Show in Munich I met with the engineer at Gryphon responsible for the construction ot the Diablo 300. Most likely it had to do with the low impedance of my speakers. Between 60 and 200 Hz it dips down to just above 2 Ohm. My previous class D amp simply couldn't deliver/draw that current from the wall socket. But the Diablo has 136,000 micro-farads of storage and thus keeps the woofers in check even at low frequencies. 

As always it is a matter of taste and you just have to find what you like best. To my taste the McIntosh + Sonus Faber combo is way to rich. And Devialet + Magico is to "exact and perfect". Like a mannequin it is "perfect but lifeless". Which makes the combo not perfect for me.

But this journey through the hifi jungle and the knowledge you collect on the way is half the joy. The rest is musical blizz. 
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