Gryphon's long-awaited pure class-A Antileon Revelation amplifier, the successor to the Antileon EVO, will hit dealer shelves late August in both stereo ($39,800) and mono ($45,500/each) versions. We used to say, “It will arrive late August if the creek don’t rise;” these days, we replace creek with tariffs.
The stereo model delivers 160Wpc into 8 ohms and 320Wpc into 4 ohms; the mono version increases that to 180W into 8 and 360W into 4 ohms. Output impedance is rated at 0.04 ohms for stereo and 0.02 ohms for mono. Power supply capacitance is 2×335,000µF for the stereo amp and double that for the mono. Each amplifier weighs a little over 185 lb.
“The looks have changed only a little over 30 years,” US distributor Anthony Chiarella told me. “It’s a bit less masculine looking than back then.”
 copy.jpg)
I’d say it looks like a solid, take-no-prisoners powerhouse. Sounds like it too.
Most changes from the Antileon EVO are internal. They include a new amplifier printed circuit board; a high current-gain input buffer with bipolar junction transistors from Zetex instead of the Antileon EVO’s JFET buffer; new Toshiba driver and output transistors with low input capacitance; and a gold-plated Neutrik XLR input signal pass-through for each mono channel. Binding posts and transistors are the same as in Gryphon’s massive, top-of-the-line Apex amplifier.
The Antileon Revelation, demoed in mono form, anchored an all-Gryphon system: Ethos CD/DAC ($39,800), Commander preamplifier ($69,800), and EOS 5 loudspeakers ($52,800/pair). A PowerZone 3.20 power optimizer ($17,500), StandArt racks, and Vanta cabling completed the setup.
On a Joyce DiDonato aria, the midrange was drop-dead gorgeous, which suited the character’s tragic fate. Switching gears to Prince, I found “Muse 2 The Pharaoh” a perfect 16-bit/44.1kHz demo track. The system radiated every mellow, tight vibe to perfection. John Mayall’s “The Mists of Time” sounded equally excellent, thanks in part to the 24-bit/96kHz file, which brought improvements in air, depth, and width. I can’t wait to hear the new Gryphon gear in my reference system.
I’d say it looks like a solid, take-no-prisoners powerhouse. Sounds like it too.
Most changes from the Antileon EVO are internal. They include a new amplifier printed circuit board; a high current-gain input buffer with bipolar junction transistors from Zetex instead of the Antileon EVO’s JFET buffer; new Toshiba driver and output transistors with low input capacitance; and a gold-plated Neutrik XLR input signal pass-through for each mono channel. Binding posts and transistors are the same as in Gryphon’s massive, top-of-the-line Apex amplifier.
The Antileon Revelation, demoed in mono form, anchored an all-Gryphon system: Ethos CD/DAC ($39,800), Commander preamplifier ($69,800), and EOS 5 loudspeakers ($52,800/pair). A PowerZone 3.20 power optimizer ($17,500), StandArt racks, and Vanta cabling completed the setup.
On a Joyce DiDonato aria, the midrange was drop-dead gorgeous, which suited the character’s tragic fate. Switching gears to Prince, I found “Muse 2 The Pharaoh” a perfect 16-bit/44.1kHz demo track. The system radiated every mellow, tight vibe to perfection. John Mayall’s “The Mists of Time” sounded equally excellent, thanks in part to the 24-bit/96kHz file, which brought improvements in air, depth, and width. I can’t wait to hear the new Gryphon gear in my reference system.
