Oh boy, was soundstaging excitingly three-dimensional in the Scott Walker room that headlined Gryphon electronics. Listening to 15ips tapes played on a Sonorus reel-to-reel deck ($19,500) by Philip O'Hanlon, of Gryphon distributor On a Higher Note, the extraordinary depth on Sarah Vaughan's "When Your Lover Has Gone" certainly seized my attention.
Switching to LP, and trying not to raise my eyebrows too high on Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra's dated "All I Need is the Girl," I thought brass and mids were conveyed to near-perfection. The midrange also excelled on a CD of Shirley Horn and Toots Thielman's "Beautiful Love." Kudos to Philip for managing to cover so many formats so seamlessly. Kudos as well to Gryphon's Pandora preamp with phono stage ($39,500), Antelion EVO amplifier ($39,500), and Scorpio S CD player ($9900); Magico S5 MkII Speakers ($41,800/pair); Acoustic Signature Storm Turntable with TA2000 arm ($11,000); Artesiana Racks and Stands ($12,000 total); and Synergistic Research Galileo PowerCell SX power conditioner ($16,995), Galileo SX cabling ($79,500), and various and sundry room acoustics products ($4500).
