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Setup
The Signature's low weight made for a simple setup on a newly acquired Pangea rack. While my oft-used Kuzma Platis 54 platform worked well for heavier turntables, AV RoomService Ltd.'s Equipment Vibration Protectors (EVP) proved a better match under the Signature's three feet, offering adequate isolation and a more grounded sound. I didn't use the turntable's adjustable feet; they didn't extend sufficiently to deal with the off-pitch floors of my 100-year-old building.

Fine-tuning the tonearm was a straightforward affair. VTA was adjusted by manipulating a recessed grub…

Description: Two-speed, belt-drive turntable available with 9" Clearaudio Tracer Black Carbon Fiber or 9" Clearaudio Signature Black Carbon Fiber tonearms, and external Clearaudio 12V Professional Power Supply. Chassis: medium-density wood fiber (silver/black) or pressure-formed solid wood (wood/dark wood). Top plate: high-tech, satined plastic compound. Bottom plate: medium-density wood fiber. Platter: 1.18" (30mm), 5lb platter made of high-density synthetic material; CNC-machined aluminum subplatter. Motor: 12V DC coreless motor suspended by rubber O-rings.…

When Anthony Chiarella delivered my review sample, we discussed class mobility, among other topics. Anthony pointed out that "The Diablo 333 integrated amplifier is biased to run >10W pure class-A. The old Diablo 300 is only running 5–6W pure class-A. Ideally, Gryphon wanted to achieve the same sonic characteristics as the Apex, by using Toshiba output transistors." A 5W difference may not sound like much, but it actually indeed does sound like much; music reproduction doesn't run that many peak watts over time—sonic quality of those "first watts" makes a lot of difference.

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Description: Solid state, class-AB, stereo integrated amplifier. Analog inputs: 2 pairs balanced (XLR), 2 pairs unbalanced (RCA), 1 fixed-level A/V input, USB 2.0 firmware update socket. Outputs: 2 pairs custom gold-plated binding posts, 2 pairs unbalanced (RCA). Controls: 4.3" touchscreen, remote control. Output power: 333Wpc into 8 ohms (25.2dBW), 666Wpc into 4 ohms (25.2dBW), 1100Wpc into 2 ohms (24.6dBW). Input impedance, balanced (20Hz– 20kHz): 50k ohms. Input impedance, single-ended (20Hz–20kHz): 30k ohms. Output impedance: 0.015 ohms. Voltage gain: 38dB.…

Analog sources: Lyra Etna λ Lambda cartridge, Ortofon Cadenza Bronze cartridge, Pro-Ject Classic EVO turntable, Sumiko Amethyst cartridge, VPI HW-40 turntable with VPI 12" Fatboy tonearm.
Digital sources: Apple MacBook Air running Tidal, Roon, Qobuz; Bricasti M1 Series II D/A processor; Musical Fidelity M1 CDT transport; Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T.
Preamplifiers: McIntosh C12000, McIntosh MA252 integrated amplifier (used as a preamplifier).
Power amplifiers: McIntosh MC462 Quad Balanced stereo amplifier, McIntosh MA252 integrated amplifier (used as a…

Typically, though not exclusively, amplifiers employing reduced levels of corrective feedback may also exhibit some thermal drift, a "feature" more common still when the amplifier is also generously- biased. Gryphon's very substantial Diablo 333 is a case in point as distortion (1kHz/10W) gradually reduces from approximately 0.07% immediately after switch on to a…

What's real is that the magician's illusion is believable because your eyes see it and, until sometime later—even if only a fraction of a second—your brain doesn't argue. The best your brain can do is tell you, "Yes, you saw that, but you know it didn't happen."

Funny, then, how anti-audiophiles always claim that the ear is more easy to fool than the eye. Yet books have been devoted to cataloguing optical…

According to Synergistic Research, everything in your room resonates, and not necessarily in tune with the music. "The resonance of your listening room is literally pushing…