Analog sources: Denon DL-103o, Hana Umami Blue, Ortofon MC Quintet Mono phono cartridges.
Preamplifiers: Rogue Audio RP-7 (line); Tavish Audio Design Adagio, Manley Chinook (phono).
Integrated amplifier: Riviera Labs Levante.
Power amplifier: Rogue Audio Stereo 100.
Loudspeakers: Volti Audio Razz, Voxativ Ampeggio.
Cables: Interconnects: Agent Pur, AudioQuest Pegasus, Triode Wire Labs Spirit II (all RCA). Speaker: Auditorium 23. AC: AudioQuest NRG Z, Triode Wire Labs Obsession NCF.
Accessories: Pro-Ject VC-S2 ALU, Humminguru…
search
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
What's in a name? Denmark-based Gryphon Audio Designs laid down a marker when company founder Flemming Rasmussen chose that name in 1985. Browsing through the current Stereophile Recommended Components list, I only found one other manufacturer that utilizes an animal moniker. The imagery summoned by the use of the mythical treasure-guarding Gryphon seems appropriate; a hybrid creature combining features of the eagle and the lion, creatures of strength and speed—this choice underlines some of the aesthetics and performance Gryphon Audio has become known for. The handsome hardcover user's…
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.
…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
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.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
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…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
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…
When a magician pulls a quarter from someone's ear or saws a woman in half, I believe in magic. I know it's an illusion—not real—but that doesn't mean that magic isn't real.
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…
How can such tiny resonators do anything? That's what I'd wondered about the Harmonix tuning dots, but they produced results in my old room very similar to what the HFTs were doing here. The HFTs definitely improved the sound in very specific ways having to do with soundstaging and imaging, and not at all to do with harmonics, tonality, or instrumental textures—which was good: I wouldn't want any of that to change.
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…
The return of vinyl, which has stayed popular and profitable since its resurgence, has now developed a surprising nuance. Pierre Markotanyos, the owner of the reissue label Return to Analog and Montreal record store Aux 33 Tours (which refers to the speed at which an LP spins), has noticed a distinct change in the makeup of who's buying vinyl these days. "In the late 2000s," Markotanyos reflects, "it was mostly 55-to-70-year-old guys who were coming in, buying records to play on their high-end stereos that they bought at the audio show in Montreal." [Sound familiar, Stereophile readers?] "…
Before the bits and bytes, before the streams, the music business and its most talented artists, producers, and engineers conjured up a notion of musical-sonic holiness: the perfect album side.
Remember albums? The idea is quaint in the era of streaming, a time of "summer songs," one-hit wonders, meme songs, song snippets on TikTok, songs tied to viral videos, robot-generated playlists, and whatnot. Those of us older than the World Wide Web itself, we remember albums. They were 12" slices of happiness, sadness, escape, epiphany—all the feelings. The geometry and physics of…