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It took just a few minutes, working from the front-panel triangle, to name the inputs and match input levels. Fresh out of the box, the Commander sounded opaque, overly smooth, and "closed in." It was time for break-in, as this unit was factory fresh. I listened for about an hour, but that's all there was time for as I was leaving the next day for the UK to attend SME's launch of the new flagship Model 60 turntable. (See the article and the video posted on the AnalogPlanet YouTube channel.) Before leaving for the airport, I set Roon to stream Qobuz through the dCS Vivaldi One at low volume…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Stereo line-level preamplifier with remote control and relay-selected resistor arrays for level control. Inputs: 4 pairs balanced (XLR), 2 pairs single-ended (RCA). Outputs: 2 pairs balanced (XLR) plus one pair each single-ended (RCA) Preamp and Tape. Input impedance: 18k ohms balanced, 12k ohms single-ended. Output impedance: 7 ohms. Gain: 18dB. Frequency response: 0.1Hz– 1.5MHz, –3dB. THD+N: 0.003% (balanced output). Total power supply capacity: 2 × 90,000µF. Power consumption: <0.5W (standby), 90W (idle).
Dimensions: Audio/control unit: 18…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: OMA K3, Acoustic Signature Montana NEO, and J. Sikora Reference turntables, Schröder K3, Acoustic Signature TA-7000, Acoustical Systems Axiom and J. Sikora KV12 tonearms; Lyra Atlas Lambda SL and Etna Lambda SL, Ortofon Anna Diamond and Verismo, Luxman LMC-5 cartridges.
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi One SACD player DAC; Lynx Hilo A/D-D/A converter; Mac mini (Roon), Audirvana Digital Audio Player; Vinyl Studio software.
Preamplification: darTZeel NHB-18NS, Ypsilon MC-10L, MC-16L, and MC-26L step-up transformers; Ypsilon VPS-100, CH…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Gryphon Commander's power supply was too heavy for me to lift onto the test bench for the measurements, so I wheeled it into the test lab on a small dolly. I could lift the lighter preamplifier chassis onto the bench, but the power umbilicals weren't long enough to reach the supply on the floor. I therefore placed the preamplifier on top of the supply, separating the two chassis with a stack of 2×4s to provide some separation and to avoid damaging the supply's finish. Still, the proximity of the power supply could disturb the preamplifier's noisefloor.
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Three high-performance products were subjected to second opinions and/or measurements in recent issues: Channel D's Lino C 3.3 phono preamplifier, Mola Mola's Tambaqui D/A processor, and Pass Labs' XP-32 line preamplifier.
Michael Fremer enthused over the sound of the current-mode Channel Lino C3.3 in June. "The Lino C 3.3's sonic performance seemed flawless in every category you could list," he wrote, adding "That doesn't mean it does everything perfectly; it just means that I didn't catch whatever it misses—I didn't miss it—until I returned to my 10-times-the-cost phono preamps." The…
Lublin, Poland, is about 130 miles from Lviv, Ukraine, a town that has been in the news lately. That's about the same distance as Hershey, Pennsylvania, is from my desk in northern New Jersey, where I'm writing this. They are close. Russian missiles struck Lviv on March 18, 2022, and as I write these words Lviv is preparing for more intense bombardment.
J.Sikora manufactures turntables and tonearms in Lublin, Poland. Concentrating on something as frivolous as audio reviewing and not thinking about what's happening in Ukraine is difficult enough. Lowering the stylus onto a record spinning…
With the motors running and a stethoscope in my ears, I placed the stethoscope diaphragm on the plinth, as close to each of the four motors as possible without touching and heard complete silence. No matter where I put the stethoscope on the plinth, there was absolute silence. That's impressive and unusual.
I placed the stethoscope diaphragm in the same positions with the motors off, then started them. Usually, there's a low-frequency grinding noise that smooths out as the platter achieves speed. Here, I heard only more silence.
The 'table also passed the impulse "thump test."…
Sometime around 483 BCE, in Kushinagar, the capital of the Malla Republic in what today is the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, an aristocrat named Siddhārtha Gautama—known better to us as the Buddha, or the Awakened One—passed away. For 45 years, he had wandered the North Indian River Plain teaching a method of overcoming ignorance, craving, and the cycle of death and rebirth to a growing community of followers. As he lay dying, the 80-year-old teacher was surrounded by disciples, many of them crying. Gautama was by no account a sentimental man, and several times he told the monks to cut it…
My first encounter with the Entity was underwhelming. It arrived in a box Amazon might use to ship two bottles of multivitamins; inside the box, I found a rather featureless, black, sheet-metal box about the size of six chocolate brownies arranged end to end in two layers, weighing about 2lb. The front panel contained only the company logo. The back had two sets of RCA jacks, a ground lug, and a pair of three-way switches for setting cartridge loading, with options for 90, 120, and 180 ohms. Unusually, the power cord is captive: Lejonklou believes that in the context of his circuit, his…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Single-box moving coil phono preamplifier. Inputs: one stereo pair RCA. Outputs: one stereo pair RCA. Gain: 71dB. Input impedance (switchable): 90, 120, 180 ohms, 10nF. Max nominal cartridge output level: 0.4mV at 3.54cm/s. Output impedance: 300 ohms. Power consumption: less than 5W.
Dimensions: 4.1" (103mm) × 2.3" (59mm) × 7.1" (180mm). Weight: 2.1lb (970gm).
Finish: Black.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 057. Manufactured in Sweden.
Price: $2695. Approximate number of dealers: 9. Warranty: Five years parts and labor, transferrable…