My next step - Pandora?

[LarryK]

I am still waiting to see if adding a Pandora to my Colosseum will yield a big increase in sound quality. I hope so.

There is always a sky above a sky but I will never see the Apex/Commander in my home.

 

[John T]

I am still waiting to see if adding a Pandora to my Colosseum will yield a big increase in sound quality. I hope so.

There is always a sky above a sky but I will never see the Apex/Commander in my home.

Larry I think you will be very happy with the Pandora. My system is so quiet, I think the Pandora has a lot to do with that, among other attributes...

 

[LarryK]

Thanks John. I will see.

There is always the question of what upgrade will improve the sound quality the most.

I have always thought amp/preamp/speakers were the things that would change the sound the most, maybe not in that order.

What do other people think?

 

[John T]

Thanks John. I will see.

There is always the question of what upgrade will improve the sound quality the most.

I have always thought amp/preamp/speakers were the the things that would change the sound the most, maybe not in that order.

What do other people think?

This is not etched in stone but I always prefer the amplification and pre to be from the same company. IMO amp/pre is vital. Can you imagine buying the Apex and not pairing it without the Commander? I'm looking forward in your observations. I think you made a great choice with the Pandora...

 

[LarryK]

This is not etched in stone but I always prefer the amplification and pre to be from the same company. IMO amp/pre is vital. Can you imagine buying the Apex and not pairing it without the Commander? I'm looking forward in your observations. I think you made a great choice with the Pandora...

I will get to test your hypothesis when I get the Pandora and Colosseum back from the repair shop.

It will be the first time I’ll have the pre, amp, and speakers from the same company.

I’ve run a relatively low cost preamp for many years now. James Bongiorno gave a lot of bang for his buck with the fifty pound preamp I’m running but I wonder how my sound will change going to Pandora.

I’m excited to find out.

A question for the future is whether I should upgrade my speakers from the Cantatas.

 

[JiminGa]

I listened to the Commander and Pandora back and forth for several hours at The Sound Environment with DCS stack Mephisto monos and Rockport Orion. I was surprised how close Pandora comes to it. The Commander is quieter and may have a bit more detail but Pandora tonally is a bit richer. It depends on what you value and how much you’re willing to pay for it. For me I’m going to wait a year or so for the Pandora replacement and see how close it comes for somewhere around 40-45k

 

[John T]

I listened to the Commander and Pandora back and forth for several hours at The Sound Environment with DCS stack Mephisto monos and Rockport Orion. I was surprised how close Pandora comes to it. The Commander is quieter and may have a bit more detail but Pandora tonally is a bit richer. It depends on what you value and how much you’re willing to pay for it. For me I’m going to wait a year or so for the Pandora replacement and see how close it comes for somewhere around 40-45k

Very interesting...As I mentioned I think Larry will be very pleased with the Pandora...

 

[LarryK]

I listened to the Commander and Pandora back and forth for several hours at The Sound Environment with DCS stack Mephisto monos and Rockport Orion. I was surprised how close Pandora comes to it. The Commander is quieter and may have a bit more detail but Pandora tonally is a bit richer. It depends on what you value and how much you’re willing to pay for it. For me I’m going to wait a year or so for the Pandora replacement and see how close it comes for somewhere around 40-45k

Will there be a replacement for the Pandora?

 

[John T]

Will there be a replacement for the Pandora?

I have not heard of this. The Commander is the latest and greatest. Doesn't make sense to upgrade the Pandora on a number of levels...

 

[LL21]

I listened to the Commander and Pandora back and forth for several hours at The Sound Environment with DCS stack Mephisto monos and Rockport Orion. I was surprised how close Pandora comes to it. The Commander is quieter and may have a bit more detail but Pandora tonally is a bit richer. It depends on what you value and how much you’re willing to pay for it. For me I’m going to wait a year or so for the Pandora replacement and see how close it comes for somewhere around 40-45k

Great insight...thanks for posting. Many of us are naturally interested to hear about such comparisons while we cannot hear for ourselves. By any chance, have you ever compared Mephisto to Apex? Instinctively would think that difference should be much greater.

 

[JiminGa]

They will replace Pandora and Mephisto at some point. They are 12 years old or so. Zena and Antileon Evo are much newer and benefit from that. Zena at 20k or so Commander at 63k leaves a huge gap in the 40-45k range. Skov did comment a year or so ago that Pandora/Mephisto have some time left in their production. This won’t last forever. Think of all the excellent preamps in the 40k range to compete with. It’s a huge market segment for them. It makes sense on every level. I wouldn’t continue to try and compete with a preamp from 2011 no matter how good it is. I’ve tried to pin them down on timing to no avail. I have no inside information so take my opinion for what it’s worth.

 

[JiminGa]

I will get a chance to compare Mephisto to Apex in a couple of months. As an aside I actually prefer Evo to Mephisto. It’s a newer more modern amplifier. It is voiced differently so it’s a personal choice. The Mephisto has more iron grip and power but to me it’s also drier. The Evo is more “liquid”/musical in my opinion.

 

[Corinthian]

Pandora owner here. I upgraded from an Essence pre to Pandora and very happy with it. I still have the Essence power, which sounds great IMO, but inevitably at some point I will start to think about Antileon Evo or Mephisto.

I've heard that the Commander is a big jump on from the Pandora, so I really don't want to hear it in case I agree and then just have to have one...

 

[Corinthian]

They will replace Pandora and Mephisto at some point. They are 12 years old or so. Zena and Antileon Evo are much newer and benefit from that. Zena at 20k or so Commander at 63k leaves a huge gap in the 40-45k range. Skov did comment a year or so ago that Pandora/Mephisto have some time left in their production. This won’t last forever. Think of all the excellent preamps in the 40k range to compete with. It’s a huge market segment for them. It makes sense on every level. I wouldn’t continue to try and compete with a preamp from 2011 no matter how good it is. I’ve tried to pin them down on timing to no avail. I have no inside information so take my opinion for what it’s worth.

See Rune's comments here: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/gryphon-mephisto-pandora.35934/

 

[John T]

See Rune's comments here: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/gryphon-mephisto-pandora.35934/

Thanks for finding this, I was just attempting to search it out because I knew I read it. To have the Commander at a retail number of 63K and then have another improved Pandora at 45K would IMO be counter productive. The Commander would dominate sales. Gryphon isn't a company that has multiple models. I listened to the newer Zena in my system and the Pandora blew it out of the water. My million dollar question and I have been seriously considering Apex/Commander is how much better with my current speakers will the two combinations perform? Don't get me wrong I love my Pearl 20/20's.

 

[Corinthian]

Thanks for finding this, I was just attempting to search it out because I knew I read it. To have the Commander at a retail number of 63K and then have another improved Pandora at 45K would IMO be counter productive. The Commander would dominate sales. Gryphon isn't a company that has multiple models. I listened to the newer Zena in my system and the Pandora blew it out of the water. My million dollar question and I have been seriously considering Apex/Commander is how much better with my current speakers will the two combinations perform? Don't get me wrong I love my Pearl 20/20's.

You're welcome. Just like you, I knew that I had read Rune's comment somewhere on here recently. I suppose you'll just have to get a home demo if you can of the Commander/Apex and prepare yourself for an expensive upgrade! I've not heard Pearl 20/20's, but in my fairly limited experience I've found that upgrading the pre/power has incrementally pushed the performance of my speakers beyond expectations (currently SF Serafino with Rel T9's). I've no doubt that better speakers with the Commander/Apex combo will sound, er, even better, and inevitably will lead to you upgrading them too. That said, you've got a great pre/power combo (and indeed, system) as it is - perhaps just try the Commander back to back with your current set up and see what you think?

 

[John T]

You're welcome. Just like you, I knew that I had read Rune's comment somewhere on here recently. I suppose you'll just have to get a home demo if you can of the Commander/Apex and prepare yourself for an expensive upgrade! I've not heard Pearl 20/20's, but in my fairly limited experience I've found that upgrading the pre/power has incrementally pushed the performance of my speakers beyond expectations (currently SF Serafino with Rel T9's). I've no doubt that better speakers with the Commander/Apex combo will sound, er, even better, and inevitably will lead to you upgrading them too. That said, you've got a great pre/power combo (and indeed, system) as it is - perhaps just try the Commander back to back with your current set up and see what you think?

Even with my expectations of leaving this earth without much money left, this gives me pause! You do Apex/Commander then start thinking Rockport Lyra, then the part about leaving without much money may happen a little too premature! LOL!! I've spoken with Lloyd @LL21 on this very subject in regards to which incremental piece Apex or Commander would give you the bigger jump in delivery. He has many years of experience with Gryphon and I respect his opinion. His thought was Apex might be a better starting point. Virtually impossible to do a home demo. They are making these units to order. I've spoken with Rune several times over the years, good guy...BTW The Pearl 20/20's do everything well. Hard to find anything bad said about them. JA rooms have won several best of show awards...

 

[LarryK]

Thanks for finding this, I was just attempting to search it out because I knew I read it. To have the Commander at a retail number of 63K and then have another improved Pandora at 45K would IMO be counter productive. The Commander would dominate sales. Gryphon isn't a company that has multiple models. I listened to the newer Zena in my system and the Pandora blew it out of the water. My million dollar question and I have been seriously considering Apex/Commander is how much better with my current speakers will the two combinations perform? Don't get me wrong I love my Pearl 20/20's.

At one point, I was tempted by the Zena but thought I should go for the Pandora instead. I’m pretty sure I made the right decision.

Upgrading one component leads to questioning whether other components should be upgraded, lol.

I have a small listening room so I need a high quality speaker that will work in that space.

 

[John T]

At one point, I was tempted by the Zena but thought I should go for the Pandora instead. I’m pretty sure I made the right decision.

Upgrading one component leads to questioning whether other components should be upgraded, lol.

I have a small listening room so I need a high quality speaker that will work in that space.

For SURE you made the right decision...

 

[JiminGa]

I saw Runes comments and I am aware that he has told his dealers that they will continue for a while. We’ll see how long.