Reference 10 preamplifier
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Just took home the Ref10 for a spin and was I surprised! It definitely has great synergy with the Gryphon Mephisto. It is a better match than my Burmester 808 Mk V. Voices took on a new dimension. Female voices suddenly became sexier, more palpable and real. Male voices seemed to have more weight and natural. The improvement across the entire frequency spectrum is apparent.At the moment, I'm looking seriously at Robert Koda's K15 and will, hopefully, be able to listen to it when I attend the Hong Kong Show in August. I will then decide after that. The K15 seems to be the real deal!
Great stuff!!! I have to admit...when I started with CJ ACT 2 with my Gryphon Antileon many many years ago, I always thought I should run balanced. I tried the Ref 3 but something did not work with the Antileon for some reason...mechanical problem I believe, and we never got back to re-doing the home demonstration. Still, I always assumed I would end up balanced.
But then I had a chance to go for the CJ GAT and I spoke with Gryphon about it. Of course, they will say balanced is the way their components were designed...but when I described the sound I am getting and the fact that I need to stand next to the tweeters to hear any system noise (so despite being SE with tubes, its super quiet), Gryphon said 'leave it' then and 'enjoy'. And I have done so to this day.
In your case, Ref 10 does run balanced. Is Takumi balanced?
Yes, Lloyd. The Ref10 is fully balanced and so is the K15. From my experience, the Mephisto does sound better when connected balanced. From user experiences here in Asia, the K15 may be even better than the mighty FM268!
Wow...pretty strong praise indeed! I asked Gryphon about using Steve McCormack's Interocitor with the Colosseum to CJ GAT to get it balanced to balanced, but they said probably not necessary when we discussed my system at greater length. In any event, would be fun to hear it balanced to understand the difference.
As for K15 vs 268...that sounds quite promising! the 268 has been the stuff of legend particularly in Asian circles for many, many years. To beat it there would be quite impressive. I remember feeling particularly pleased when reading on the Asian audio site, Hi-Endy, about the editor and one owner who owned both the CJ GAT and FM268 that he felt the GAT might even surpass the 268 [but only on certain elements]! That was praise enough for me!
Most interesting! Any reasons why he made the change? Most interested to hear how they compare.
He cited almost perfect bass control, thundering dynamics across the entire frequency range and the most beautiful tonal colour.
Interesting...that is the one area where the reviews compared your Ref 10 to the K10 and found that the K10 is delicate, perhaps not as 'thunderous' as the Ref 10 which has strong macrodynamics apparently...see AudioBeat review. Seems like they have paid attention to that comment in the K15.
BTW, before you go after K15 in August, how are you isolating the Ref 10? In the case of my CJ (I think Myles and XV-1 will both confirm this as fellow CJ GAT owners...possibly JoeInd as well)...the GAT significantly benefits from both isolation underneath and mass damping on top. Helped with stilling the image a lot, lowering noise/shimmer and creating a more propulsive bass snap. Even the color improved, I suspect because the note became 'denser' thru less shimmer (ie, color density).
I wonder if you might find the same with Ref 10. It is a lot less expensive than the K15...and if a really really good isolation system can help drive the Ref 10 forward even further, you might not need to spring the 2.5x+ for the K15...
When the dealer told me he would be bringing over the Ref10 for a spin, I have no intention of buying it. After listening to it, I may consider it depending on my listening impression of the K15. A direct comparison will not be possible, however. I have a few complaints on the Ref10 though....it is a room heater just like the Mephisto, its gain is too high for my liking, it takes up too much space.
As for isolation, as you can see from the photo, the Ref10 is sitting on its stock footers. Only the rack is sitting on finite elemente cerabases. Will try the stillpoints ultra ss later.
As for isolation, as you can see from the photo, the Ref10 is sitting on its stock footers. Only the rack is sitting on finite elemente cerabases. Will try the stillpoints ultra ss later.
All good to know...and all fair points. Do let me know if the Ultra SS helps...I have only ever used them once but I do use the Ultra 5s under 4 components plus the speakers/sub and really like them.
Judging by the specs, the Ultra 5s do seem to be overkill for components other than heavy speakers and amps like the Mephisto. But, I trust the results of your experience with the Ultra5s as you are an authority on them.
Hardly the expert, but I have compared them on a few components for a day before letting the Ultra SS go (for me). In my own experience, I would look at the 'specs' for the Ultra 5 vs Ultra SS as more about how sensitive the equipment is to vibration than its weight. In other words, rather than look at the load bearing capability of either...I would look at how many of those 'isolation pockets' each has...5 in the Ultra 5 vs 1 in the Ultra SS. At least, that is how I ended up looking at it...believe me, I did not wish to shell out so much for the Ultra 5s on my lighter weight components...but they did end up making a bigger improvement (for me).
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