Gryphon Audio Kalliope DAC

[Matej Isak]

Feature and future packed

I was invited to the first short presentaton of the new Gryphon Audio Kalliope DAC. They really waited quite some time to release this feature packed DAC. DSD really seams to be catching up. Stay tuned for short report on the Gryphon mini presentation of Trident 2 speakers and Kalliope DAC.

http://www.monoandstereo.com/2013/05/gryphon-audio-kalliope-dac.html

 

[sly30]

Anybody listened Gryphon Kalliope DAC? Now it schould be possible.

 

[LL21]

Interested in hearing any comments

 

[mep]

Interested in hearing any comments

Lloyd, but you are tied like a boat anchor to RBCD aren't you? Why are you interested in this DAC? Are you even mildly contemplating crossing over to hi-rez digital or stepping up to DSD?

 

[LL21]

Interested in hearing any comments

Lloyd, but you are tied like a boat anchor to RBCD aren't you? Why are you interested in this DAC? Are you even mildly contemplating crossing over to hi-rez digital or stepping up to DSD?

Hah! Indeed, I have made my choice...and gladly. But as with ALL things audio, many of us keep a watchful eye over progress until it gets to the point where an upgrade or a switch may come. For me, due to the software availability and the absolutely firm [personal] conviction that I prefer the Zanden (properly setup/isolated) to any and all comers up thru the Scarlatti, Stahl-Tek Vekian (original) which is pretty vaunted company indeed...I am very very happy to keep listening to music and buy redbook off Amazon for 3 bucks a CD.

But I know (having heard the Vivaldi, and read good things about Light Harmonic and MSB/Analog DAC) that hi-res DACs are inching across the zone where I think Zanden stands today...and I like learning about new products designed by people I respect like Flemming.

The other thing is that I am generally an opportunistic buyer...when a second hand unit comes up for sale, I will occasionally snatch it up if I am actively looking...but its usually around for only a couple days before its gone. So I need to keep tabs on the market to know which pieces I would take seriously. Its how I picked up nearly every piece of equipment I own today (Zanden, Wilsons, Gryphon and half the cabling...most of these I bought either within 24 hours of their hitting the market, or in 1 case I bought it BEFORE it came to market because I found the email for the owner, sensed what may be coming and approached him quietly on a completely unsolicited basis.) Maybe a year from now someone will put their Kalliope up for sale to trade for the 'new new' thing...and (if i am interested) that's when I need to be ready to pick up the phone to the seller that day and say, I'm buying...give me 1 day this week to come over for a sanity-check listen.

 

[trueblue]

http://www.monoandstereo.com/2013/08/gryphon-audio-trident-ll-kalliope.html

 

[sly30]

Still nobody listened Gryphon Kalliope?

 

[trueblue]

Still nobody listened Gryphon Kalliope?

Supposed to start shipping in a weeks time.

 

[patek]

Still nobody listened Gryphon Kalliope?

I was lucky enough to walk into the Sydney Audio retailer who handles Gryphon and was told they had just received a Gryphon Kalliope and would I be interested in having a listen. They indicated that they had just received it and installed it in a system so they could run it in before giving people a chance to hear it but that I was welcomed to have a listen.

It was running through a pair of Martin CLX speakers and subs and a high quality valve tube amplifier and preamp. Once it had run in for a few hours they were going to set it up properly with Gryphon amplification and speakers to see what it was really capable of. Well I have to tell you that after the first few notes started coming out of the speakers I knew this Gryphon Dac was something special.

I wasn't intending to stay too long but once I started listening I didn't want to get out of my chair and asked for a few more tracks to be played ranging from blues, classical and rock before I realized just how good this dac was. I was reasonably familiar with the CLX's having heard them before and the only variable was the Kalliope so I can only attribute the improvement in sound to the dac. But just to be sure I asked them to substitute the valve dac that I heard previously in the system to give me a frame of reference. And I should qualify by saying that this other dac was a high quality well respected brand that cost three times the price of the Gryphon which itself was not inexpensive.

After the first few songs it became apparent that compared to the Gryphon this dac was not in the same league. The difference was so dramatic, particularly in the bass quality and extension, the soundstage depth and width and the detail retrieval that I asked them to go back and forth a few times so I could be sure. But each time it was pretty obvious that it just could not compete with the Kalliope, it was that good. What was really scary was that the Gryphon dac was not even run in and was not being used with other Gryphon components with which it would have even greater synergy.

So it would be an understatement to say I was impressed at just how good this product sounds. This is probably one of the few times that I have heard digital actually sounding better than a high quality vinyl rig and after more people have heard it I think they will recognize that it is a breakthrough product for digital.

 

[LL21]

Great stuff...thanks for that. Very interesting! There are not that many tube DACs that retail for 3x the price of a Kalliope (USD$30K)...in fact, I can think of really only the upper Audio Note DACs (which I have not heard) that go for anywhere near USD$90K.

In any event, any other contenders in your view at the quality level of Kalliope?

 

[patek]

Only contenders to the Kalliope in my opinion would be the full 4 box DCS rig which I have only heard in show conditions and costs over 100k and the Audio Note Fifth Element which I have not heard but from reports I have read is also an amazing digital product that redefines what can be done with digital.

All in all a pretty exciting time for digital and music fans alike and I imagine it will also hopefully benefit more modest budgets as a result of trickle down effects.

Great stuff...thanks for that. Very interesting! There are not that many tube DACs that retail for 3x the price of a Kalliope (USD$30K)...in fact, I can think of really only the upper Audio Note DACs (which I have not heard) that go for anywhere near USD$90K.

In any event, any other contenders in your view at the quality level of Kalliope?

 

[LL21]

That is quite vaunted company indeed! I have heard the DCS Vivaldi and Scarlatti. I would love to hear the Audio Note DAC 5th Element...if you ever do, please let us know if it truly redefines digital (particularly redbook) as martin colloms has so strongly emphasized in his absolutely glorious review of it.

 

[Audioseduction]

I don't care for the sound signature of the SABRE DAC chip set.

 

[patek]

I am no expert on DAC chips however I'm not sure how you can determine how a chip sounds in isolation without having it converted back into analogue.

And I would imagine that what actually determines the sound quality is how the DAC is executed and not just the individual components and chips used. You could have a good chip sound average in a DAC unless the rest of the DAC is executed properly.

I'm sure Gryphon has spent a lot of time assessing and listening to numerous components in many configurations before releasing the Kalliope, and to my ears they did a great job as this is one of the best sounding DACs I've heard. If you get a chance go and have a listen for yourself as that is the only way to really assess the sound quality.

 

[microstrip]

I am no expert on DAC chips however I'm not sure how you can determine how a chip sounds in isolation without having it converted back into analogue.

And I would imagine that what actually determines the sound quality is how the DAC is executed and not just the individual components and chips used. You could have a good chip sound average in a DAC unless the rest of the DAC is executed properly.

I'm sure Gryphon has spent a lot of time assessing and listening to numerous components in many configurations before releasing the Kalliope, and to my ears they did a great job as this is one of the best sounding DACs I've heard. If you get a chance go and have a listen for yourself as that is the only way to really assess the sound quality.

You have a good point here - IMHO nowadays there is no such thing as the sound of a chip. We have to consider the topology and implementation have a much stronger influence than just the DAC chip. We can buy DACs using the SABRE ES9018 for as low as $350 and no way they will sound as the Kaliope just because they have 90% of its DNA.

Perhaps 20 years ago, as the converters were not so technical perfect, we could associate a sound to the DAC converter chip or technique. Surely it is just my opinion.

BTW, did you compare it to the much more expensive DCS stack?

 

[patek]

Hi Microstrip,

Yes I did compare it to the 4 box DCS. They are both great sounding units and current state of the art but in my opinion the Gryphon is more musical
and natural to my ears and would be my choice.

The DCS is very precise and great at detail retrieval and I guess to make a final decision one would have to audition them in their own system to see which they preferred before making a final decision, particularly at this price level.

 

[microstrip]

Hi Microstrip,

Yes I did compare it to the 4 box DCS. They are both great sounding units and current state of the art but in my opinion the Gryphon is more musical
and natural to my ears and would be my choice.

The DCS is very precise and great at detail retrieval and I guess to make a final decision one would have to audition them in their own system to see which they preferred before making a final decision, particularly at this price level.

Thanks. The detail retrieval in great DACs is something that I consider mysterious in digital audio. I have been listening to a Metronome C2A recently, and similarly to the DCS it shows much more detail than an Audio Research CD8, that sounds more natural in my system, and I prefer in the long term listening. But every time I re-listen to a recording in the C2A, even casually, I feel I was missing some part of the music in others players ...

 

[Peter Breuninger]

 

[LL21]

Thanks. The detail retrieval in great DACs is something that I consider mysterious in digital audio. I have been listening to a Metronome C2A recently, and similarly to the DCS it shows much more detail than an Audio Research CD8, that sounds more natural in my system, and I prefer in the long term listening. But every time I re-listen to a recording in the C2A, even casually, I feel I was missing some part of the music in others players ...

Hi Micro...what transport are you using with the C2A?

 

[sly30]

I had Gryphon Kalliope 4 days in my system. I'm not sure it was full broken up but it was the best DAC i ever heard with all type of inputs. USB is great but SPDIF are great too. I used it with AC cable Acrolink PC-9500.