Gryphon Colosseum Stereo v Antileon Evo Stereo

[AJR]

GLWS. Someone is going to be very happy with the Colosseum.

Are you going Mephisto stereo or monos? Very exciting - I can’t wait for you to buy them and then hear your thoughts.

 

[LL21]

GLWS. Someone is going to be very happy with the Colosseum.

Are you going Mephisto stereo or monos? Very exciting - I can’t wait for you to buy them and then hear your thoughts.

Hi...thanks...lets see how the sale goes. Meanwhile, I intend to go for stereo. I have heard the Mephisto monos are more 'linear sounding'/less dark...but I have always enjoyed the balance of the Gryphon stereo amps...and having set up the system with them, I am very happy (and blessed!) to even be able to consider them seriously.

 

[bejewe]

 

[Thieliste]

What do you guys think about pairing CH Precision L1+X1 with Mephisto stereo ?
I'm thinking about this just because IMO CH L1+X1 is better than Pandora.

 

[LL21]

Hi...any

What do you guys think about pairing CH Precision L1+X1 with Mephisto stereo ?
I'm thinking about this just because IMO CH L1+X1 is better than Pandora.

Hi...any update on this? I have read exceptionally good things about the CH Precision M1 amp...separate from pure design synergies...you might wish to compare this with the Gryphon Mephisto...both awesome, but different from those who are familiar with both.

 

[LL21]

Well, I am blessed to say that, at the introduction of a gracious WBF member, I got in touch with an owner of a Gryphon Mephisto & Rockport system who has decided to change to super-high efficiency horns and SETs...and am now enjoying his mint condition Mephisto in the system which just arrived today...while the Colosseum remains on the market. The price was right, far less than a new one, and thus enables me to take my time on selling the Colosseum and finding it a new home.

What Philip O'Hanlon, Amadeus, and others here who know the Mephisto well have said is true:

- Relative to the Colosseum, the Mephisto is indeed delivering 'a country mile' more detail. Specifically in deep house tracks, where I have always passed over the background words of some tracks because i cannot hear them...i now know EXACTLY what they are saying in the background. A great (and for me, true) test.

- Its bass is significantly tighter than the Colosseum (which i was NOT expecting given how well the Colosseum performs in this regard). Upper bass details is noticeably greater and also tighter, more disciplined. It also appears to have greater power in the sub-bass region...not necessarily greater extension (thought it might)...but certainly the conviction the Gryphon generally has in the broader bass region carries through all the way into the sub-bass region very confidently and completely

- Overall, the voicing is very similar...i was expecting a 'darker' voice and so far have found it to be remarkably similar to the Colosseum. It also seems even more resolute than the Colosseum which I also did not expect...and because it has no fans (just massive heat sinks), the unit itself is silent.

- Of course, I need to spend more time with it...only been on for a few hours...literally in from the cold...so lets see how it settles in...

 

[AJR]

Well, I am blessed to say that, at the introduction of a gracious WBF member, I got in touch with an owner of a Gryphon Mephisto & Rockport system who has decided to change to super-high efficiency horns and SETs...and am now enjoying his mint condition Mephisto in the system which just arrived today...while the Colosseum remains on the market. The price was right, far less than a new one, and thus enables me to take my time on selling the Colosseum and finding it a new home.

What Philip O'Hanlon, Amadeus, and others here who know the Mephisto well have said is true:

- Relative to the Colosseum, the Mephisto is indeed delivering 'a country mile' more detail. Specifically in deep house tracks, where I have always passed over the background words of some tracks because i cannot hear them...i now know EXACTLY what they are saying in the background. A great (and for me, true) test.

- Its bass is significantly tighter than the Colosseum (which i was NOT expecting given how well the Colosseum performs in this regard). Upper bass details is noticeably greater and also tighter, more disciplined. It also appears to have greater power in the sub-bass region...not necessarily greater extension (thought it might)...but certainly the conviction the Gryphon generally has in the broader bass region carries through all the way into the sub-bass region very confidently and completely

- Overall, the voicing is very similar...i was expecting a 'darker' voice and so far have found it to be remarkably similar to the Colosseum. It also seems even more resolute than the Colosseum which I also did not expect...and because it has no fans (just massive heat sinks), the unit itself is silent.

- Of course, I need to spend more time with it...only been on for a few hours...literally in from the cold...so lets see how it settles in...

Congrats! And thank you for your very interesting initial impressions. It seems like it is an absolute winner.

 

[LL21]

Thank you. Have been working late at the desk at home while the system is playing...it is continuing to improve as the unit has been physically in situ for 12 hours, and playing tonite now for about 4 hours...

specifically, the purity and intensity of tone/note is increasing which is a lot of fun and (for me), one of the outstanding hallmarks of Gryphon.

 

[LL21]

Mephisto Vs Colosseum or Antileon EVO
The Mephisto really is a different league to its smaller siblings. I concur with flez007 that The Colosseum sits just in the middle of the slightly mellow-sounding Antileon EVO and the ultra fast Mephisto beast. The Mephisto has an Irish mile more resolution than its siblings. It might be too much of a good thing with forward sounding speakers. However with full range speakers, the bass is exceptional and will put a fantastic foundation underneath the music; giving music a gravitas where appropriate. The Mephisto is the natural partner for the Pandora and really showcases the amount of information that is available. Also the Green Bias is of huge interest considering the amount of power consumed & heat generated by this serious class A amp.

Absolutely concur now that I have heard (and own) the Gryphon Mephisto. Thank you, Phil. That was incredibly helpful, insightful...and in my case, accurate.

I have heard from 2 people that the Mephisto was a return to a slightly darker voice, and I completely disagree at least in my system. The Colosseum was darker in my system, and now the upper treble and even low treble is much more illuminated than the Colosseum. And yes, there is significantly more detail...and between the 2 (illumination and detail), I also agree with you that one needs to be careful (as always) in system setup and matching.

 

[lesacre]

Interesting...how do you compare Mephisto to Evo? As an owner of Colosseum, I have been reading up on Mephisto, Evo as well as a few other options for fun, and enjoying it.
What do you anticipate in your primary system with either Gryphon amp? Thanks for any insight!

My apologies - I missed the fact that you commented on my post.

After the Gryphon event at our showroom, I have decided to get the Evo. We primarily use it with Pandora/Legato. The amp worked with virtually any speaker that we tried. Although, Gryphon Pantheons sound especially good with It. The bass control and overall musicality of presentation are beyond belief. It is one of those rare situations when the lack of tubes does not bother me - they are simply not needed. Gryphon speaker cables complete the package - there is undeniable synergy when everything is in place and tuned in.

 

[AJR]

My apologies - I missed the fact that you commented on my post.

After the Gryphon event at our showroom, I have decided to get the Evo. We primarily use it with Pandora/Legato. The amp worked with virtually any speaker that we tried. Although, Gryphon Pantheons sound especially good with It. The bass control and overall musicality of presentation are beyond belief. It is one of those rare situations when the lack of tubes does not bother me - they are simply not needed. Gryphon speaker cables complete the package - there is undeniable synergy when everything is in place and tuned in.

Congratulations! I love my Antileon Evo, although I have not listened to the Colosseum or the Mephisto. I especially love the detail, richness and the huge soundstage it presents. It drives my Magic S3 mk2s with little effort and I can only imagine what a speaker upgrade will do.

 

[lesacre]

Congratulations! I love my Antileon Evo, although I have not listened to the Colosseum or the Mephisto. I especially love the detail, richness and the huge soundstage it presents. It drives my Magic S3 mk2s with little effort and I can only imagine what a speaker upgrade will do.

Thank you I have no doubt the Evo sounds wonderful with Magico. But of course it’ll justify an upgrade to any speaker at any price - it’s that good!

 

[LL21]

My apologies - I missed the fact that you commented on my post.

After the Gryphon event at our showroom, I have decided to get the Evo. We primarily use it with Pandora/Legato. The amp worked with virtually any speaker that we tried. Although, Gryphon Pantheons sound especially good with It. The bass control and overall musicality of presentation are beyond belief. It is one of those rare situations when the lack of tubes does not bother me - they are simply not needed. Gryphon speaker cables complete the package - there is undeniable synergy when everything is in place and tuned in.

Congrats! Enjoy! What a tremendous amp! I have never heard it, but owned the Antileon original, Colosseum and now Mephisto. I had an opportunity to get a 2nd hand Mephisto in mint condition and took the opportunity.

How did the Mephisto compare with the Evo? I have absolutely no ego on this...I am extremely happy with the Colosseum. If you vastly preferred the Evo on an absolute basis, perfectly fine, and would love to hear the comparisons you made. Thanks for any listening notes.

 

[lesacre]

Congrats! Enjoy! What a tremendous amp! I have never heard it, but owned the Antileon original, Colosseum and now Mephisto. I had an opportunity to get a 2nd hand Mephisto in mint condition and took the opportunity.

How did the Mephisto compare with the Evo? I have absolutely no ego on this...I am extremely happy with the Colosseum. If you vastly preferred the Evo on an absolute basis, perfectly fine, and would love to hear the comparisons you made. Thanks for any listening notes.

Evo is warmer and more romantic while Mephisto is a champion of resolution, precision and speed. They both can sound incredible, it just depends on the system's overall tonal balance. IMHO, there is no preference on an absolute basis. If the Evo is an ultra luxury sedan with a V12 engine, the Mephisto is an exotic sports car that you want to take on a race track. Colosseum is somewhere in between.

 

[Vienna]

Evo is warmer and more romantic while Mephisto is a champion of resolution, precision and speed. They both can sound incredible, it just depends on the system's overall tonal balance. IMHO, there is no preference on an absolute basis. If the Evo is an ultra luxury sedan with a V12 engine, the Mephisto is an exotic sports car that you want to take on a race track. Colosseum is somewhere in between.

Nicely said

 

[rshad0000]

Very interesting thread. For someone looking to move up the Gryphon line from the Diablo it is very worthwhile read.

Having owned the Diablo 300 myself I have a pretty good idea of what it sounds like. I’m interested to hear from those that have owned the Diablo 300 and have moved up the line to separates. So which of these three amplifiers has the closest sonic signature to the 300? Fast and transparent like the Mephisto?

Thanks

 

[Vienna]

which speakers do you own?

 

[rshad0000]

Focal Scala Utopia EVOs

 

[Vienna]

Nothing in the Gryphon chain compares with the Mephisto.
i have listened to all (except the Colosseum) from the Diablo 120

 

[LL21]

Evo is warmer and more romantic while Mephisto is a champion of resolution, precision and speed. They both can sound incredible, it just depends on the system's overall tonal balance. IMHO, there is no preference on an absolute basis. If the Evo is an ultra luxury sedan with a V12 engine, the Mephisto is an exotic sports car that you want to take on a race track. Colosseum is somewhere in between.

I have also enjoyed reading this thread. My only experience with Gryphon is the original Gryphon DM100, Gryphon Antileon (owned), Colosseum (owned)...and now Mephisto (now owned).

I cannot speak to the other amps. I can say that the sound has in some respects been an evolution from the DM100 through to the Mephisto. The signature character of what I love about Gryphon has not changed...but perhaps in the same way that CJ has evolved to create a purified, distilled form of its tonal qualities...but now with speed and grace from its much older designs which came with honey...i think the Gryphon has also evolved.

Never really honey'd like older generation tubes from the '80s/'90s stereotypes, the Gryphon DM100 was decidedly darker, less detailed and perhaps had less unflappable quality in comparison with the later generation amps. And we come to the Mephisto which also managed to turn the light up a bit in the treble range (which started with the Colosseum)...but now with an even more tectonic plate-like foundation, greater resolution and yet maintaining that purity of tone i have always admired about Gryphon.

In truth, i felt that despite the Colosseum's greater detail, much more illuminated treble (than the Antileon), there was something deep in the midrange notes and the intensity of a soaring violin that the Antileon seemed to deliver just that smidgen better than the newer Colosseum. I think the Mephisto brought that back in a big way.

Given what i have read about the 120 and 300...i suspect one could be happy with any of the amps, but if you value it for its midrange richness...you might stay with Evo; if for its resolution even if a bit 'harder' than its bigger brothers, then perhaps Colosseum or Mephisto...if you wish for unflappable, all-out, that is Mephisto as well.