New in the Club of The Gryphon

The Knife

Well-Known Member
Nov 13, 2020
141
103
115
Stockholm, Sweden
Let me start by telling you a story that undersigned experienced about a month ago. So it happens my wife´s mother has a summer house on the Island of Föhr just outside the Westcoast of Germany and an hour short of the Danish border. After having spent a week of vacation surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean we drove home to Sweden via Denmark. While passing the City of Aarhus and its suburb Ry, I presented the idea to my wife to make a short stop over in Ry and by The Gryphon Head quarters. I mean, when in the neighborhood, why not check out the facilities. Maybe there is a museum to visit? To the story belongs I up until this moment never owned a Gryphon component before, hence my curiosity, merely stemmed from the deepest respect for the brand, encountering them on several hifi-fairs throughout the years. Said and done. I stepped into the reception, presented my self, and asked if there existed a shop or a museum or anything of that sort. I was asked to wait and moments later I found my self shaking hands with the CEO Jakob Odgaard, who instantly took me on a factory tour. Almost paralyzed of the hospitality and the shown interest in a positive surprised potential Gryphon owner (or just a HIFI-fan), the 45 min tour eventually took me to a mighty wall with Gryphon gear, shelfed from top to bottom (I took me the liberty to share a few of the pics here, please enjoy). I left The Gryphon headquarters with a very positive feeling, a memory for life and a base ball cap as a souvenir. Back in Stockholm I immediate contacted my local The Gryphon Distributor, got me handed (on a two week no cost trial out period) an Essence Stereo Amp and started the trials. I set my reference list via Roon on play. It took me about 20 seconds into the first reference track Takla Makan with Yello to realize the Esssence was something very particular. Let me underpin, it was still stone cold and only being on for a minute maximum two. The warmer it got the more intoxicating it became. It was like it casted a spell on me. Fueled up by the Valhalla II power cord, recommended by my Distributor, this was the first time I encountered true Class A in my home environment. Stunned by the amplifier there was just nothing else to do then to surrender to it, organize my financials and purchase it. Throughout the last two years I have had the privilege to have a few amplifiers visiting my home. The brand new Technics SU-R1000 (that enjoys fine reviews world wide). The Bryston 4B3, (a reliable Canadian work horse.) The Berlin Hifi-Specialist MBL with its Noble Line mighty mono blocks (retail price of 30,000 EURO) and the Atmasphere OTL mono blocks. It goes without saying The Gryphon in its presentation is in its own league. It is a wonderful match to a pair of low impedance riding speakers such as the Martin Logan´s ESL 11. What started with a vacation on the sunny Islands of Föhr, Sylt and Amrum ended up with me re-organizing my Hifi-rack and re-defining Hifi in my home environment. I wish you all a good summer ahead! //Greetings from Stockholm
 
Last edited:

The Knife

Well-Known Member
Nov 13, 2020
141
103
115
Stockholm, Sweden
Some pics :)
 

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The Knife

Well-Known Member
Nov 13, 2020
141
103
115
Stockholm, Sweden
And some more pics…
Enjoy!
Kind regards
 

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nonesup

VIP/Donor
Feb 15, 2017
1,044
623
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Enjoy your new purchase
 
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The Knife

Well-Known Member
Nov 13, 2020
141
103
115
Stockholm, Sweden
Enjoy your new purchase
Thanks Nonesup. Interesting cables from Göbel you have in your collection I must say. Never encountered them before. Looks the real deal!
 
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soundman

Member
Nov 2, 2023
44
17
8
74
Madison, Wisconsin
Let me start by telling you a story that undersigned experienced about a month ago. So it happens my wife´s mother has a summer house on the Island of Föhr just outside the Westcoast of Germany and an hour short of the Danish border. After having spent a week of vacation surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean we drove home to Sweden via Denmark. While passing the City of Aarhus and its suburb Ry, I presented the idea to my wife to make a short stop over in Ry and by The Gryphon Head quarters. I mean, when in the neighborhood, why not check out the facilities. Maybe there is a museum to visit? To the story belongs I up until this moment never owned a Gryphon component before, hence my curiosity, merely stemmed from the deepest respect for the brand, encountering them on several hifi-fairs throughout the years. Said and done. I stepped into the reception, presented my self, and asked if there existed a shop or a museum or anything of that sort. I was asked to wait and moments later I found my self shaking hands with the CEO Jakob Odgaard, who instantly took me on a factory tour. Almost paralyzed of the hospitality and the shown interest in a positive surprised potential Gryphon owner (or just a HIFI-fan), the 45 min tour eventually took me to a mighty wall with Gryphon gear, shelfed from top to bottom (I took me the liberty to share a few of the pics here, please enjoy). I left The Gryphon headquarters with a very positive feeling, a memory for life and a base ball cap as a souvenir. Back in Stockholm I immediate contacted my local The Gryphon Distributor, got me handed (on a two week no cost trial out period) an Essence Stereo Amp and started the trials. I set my reference list via Roon on play. It took me about 20 seconds into the first reference track Takla Makan with Yello to realize the Esssence was something very particular. Let me underpin, it was still stone cold and only being on for a minute maximum two. The warmer it got the more intoxicating it became. It was like it casted a spell on me. Fueled up by the Valhalla II power cord, recommended by my Distributor, this was the first time I encountered true Class A in my home environment. Stunned by the amplifier there was just nothing else to do then to surrender to it, organize my financials and purchase it. Throughout the last two years I have had the privilege to have a few amplifiers visiting my home. The brand new Technics SU-R1000 (that enjoys fine reviews world wide). The Bryston 4B3, (a reliable Canadian work horse.) The Berlin Hifi-Specialist MBL with its Noble Line mighty mono blocks (retail price of 30,000 EURO) and the Atmasphere OTL mono blocks. It goes without saying The Gryphon in its presentation is in its own league. It is a wonderful match to a pair of low impedance riding speakers such as the Martin Logan´s ESL 11. What started with a vacation on the sunny Islands of Föhr, Sylt and Amrum ended up with me re-organizing my Hifi-rack and re-defining Hifi in my home environment. I wish you all a good summer ahead! //Greetings from Stockholm
Hello,
Sylt is amazing! My wife and I spent 31 days in Germany before COVID and went back to Germany the following year spending another 2.5 weeks there. Hamburg is my favorite city. We own the Martin Logan Expression 13A ESL and although for a moment I was entertaining buying a used Gryphon 300 with phono card I do not want to buy used and the new Diablo 333 + phono is simply too expensive for us. Would you be kind enough to share your experience of the Technics SU-R1000 with the ML 11 as it is on my radar? We own 1,500 LP's notwithstanding the built in correction of the cartridge response the S/N specs (no I am not into specsmanship per se) for both the MM and the MC are not the best. We are not into streaming at all so the phono stage is important to us and of course too your overall impressions of the sound; was it sterile and clinical with the ML?
 

The Knife

Well-Known Member
Nov 13, 2020
141
103
115
Stockholm, Sweden
Hi Soundman.
Yes. The northern part of Germany is very easy to like. Almost Scandinavian. I am from Stockholm. I am however more of a Berlin guy myself, due to the fantastic cultural and musical scene in the Capital.

The Technics SU-R1000 sound very nice sweet, delicate and detailed with the MLs. The TT function is also superb. Technics has really developed something unique here for the TT users. However, it cant handle the low impedance over 15-20khz that the MLs bring to the table, so if you play very loud the amplifier will shut down it self. It does not have the current enough, although the spec. is 300watt into 4 ohm, if I remember correctly. The MLs are not about watt, they are about current, reserves etc. and craves a amplifier that easily doubles down into 4, 2 and 1 ohms. I don't believe the Technics handles such doubling very well. My Gryphon Essence is a way better match for the ML 11s than the Technics was. Drives those membranes with such ease it is almost frightening, and also witch such creamy sweetness (Class-A), the sound is one notch above the Technics in all aspects. I know people who prefer the Diablo 300 over the Essence, and vice versa. My advice is to go for a 2nd hand Gryphon of some sort :).
 

aangen

Well-Known Member
Dec 10, 2020
65
117
105
Minnesota
www.weirdenergy.com
I have a special relationship with my Gryphon gear. It seems very nice.
 

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
14,411
2,509
1,448
Congrats. As an owner of Gryphon for 12 years consecutively (Antileon, Colosseum, then Mephisto), they are truly magic. Unflappable, irrepressibly powerful and effortless. Enjoy!
 
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soundman

Member
Nov 2, 2023
44
17
8
74
Madison, Wisconsin
Hi Soundman.
Yes. The northern part of Germany is very easy to like. Almost Scandinavian. I am from Stockholm. I am however more of a Berlin guy myself, due to the fantastic cultural and musical scene in the Capital.

The Technics SU-R1000 sound very nice sweet, delicate and detailed with the MLs. The TT function is also superb. Technics has really developed something unique here for the TT users. However, it cant handle the low impedance over 15-20khz that the MLs bring to the table, so if you play very loud the amplifier will shut down it self. It does not have the current enough, although the spec. is 300watt into 4 ohm, if I remember correctly. The MLs are not about watt, they are about current, reserves etc. and craves a amplifier that easily doubles down into 4, 2 and 1 ohms. I don't believe the Technics handles such doubling very well. My Gryphon Essence is a way better match for the ML 11s than the Technics was. Drives those membranes with such ease it is almost frightening, and also witch such creamy sweetness (Class-A), the sound is one notch above the Technics in all aspects. I know people who prefer the Diablo 300 over the Essence, and vice versa. My advice is to go for a 2nd hand Gryphon of some sort :).
Thank you for your heads up regarding the SU-R1000 shutting down at loud volumes.

Regarding a 2nd hand Gryphon here is what happened today and a reply to Ratbastrd who wrote "I suspect you have as much amp as you need." He has the Mark Levinson 585.5

That is quite amazing what you wrote and here is why. There is a dealer in Canada who has the Accuphase E-4000 at THIRTY PERCENT LESS than it is selling for retail in the US Specifically it is 14K here and with the phono card and the currency conversion it is 11K there plus they will pay for the roundtrip air fare to Vancouver. They cannot ship into the US but if a customer physically enters his store and they place the order and ship it to me all is well. Plus no taxes and no duty. Accuphase has a policy that they will not perform any warranty work on pieces that were not purchased in the country where you reside. So I would ship it back to them should an issue arise and it is taken care of. In the course of our conversation I saw that he is a Gryphon dealer and Ron suggested a dealer demo regarding a Diablo 300 because I am seeking a one box solution. So he had one that has been on the floor "for 2-3 years, BUT we are in Vancouver and if we see 3 people it is a busy day" I would get full 3 year warranty and with the phono stage it would be 16K which was breath taking and then I remembered the deal on the Mark Levinson 585.5 for 14K new and I asked him about it and here was his reply (keeping in mind it is his job to sell me something) He said, regarding both the E-4000 and the 585.5 you are going to spend $11,000 USD and get 20% improvement.

He was saying unless I went for the Gryphon I would be disappointed.

I used to tell my students my last name is Frank so I must be frank with you and they would say, oh Mr. Frank that is so corny! It's true, I'm honest and direct but never in a mean way. I thanked him and told him I appreciated his candor, got off of the phone and remembered your message this morning. "I suspect you have as much amp as you need." I couldn't believe it. Moreover someone else wrote that they had the Technics SU-R1000 they liked a great deal with ML 11 and it shut down when played loudly. I thought it odd because we have had our humble Marantz Reference Integrated PM 11S3 with Martin Logan Expression 13A ESL in a 20x20 room open in the rear for five years and never once did it shut down.

FWIW these below are the reviews of our present integrated; begs the question why am I seeking for a new one? The sound is laid back I like amps that have large transformers, torque if you will. What we have now mediates musicality and grip and I had an intuition that the Mark Levinson would be what we have now enlarged and I am sure it is but not for another 14K. Still up in the air about the E-4000; did you consider and or audition it when choosing? Thank you again for what you wrote; between it and what the dealer said has really given me pause.

https://www.qualifi.com.au/media_content/media/Marantz PM11s3_AHF_Feb14.pdf



https://www.theabsolutesound.com/ar...tegrated-amplifier-and-sa-11s3-sacdcd-player/



Translated from German: https://www.connect.de/testbericht/marantz-pm11s3-im-test-1462070.html



Translated from German: https://www.i-fidelity.net/testberi...eite-1-marantz-pm-11s3-bie-i-fidelitynet.html



Translated from French: https://www.opus51.fr/le-blog/item/361-marantz-pm11s3-en-écoute



Gene DellaSala is only about measurements; https://www.audioholics.com/amplifier-reviews/marantz-pm-11s3
 

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