Gryphon 300 - one month later

AJR said:
Haha. Yep, it’s aesthetic certainly has grown on me. Although I must admit when I first auditioned my recent cables purchase with the D’Agostino Momentums (before home auditioning) I could not take my eyes off the D’Ags. I kept repeating to myself: “Three times the price. Three times the price...”.
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Kuoppis said:
While the Diablo sounds great, it certainly looks a bit like the industrial designer had a hangover the day it was designed. But the truth is in the eye of the beholder or more accurately in ones living/ music room.

To me the DAGs are a little more easy on the eyes as well.
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It's the meter thing. Although I do think Dags make the prettiest amps, Gryphon's built-quality is certainly in the upper echelon. You'll have to see it in person to really appreciate.
 
I have described it before as being like that ‘ok’ looking gal with the amazing personality (amongst other things...) - the looks grow on you!
 
kzhtoo said:
It's the meter thing. Although I do think Dags make the prettiest amps, Gryphon's built-quality is certainly in the upper echelon. You'll have to see it in person to really appreciate.
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Agree, it’s a question of personal taste. Not all people like the large Pass meters either.

What is the most important with all these designs is sound quality, and that is unquestionable.


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Well guys I have succumbed to the temptations of the Diablo. The last integrated amp I wanted to audition was the Luxman L-509X and now that I have there Is no doubt my preferred sonic presentation is that of the Diablo 300. It’s the closest thing to a live presentation I have heard and It can hang in there at any volume you would want it to.
I was so tempted to get the Diablo 120 because it’s imo 90% of the 300 but you know the minute I get it I would be thinking of the upgrade to the 300 so let’s just cut out middle amp.
So in 3 weeks courtesy of a certain local dealer who has been sending me subliminal messages I should be hearing “pleased to meet you...hope you guessed my name”
 
Dguitarnut said:
Well guys I have succumbed to the temptations of the Diablo.
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Larry.......The Gryphon Diablo 300 is the only integrated amplifier that has a strong enough allure to pull me away from McIntosh. I could see the Diablo 300 replacing my C2300 preamp and MC452 power amp.

Color me green with envy.


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Congrats Larry great choice. I'm with Dan and that if I switched to an integrated with speakers other than something like AG it would be my first choice too. Also the rack looks good too. More quality work by the guys at Timbernation.
 
Dguitarnut said:
Well guys I have succumbed to the temptations of the Diablo. The last integrated amp I wanted to audition was the Luxman L-509X and now that I have there Is no doubt my preferred sonic presentation is that of the Diablo 300. It’s the closest thing to a live presentation I have heard and It can hang in there at any volume you would want it to.
I was so tempted to get the Diablo 120 because it’s imo 90% of the 300 but you know the minute I get it I would be thinking of the upgrade to the 300 so let’s just cut out middle amp.
So in 3 weeks courtesy of a certain local dealer who has been sending me subliminal messages I should be hearing “pleased to meet you...hope you guessed my name”
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Resistance is futile - congrats! Great choice.


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Dguitarnut said:
Well guys I have succumbed to the temptations of the Diablo. The last integrated amp I wanted to audition was the Luxman L-509X and now that I have there Is no doubt my preferred sonic presentation is that of the Diablo 300. It’s the closest thing to a live presentation I have heard and It can hang in there at any volume you would want it to.
I was so tempted to get the Diablo 120 because it’s imo 90% of the 300 but you know the minute I get it I would be thinking of the upgrade to the 300 so let’s just cut out middle amp.
So in 3 weeks courtesy of a certain local dealer who has been sending me subliminal messages I should be hearing “pleased to meet you...hope you guessed my name”
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Congrats! It is an awesome amp. Totally agree about the ‘live presentation’ and combined with the S3 mk2s it produces amazing attack and details whilst still being musical. My music listening sessions go on for hours now, to the point where I have to check myself before firing it up knowing that once I do it is almost impossible to escape its grip!
 
jdandy - I had a C2500 on a MC302 for a couple of weeks; the sound is as a sleepy panda to the 300's jaguar on steroids. I also lived with C2500 on Naim amp - the tubes did a wonderful job of turning the Naim's high frequency harshness (to my sensitive ears) and was more engaging and 'exciting' than all-macintosh; but Naim was not exactly true to the recording; Vitus RI100 - too smooth and lacking in engagement in my set-up; Plinius Hiato - engaging but didn't time well enough in my set-up. Try a Diablo 300 but be prepared for a (pleasant) shock. I'm happy to stop my amp journey with this glorious integrated.

If anyone's interested, after a lot of time & effort, I can say that following incidentals work very well for me with my 300, seeming to me to be as neutral and balanced as you can get at the price point (well, the Mirus has a teeny organic hint of warmth..) : HFC Reveal XLR IC's, Audioquest Coffee USB, Naim Super Lumina speaker cable, Resonnesence Mirus Pro dac and Melco N1zH/2 server.

Currently wondering whether Magico S3 might better my, otherwise very good, Dynaudio Contour C60's and be the final piece in the final jigsaw.
 
Welcome eagle3333. Pleased to hear you love the Gryphon Diablo 300 too!


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eagle3333 Currently wondering whether Magico S3 might better my said:
Welcome to the forum. I spent weeks agonizing over a choice between the C60s and the S3 mk2s. I really liked the C60s but once I got used to the more precise and deeper bass on the fully enclosed S3s it turned out to be an easy choice given I had the budget for the more expensive S3 mk2s. Hopefully you can home demo the Magicos so you can hear for yourself.
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Eagle3333 - run! Do not get involved with this thread. We have quite a few people who tried to resist the Diablo but failed [emoji3].

But seriously, it is a great choice.


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Thanks Mike - I even like how it looks :)

AJR - thank you; the agony and the ecstasy.. Glad you're so happy. I'm almost there. Yes, I've emailed my local Magico dealer with a view to doing precisely that.
 
eagle3333 said:
jdandy - I had a C2500 on a MC302 for a couple of weeks; the sound is as a sleepy panda to the 300's jaguar on steroids.
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eagle3333.......That is an amusing analogy. There is quite a substantial performance difference with the C2300 and MC452 combination. The MC302 is not a quad balanced amplifier and is not in the same league as the MC452. I have auditioned the MC302 against the MC452 and the MC452 is remarkable cleaner and more detailed with quicker dynamics and seemingly endless power. The MC302 is not a bad amplifier but is entry level McIntosh in my opinion.

That is certainly not to suggest the Gryphon Diablo 300 is anything other than a remarkable solid state integrated amplifier. It certainly has piqued my interest.
 
Absolutely noted, Dan. It wasn't a realistic comparison; and I would like to have heard the 452. Would be an interesting comparison. Perhaps you're the man to conduct it?!
 
As another member of the Diablo 300/S3 Mk II club: These components go really well together. As the Borg and Seven of Nine say, "Resistance is futile!!"
 
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