Gryphon 300 - one month later

As a Diablo 300/S3 Mk II owner, I believe my 300 is operating predominately in Class A at volume settings 18 - 24 for most of the music I play (classical & jazz).

On a max 100 step scale 24 would be roughly 75 wpc with a 300 wpc amp, so I would guess that might be at least partly outside class A (with a factory spec of 15 wpc in class A).


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By turn off you mean turn right off and not standby?
AJR,
Good question. From the owner's manual: "With the exception of Class A power amplifiers, we recommend leaving your Gryphon components powered up at all times." This doesn't answer your question, but when in Standby, current draw and heat output are practically nil.
 
By turn off you mean turn right off and not standby?

I was referring to standby. For most amplifiers that means a muted output and bias to the transistors is turned off. That allows the rest of the components to remain powered up for best sound while reducing energy waste and needless heat output.


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AJR,
Good question. From the owner's manual: "With the exception of Class A power amplifiers, we recommend leaving your Gryphon components powered up at all times." This doesn't answer your question, but when in Standby, current draw and heat output are practically nil.

Yea, I just couldn't see leaving a high bias amplifier on all the time, pure Class A or not.

That said it is hard to gauge what sonic penalty there is for taking it in and out of standby everyday. There are certainly those that for instance, leave there systems powered up all weekend starting Friday night and claim things keep improving right through Sunday.

Edited.


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On a max 100 step scale 24 would be roughly 75 wpc with a 300 wpc amp, so I would guess that might be at least partly outside class A (with a factory spec of 15 wpc in class A).


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Kuoppis,
I don't think you can judge current draw and hence class of operation by the volume setting alone - depends on what the music demands at different points in time. My volume setting statement was based on musical volume levels for my music in my environment. For most classical/jazz music in my room with my speakers, settings are typically 20 - 22. Sometimes up to 24, sometimes 18 - 20 for background. I would consider most of my listening to be at moderate levels. But quiet classical passages, even at level 24, would require very little power (e.g., less than a watt).
I should also note that volume settings for the Diablo 300 range between 0 and 42. Don't recall ever having mine above 26.
 
Kuoppis,
I don't think you can judge current draw and hence class of operation by the volume setting alone - depends on what the music demands at different points in time. My volume setting statement was based on musical volume levels for my music in my environment. For most classical/jazz music in my room with my speakers, settings are typically 20 - 22. Sometimes up to 24, sometimes 18 - 20 for background. I would consider most of my listening to be at moderate levels. But quiet classical passages, even at level 24, would require very little power (e.g., less than a watt).
I should also note that volume settings for the Diablo 300 range between 0 and 42. Don't recall ever having mine above 26.

GSOphile, I agree with you. In physics the relationship between power input and performance output is typically exponential. I was just using a simplified mathematical model for the assumption. With an attenuator range of 0-42 and the same model that would mean about half the power. But as said, it is difficult to say what the exact relation is.

My Pass has also this meter indicating when the amp is leaving Class A and it only moves when I really crank it up way above my normal listening levels. That said, the Pass leaves Class A at 25 wpc.


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If you're using one of XLR inputs on the 300, 30 is very loud. I'm like at the half of it.

So 15? I can barely hear 15! It is only from 20 and beyond that I feel like the 300 is performing. At 24 and above it kicks ass.
 
I should qualify by saying it depends on the quality of the source... I am finding that my sweet spot is between 20 and 25 for my ‘usual’ listening levels. Up to between 27-32 when I crank it.
 
When I have swapped out Dacs I have found that they output at different sound levels also. So individual volume results will also depend on them.
My int-60 at clik 1 is as loud as click 8 on the Diablo this being my early morning wife still asleep sound level. For normal 80 to 88 dB levels my Int is cranked to 30-35 and the Diablo is at 20 to 25.. so no linearity that I can see.
In one of my conversations with Kent over at Pass he said the Int-60 really will not suffer from clipping because it’s volume is throttled down before you reach that point. And that even when the meter is beyond the midway point it’s more than likely still in class A. I think I read somewhere there is a setting that can be changed inside the amp if that situation is needed.
Probably why Gryphon has that programable max volume option for speaker protection.
 
So 15? I can barely hear 15! It is only from 20 and beyond that I feel like the 300 is performing. At 24 and above it kicks ass.

Don't confuse the volume setting with the amp's power draw (and hence whether it's operating in Class A, etc.)
 
Well my Diablo’s final day of break-in is today! Using an ole Voodoo recipe which involved leaving on for 5 days straight, then 12 hours on and 12 hours unplugged with chanting ancient ritualistic mantras, dancing in rhythmic and uncontrollable fashion with a sprinkling of bat wings and unicorn hair around the said subject. At last today the final exorcism begins with Ozzie Osborne and Black Sabbath with a sacrificial offering of the high priestess of song Diana Krall.
Thanks to Mike and his formula my head will not spin around, utter vulgarities, and vomit green stomach bile all over my Magicos. I’m not even gonna go into what breaking their spell involved. You would say TMI.
After having the Diablo 120 over for a week trial it had set the bar high and I was wondering if I was making an error getting the 300. Finally in the last couple of days it has reached that level of finesse and delicacy that the 120 has at my preferred mid to low sound levels. As expected at full throttle it has more control than its younger sibling.
Life is like Budweiser.....doesn’t get any better than this!
:dancing:
 
Nice post.

Am locked in the grip of the Diablo right now (and to be fair the T1 and S3 mk2s). It won’t let go.

Mike - thank you also.
 
Nice post.

Am locked in the grip of the Diablo right now (and to be fair the T1 and S3 mk2s). It won’t let go.

Mike - thank you also.

You’re both very welcome!


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Well my Diablo’s final day of break-in is today! Using an ole Voodoo recipe which involved leaving on for 5 days straight, then 12 hours on and 12 hours unplugged with chanting ancient ritualistic mantras, dancing in rhythmic and uncontrollable fashion with a sprinkling of bat wings and unicorn hair around the said subject. At last today the final exorcism begins with Ozzie Osborne and Black Sabbath with a sacrificial offering of the high priestess of song Diana Krall.
Thanks to Mike and his formula my head will not spin around, utter vulgarities, and vomit green stomach bile all over my Magicos. I’m not even gonna go into what breaking their spell involved. You would say TMI.
After having the Diablo 120 over for a week trial it had set the bar high and I was wondering if I was making an error getting the 300. Finally in the last couple of days it has reached that level of finesse and delicacy that the 120 has at my preferred mid to low sound levels. As expected at full throttle it has more control than its younger sibling.
Life is like Budweiser.....doesn’t get any better than this!
:dancing:

Reading about your burn-in process I can barely start to imagine how it all looks like. [emoji3]

Enjoy in good health!


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So, am still breaking in my AudioQuest power cables. But I do have this to say so far: the Diablo is the devil. And the S3 2s are the devil’s partner in crime. It’s grip is almost impossible to escape. Toe tapping is only the start of it.
 
I am into Day 2 of my Diablo 300 break in. This is truly an amazing integrated. Looking forward to the continued and noticeable improvements!

Thanks to Mike for making this happen!:congrats:
 
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