Bryston 4B3 vs Mac MC462 vs Pass Labs X250.8, OR... GRYPHON Diablo 300?

Nyev,

Once more, thank you so much. Your analysis is most helpful and I truly appreciate all the guidance you have given me. Rather than fly out west, my wife and I are planning a little trip down to New York to set up an audition. It’s by appointment only, but they do have both McIntosh and Gryphon, so a head to head battle sounds like fun! By the way, the gentleman that I have been corresponding with at the dealer in Vancouver has been incredibly helpful and has been very prompt in answering all my emails. He basically said that I cannot go wrong with either the Diablo or the 611’s with my C1100 preamp. He was quite descriptive in the attributes of both. BUT...he did say to get the desired sound out of the Mac equipment, I would need to, as you have stated Nyev, is drop some serious scratch for the power cords and interconnects. He also stated, however, that once, “you’ve been hooked by the tone of the Gryphon, there’s no going back,”. He also said that I would need a stack of 5 boxes with all the power cords and interconnects to equal the performance of the Diablo. He said the Diablo, “cannot be touched for an all-in-one package”. So...looks like I’m getting closer and closer to being overtaken by the impressive Dane...

All the best Nyev,

Kevin

Great plan regarding tying in with a New York trip.  I also had almost considered visiting the New York Gryphon/McIntosh store when I was auditioning.
A lot of sales-y comments from the Vancouver shop regarding the Diablo, but that said I tend to agree with them.
From what I've seen in forums, reviews, and talking with many experienced people on this board, the Diablo's "tone" is highly regarded, but keep in mind there are a very, very small number of people who don't the Gryphon house sound.  So you do need to hear it yourself.  Still I'd be surprised if you don't love it.  I typically don't prefer warmer sounding equipment, because in my experience it's been less detailed, bloated, slow, and veiled.  The Gryphon's tone manages to be warm, yet at the same time with very responsive, rich high-resolution detail at all frequencies, including right down to the lowest bass frequencies.  This makes it very engaging yet very easy to listen to at the same time.

Please post the results of the head to head test with the 601's!  To be honest I find audio gear testing more stressful than fun - because I find I really struggle to make sense of what I am perceiving over a short amount of time.  For me at least, it takes a ton of focus and concentration to get to a point where I have some reliable conclusions on the sound I am hearing, to the extent where I am confident I won't have a different opinion after days of use.  I can get there, but it takes work.  If I take it lightly, I find my first impression is totally thrown out the window after extended use.  Thankfully that's all over and I am just listening to music when I use my system now, and not endlessly trying to pick apart what I am hearing!
Good luck!

Right on, Nyev! It’s about the music, man!!!
Thank you again for all your help...and I will definitely post how the audition goes.

Until then...happy listening, sir!
All the best,

Kevin

I had a MC452 connected to Magnepan 3.7s then 20.7s.  It had a bias issue so my dealer loaned me a pair of 601’s which I compaired to a Sanders Magtech, the Magtech totally outperformed the 452 and the 601s, much deeper and solid base, like adding a sub to a system.  A few years later I borrorwed a 4b3 and that out performed the Magtech by a larger margin than the Sanders over the 452/601s.  I wanted a little more punch than the 4b3 so thats been upgraded to a 14b3 which is a beast.  The only amps I would consider over the 14b3 would be a Burmester 911 or a D’agostino Momentum and they would have to prove themselves on my system before I would commit.  The 14b3 specs (which is not everything) are better than all the amps listed here.  Someone on this thread said Bryston is not high end, not sure where that thought came from but IMHO Bryston rocks and can handle any speaker out there.

nyev OP
Diablo’s "tone" is highly regarded, but keep in mind there are a very, very small number of people who don’t the Gryphon house sound.

Gryphon amps are to closest sound to a big pure Class-A linear amp with an iron fist for bass control, without having to go pure Class-A.
If this is a "house sound" then count me in, as that’s the kind of sound that is big controlled and 3 dimensional and washes over you, that never sounds like it’s emitting from the speakers, it feels like you can get up out of your chair and walk into the sound stage. Some very good tubes can do this but they fall down with hard loads and bass grip.

Cheers George