Hi Daniel,
I have been a HiFi enthusiast for over thirty years and have owned many amps and speakers over the years both valve and solid state. I also live in Sydney and in fact was the first audiophile in Australia to own a Gryphon amp, the wonderful DM100.
I couldn't believe how much better it sounded than the two Krell KSA 250s I owned. The DM100 is now a classic and still outperforms many new products even today. A real testament to how good the original design was. I have great respect for the brand and for Flemming who
is passionate about the design, construction and sound quality of his products.
I have also owned a Diablo amp which I used with great success on Wilson Sasha speakers. And I have recently listened to the new Diablo 300 and have to say it is one of the best sounding amps I have heard in a long time. In fact you have to spend a lot more money to come close to it's performance. We compared it to a Goldmund system costing over five times the price and we all felt the Gryphon was at least as good if not superior to the Goldmund mono blocks. I also love the less is more integrated approach where you can have a great preamp, amp and dac based on the amazing Kalliope as well as a phono stage in one beautifully designed unit.
I am also familiar with your B&W 800 diamond speakers as well as the 802's you listened to. These are very nice speakers but are very dependant on the quality of the amplification to sound their best. They are very difficult to drive well and as a result very few people hear them at their best. I am confident that the Diablo 300 will be a great match for your 800's not only getting the best out of the bass potential but also achieving a great result with the mids and highs which can sound harsh on the diamond tweeter with a lot of other solid state amps.
I have a great respect for McIntosh gear but I can tell you now that it won't give you the same control and sound quality as the Diablo 300 will on your speakers. As you already noted the Gryphon is the logical choice if you are after a Great Future Proof solution with a wonderful natural sounding Preamp, Dac and Amplifier.
As for your experience with the Gryphon Distributor/Dealer in Sydney, all I can say is that I and a number of other enthusiasts I know have only had very positive experiences every time we have dealt with them. They have provided a great customer experience and unbiased advice and stand behind all their products including Gryphon which is their flagship product.
Kind Regards JZach.
I have been a HiFi enthusiast for over thirty years and have owned many amps and speakers over the years both valve and solid state. I also live in Sydney and in fact was the first audiophile in Australia to own a Gryphon amp, the wonderful DM100.
I couldn't believe how much better it sounded than the two Krell KSA 250s I owned. The DM100 is now a classic and still outperforms many new products even today. A real testament to how good the original design was. I have great respect for the brand and for Flemming who
is passionate about the design, construction and sound quality of his products.
I have also owned a Diablo amp which I used with great success on Wilson Sasha speakers. And I have recently listened to the new Diablo 300 and have to say it is one of the best sounding amps I have heard in a long time. In fact you have to spend a lot more money to come close to it's performance. We compared it to a Goldmund system costing over five times the price and we all felt the Gryphon was at least as good if not superior to the Goldmund mono blocks. I also love the less is more integrated approach where you can have a great preamp, amp and dac based on the amazing Kalliope as well as a phono stage in one beautifully designed unit.
I am also familiar with your B&W 800 diamond speakers as well as the 802's you listened to. These are very nice speakers but are very dependant on the quality of the amplification to sound their best. They are very difficult to drive well and as a result very few people hear them at their best. I am confident that the Diablo 300 will be a great match for your 800's not only getting the best out of the bass potential but also achieving a great result with the mids and highs which can sound harsh on the diamond tweeter with a lot of other solid state amps.
I have a great respect for McIntosh gear but I can tell you now that it won't give you the same control and sound quality as the Diablo 300 will on your speakers. As you already noted the Gryphon is the logical choice if you are after a Great Future Proof solution with a wonderful natural sounding Preamp, Dac and Amplifier.
As for your experience with the Gryphon Distributor/Dealer in Sydney, all I can say is that I and a number of other enthusiasts I know have only had very positive experiences every time we have dealt with them. They have provided a great customer experience and unbiased advice and stand behind all their products including Gryphon which is their flagship product.
Kind Regards JZach.