Have you been enjoying your Gryphon Diablo 120 integrated ?


I almost bought one used a few years ago but decided to go all tubes.

inna

Thanks @arafiq . Choices, choices.. šŸ˜…

Do you mean the RI-101 integrated? SS-101 is the power amp. Iā€™ve earlier narrowed it down to either Vitus or Gryphon. I am aware vitus is also very good. But the price is significantly higher especially the SIA-030. Iā€™m not sure about the 101 mk2 but it is said to be not as good as the SIA versions. The SIA-025mk2 is said to be softer in its presentation.

Anyway Iā€™ll eventually need to pick one, will see how it goes. I need to do it right for once. Good to know either Gryphon or Vitus is a class above the Luxman L-590AXII.

@ryderĀ - My pleasure. Itā€™s a rare occasion when I can attest to qualities of multiple amps in one thread. Regarding the differences between Luxman and Gryphon models under discussion, the treble on the Luxman 590axii seems to fall in line with the general refined sound of the mids and bass. Nothing really is overly prominent - just a somewhat soft and refined sound.

The treble with the Gryphon 120 on the other hand can, with the wrong speaker, sound incredibly recessed. With the QLN Prestige Three, the treble on the Grypon rather disappeared, much to my dismay. Luckily, I had the Dynaudio Heritage Speakers around to try out. For the record, my critique of the Dynaudio Heritage speaker had been that the treble was too dominant.Ā 
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Alas, once I drove them with the Gryphon 120 amp, the Dynaudio Heritageā€™s forward sounding treble sounded incredibly balanced and perfect. I suspect Gryphon voiced the Gryphon 120 with a ā€œtreble-forwardā€ speaker. That is my singular critique of the Gryphon 120. From my experience, it wonā€™t sound great with every speaker. But if you pair it with the right one you are in for years of pleasure!Ā 
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Keep in mind that SS101 was Hans Vitusā€™ original designs with few compromises. Another advantage of SS-101 is that it can be used as an integrated amp due to a built in volume control, or you can use a dedicated preamp with it.

I have no doubt that the SIA-030 might be better, but the SS101 is miles better than the SIA-025 or any of the RI models.

I seems that one of the main ideas is to get great dynamics. And for that it would be Gryphon not Vitus, I suppose.

It depends on what you mean by dynamics. Both have excellent dynamics IMO but the Gryphon has ā€˜moreā€™ Ā bass control for sure. However, it also contributes to a slightly darker character that I didnt care for. Vitus, on the other hand, doesnā€™t have as much bass control, but only in comparison to the Gryphon. It has a lot more bass than any Luxman for example. But what the Vitus brings to the table is the signature class A sweetness and liveliness (not to be confused with brightness) that is quite addictive.

Having said that, in the end itā€™s a matter of taste and not outright superiority between the two.