Soulution 331 vs Gryphon Diablo 333

Haven’t heard either one but something you should be cognizant of is the disparity in cost.  The Soulution is listed as $45K whereas the Diablo is around $23K.  In addition, it looks like there has been a slight reduction in power with the former, from 120W to 100W.  There was a huge increase in cost with the Soulution, (eg 331 from 330) which may or not be justified depending upon your ears.

@russellrcncom 

I checked on the MSRP of the Soulution, and it's $33K without the DAC and phono. Dealers are not explaining this on their websites. I have heard the Diablo 300 and was impressed; the Soulution will be more difficult to demo, though!

Gryphon is a monster amp. What speakers are you planning to use ? Also, Gryphon's phono and dac are usually excellent, if you need them.

@inna 

I'm using a pair of KEF Reference 1 Metas. This is not my endgame speaker, though. Hearing the Diablo 300, I know how powerful they are, especially in the bass. The new Soulution 331 is supposed to be a unique-sounding component. 

jeffreyw, I see.

Not well familiar with the Soulution.

Really hard to advise, anyway.

I am receiving my 331 next week.  It is replacing my Ayre AX-5 Twenty integrated amp.  Here is an excellent review: https://twitteringmachines.com/review-soulution-331-integrated-amplifier/.

I have heard the Gryphon 333. It would be really hard to believe it can sound much better. I would love to hear the Soulution though.

@at0310t 

Please post your impressions of the 331; you would be one of the first since even professional reviews are scarce!

Thanks!

Sooo...... I was able to demo the Soulution 331. All I can say is "wow'. It was paired with Magico A5s. The quality of the bass was most impressive; it was very clean and tight. The midrange and highs were magical, more so holographic. The placement of instruments and vocals was crazy (yes, the Magico's help).

From what I recall, the Gryphon Diablo 300's bass output was far greater than the Soulution's, but it was not as refined. However, the Diablo did not come close to the Soulution's midrange and highs performance. I have auditioned many amps over the years, but I think this Soulution 331 is the best I have ever heard. 

I'm still trying to audition the Gryphon 333, but I can't unhear what the Soulution did to me! I will try not to be biased because I really love Gryphon. 

@jeffreyw we've had the 331 in our Family Room stereo for about 10 days.  We've been listening to mostly Jazz streaming from Qobuz on our Aurender A30.  My wife has commented on hearing details she did not hear before.  Music is more 3-dimensional with voices and instruments further out into our room accompanied by a wide soundstage.  Despite 120 wpc vs. my previous Ayre AX-5 Twenty [125 w/c], bass instruments / drums are much tighter, deeper in reach with much more detail and GRIP.  I'm guessing the power reserves supplemented by 160,000 µF of storage capacitance is what's in play here.  I'm blown away.

Based on this experience, I am planning to upgrade my Office system replacing my Ayre KX-R Twenty Pre & VX-R Twenty Amp with the Soulution 312 Stereo Amplifier and the Soulution 760 DAC Converter.

@jeffreyw BTW, here is another review of the Soulution 331 from hifi.nl.  If your browser is Google Chrome, you easily translate fro Dutch to English:  https://hifi.nl/artikel/34175/Review-Soulution-331-geintegreerde-versterker-wereldprimeur.html

@at0310t 

Thank you for the update! You mentioned pairing the 312 with the 760 DAC. I am considering pairing the 312 with the new 360 DAC. I only use digital as an input. I question the difference in sound quality by powering the 312 with the DACs volume control vs. sending the DACs signal through the 331 integrated. It's something I need to explore. 

@jeffreyw I would suspect the 360 DAC would offer better performance vs. the 331 with DAC module given the formers zeroPhase processing and the LEEDH volume control.  Whether or not the improvement is worth the additional ~$14K is another discussion.  Good luck.

@jeffreyw   What speakers are you using? 

I’d add the T+A HV3100 into the mix.

@bubba12 

KEF Reference 1 Metas. It's not my endgame speaker, though.

@nitewulf 

I directly compared the two. T+A was warmer (which I like), but it did not have the magic of Soulution. Also, the T+A was fully broken in; the Soulution only had about 25 hours on it. I'm still astounded as to what I heard with the Soulution.

The Gryphon can drive any future speaker. I don't know the Soulution but maybe consider the Magico speakers if you loved the sound.

Was the T A vs Soulition same place just a swap or different? Basically comparable or no? Else I think you just want us to tell you to buy the Solution- which is ok. If you like it, and can afford it, buy it. 

@nitewulf 

Both components were in the same rack and swapped out. I do not want anyone to tell me what to buy; my ears will decide! I could easily live with either in the long term. However, the T+A did not provide the jaw-dropping moments that the Soulution did. I will do another audition of both, especially when the Soulution is fully broken in. 

jeffreyw, clearly you prefer the Soulution to both the Gryphon and T+A.

But you say that you might want to change your speakers later as well. Do you know what speakers you might have in the future?

@jeffreyw - congratulations! You’ve discovered a component that “resonates” with you.  Many components sound great, but the ones that pull you in emotionally and are affordable are few.  

@jeffreyw Congratulations and finding the component you connect with emotionally, and that is the point of this hobby.  Do not let comments of others or the press come between what you have discovered and do not get into the trap some audiophiles fall into the fear of missing out on something better (FEMO).  This phrase was coined by a professional reviewer but I do not remember his name to give him credit. If you have FEMO you will never be satisfied.  Good luck in your final decision and enjoy the emotional experience music brings. 

@jeffreyw - congratulations! You’ve discovered a component that “resonates” with you.  Many components sound great, but the ones that pull you in emotionally and are affordable are few.  

Jefferyw,

I owned the ref 1 meta and quickly moved up to the ref 3 meta. The first was probably more accurate to the music, the second was that with more fun.

Oh, and as you probably already discovered the internal  jumper is crap. 

d/s