The Gryphon
Gryphon Essence Stereo
It is our fundamental philosophy that all electronics in the playback chain must ideally be neutral and not add or subtract anything from the recording, no matter how “attractive” such distortions may be. The Essence is by nature a product for the fortunate few who can afford such a statement, just as it is a product for the increasing number of audiophiles who seek purity in the reproduction of music, a product for music lovers who respect both the musicians and recording engineers enough to refrain from adding or subtracting anything in relation to the original intention of the recording. True Class A operation has always been a Gryphon benchmark, simply because nothing in our experience can match the sonic glories of pure Class A.
Essence is your direct music conduit with sonic neutrality, textural purity and dynamic ease. A truly extraordinary power amplifer.
Now, Gryphon Essence takes us closer in the never-ending quest for a more natural and convincing musical illusion. Years of experimentation and extensive research in the fields of circuit topology and component quality and reliability have resulted in the development of an amplifier that impresses immediately with its ability to cruise effortlessly through even the most demanding musical passages, regardless of volume level.
Circuit topology
Power is the name of the game and the Essence is equipped to take on even the most demanding of all of loudspeaker loads. The output section uses Sanken bipolar output devices which have demonstrated extreme reliability in addition to outstanding sonic performance. The Essence Stereo employs 10 transistors per channel, while the Essence Monoblock features 20 of these devices per unit. These transistors can be called upon to deliver massive amounts of momentary peak power without overload.
Fully symmetrical input- and gain stages improves transient response, soundstage depth and ambience retrieval.
The
separate driver section has its own power supply from individual
windings on the custom-made toroidal transformers. Unique mechanical
design ensures optimal thermal tracking between drivers and output
devices. The driver section features its own generous bank of high
quality capacitors.
The power capacitor bank in the Stereo version
is an astounding 440,000 µF array of exceptional capacitors, and 880,000
µF in the Monoblock edition, in both versions bypassed by high quality
polypropylene capacitors throughout the power supplies.
Global negative feedback is non-existent and DC coupling employs DC servo circuitry. Internal wiring in the signal path is kept to an absolute minimum.
Gryphon Essence utilizes a completely
independent power supply for display and control circuits, effectively
preventing digital noise
generated by these circuits from reaching the amplifier circuits.
• Zero global negative feedback
• 440,000 μF (Stereo) or 880,000 μF (Mono version) capacitor bank
• Balanced dual differential Class A input circuitry followed by a high-speed voltage amplifying Class A stage
• Fully regulated low noise power supply for all voltage amplifying stages
• DC servo coupling
• Frequency-independent damping factor
• Polypropylene capacitors for local power supply decoupling
• Four-layer up to 70 μm copper printed circuit boards
• Custom-made 1350 VA toroidal transformer
• Separate power supply for digital and analog circuits
• Soft Start turn-on prevents triggering of fuses in the home electrical system
• Gold-plated Neutrik XLR socket for one balanced input per channel
• Gold-plated custom-built binding posts
• 12 V DC link for power up and down
• Automatic Green Bias setting or manual Low/High bias
• Flash memory upgrades via PC or Key-fob
• Non-invasive protection system
• RGB LED bar indicating Bias High / Low status.
• Standby current consumption < 0.5 W
• EU CE approval