Gryphon Audio: The Good The Bad & The Ugly

Back with our most popular series - Another installment, now this time, Adrian is getting brutally honest about The Good The Bad & The Ugly about Gryphon Audio!

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Audio Excellence Inc. is a high-end audio/video store in Markham, Ontario, Canada, a suburb of Toronto. We've been in business since 1991.

Check out our interviews with designers and audio luminaries like Daryl Wilson of Wilson Audio, Paul McGowan of PS Audio, Paolo Tezzon of Sonus Faber, Wendell Diller of Magnepan, John Atkinson of Stereophile, Dan D'Agostino of D'Agostino Master Audio Systems, Nelson Pass of Pass Labs and others.

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[talahoma]

For me the highlight of the video is Adrian talking about music. It shows his passion for music, and I am impressed by the breadth of his taste (I don’t know too many people who appreciate Bob Marley and Mahler). Having access to some of the greatest gear and not being a gearhead at all is so commendable.

[jrdavisphd]

Allison does a Gryphon-worthy job with these videos. I will never have Gryphon electronics in my home to enjoy, but learning about these spectacular amplifiers gives me great pleasure somehow. Perhaps because through the humour-laced information I am able to take away much that helps me listen better to music presented through the very nice system I am fortunate to have at home.

[paulmacdowell]

At 17:10 when you refer to the sound from the strings, the actual sound is called "col legno" which asks the players to hit the string with the wooden part of the bow, as opposed to spiccato which utilizes the hair. The Steinberg Planets recording you mentioned brings this effect out better than most.

[thomasperina]

Hello Fellow Audiophiles And Friends: Adrian thank you for Round 2 of the Gryphon Audio equipment. I just adore your step by step review of these amazing components. To sum up your personal opinion of this gorgeous equipment is what you input is exactly what you are going to hear. This equipment reproduces the input without any coloration. Adrian that's what I love about you is your integrity + honesty & no BS. Thank you again sir and my best to you, your family, and your crew 🙏. TMP from N.J.

[NosTubes]

“ Neutrality has always been my preferred choice as it relates to gear in general “, well done Adrian.

[enniol]

Adrian I love you and you know that. Your description of your love of food sounds like someone showing me how great their Bose system sounds.

[crisbravbr]

Adrian is very good at explaining what the gear sounds like, the meat analogy is great 😊

[mahasidha]

My local dealer who admittedly is biased because he is not a Gryphon dealer makes the which if true is an all important not insignificant one; he said wait until you need service (in the US); wait until you see who is handling the service. He has been in the business for 30+ years. Apparently if there is an issue with Mark Levinson it goes to an authorized service center in fact many of the top name brands are handled by this same organization (the name escapes me) not so with Gryphon. In all the hoopla and marketing excitement people rarely think of what happens should a service issue arise. I am 74 and my wife is 69; I want to insure that she is taken care of in the event I am not around and she needs help; how service issues are or are not handled at this level of expenditure or even for an 8K integrated should be IMHO part of the decision calculation as well as how great the component sounds. Since clearly an end user will not be shipping back to Denmark then what happens? End of rant 😂

[matthewhilty]

I love your descriptions of what you are hearing. I have a very modest system with Benchmark amps mono-blocked and a homemade I²S streamer (Yes I know these are studio amps not audiophile. ) and I love the neutrality. If its in the recording I can hear it. It is good to know that at the VERY high of this hobby there are neutral non-syrupy sounding options as well to aspire to.

[JRW]

Thanks for the video, Adrian.
I really enjoyed it.

This seems to be the complete opposite of what I enjoy from an audio system, but I guess this is also the highest goal for the typical audiophile.

[michaelscheerer]

Just enjoyed the Mahler Adagietto with my Gryphon Diablo 300 and Marten Parker Duo boxes. Gorgeous experience indeed. Many thanks Adrian.

[tarichar]

I am interested in the score speakers and how they sound with mcintodh

[carstenfischer]

I have always had this believe that something expensive should look expensive. And for Me high end audio should be designed so that it looks and feels what the price reflects. For Me personally the design and looks means almost as much as the performance sonically. I must admit that I might be just a little biased when it comes to Gryphon because Im Danish and I listened to a pair of Gryphon mono amps for the first time many decades ago at the age of 19 at a friends house, and I was in shock. I never had any idea up until that moment that something like this even existed. I almost startet to cry when he started playing some music to Me. It was such a chock that music in a living room could sound like this paired to a set of Klipsch horn speakers the size of mini bus. Ever since that time Gryphon products are the most beautiful in the World to Me. And oh My God I think that the Apex looks stunning.

[FilipinaVegana]

I once briefly auditioned a pair of very tall and skinny Gryphon loudspeakers in Sydney, worth about a quarter of a million (Australian) dollars. They were incredible!

[espeningelarsen]

Thanks for the video, Adrian.
I really enjoyed it :) When you test this against Relentless I hope you use Dan's preamplifier on Relentless :)

[net_news]

The only bad thing about Gryphon is the price... sound is amazing and looks even better, maybe in my next life I can afford a Gryphon system. I think is the only "crazy high-end" brand that I really liked.

[walterpen]

Everytime I see the front meter of the D'Agostino Power Amp., I always get hungry. How many slices of prosciutto, provolone cheese and salami do you want with your foggaica bread? Thanks for sharing and excuse me while I get my espresso, with grappa!

[henkbakker]

Coconut bars, here in Europe, is called BOUNTY!!! Yes and I loved them. 😂😂😊😊😍😍👍👍

[carlstineman]

So for the Gryphons you brought out the good stuff <G>. A high-end system should simply disappear and faithfully deliver to your ears whatever your source material has to offer. Sounds like the Gryphons do that. That, of course, puts a high premium on quality source material; not a small ask. In my experience the most enjoyable, comfortable symphonic recordings deliver what you described for the Chicago/Barenboim/Mahler.

[a.s.]

Adrian, Of all the brands you carry, which amp brand produces the widest, tallest soundstages? Would it be the Gryphons?