GRYPHON ETHOS…The DAC with the CD TRANSPORT!

ETHOS CD PLAYER from GRYPHON AUDIO DESIGNS
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Recently, Gryphon Audio Design launched their Compact Disc player, the Ethos, after an absence of a new CD player in their catalog since the end of 2013. I have read some very positive reviews and testimonies from colleagues in the industry and fellow audiophile in the local fellowship. Prompted I was to call RAVE System Sdn Bhd, Malaysia‘s (Reference Audio Singapore‘s) TK. Han for a review unit. Enthusiastically, he sent me a brand new unit for the job!

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DIGITAL to ANALOGUE CONVERTER with a CD TRANSPORT

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There is the question, why a high end CD player at this time (year 2020), when the (Point 1) digital media favors download/ streaming? The situation does not help as (P 2) dedicate CD shops become a scarcity, and (P 3) dedicated CD drive is almost out of production. The situation is similar to that of the vinyl records and turntables/ analogue back in the 1990s. (Do we see the analogue media goes away?…NOT!)

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My main interest and reason/ review here [and to answer (P 3)], is the new dedicated CD Pro 8 Drive from StreamUnlimited of Austria employed in the Gryphon Ethos as a CD player. Apparently, the major players/ brands at the High End Audio Industry have grouped enough orders for StreamUnlimited to license from PHILIP to manufacture the dedicated CD drive for music playback only. Here, the Gryphon Audio Designs have built a high quality, mechanically decoupled/ suspended, and machined metal disc transport for the CD Pro 8 Drive employed in the Gryphon Ethos CD player.

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At Gryphon Audio Designs, they preferred to designate the Gryphon Ethos as a dedicated DAC with a CD transport. Therefore to answer the above mentioned (P 1), the Gryphon Ethos as a DAC is more than equipped to handle the current digital music formats from downloads with 2 x 32 bit/768kHz ES9038PRO Sabre DAC one per channel, each holding 8 individual DAC chips; offers optional up sampling to either 24/384 Pulse Code Modulation or Direct Stream Digital 128; and decodes up to 32/384 PCM and quadruple DSD (DSD512) via its USB input, or up to 24/192 (and no DSD) via its AES/EBU or S/PDIF inputs.

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In addition, there are 7 Filtersto choose from for the PCM formats and 3 Filters for the DSDs (altogether 10 Filters). However, it does not decode MQA format (by Meridian), does not play the SACD (due to copyright), and has no Ethernet port (they discovered and preferred the sound from the USB with a very good high end USB cable than the Ethernet input).

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The Gryphon Ethos retails around Ringgit Malaysia RM165,000-00 which to some, maybe a serious amount of money. Therefore it is believe that it will mostly tempt the serious and dedicated audiophile with serious collection of CDs. Whatever it may be, therefore, I seriously doubt they only have just a few CDs laying around and/or a few downloaded tunes in their dedicated hard drives…the CD media is NOT dead yet! {that answer the above mentioned (P 2)}

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The Gryphon‘s Dedication to Sound Quality, Aesthetic and Lifespan

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If anyone knows Flemming E. Rasmussen, who founded the Gryphon Audio Designs in 1985, will have an understanding of his pursuit for synergy between the (P 4) desired ultimate sound quality in his products and their (P 5) aesthetics thereof…which ultimately, contribute to the (P 6) longevity/ lifespan of his designs/ products. That understanding remained as the core philosophy of the Gryphon Audio Designs till today.

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The Head Gryphonist, Flemming is a firm believer of pure dual mono and pure class-A amplification. As in his first design and product, a Head Amp of pure dual mono configuration and pure class-A amplification for the phono cartridge/ vinyl analogue back in 1985. He strongly believes that the above is the recipe to his desired ultimate sound quality (P 4).

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Therefore, as expected in the Gryphon Ethos, a full class A amplification to guide its sound quality. In addition, its output stage is fully balanced class A analog that employs zero negative feedback. Here, the components surrounding the transistor are discreet. There is no ICs or op-amps throughout the signal path. The only op-amps used are incorporated as a DC servo to ensure no DC leaks into the analog output.

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As Gryphon Ethos take voltage directly from the DAC circuitry, therefore it’s power supply is indirectly part of the signal path. Here, after some serious consideration to ensure the desired ultimate sound quality, Melt resistors of very low current and voltage noise, Polypropylene Film capacitors, and very good Electrolytic capacitors are used. To up the ante for the sake of that sound quality, there are 2 separate analog toroidal transformers and 2 digital power supplies.

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Even the meticulous audiophile at Gryphon Audio Designs decided to have their Gryphon Ethos supported by their Atlas spikes for the added control over internal and external vibrations/ excitations…and more, for the sake of that sound quality.

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Those of us whom have been following the Gryphon Audio Designs, know that they do not launch a new or an updated product without good reasons. The Lifespan (P 6) of a typical Gryphon product is around 10-15 years, unless availability of parts is a problem.

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To me, they are not so much a follower of trend,…(cont’)

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Gryphon Audio Designs did not jump into the ever progressive digital arena without some sort of a breakthrough. Their first CD player was only launched in 1998, the Gryphon CDP-1 and being the worlds first asynchronous up-sampling to 88.2 kHz CD player. They continued to develop and push that technology in their Gryphon Adagio in 2001, and then the Mikado Top Loading CD player with asynchronous 24/96 upsampling in 2003,…finally, the Mikado Signature in 2008 with asynchronous 32/192 upsampling being launched and remained available till 2013.

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Therefore, the Gryphon Mikado/ Signature remained in the Gryphon catalog for only a decade long (2003-2013), due to the unavailability of the Philips’ top loading CD Pro 2 drive mechanism. They continued their helm at the digital arena with another ground breaking digital product, the Gryphon Kalliope, a dedicated DAC with plentitude of features and inputs! (check it out)

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…(cont’) but a trend setter!

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The aesthetic (P 5) of the triangle shaped Gryphon Ethos with different materials construction, clean colors contrast and a rightly sized Vacuum fluorescent front panel display, subjectively, does sum up, “modern art”, and that its total size is bigger than I have expected. The intentional (by the Gryphonist!) manual (instead of a motorized) top cover for its top loading CD drive which involved additional effort on the part of the users is to resemble the effort of the vinyl-phile with their turntable. The intentional design evoke the Gryphon’s vinyl and digital heritage.

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HOW THE MUSIC SNAPPED INTO POSITION?!

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Since the delivered Gryphon Ethos was a brand new unit, some running in was required (in my opinion). Almost everyday, I would play a full CD album or two, and someday, I would stretched it to three…tops! I do not recommend playing any CD player on repeat continuously at days on end to run in.

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At around the second week, the Gryphon Ethos’ musical presentation just “snapped into position!” I knew since day one that it has great potential from its presentation of the soundstage,…clear demarcation of dimensions, layers, and spaces between the images of artists and instruments, …within a quiet and black background. When the presented “music snapped into position”, I meant Amanda McBroom was projected standing out with a dense, palpable and weighted image, clearly separated from the accompanying musicians whom were clearly spaced out among themselves, within the spaciousness and airiness of the Preferred Sound & Cornerstone Studios (Los Angeles), in her album, “Midnight Matinee” (Magnum Music/ Master Music XRCD 24-NT0005).

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Playing Blues Company’s Red Blood (Tag McLaren Audio 01 Test Tracks 4101) proved to me that the Gryphon Ethos could lay out the foundation of (any) music, the bass, with hard gripped authority, control, definition, direction, and yet maintained certain refinement and finesse. Throughout the track, there was never a moment that the bass overwhelmed the other elements and their details thereof. Another feat here was that the bass was never too hard and rough, to ‘discotheque’ the entire presentation.

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The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra led by Erich Kunzel playing The Imperial March from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back at Star Tracks (Telarc CD-80094) was never that gloriously illustrated by any other CD player in my audio system before the arrival of the Gryphon Ethos with every area of the orchestra and its musicians brightly shone and clearly presented (I do not mean an exaggeration of the higher frequencies). The orchestra drums located behind the ensemble of musicians, were powerful in quality and quantum, thus showcased the grandness, scale, emotion and impact of the orchestra, the hall and more importantly, the music that represent the “Mightiness and Vastness of the Empire” (I just finished Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker [ep.9], again)

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I was literally blown away by the bountiful, and yet articulate mid to crazily low frequencies of the ‘drivers popping bass attacks’ (be warned!) from “Johann Strauss’ Banditen Galop, Op. 336” (EIN STRAUSSFEST, 24K Gold Telarc Digital CD 80098G). Personally, I felt there and then, that the Gryphon Ethos is design to play these Big Orchestra pieces,…generally, it has that high resolution, transparency, articulation, grace and refinement throughout the bandwidth that made their presentation so EASY.

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…the review continues…

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Realizing that the Gryphon Ethos is a “features-a-bundle” DAC with a CD transport, I will try to illustrate the difference(s) in sound characteristics contributed by each of the 7 Filters and Upsampling to 384kHz, available for the PCM format of the common music CD (44.1kHz).

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At Filter 1, playing Marcia Seebaran’s “Autumn Leaves” (Audiophile Jazz Prolugue-Part 1/ The Fifth & Fifteenth DSFS-001CD), I found her voice to be well pronounced with added velvety, lushness, bloom and seductiveness, as if time ran at a slower pace to allow another layer of detail to unveil, that many would called emotional detail. Similarly, at Filter 1 and with the activation of Upsampling to 384kHz, I found that Emi Fujita‘s rendition of “Best of My Love” (Camomile Best Audio/ Leafage IGMJSACD 60019) to be clearer, and cleaner, as if the presentation was tidied up with more spacing between the words in the lyric. Even the accompanying instruments were given similar effect, each tone was given more time to decay properly…and that the differences in size and scale became more apparent.

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At Filter 2, the vocal of (Ms.) Judas Law (a known busker in the streets of Hong Kong) from the same album, The Fifth & Fifthteenth (Kent Poon, DSFS-001CD feverSound.com) was leaner comparatively with Filter 1. However, the tempo remained almost at the same pace, and that the scaleand size of her accompanying guitar/strings was slightly preferable. With the Upsampling to 384kHz, I found the whole presentation to be sharper, more defined and delineated, where the shape of the artist’s body and her instrument were more easily visualizable…,and even the lower frequencies were audibly more controlled.

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At Filter 2 and Filter 3, the double strings of pipa from (Ms.) Zhao Cong “Sound of China/ Dance in the Moon {Pipa Album} (Modern Records MCD3101UHQCD) were vividly expressive in terms of vibrancy, energy and their transient thereof. I could easily follow Zhao’s fingers as they moved forward and backward across the strings of the pipa, and I might add more so at Filter 3. Here, there was more “bite and sizzle” from the strings which could be translated into transient of energy from the strings, comparatively (with Filter 1 & 2). With the Upsampling to 384kHz, it did brought out more nuances between and within the strings of the pipa. Thus, I was better able to appreciate the skills of the artist. In addition, there was better control over the lower to lowest frequencies thus enabled me to follow the notes to their intended lowest region.