Gryphon Essence Mono Class A power amplifier

GRYPHON ESSENCE

MONO CLASS A POWER AMPLIFIER

Gryphon Essence embodies tonal neutrality, textural purity and dynamic lightness.

With an extremely wide frequency bandwidth (0.5Hz - 350kHz, +0dB, -3dB), Gryphon Essence is conservative at 50W (8O), 100W (4O), 200W (2O) in Stereo, Class A and at 55 W (8O), 110 W (4O), 220 W (2O), (Monoblock), Class A designed.

These exceptional values guarantee stability at any loudspeaker load. The dual-mono design uses a custom-built, shielded, two-winding, high-current toroidal transformer for the left and right channels. The output stage and driver stage have separate power supplies for effective isolation of the output stage from the input stage. A separate transformer for the control and display circuitry isolates them from the signal path.

Uncompromising Class A topology

Gryphon Essence takes us one step further in the never-ending quest for a more natural and compelling musical illusion. Years of experiments and extensive research in the areas of circuit topology, component quality and
-reliability have led to the development of an amp that immediately impresses with its ability to effortlessly navigate even the most demanding musical passages, regardless of volume. With consistently high power reserves available at all times, the Essence simply does not 'see' the speaker, so its reactive load cannot affect amplifier performance. In contrast to other high-performance amplifiers, the Essence offers extreme power reserves when required thanks to its uncompromising, pure Class A topology, combined with delicacy and finesse in the musical presentation.

It is Gryphon's fundamental philosophy that all electronics in the playback chain should ideally be neutral, adding or subtracting nothing from the recording, no matter how 'attractive' such distortion may be. The Gryphon Essence is inherently a product for the growing number of audiophiles seeking purity in music reproduction, a product for music lovers who respect both musicians and recording engineers enough not to add or subtract anything that goes with the original intention related to the recording.

Outstanding circuit topology

Performance is the be-all and end-all, and the Gryphon Essence is equipped to compete with any loudspeaker: the output section uses bipolar output components from Sanken, which have proven to be extremely reliable in addition to their outstanding sonic performance. 10 transistors per channel are used in the Essence Stereo, and 20 in the Essence Monoblock. These transistors are capable of delivering massive amounts of instantaneous peak power without overloading.

Fully balanced input and gain stages improve transient response, bass depth and spatial imaging.

The separate driver section has its own power supply from the individual windings of the specially made toroidal transformers. A unique mechanical design ensures optimal thermal matching between drivers and output devices.
The driver section has its own high quality, generously sized capacitor bank.

The power capacitor bank in the stereo version consists of an amazing array of exceptional 440,000 µF and 880,000 µF in the monoblock version, bridged by high-quality polypropylene capacitors in the power supplies in both versions.

There is no global negative feedback, and DC coupling is done via a DC servo circuit. The internal wiring in the signal path has been reduced to an absolute minimum.

The Gryphon Essence uses a completely independent power supply for the display and control circuits, preventing the digital noise generated by these circuits from reaching the amplifier circuits.

Unique protection system

The unique, non-invasive protection system offers reliable, no-fuss protection without compromising signal purity and simplicity of the signal path. The output signal is constantly compared to the input signal so that if the deviation exceeds preset limits, the amplifier will mute and go into standby mode until the fault condition is cleared.

The temperature of the heatsink is constantly monitored. In case of overheating (temperature above 90°C) the amplifier will switch off. Normal operation will resume when a safe operating temperature is reached.

Technical details

- Exterior design by Flemming E. Rasmussen

- Electronic design by Tom Møller

- Dual mono configuration

- No global negative feedback

- 440,000 µF (stereo) or 880,000 µF (mono version) capacitor bank

- Class A balanced dual differential input circuit followed by a high-speed Class A voltage boost stage

- Fully regulated, low-noise power supply for all voltage boost levels

- DC servo coupling

- Frequency-independent damping factor

- Polypropylene capacitors for local decoupling of the power supply

- Four-layer copper circuit boards up to 70 µm thick

- Custom built 1350VA toroidal transformer

- Separate power supply for digital and analog circuits

- Soft start switch-on prevents fuses in the house installation from being triggered

- Gold-plated Neutrik XLR jack for one balanced input per channel

- Gold plated custom made binding posts

- 12V DC connection for switching on and off

- Automatic adjustment of Green Bias or manual adjustment of Low/High Bias

- Flash memory upgrades via PC or key fob

- Non-invasive protection system

- RGB LED bar to indicate bias high/low status.

- Standby power consumption <0.5W

- EU CE approval

- Designed and manufactured in Denmark

- Specifications: Mono (any device)

- 55W @ 8O, 110W @ 4O, 220W @ 2O at 115V/230V AC supply

- 20 high-current bipolar output transistors per monoblock

- Output Impedance: 0.0075O

- Bandwidth (-3dB): 0.3Hz to 350kHz

- Power supply capacity (both channels): 880,000 µF

- Gain: +31.0dB

- Input impedance, balanced (20 Hz-20 kHz): 10 kO

Dimensions (WxHxD): 47 x 24 x 46 cm
Weight: 45 kg net per device

All specifications are subject to change without prior notice.