![]() The non-slip patch on the underside is genius attention to detail, preventing damage to surfaces, making the unit sit proud and easier to pick up and making for a silent return to the table. ![]() This borders on the pedantic, but there it is. My only niggle is that I have to press the volume buttons with very precise pressure if I want to change volume by just 1 step. It possesses comprehensive functionality that is entirely intuitive. It sits perfectly ergonomically in the hand, in part due to the very clever flat edge on one side and a profiled, ribbed finish on the other. At first it looks a bit ordinary until you pick it up and feel the extraordinary weight and notice the beautiful black, brushed steel finish. There are no controls to interfere with the futuristic finish or the digital information displayed behind it touch screen technology sees to that that and a handset made from a collapsed star. It has the same perfectly flat, sleek, black acrylic and brushed steel surface. ![]() Above it, the pre’ sits with stylish poise and purpose, it’s ‘V’ pointing to the warp engine, below. In reality, they wouldn’t look out of place on board SpaceX). (These might be references to past icons, but this has more to do with how these up-to-the-minute, super contemporary designs resonate with my sci’ fi’ past. Switch on and a thin blue horizontal light strip (and tiny Gryphon logo) is the only sign of life and reminds me, then, of Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still. It just sits there promising all kinds of awesome. Before power-up, it reminds me of the monolith from 2010 A Space Odyssey the black, straight-edged, impenetrable block gives nothing away. The power amp sits at the bottom of my rack looking utterly menacing. I love the new Fleming Rasmussen design which, when it comes to the fascia layout, takes its queue from the profile of a record groove’s ‘v’ shape. The finish is typical Gryphon – flawless. The pictures can’t do these units justice. Roger put the power amp on the outside trolley and, when he'd left, I pushed it across onto the trolley on t’other side of the doorstep then rolled it through the house to the bottom shelf of the rack onto which it was another easy push-slide.īefore talking about sound, a word about aesthetics. ![]() I’ve got a knackered back so to get the 45kg power amp, in particular, from outside the front door, inside the house, I’d set-up two floor level ‘trolleys’ (motorcycle movers, in fact) bearing large blocks of kitchen worktop. Gryphon sent my cables sterilised with Isopropyl alcohol and sealed in a bag. I won’t go into the unboxing antics save to say that, in these challenging times, Roger of Nintronics in the UK went to incredible lengths to bring the units down to my very closed front door and unpack them, wearing mask and gloves, before heading off with my 300. Rest of the system is Mirus Resonessence Pro dac, Melco N1Zh server, Mojo S speakers, Gryphon Guideline Reference and VIP cabling. My reference and comparison points are the Diablo 300 which I owned prior to this pair and, prior to that, Naim 252/250DR. However, I hope the below main observations help anyone else wondering about the qualities of Gryphon’s new babies. I’m a passionate music listener but this (as may become obvious) is not my day job. This is a review of my Gryphon Essence pre/stereo power amplifiers.
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