Anyone bought a Gryphon Diablo 333?

Hello everyone, here I would not answer Kairosman's or Nyev's questions but you probably know that the Gryphon Diablo 333 will be in Montreal for the weekend of 22 March  2024 in a Canadian premiere (Montreal Audio Fest).

Here is an excerpt from Absolute Sound: "The new Diablo 333 will be on active display in Bliss Acoustics' Montreal Room 2, drivingAudioNec EVO-3 Speakers. Nagra's Reference Anniversary Turntable with Nagra Reference Cartridge and Nagra HD Phono, Playback Designs MPS-8 SACD Player/DAC and Aurender N 20 Network Player, Modulum Racks, CAD GC 3.1 Ground Control, Luna Cables Rouge Series and Stillpoints Aperture II Acoustic Panels complete this "Super System."

I myself am the proud owner of a Gryphon Diablo 300 paired with a LUXMAN DA 10-X player. Recently I sold a superb pair of Sonus Faber Guarneri Evolution.

I was very satisfied but I found that the sound of the Sonus Faber was going a little too much in the same direction as the slightly syrupy Gryphon (the total of both). I sold the Sonus and I'm aiming for FOCAL SCALA V2 (of which I heard the latest EVO version). For the moment I'm listening on VIRGO 25 (back up) and it performs better like that especially since I acquired AUDIOQUEST DRAGON SOURCE and HIGH CURRENT power cord. I now hear the true sound of the devices and I have rediscovered the Audio Physic.

To conclude, I will be happy to shake hands with the Dragan Reljic, Owner of Bliss Acoustics (Where my Gryphon comes from) during this weekend and I would have an attentive ear to the sound of the GRYPHON 333 (hoping that this one will be burn in). I hope that the audiophile media will be able to make a short analysis of it. I find it deplorable that no specialized magazine has yet made it a test bench? Then will it be worth the difference of nearly $10,000 Can. To be continued

I will be interested in following this. I’ve owned an Essence Stereo for several years, and was using a Tambaqui directly into it. I was considering getting an Antileon as the sound I was getting was overly transparent. Pretty, precise, nice depth, but weak bass, dynamics, and lacking tonal density to really feel convincing. Turns out, I just needed a pre amp. In gathering data, I noted that many in the industry feel that Gryphon amps are at the top of the heap, but the pres are not held is high esteem. Also, many feel that a tube amp is desirable with the Essence. I wound up buying a very expensive solid state pre (that has just a touch of warmth) and have the sound quality I desire. The Essence amp is pretty amazing, and is really influenced by the component feeding it. I do wonder though if a 333 would have gotten me there at a lower cost. It will bet interesting as the reviews come in on how people compare Essence separates, Essence amp with a different pre, the 333, and the 300.

@roccl007 , I think I know what you mean by the slightly syrupy sound, related to the Diablo 300.  Not a negative on its own but I could seem how this could be compounded by other components with a similar effect.

Best of luck with the Diablo 333 and my guess is it will be to your liking.  I base this on a forum post that details the sound quite a bit.  The post is on a forum with the letter p, also s, and it also it has the word audio in it.  Sorry this forum won’t let me say it.  It’s in the thread “your latest upgrade part 2”.

The poster said the midrange is warmer, easier to listen to and cleaner sounding vs the 300, and says the upgrade is well worth it (no surprise!).

@ricky64 I’ve ALMOST followed your path, just recently. I too have a Tambaqui. And with my new Audiovector R6 Arrete speakers, I actually now feel that the Diablo 300 has a touch too much bass and that touch of darkness - the same qualities that I felt really complemented my last speakers (B&W 803 D2). Compared to the B&W’s my Audiovectors are more warm and relaxed sounding, but detailed with a lot of bass. The upper mids and treble are not accentuated like they were with the B&W’s which had far less bass.

So with this change, I am looking for a touch more neutrality than I have now, and not the Diablo sound anymore (it’s not as extreme as I’m making it sound and in fact it pairs with many modern speakers extremely well). A contact told me the Gryphon distributor told him that the 333 still has that Diablo 300 darkness but is now a bit closer to neutral like the Apex and Essence.

With that info and with my new warmer sounding speakers, I have an Essence stereo amp on the way. And since I like my Tambaqui but wanted the advantage of an analog preamp without adding another box, I have a Makua on the way with a Tambaqui inside it.

It’s a gamble as I now will have three very neutral components across the Essence amp, Makua, and embedded Tambaqui. But I’m hoping this will be a good match for my slightly warm and full-bodied Audiovector speakers (at least in comparison to the B&W’s). I know for sure this combo will not be bright sounding as the Makua and Tambaqui have that hint of liquid smoothness while being neutral and detailed, but I also know this combo would not have worked AT ALL with the B&W’s!

Despite the high cost, I am okay if it doesn’t work out - I would likely sell and “fall back” to a Diablo 333. But I’m hopeful everything will work out!

Interesting comment about Gryphon Pre’s. Any reference on this comments or is this more a word of mouth thing? I hadn’t heard this before.

Also @ricky64 , which speakers and preamp do you have?

@ricky64 another thing, in case you’ve heard the Makua/Tambaqui combo with the Essence and found it to be too lean for your speakers or worse, no need to hold back and be polite - I’m not the sort to think just because I bought something that it’s going to be great!  I’d rather be informed by someone with experience:)