Gryphon Antileon Sig Mono vs Ref One Mono

Geshi,

I've had both in house for serious listening (you are right, the MBL 6010 is a stunner to look at !). I hooked them up with my ref one mono's and Avalon Eidolon.

The synergy with the Ref 3 is evident, right from the start. Great combination between the natural (however still tuby) sound of the ref 3 and the detailed and natural musicality of the ref ones.

The 6010D is much more analitical and (for me) to harsh. I like a little warmth. When using PAD Dominus (liquid !) IC's and speakercables I came close, but still lacked a little warmth to my taste.

With the right poweramp, I'm sure the 6010 will offer a lot of quality. Razorsharp images, very detailed and dynamic sound.

I also listened to the 6010 on Pass (xa-160's) and MBL poweramps and that was a great match! Altough the Pass was much more warm sounding and the MBL combo very 'fast' and detailed, both matched very well with the 6010D.

So, unless you really like a sharp and ultra detailed sound, I'd go for the Ref 3.

Good luck

Johnpf4, Thanks for your input. I've never heard the MBL's so I couldn't comment. I absolutely love the REF 3 /Antileon Signature combo for the reasons you mentioned. I had a CJ preamp which was very lush. The REF 3 goes as far into the 'detailed side' as I choose to venture without giving up the advantages (to me) of a tube preamp. Any further would be to lean. JMHO - Jim

Johnpf4,
Your comments will be a great help in my decision making. When I buy audio equipment, they must not only sound great, they must also look great. That eliminates a lot of contenders.

Geshi,

I know what you mean. But the Ref 3 is (altough the classic ARC-look) also BIG, bold and impressive !

Please let us know which pre-amp turns out to be your 'nirvana'. Both in sound and looks!

Good Luck

I currently own a pair of Gryphon REF-1 and paired with their Sonata allegro pre. Other sourses are Esoteric XO-1 and B&W N800. The Gryphon Mono's are not overkill, all the reserve power will only give you more height room in the music and they do not need 3-4 hours warming time to sound their best. even on the manual states about 45 mins to reach peak performance. How ever, I do leave the Xo-1 and the Sonata allegro on standby 24-7. The Sonata Allegro is one of the best pre amplifier out there and I have owned a ML 32 and many others alike. With my other sources working with the REF-1, the music is very accurate, not warm or harsh.... only explanation is that it sounds very real and studio like as confirmed by a friend who is also a hi-fi nut and have worked in studio's as sound engineer for 25 years. He have stated my system is the best he has heard, but I just love it because its so musical. If you check out the spec's of the REF-1, you will find that they have more reserve current than even their latest current mono's. Infact, Gryphon still use the REF-1 as we speak. Regards