Gryphon Diablo 300: at the top of Integrated Amps?

@inna, hmm...maybe we got off the wrong foot. Can you tell me what this discussion is about? Honestly, I wasn’t paying attention to your thread. The OP asked about top integrated amps other than Gryphon Diablo 300, so I suggested an excellent integrated amp that I own. Would you not put the Ayre AX-5/20 on that list? Fully balanced with a Zero feedback design. Solid handling of the lows and highs. Extremely clear and very detailed with a deep and wide soundstage. Mid-range is true, neutral and transparent.

Inna obviously likes the Ypisilon, and they do make very good gear, howerver, there is another.

We did a comparison of the Thrax gear which is very similar in design and sound quality to the Ypsilon vs the T+A gear and the T+A gear was substantially better. Thrax is a second generation clone of the Ypisilon gear and some people actually prefer the Thrax over the Ypsilon. It is not quite right to say it is a clone, it is just that the two designers of both Thrax and Ypsilon share nearly identical ideas on what a simple elegant circuit should be and the design and layout and sound quality of these two companies products is very very similar.

The Ypsilon/Thrax sound is very refinded and quite open, very beautiful in tonality, the T+A gear sounded almost as magical in the midrange and added far greater bass control and dynamic slam. whil e still sounding nearly tube like in its midrange and overall persepective.

For this reason the T+A PA 3000 HV integrated and its even newer slightly better sounding cousin the PA 3100 HV have been gaining a lot of mommentium in the uber class range of gear.

T+A competes at the uber gear level, Solution, CH Precision, D’Agastino, Boulder, Vitus, yet when compared apple to apples the T+A gear usually costs 1/3-1/5 the price.

For example in the recent Positive Feedback review the PA 3100 HV a $21k integrated was directly compared to a $45k D’agastino Mommentium Integrated and the T+A was in that same level of sound quality.

In the Absolute Sound the older PA 3000 HV an $19k integrated was compared to $120k worth of CH Precision gear, and the reviewer had difficulty knowing which was which upon switching.

Another tibdibt T+A is the single largest high end company in Germany with 110 full time employees and an engineering staff of 14! They have the resources and size to be able to create unique products and can price them more affordably for that reason.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

Besides, Diablo 300 is about $16k retail without phono or dac and Ypsilon Phaeton is about $25k, if it makes a difference. Diablo 120 is about $11k.
Dartzeel calls the volume knob a "pleasure button". Sounds quite perverse to me. Anyway, power button is more of a 'pleasure button', I'd say. And the way it looks - yuck.

Ypsilon phono stage is $26k not $35k as I previously posted, plus a few thousands for step-up transformer. I think, Dimitros could find a way to add phono module to his Phaethon integrated, like Gryphon and others do because unless you listen to master dubs on reel to reel deck you will need another $10k or so to add tube phono. It would make no sense to me to go with transistor phono and hybrid integrated and few would consider adding $26k Ypsilon phono to $25k Phaethon - must be great but too much. At the very least he could probably design that hypothetical $10k phono that would sound great too.
Gryphon Diablo does look like a big bargain, doesn't it? But no tubes and not the same level of sophistication. I heard that some LAMM owners replace their LAMMs with Ypsilon, and this is quite telling - they are usually very loyal to LAMM.

Inna Diablo 300 in Europe is cca 16000Eu which means about 19000dollars, and as Mcintosh cost more expensive in Europe than USA (same goes for lets say Burmester prices in America) i expect that Diablo in America would be in price range of 20-23K dollars without phono and dac...which at least to me dosent look like a bargain...its just great and expensive (but not over priced looking at many other products in market) high end integrated who is getting close with sound quality to uber separates...