2. amps-preamps
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Bryston 4B3 vs Mac MC462 vs Pass Labs X250.8, OR... GRYPHON Diablo 300?

Hi,
Over the next few weeks I am organizing in-home demo of  three pre/power amps for my B&W 803D2's, and will purchase whichever sounds best.  I will be testing the following gear, which is based on what's available where live:
-Bryston B173 / 4B3-McIntosh C47 / MC462
-Pass Labs X250.8, if I can get my hands on one (will probably use the C47 pre-amp to test with this)
The Gryphon Diablo 300 is also a candidate.  I've seen some strong comments from others that Gryphon is in another league compared to the others.
My question is, barring what sounds best to me during my auditioning, in general to most people would the Diablo 300 really beat the others in my list?  And, are there any material disadvantages to sound quality considering the Diablo is an integrated vs the other choices?  I don't really care about having separates, but sound is obviously important.
Secondly related to the Gryphon, there is only one Gryphon dealer that is even remotely close to me.  Should that dealer cut ties down the road, or go out of business, does anyone know how I might go about getting service for the Diablo should I require it at some point?  Is that a valid concern?  There are multiple Mac dealers near me so that would not be so much of a concern.

Thanks in advance for any feedback....


nyev
nyev OP
1,031 posts
 
Xsparky you are probably right about overthinking the service risk.  One thing though is I think it is likely that only one or two areas of the Diablo are mil-spec.  I can’t imagine all components, relays, etc are mil-spec.  Could be just the PCB’s themselves that are, and not the components on the boards.

Out of curiosity, what are you feeding your DAC from?  I’m using a Mac Mini with Audirvana but am considering whether to plan a move to a dedicated streamer.  Which may be more important to do once I have the Diablo in my system.


xsparky
10 posts
 
Hi,

I have a Linn Klimax Dsm streamer. This is getting upgraded at the moment to their Katalyst dac architect. It has been in storage for a couple of years since my move. I like the fact that Linn has supported and continues to support their customers with upgrades if desired. I plan to use Roon to source my flac music library and music services to stream to the Linn Dsm.

These two pieces will be the heart of my system to my PMC's.
dguitarnut
136 posts
 
My Diablo 300 was barebones as I only use digital streaming from a LUMIN U1 to a Chord Dave Dac via AES/ebu.....then to the Diablo. It worked splendidly.
Inna ......in my present system I have the LUMIN U1 to the Chord Dave to a Vac Renaissance Mk5 Preamp to a Vac 200iq amp to a pair of Magico S3MK2 speakers.
I have absolutely no interest in analog and I prefer the flexibility of choosing my own Dac. For the record I got a very noticeable SQ increase when I went with the LUMIN U1 streamer over my Mcbook Pro via USB to the Chord Dave.

nyev OP
1,031 posts
 
Ordered the Diablo 300 today (finally), with the DAC module.  Dealer offered me a demo phono board that may or may not have ever been used, at half price, so I accepted.  The rest will be brand new.

I’ve also ordered an InnuOS Zenith Mk III player, as I don’t think my Mac Mini was really up to the job.

Diablo could be ready for pickup in two weeks, but the InnuOS could take up to two months as the new MK III is backordered.

After everything is burned in I’ll be testing power cords.  Others on this board have told me they don’t really notice a difference between cords on the Diablo.  Possibly due to the Diablo’s design vs other amps which are quite different with different cords.  Need to get my hands on a demo Valhalla 2 just to see if it can do anything with the Diablo.  I’ve also been told the cord makes way more difference with the media server/player than it does with the Diablo, as digital equipment tends to “pollute the AC line.”  But I’ll probably go with something like the AQ Hurricane -  we’ll see after testing.  Depends how the Valhalla 2 does.... I’ll need to wait a couple of months for the InnuOS to arrive before that testing.  Until then I’ll have to burn in the Diablo with the Mac Mini running Audirvana.


rshad0000
268 posts
 
Congrats nyev!   I’ll be interested to hear how the Valhalla 2 works out for you.
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