Great plan regarding tying in with a New York trip. I also had almost considered visiting the New York Gryphon/McIntosh store when I was auditioning.
A lot of sales-y comments from the Vancouver shop regarding the Diablo, but that said I tend to agree with them.
From what I've seen in forums, reviews, and talking with many experienced people on this board, the Diablo's "tone" is highly regarded, but keep in mind there are a very, very small number of people who don't the Gryphon house sound. So you do need to hear it yourself. Still I'd be surprised if you don't love it. I typically don't prefer warmer sounding equipment, because in my experience it's been less detailed, bloated, slow, and veiled. The Gryphon's tone manages to be warm, yet at the same time with very responsive, rich high-resolution detail at all frequencies, including right down to the lowest bass frequencies. This makes it very engaging yet very easy to listen to at the same time.
Please post the results of the head to head test with the 601's! To be honest I find audio gear testing more stressful than fun - because I find I really struggle to make sense of what I am perceiving over a short amount of time. For me at least, it takes a ton of focus and concentration to get to a point where I have some reliable conclusions on the sound I am hearing, to the extent where I am confident I won't have a different opinion after days of use. I can get there, but it takes work. If I take it lightly, I find my first impression is totally thrown out the window after extended use. Thankfully that's all over and I am just listening to music when I use my system now, and not endlessly trying to pick apart what I am hearing!
Good luck!
A lot of sales-y comments from the Vancouver shop regarding the Diablo, but that said I tend to agree with them.
From what I've seen in forums, reviews, and talking with many experienced people on this board, the Diablo's "tone" is highly regarded, but keep in mind there are a very, very small number of people who don't the Gryphon house sound. So you do need to hear it yourself. Still I'd be surprised if you don't love it. I typically don't prefer warmer sounding equipment, because in my experience it's been less detailed, bloated, slow, and veiled. The Gryphon's tone manages to be warm, yet at the same time with very responsive, rich high-resolution detail at all frequencies, including right down to the lowest bass frequencies. This makes it very engaging yet very easy to listen to at the same time.
Please post the results of the head to head test with the 601's! To be honest I find audio gear testing more stressful than fun - because I find I really struggle to make sense of what I am perceiving over a short amount of time. For me at least, it takes a ton of focus and concentration to get to a point where I have some reliable conclusions on the sound I am hearing, to the extent where I am confident I won't have a different opinion after days of use. I can get there, but it takes work. If I take it lightly, I find my first impression is totally thrown out the window after extended use. Thankfully that's all over and I am just listening to music when I use my system now, and not endlessly trying to pick apart what I am hearing!
Good luck!