Gryphon Diablo 120, Luxman L-590AXII, Other? For KEF R11

I believe Jay's Audio Lab on youtube did a video on having a pair of Gryphon amps repaired or refurbished. There is no authorized Gryphon dealer in the US so Jay had to spend $2,500 (I think) on overseas shipping alone to Gryphon on top of the repair quote. Luxman has authorized repair centers here in the states. Hudson Valley HiFi is a retailer and authorized repair place for Luxman. I believe Mike at Hudson Valley HiFi still has a 590 demo (He did about 3 weeks ago when I purchased my 595 from him).

The Boulder 866 would be well worth an audition. Good luck !

Ron 

I would like to squeak better bass performance from the KEFs and a warmer or lusher mid might be good with the otherwise very neutral MyTek.

I don’t know about the Gryphon Diablo 120 but have the Luxman L-590AXII. Just like Fatdaddy2, the Luxman replaced a costlier separates in my main system. The separates are now relegated to the secondary system which i rarely use.

Perhaps owners of the Gryphon Diablo 120 might be able to explain on the sonic attributes of the amp. I find the L-590AXII to be a neutral sounding amp with very little coloration. It won’t give you a big ballsy bass. What you get is a clean sounding bass which is taut and defined. You will hear all the layering and texture in the bass if it’s in the recording. Other amps might mask this layered or textured bass a little with the bass sounding smeared. In other words, the bass with other amps might sound fuller, bigger or ballsier while with the Luxman you get a leaner and cleaner bass but one that’s textured and detailed. The dynamics, punch and kick in the midbass and upper bass are all present in the Luxman but you just get a clean bass as opposed to boom boom bass with other amps which may sound more impressive or worse depending on musical preference.

Midrange is also very clean, perhaps leaning very slightly to warm. Treble is airy and detailed with a slight tube-like glow which is very nice. I use a quality(rather costly) power cord on the Luxman and the source is also quite decent.

I believe both Gryphon and Luxman are good amps and the choice will be dependent on system matching and listening preference. Good luck.

I recommend keeping separates rather than diving into mid tier integrateds. Perhaps get into a reference level amp like a used parasound JC5 and then get a preamp later on. I get the feeling that the equipment you are looking at would be more of lateral move than a step up.

this advice is misguided and incorrect in my opinion

Hi. I own that precise "combo" (Luxman L-590AXII + Kef R11) and these two, get along very well. I tried to home demo several different combinations (Pass Labs, Rega top level models, other Luxman models - as the mentioned L-509 etc.) and this Class A integrated amp is all that I apreciate more for my taste.

Even the L-509 (Luxman) didn´t match so well with these R11 speakers. I know very well the most of the Luxman models (that I love) and they depend a lot of the speakers match. Even the new (and limited edition) L-595 didn´t match the R11 as great as the L590AXII. Its a excellent amp (class A too, a little bit more smooth in the highs maybe, but in the lower parts I did like more the L-590AXII). 

I am quite satisfied in all frequencies. The bass is powerful and with that full body sound feeling (not boomy but tight), the medle range is very sweet and unique on these class A amps, the higs very smooth. 

As sources I use analog and digital, and in both ways are great. 

Any question or doubt feel free to ask here or in private. 

 Cheers