@marcyun I met Rune Skov of Gryphon at a demo, he said that all Gryphon amps are very neutral, except for the Antileon and Diablo 120 which are warmer, rounder and a bit colored.
Intg Amps: Hegel 590 vs NAD M33 Masters vs Gryphon Diablo 120
Hi All: I am getting an itch to upgrade my integrated amp from Hegel 190 to something more robust that facilitates future speaker swapping. And no, I'm not presently interested in separating components that much further (e.g. separate DAC; separate amp; clock; etc. etc). I mainly interested in the following 3 on a used basis:
Hegel 590 OR NAD Masters 33 OR Gryphon Diablo 120
Max budget is $7500 if I choose to go towards the Gryphon (used), but curious if it's really THAT much better. I'm particularly interested to hear from people that have had or auditioned at 2 out of 3. The room correction on NAD is very appealing but I quite like my Hegel and it's tight control, and so something nice about staying true.
Current Setup:
* Unideal Brooklyn Apartment living room into Kitchen
* Hegel 190
* Monitor Audio Silver 7G 500
* Pine Tree Audio Cables
* Dual 1216
* Schiit Mani 2 (though I hear the phono preamp on some of above may make this superfluous)
* Spotify/Tidal (main streaming source)
- ...
- 57 posts total
@bigtwin how much of a difference did going from the H590 to H30 make exactly? I see that you have them monoblock configuration in your picture? |
I’ve had the opportunity to audition all three of the great integrated amps that you’re considering, extensively, and here’s my assessment (I auditioned the Gryphon Diablo 300). The NAD M33 is great for the money, but system matching is critical with it. The NAD M33 isn’t in the same league as the other two. The Gryphon Diablo 300 outshines the Hegel H590 when it comes to build quality (although the Hegel H590’s build quality is outstanding as well), and aesthetics. But, that’s about as far as it goes. Firstly: The Hegel H590 should be compared to the Gryphon Diablo 300, along with all other best-in-class reference integrated amps currently on the market. When comparing the Hegel H590 to the Gryphon Diablo 300, honestly, I could go either way. I use an outboard DAC, so I’m referring to the sound quality of the amp/preamp sections of each integrated, exclusively. To my ears, the Hegel H590's awesome sound quality didn’t have to take a back-seat to any other high end integrated on the market, including the renowned Gryphon Diablo 300 (the Hegel H590 is pretty "renowned," too). I strongly believe that the H590 is a much better value than the Gryphon Diablo 300, as it’s very comparable to it in terms of sound quality (and I do mean "Comparable"). I’m not one of our more well-heeled audiophiles. High end audio is expensive enough as it is. I definitely don’t have money to burn. So, for my money, I'd undoubtedly go for the Hegel H590, save a bundle of dough, and just forget about the rest. The Gryphon Diablo 300 is one of the best, but so is the Hegel H590 (for less). To be totally candid with you, I auditioned several other integrated amps as well, including the above mentioned, and I has prepared to spend more money for something like the Gryphon. But, I was so blown away by the Hegel H590, I purchased it and never looked back. Kudos to Hegel Music Systems for producing such an absolutely fabulous product. |
- 57 posts total