Gryphon Essence Pre and Power Amps
REFERENCE AUDIO – WITHAM ESSEX
BOB’s Review Series - No 31 – The Gryphon Essence Stereo Power Amp and Essence Preamp
Introduction – Denmark is home to Gryphon Audio where it has traded since 1986 and where all its products are designed and built. They describe their products as a ‘perfect union of the power of the lion with the grace of the eagle’ taking their name from the famous creature of Greek mythology. Gryphon is one of the few manufacturers who can supply a complete home entertainment system including source components, amplifiers, and speakers as well as the cables needed to connect them all together and even the furniture to sit the electronics on.
Although this is a mainly a review of the Gryphon Audio Essence Preamp and Stereo Power amp, I also listened to the Gryphon Zena preamp. This might seem a little odd, but the Essence and Zena Preamps are electronically identical and it’s only the casework that differs, the Zena being styled to match the Antilleon Power amps and I wanted to see if I could hear any differences between them (I couldn’t). So, for the purposes of this review please read the Essence and Zena preamps as being interchangeable in terms of performance and connections. However only the Essence preamp had for review had the DAC module fitted, the Zena didn’t so my comments on the onboard DAC only refer to the Essence preamp.
The Essence range, introduced in 2020, is the entry point from Gryphon into separate pre and power amps and the power amp comes in both single box stereo and two box monobloc guise. Above the Essence range sits the Antilleon stereo and monobloc power amps, the Pandora preamp and the Mephisto stereo and monobloc power amps taking you into a heady six-figure sum for amplification. More recently Gryphon have launched the two box Commander Preamp and the matching Apex stereo and monobloc power amps and these are priced at serious supercar money. Below the Essence sits the two integrated stereo amps, the Diablo 120 and 300. Both the Essence and Zena preamps costs £15,000. A DAC module can be added to either preamp at the time of order or at a later date at a cost of £5,500 and a phono stage can also be added for a further £2,000. The Essence stereo power amp is £19,000 and should you go for the Essence monoblocs the price for a pair doubles to £38,000 (all prices at the time of writing).
Technology – Essence / Zena Preamps - Both are true dual mono configuration with zero negative feedback and running in pure Class A. For best performance reasons they don’t have tone controls, balance controls, headphone outlets or any other superfluous switching or control and in use they run warm. The front panel on both preamps contain similar information (but laid out differently) via a touch sensitive vacuum fluorescent blue display which is dimmable and there are no physical knobs, switches or buttons. The main on/off switch is located under the front panel with daily on/off into standby via the front touch screen which also contains volume up/down, input selection and menu controls for customising purposes including input renaming and output level adjustment. Looking at the rear panel the mono configuration is more obvious with all inputs and outputs on the left mirrored on the right including outputs on XLR only, there are no RCA outputs with the exception of left and right sub outs and a tape out so bear this in mind if you want to use it with an RCA only power amp. There are two inputs on XLR and three on RCA one of which is for tape in and input 5 becomes the phono input should the phono board be installed. There is also a 12v trigger in and out and a Green Bias* connection for use with a Gryphon power amp (more later). There is also a useful tape out pair of RCAs. Should the DAC module be fitted it comes with USB, AES/EBU on XLR, 2 SPDIF on BNC and 1 optical Toslink. The Zena weighs in at 12.1Kg and the Essence pre at 13.4 Kg which is purely a reflection of the differing casework and excludes the weight of the add on modules.
Essence Stereo Power Amp – Runs in balanced pure true Class A for best performance but can also be set manually into Class A/B or set via the preamp to automatically change bias via the Green Bias* connection to run in Class A/B moving into Class A depending on preamp volume levels. It delivers just 50watts into 8 ohms, but this is in pure Class A mode which is more than sufficient to drive most modern speakers to any reasonable volume level in the home without loss of dynamics.
In Class A mode it runs fairly hot as you would expect but in Class A/B it runs much cooler and more efficiently in terms of energy consumption. Although specified in Class A at 50watts into 8ohms it can deliver 100watts into 4 ohms and 190watts into a 2ohm load. It’s also a true dual mono construction with separate transformers for the audio and display circuitry and has ‘non-existent global negative feedback’. The front panel has a touch control for power on / standby mode with the main power on/off switch located below the front panel. Also, below the front panel are two Mode Buttons highlighted in blue illumination – the left Mode Button controls the type of display setting, and the right button sets the Bias to high Class A (red) or low Class A/B (Green). The front panel also includes a thin but wide illuminated bar that glows green in low bias and red in high bias. It can also glow blue if selected by the mode button to do so or can be turned off if you find it distracting. On the rear there is XLR only input (no RCA connections) on gold plated Swiss Neutric plugs and a pair of high-quality gold-plated speaker terminals that are better than most manufacturers use these days. The Essence stereo power amp measures 470mm wide x 240mm high and 460mm deep and weighs a substantial two man lift at 45kg. It has a soft start power up taking around 30 seconds to come fully to life and Gryphon recommend allowing 45 minutes for it to fully stabilise for serious listening.
*Green Bias is a wired connection between a Gryphon preamp and power amp that allows the preamp to automatically determine how much and when the power amp switches from Class A/B into Class A mode with the intention of minimising mains power consumption and for cooler running. In effect switching automatically between high and low bias without user input other than the setting of the volume control. I did use the Green Bias connection and found that at or below a volume level of 15 on the preamp it runs in green Class A/B mode and at any volume setting above 15 it automatically changes to Class A operation and the power amp display turns from green to red. This allows less critical listening at lower volumes to run more environmentally friendly and for critical listening at higher volumes to run is Class A. Gryphon supply a 10m long green bias cable for this purpose.
System Components used in this Review:
Preamp: Michi P5 and The Gryphon Essence and Zena (subject of this review)
Power Amplifier: Michi M8 Monoblocs and The Gryphon Essence Stereo (subject of this review)
Digital Sources: Innuos Statement Streamer – PS Audio Direct Stream DAC in Bridge Link Mode via Ethernet - Sony CDP X3000ES CD and Esoteric P-05X SACD Player. Essence preamp DAC Module.
Analogue Sources: None
Streaming Sources: Tidal and Qobuz – Roon Management
Speakers: Marten Mingus Quintet
Performance – The power amp, as noted above, can run in high bias Pure Class A or in Class A/B at the push of a button and it was noticeable after just a short listen that high bias Class A as expected did sound better than A/B low bias mode. This was most noticeable in the higher levels of involvement and musicality that well designed Class A can deliver. After this I tended to listen in A/B mode when using the system more for background entertainment during the day and changed to Class A for critical evening listening. All of my comments on performance below were made when running in Class A. Gryphon say these amps need around 50 hours to burn in from new and whilst the preamps had many hours use already the power amp was fresh out of the box and it clearly improved significantly over time but mostly during the first few hours. After the 50 hours burn in time a 45-minute warm up is all that’s needed for best listening.
It was immediately clear that the preamp contributes significantly to the performance of the power amp adding an exuberance of sound and delivering a much more involving, controlled and inviting musical event than using the power amp connected direct to a DAC with volume control, which is becoming more common these days. The Pre/Power combination generates more life with better dynamic control, more punch and reference level tonal harmony and this is how I used them for this review. I find this generally applies to any pre and power amp combination but the Gryphon products do have a higher level of symbiosis meaning they work best when used together.
Delivering 50 watts Class A into 8 ohms and substituting the Michi M8 monoblocs that deliver more than 1,000 watts into 8 ohms for the Essence power amp I was wondering what the power difference might mean to volume and the ability to drive my speakers efficiently and dynamically, but I needn’t have worried, I was actually hard pressed to hear any significant difference in volume level. The Gryphon’s ability to drive my speakers to any sensible level made me wonder why anyone would need more power. Just for the record my Martens are specified at 87dB and 6ohms, so they are not overly efficient. It just goes to show that you shouldn’t just read the spec and hope to get a full understanding or expectation about how an amplifier or speaker will sound together, you must listen before buying.
I started by listening to ‘Drive’ by Joe Bonamassa and it seemed appropriate that these amps do make you feel like you are driving a faster and better equipped car because the whole level of excitement involved draws you in and keeps you wanting more. Although the sound is very expansive and detailed, these amps are not forward or bright sounding rather they are sumptuous and involving but not in an overly warm or dark way often associated with valve amps. It’s a little difficult to explain until you hear them and then you just think this is so right and ‘this is how I always wanted music to sound at home’. Organic might be a better way of describing how they sound but don’t assume this means they are laid back, far from it in fact, they perform dynamically well under all circumstance and once heard there is no going back.
Playing ‘Tilted’ by Christine and the Queens and the speakers did that near disappearing act by seemingly vanishing as the soundstage widened far outside the space between them with good forward depth also helping to stabilise the 3D image created. This was the best I have heard this track at home with deep and dynamic punchy bass and truly clear vocals and instruments. These are amplifiers at the top of their game bringing that extra something special to whatever you play through them regardless of volume levels.
In some respects, the recording art 50 or more years ago was better than it is today, everything was done in the analogue and with seemingly less post recording processing and editing but the oil crisis at that time had an impact on the quality of vinyl, so the end product started to suffer, and then we had the ‘everything must be louder than everything else’ over compression that overtook the art of making great recordings in favour of loudness and limited dynamics. Today with the move towards hi-res downloads we seem to be reinventing the art of high-quality recordings (mostly) and have a better understanding why it is so important. Where older master tapes have survived reasonably intact modern digital processing has brought new life to many of those 70’s recordings. It’s now 50+ years since Elton John recorded Madman Across the Water and played through the Gryphon Essence amplifiers, I can honestly say that ‘Tiny Dancer’ and ‘Levon’ have never sounded better brimming with heartfelt emotion with lyrics by the legendry Bernie Taupin, if only I could have heard it like this as a teenager.
I listened to so much music over a two-week period that I can’t list it all here but almost everything I played left me wanting more and surely that’s what we audiophiles are looking for. The sound of these amps is rich and enveloping, delivering great rhythm and pace and they do so without becoming fatiguing at high frequencies or dull in the mid-range, these are definitely amps to encourage long enjoyable listening sessions. One track of note was ‘Walking on Water’ by Rita Coolidge and Keb’ Mo’ (Tidal 44.1/16bit) which had a thoroughly engrossing harmony between their two distinctive voices presented by the Gryphon’s in a way that sounded just so right and leaving me wanting more such that I sought out the album to play, ‘Safe in the Arms of Time’ from 2018.
My final session concentrated on CD playback via the onboard DAC module in the Essence preamp and it performed very well with my old Sony CD Player but switching to the Esoteric P-05X SACD player in CD mode and used as a transport only the performance improved immensely and I’m sure it would have sounded better still with either of Gryphons own CD players, that symbiosis thing again. The DAC module is priced in the region of many other fine standalone DACs and I would recommend listening to onboard and offboard DACs before making your mind up which way to go. Onboard obviously has space saving advantages. Playing ‘Return to Ommadawn’ by Mike Oldfield on CD was an example of the prowess of the DAC module as this CD had greater life, sparkle and detailed interest than it does with many other DACs and as with the preamps in general it encouraged longer and more enjoyable listening session.
I’m lucky to have the opportunity of listening to some truly remarkable audio equipment in our showrooms, some affordable and some not and I have also been able to listen longer at home and in every case, what I find distinguishes the good from the great is almost always found in the last 5% of sound quality. Most modern equipment when sensibly assembled and partnered can achieve a listening score in excess of 85% and the better equipment can push this to 90% or sometimes to a score of 95% but only a very few manufacturers can design and build equipment that can score above 95%. That’s where nirvana awaits, and the Gryphon Essence amplifiers are one of the few that can take you there.
Conclusion – This is an expensive entry point for any pre/power amp combination, but in comparison with it peers it provides surprisingly good value for money in terms of style and performance even when compared to others above this price point. I found this pairing to be something akin to changing from an old-style tube television to the latest OLED flat screen, everything coming into focus with better definition and colour saturation.
Before returning the amps to the showroom I wanted to again check the preamps impact on sound quality because these days who really needs a preamp loaded with analogue and digital inputs when mostly one or two digital (USB and SPDIF) and a single analogue line input is probably all most of us need. In use I only used two of the three analogue inputs and the XLR output to the power amp, sensibly however the Gryphon preamps are not overloaded with too many inputs that you are never likely to need or use. But taking it out of circuit and using my DAC in preamp mode delivered a reduced sound quality that I can only describe as much less engaging, still very good but the Essence pre amp has the effect of making your system so much more enjoyable, emotional and entertaining that it’s definitely worth the added expense. So yes, a good active preamp is still the heart of a good system.
The Gryphon Essence pair are very highly recommended, so much so that I have decided to add them to my home system on a permanent basis. They are surely the essence of any aspiring high end audio system, pun entirely intended.
Bob – Team Reference Audio