Time for Change: - Mola Mola Kaluga monoblocks vs Gryphon Essence Stereo power amp

[Urbinator]

Ive had the Mola Mola Kaluga's now for 4 years matched up with their preamp. These have been driving a pair of TAD CE1's using Jorma Unity cables. Overall I have been happy with the sound: Fast with plenty of detail. But after a while it becomes fatiguing, you are overloaded with information, so I am now looking at calming down the system by replacing the Kaluga's with something more calming. My friendly Neighborhood Dealership has suggested the Gryphon Essense Stereo power amp and I wondered if anyone had any experience with Gryphon's driving difficult speakers.

 

[Urbinator]

Have had on loan the essence power amp for two weeks and later on, this combined with the Essence pre-amp. This has been interesting journey, the Essence is very detailed, but also harsh in areas such as electric guitar and in some cases vocals. After a while of letting things settle in and some changes to speaker position plus acoustic panels, I could get this manageable. It seems the Essence is more capable of driving the speakers and in the process highlighted even further the issues within my system, the room oh and recordings. Mark Knopfler guitar solo in Sultans of swing is awesome but can also be very bright.

System as it stands is Bergman Galder/Soundsmith Sussurro Gold balanced to an onboard Mola Mola Lupe phono board on the Makua preamp. The speakers are the TAD CE1 connected to via Jorma Unity speaker cables.

there is a little more faffing around with the Essence preamp, which I am still getting my head around, Currently I am using the Makua as a Phono and DAC source with volume set to 0db and then input into input 1 on the Essense preamp. It is NOT an ideal set up but this is something I need to discuss further with Nintronics once they are back from The Munich HighEnd.

Instrument separation and definition is much greater, bass has much power/speed, soundstage is even wider. But there are many if's and Buts. If I went the route of replacing a fully loaded Makua preamp, I am going to have to source both a phono stage and DAC, which is going to get rather expensive. THe Essence is an introduction to Gryphon Class A and I can see why Gryphon has such a following but it is uncompromising and quite an investment which I may not be ready for yet.

Sorry it's a conversational mess, i've not had much conversation as to how to get the best out of this and is so a learning curve, plus trying to understand what I want out of the system, which currently I do not know. Seems a bit like giving someone a lambo and just go and have a play, when they've just passed their driving test.

 

[ConG2]

Before changing the amplifier you should have a look on other thinks. If you are not happy with the sound then there a probably some other „problems“. Is it indipendent from the source? If so, have a look on all cables including power cables, have look on all equipment. Have they a optimal feets and a good place. Maybe you need bases for some eqipment and special feets.
Very cheap for trying is to use plates of slate and wooden dices.

 

[Al M.]

Before changing the amplifier you should have a look on other thinks. If you are not happy with the sound then there a probably some other „problems“. Is it indipendent from the source? If so, have a look on all cables including power cables, have look on all equipment. Have they a optimal feets and a good place. Maybe you need bases for some eqipment and special feets.
Very cheap for trying is to use plates of slate and wooden dices.

Excellent advice.

As you say, power cables as well. I couldn't believe how much hardness and fatigue was removed from my system by changing power cables. Also by changing the power distributor to a Furutech distributor (for details, see my signature).

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...just yesterday I was having a similar conversation with a long-time hifi buddy. How he finally got his system sorted out, how tweaking power and other cables settled things in. A little speaker position nudge here-and-there.

Now he is very happy with his speakers. He noted in years gone by, he typically would have abandoned the speakers by now, assuming they just weren't right for the room, or his ears, long term.

I wondered aloud: How many guys abandon things too soon, or just don't find the right tweaks to get things settled in. We agreed, it's probably a common thing, and he was one of those folks too.

He was not really a cable guy "at all" and didn't worry much about power conditioners and cables...until the past couple of years.

It's not clear what you may have already done, @Urbinator but perhaps your dealer has some ideas about synergy re: cables and power related solutions? Demos, etc.

Having nice gear and not having it sound to your liking is sooo frustrating. It's natural to want to swap out the gear itself, and maybe that is the answer, but maybe she just needs a different kind of juice diet to get on song for you. Good Luck.

 

[Al M.]

...just yesterday I was having a similar conversation with a long-time hifi buddy. How he finally got his system sorted out, how tweaking power and other cables settled things in. A little speaker position nudge here-and-there.

Now he is very happy with his speakers. He noted in years gone by, he typically would have abandoned the speakers by now, assuming they just weren't right for the room, or his ears, long term.

I wondered aloud: How many guys abandon things too soon, or just don't find the right tweaks to get things settled in. We agreed, it's probably a common thing, and he was one of those folks too.

He was not really a cable guy "at all" and didn't worry much about power conditioners and cables...until the past couple of years.

It's not clear what you may have already done, @Urbinator but perhaps your dealer has some ideas about synergy re: cables and power related solutions? Demos, etc.

Having nice gear and not having it sound to your liking is sooo frustrating. It's natural to want to swap out the gear itself, and maybe that is the answer, but maybe she just needs a different kind of juice diet to get on song for you. Good Luck.

Yes, being diligent with improving the potential of the existing gear is worthwhile. Another thing are room acoustics.

There was a lot of distortion and hardness of sound that came from deleterious short-distance reflections in my room prior to proper treatment. Especially the hardness could easily have been mistaken for digital hardness, but it mostly was just the room. That included the ceiling, which was taken care of by proper ceiling diffusers. No amount of swapping of digital gear would have solved that problem, and room-induced fatigue would have remained regardless.

Maybe my room is a bad outlier, but I suspect many rooms have similar problems as mine had, even if they are not as pronounced.

Without taking care of my room, my gear would play at just 50 % or under of its currently realized potential.

Compared to a good number of other audiophiles I have swapped gear at a quite slow pace.

 

[Urbinator]

Thanks for the feedback guys, the power cables I am using are Jorma Unity, the same as the interconnects. I dont think they are the problem, although its still worth investigating. I have had some success with moving the speakers and some of the acoustic treatment. I am thinking the next issue could be the cabinet and the tower to the right, or possibly even the mains itself. Gonna play with the room this weekend and I feel this may be an excuse to replace the cabinet. not the best recording, but it gives you an idea of the room, recorded using the iPhone.

iCloud Photos - Apple iCloud

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Second one demonstrates the room quite well from Bonhams drums

iCloud Photos - Apple iCloud

View, organize, and share photos and videos with iCloud Photos on the web. Changes will sync across your devices with iCloud.

share.icloud.com

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...just one point of redirect if I may: even excellent cables can be an "issue" in any particular system, in my experience.

I really like the Iconoclast ICs and have used them for years; however, the speaker cables did not work here at all. Three guys felt the same way upon review here and in their systems at home. Others rave about them. You never know for sure until you run the experiment.

Good Luck with the investigation.

 

[Al M.]

Thanks for the feedback guys, the power cables I am using are Jorma Unity, the same as the interconnects. I dont think they are the problem, although its still worth investigating. I have had some success with moving the speakers and some of the acoustic treatment. I am thinking the next issue could be the cabinet and the tower to the right, or possibly even the mains itself. Gonna play with the room this weekend and I feel this may be an excuse to replace the cabinet. not the best recording, but it gives you an idea of the room, recorded using the iPhone.

iCloud Photos - Apple iCloud

View, organize, and share photos and videos with iCloud Photos on the web. Changes will sync across your devices with iCloud.

share.icloud.com

Second one demonstrates the room quite well from Bonhams drums

iCloud Photos - Apple iCloud

View, organize, and share photos and videos with iCloud Photos on the web. Changes will sync across your devices with iCloud.

share.icloud.com

Yes, the metal cabinet and tower (or whatever that is, it is not clearly visible in the video) on the right may be an acoustic issue.

Nice choice of music with "In My Time of Dying" in the second video (I guess that's around 8 min into the track).

 

[Urbinator]

AI, thankyou, its one of my favourite tracks, really shows how well Led Zepplin could play together.
Metal cabinet to the right behind the speaker is the power pump for the Bergmann. Centre stage is my AV cabinet made from MDF. About four hours of moving kit/ rewiring and getting rid of that bloody glass/metal tower. It has certainly helped, there was more coming from the right speaker due to reflections, so the system is more balanced. not perfect, but balanced. I have removed pictures from our acoustic panels on the side walls so there is less distortion combined with the two bass traps (grey tubes).

System is sounding a lot better but I still have issues with some mid highs on some tracks. I was down at Nintronics dropping off the Essence Pre-amp and Roger asked my opinion on their new acoustically treated room. The issues I have with mid highs were exactly the same! Seems its just down to some recordings and HiFi will highlight the problem.

Back on topic, I have decided to take my first baby steps with a Gryphon.The Essence is a leap from the Kaluga's both in imaging and bass power. It has made me realise what Class A, when done properly is capable of and is still reasonable on power consumption. But Gryphon are now replacing the Antelion which means there are some deals to be had. Its a great dilemma to have

Further down the line I will replace the Makua pre-amp, but mine is fully loaded so I will have to find an alternative phono stage and DAC

 

[thedudeabides]

Big change but consider relocating the equipment cabinet so it doesn't sit between the speakers. Will have a huge impact, all positive I think. Music will have a chance to really breathe. Maybe on the left wall where your vinyl is.

 

[Urbinator]

It is a big change. Issue is the room is also home cinema, so a fair bit of kit in hiding. If I go the direction of the Antelion, I will have to move the AV cabinet and source elsewhere.

Lots to think about and also keep the missus happy. She’s tolerant, but shares the space with me

Big change but consider relocating the equipment cabinet so it doesn't sit between the speakers. Will have a huge impact, all positive I think. Music will have a chance to really breathe. Maybe on the left wall where your vinyl is.

 

[Pokey77]

I am a longtime owner of a TAD system. I didn't notice anyone suggest that perhaps you could try TAD pre/power. I can tell you that in my quest, I tried Luxman, Burmester, and one other amp that escapes me. And the TAD was easily the best besides the big Burmester 909 MKV, but that amp was $80k alone and not in my budget nor did I have a place to put it. TAD synergizes very well with TAD and at least a few others around here feel the same. You can see my signature for my system.

 

[Audiohertz2]

Have had on loan the essence power amp for two weeks and later on, this combined with the Essence pre-amp. This has been interesting journey, the Essence is very detailed, but also harsh in areas such as electric guitar and in some cases vocals. After a while of letting things settle in and some changes to speaker position plus acoustic panels, I could get this manageable. It seems the Essence is more capable of driving the speakers and in the process highlighted even further the issues within my system, the room oh and recordings. Mark Knopfler guitar solo in Sultans of swing is awesome but can also be very bright.

System as it stands is Bergman Galder/Soundsmith Sussurro Gold balanced to an onboard Mola Mola Lupe phono board on the Makua preamp. The speakers are the TAD CE1 connected to via Jorma Unity speaker cables.

there is a little more faffing around with the Essence preamp, which I am still getting my head around, Currently I am using the Makua as a Phono and DAC source with volume set to 0db and then input into input 1 on the Essense preamp. It is NOT an ideal set up but this is something I need to discuss further with Nintronics once they are back from The Munich HighEnd.

Instrument separation and definition is much greater, bass has much power/speed, soundstage is even wider. But there are many if's and Buts. If I went the route of replacing a fully loaded Makua preamp, I am going to have to source both a phono stage and DAC, which is going to get rather expensive. THe Essence is an introduction to Gryphon Class A and I can see why Gryphon has such a following but it is uncompromising and quite an investment which I may not be ready for yet.

Sorry it's a conversational mess, i've not had much conversation as to how to get the best out of this and is so a learning curve, plus trying to understand what I want out of the system, which currently I do not know. Seems a bit like giving someone a lambo and just go and have a play, when they've just passed their driving test.

View attachment 151541

Gryphons are far from hard sounding , exactly the opposite if one is to critique , best to look at your source gain stages and matching of …

 

[Urbinator]

Gryphons are far from hard sounding , exactly the opposite if one is to critique , best to look at your source gain stages and matching of …

This is one of the reasons gryphon was recommended to me. I have spent some time reorganising the room including removing the rack from the corner and moving speakers further away from the side walls, all of which has helped. One thing that the Essence did do was drive the speakers better, allowing them to breath, which highlighted even more the issues with the room. The room is not perfect, but a lot better.

I currently have Gryphon Antelion in with some different cables, this I set up last night and although early days, it is sounding very promising. There is still a lot to sort out but things seem to be on the right track.

 

[Down Under]

This is one of the reasons gryphon was recommended to me. I have spent some time reorganising the room including removing the rack from the corner and moving speakers further away from the side walls, all of which has helped. One thing that the Essence did do was drive the speakers better, allowing them to breath, which highlighted even more the issues with the room. The room is not perfect, but a lot better.

I currently have Gryphon Antelion in with some different cables, this I set up last night and although early days, it is sounding very promising. There is still a lot to sort out but things seem to be on the right track.

Looking forward to hearing your impressions.

 

[Urbinator]

Looking forward to hearing

First impressions are, who needs two kidneys anyway!

It is really overkill for me, wife is looking really pissed, but tolerating and she thinks it’s on loan.
It is a real shock as to how much can be pulled out of those TAD speakers when the that amp squeezes tight their short and curlies. The bass is sublime, not overpowering but defined. For example I thought I could hear somebody’s engine on idle outside, bopping on occasion, very faint, but there. Put the track on pause and it had gone. I’ve never encountered bass with such detail, even with the essence.

 

[Urbinator]

I am a longtime owner of a TAD system. I didn't notice anyone suggest that perhaps you could try TAD pre/power. I can tell you that in my quest, I tried Luxman, Burmester, and one other amp that escapes me. And the TAD was easily the best besides the big Burmester 909 MKV, but that amp was $80k alone and not in my budget nor did I have a place to put it. TAD synergizes very well with TAD and at least a few others around here feel the same. You can see my signature for my system.

They have been a part of my journey, I had on loan the TAD M2500 for a month, wife did not like it, she described it as too revealing, which roughly translates to makes shit sound worse. I found them too defined, not musical enough.
I’ll be honest I did not explore further, and was tempted by the monoblocks. I love my speakers, but have never gelled with their amps.

 

[bonzo75]

AI, thankyou, its one of my favourite tracks, really shows how well Led Zepplin could play together.

yes it demonstrates that damn well. Look up Earl's Court 1975 on youtube, where starting mid-way into the song it becomes clear how they are feeding off each other and how in the end they keep pushing each other.

 

[andromedaaudio]

she thinks it’s on loan.

Lol , best line on WBF period