Gryphon Colosseum stopped working

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
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Got it...hope your audio tech can find the problem.
 

sefischer1

Well-Known Member
Aug 10, 2018
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Southern California
Yikes Lloyd!

Can I really drive the Colosseum from a power conditioner? Someone recommended the Niagara 5000 to me. Of course, I’m not happy about the additional expense.

One other question, does turning off the main AC switch under the amp protect it in any way from surges?
It will provide some but not complete. Same goes for opening the circuit breaker at the distribution panel (although that will likely be better than the amp's switch). A very high voltage can cause an arc or breakdown of the air gap in the switch. Pulling the AC cord provides for a much greater air gap obviously. Fortunately, such surges aren't that common or we'd all have blown equipment stories.
 
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ozy

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Nov 13, 2012
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Atlanta ,Ga.
LarryK, I had a pair of colleseums about 6-7 years ago..... I loved their sound and enjoyed it immensely..... but, like you, after 10-11 months one of the amps kept blowing fuses, and finally died completely, for no external reason. It was an ordeal and a half for me, packing it and shipping it to Denmark.... not to mention the expense.....after having it for 2 months , gryphon uncerimonially , replied to my inquires and claimed there was nothingwrong with the amp.but assured me of its working condition.upon receiving it I proceeded immediately to sell the amps.
I wanted nothing to do with them or the company.hope your situation can get rectified to your satisfaction.just know your situation is not a rare occurrence....FYI.
 

LarryK

Well-Known Member
Jan 27, 2018
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LarryK, I had a pair of colleseums about 6-7 years ago..... I loved their sound and enjoyed it immensely..... but, like you, after 10-11 months one of the amps kept blowing fuses, and finally died completely, for no external reason. It was an ordeal and a half for me, packing it and shipping it to Denmark.... not to mention the expense.....after having it for 2 months , gryphon uncerimonially , replied to my inquires and claimed there was nothingwrong with the amp.but assured me of its working condition.upon receiving it I proceeded immediately to sell the amps.
I wanted nothing to do with them or the company.hope your situation can get rectified to your satisfaction.just know your situation is not a rare occurrence....FYI.

Wow, that’s hard to hear. So, you were never told what was done to fix them? I’m pretty lucky that I can just drive the amp an hour and a half north of NYC to get it fixed. Still, it’s a pain as I am not a weightlifter.
 
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ozy

Well-Known Member
Nov 13, 2012
219
37
895
Atlanta ,Ga.
No not really.... but hope you’ll get it fixed and return to enjoy the amp in your system......
 

Lagonda

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Feb 3, 2014
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LarryK, I had a pair of colleseums about 6-7 years ago..... I loved their sound and enjoyed it immensely..... but, like you, after 10-11 months one of the amps kept blowing fuses, and finally died completely, for no external reason. It was an ordeal and a half for me, packing it and shipping it to Denmark.... not to mention the expense.....after having it for 2 months , gryphon uncerimonially , replied to my inquires and claimed there was nothingwrong with the amp.but assured me of its working condition.upon receiving it I proceeded immediately to sell the amps.
I wanted nothing to do with them or the company.hope your situation can get rectified to your satisfaction.just know your situation is not a rare occurrence....FYI.
Did you try the amps after getting them back ? Where they working properly ?
 

LarryK

Well-Known Member
Jan 27, 2018
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yes I did... and off they went shortly thereafter.

Just curious, what did you replace them with and did the replacements have the sweetness of class A amps? I love the sound of the amp. Were the new amps more reliable? Did you buy the Gryphons new?

We all take our chances buying gear, especially used gear which is all I can afford when buying Gryphon products.

In Gryphon’s defense, I think they stand behind their products and have long product life cycles. The Colosseum is still a current model and it was introduced in, what, 2011?
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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Hi Larry, i had my Gryphon Mephisto (2nd hand) brought over by a dealer who was doing me a favor, while he looked to sell my Gyphon Colosseum...he brought another dealer friend to help carry/install who is not a dealer for Gryphon either (and who in fact is an importer of other competing amps).

Since had no financial interest at all, I asked this gentleman about the Gryphon whether he thought it was good for 15+ years, etc...and he said in his opinion, Gryphon are one of the best made brands in the audio business...he had no hesitation about their durability and longevity, personally loved them and was highly complimentary of them generally.

My dealer has visited Gryphon when he thought of importing them...and had equally positive things to say about them and their overall operation.
 

LarryK

Well-Known Member
Jan 27, 2018
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Thanks Lloyd. I certainly hope I can get fifteen years of service out of the amp. I can’t afford to trade up. Let us know how it goes with the new Mephisto. :)
 
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LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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A good audiotech is worth his weight in Class A amplification! These components are not super-complex...but they do require a disciplined audiotech who is willing to take the time to properly test, track down and repair any issues...and then I think they can run much longer than 15 years.
 

Fred

Well-Known Member
May 31, 2010
296
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Covington, LA
Anything new to report Larry? Hoping you're getting this resolved.
 

LarryK

Well-Known Member
Jan 27, 2018
159
42
133
Anything new to report Larry? Hoping you're getting this resolved.

Hello Fred,

Unfortunately, I’ve been sick for weeks and just haven’t had the energy to rent a car and wrestle the amp into the back seat and drive three hours total. I hope to do it in the beginning of February with the help of a friend who is out of town now.

People who think there is no difference between a two channel system and a little streaming radio should try two channel for six months and then unplug it, lol. I miss my system.
 

Barry2013

VIP/Donor
Oct 12, 2013
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Essex UK
Hello Fred,

Unfortunately, I’ve been sick for weeks and just haven’t had the energy to rent a car and wrestle the amp into the back seat and drive three hours total. I hope to do it in the beginning of February with the help of a friend who is out of town now.

People who think there is no difference between a two channel system and a little streaming radio should try two channel for six months and then unplug it, lol. I miss my system.

Get well soon Larry
 

Fred

Well-Known Member
May 31, 2010
296
5
365
Covington, LA
I'm just getting over a nasty case of the flu myself. Get well soon.
 

LarryK

Well-Known Member
Jan 27, 2018
159
42
133
So, I finally got my act together and drove the amp to the service center, SoundSmith, in Peekskill, NY. I didn’t want to do it when we had snow or ice and I kept putting it off. Anyway, now it is there!

I’ve attached a picture of the amp seatbelted into the rear seat of the rental SUV. This is why you always tip your building workers, if you live in NYC. They were nice enough to lift the amp up and put it in there, no easy feat. I could never have done that.

Fingers crossed it doesn’t have a major problem. I miss it. I don’t listen to its Class D replacement much.

Best,

Larry
 

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