Gryphon Essence

[GSOphile]

Hi guys, my speakers being difficult load i'm wondering if i could max them out with a pair of Essence Monos ?
My Diablo 300 doesn't max them out even though it got much better since now i have Cardas Clear Beyond IC and SC.
Essence Monos + Essence pre seems to be a very big upgrade coming from Diablo 300.

"My Diablo 300 doesn't max them out." What does this mean, sound like? Since the Diablo has about 5X the power of Essence Monos, even into 2 ohm loads, why would you expect more from the Essence Monos?
In another thread you seemed to be very satisfied with what great results you got with your speakers with Cardis Clear Beyond SCs. The Diablo is also part of this chain. Could it be that your speakers are really the weak link?

 

[Low325]

Was thinking maybe the output voltage from your DAC is weak…? Assuming you were using RCAs…I know my (now gone) Diablo 120 sounded pretty ballsy, getting a ‘hotter’ signal from my Lumin X1. But i just checked the aqua site for output voltage…
rca 2.4v
xlr 3.8v
is this adjustable in the aqua?

 

[taww]

@Thieliste I would hesitate to move to the Essence with a speaker that is regarded as power hungry. I looked up the efficiency of the CS3.7 and it doesn’t seem that bad (90dB/W claimed) but the Stereophile review recommended 150W minimum which tells me the efficiency rating might be optimistic. Like low-wattage Pass amps, the Essence has plenty of current but it is limited in voltage, and remember that the mono version parallels the channels, not bridges them, so it only adds more current capability. I think the Essence stereo is just enough power for my Audiovectors which are considerably more efficient than the Thiel so I would probably look to the Antileon EVO if you want to move up the Gryphon line. That said, I also wonder what @GSOphile remarked, that you may reach diminishing returns on a 15 year old loudspeaker design with specific limitations.

 

[_Alchemist_]

@Thieliste How did you feel the Humboldt was driving your speakers? You still feel it was not 100%?
I remember you mentioned that no separates below 100k euros would come close to the Humboldt

 

[Thieliste]

I didn't say the Diablo 300 doesn't work with my Thiels as a matter of fact now that i put Cardas Clear Beyond cables in the mix the system now is in a complete different league and i could live with the Diablo 300 for several more years.
What i'm saying is if i upgrade to Gryphon pure class A at some point it will make a big difference coming from Diablo 300.
Since my speakers are much more current hungry than "watt" hungry i was thinking the Essence Monos with their huge amount of current would be the right upgrade path.
I know the Antileon Evo would be more than sufficient but IMO since i now have Clear Beyond cabling the match with Essence Monos which are more transparent than the Evo and less chocolatey would be better ?

 

[Thieliste]

@Thieliste How did you feel the Humboldt was driving your speakers? You still feel it was not 100%?
I remember you mentioned that no separates below 100k euros would come close to the Humboldt

Absolutely the Humboldt has a much better grip on my Thiels than the Diablo 300.
The number of watts doesn't mean much in my case, what matters most is the quantity of current and the Humboldt is spectacular in that regard.

 

[_Alchemist_]

I didn't say the Diablo 300 doesn't work with my Thiels as a matter of fact now that i put Cardas Clear Beyond cables in the mix the system now is in a complete different league and i could live with the Diablo 300 for several more years.
What i'm saying is if i upgrade to Gryphon pure class A at some point it will make a big difference coming from Diablo 300.
Since my speakers are much more current hungry than "watt" hungry i was thinking the Essence Monos with their huge amount of current would be the right upgrade path.
I know the Antileon Evo would be more than sufficient but IMO since i now have Clear Beyond cabling the match with Essence Monos which are more transparent than the Evo and less chocolatey would be better ?

Why don't you ask your dealer to try the essence stereo already just to give you an idea?

 

[Thieliste]

Was thinking maybe the output voltage from your DAC is weak…? Assuming you were using RCAs…I know my (now gone) Diablo 120 sounded pretty ballsy, getting a ‘hotter’ signal from my Lumin X1. But i just checked the aqua site for output voltage…
rca 2.4v
xlr 3.8v
is this adjustable in the aqua?

No i'm using XLR which is recommended by Aqua.

 

[Thieliste]

Why don't you ask your dealer to try the essence stereo already just to give you an idea?

Already did, just need to find the time to go pick them up, he only has the Essence stereo for now.

 

[GXUE]

Hi members,
I’m new to this forum but have benefited a lot from reading the reviews.
One issue I have with the Essence preamp when coming from a Diablo 300 is the remote. It’s not as sensitivity as the one for Diablo 300. This is especially the case when I try to adjust screen brightness using the remote. It takes multiple clicks to do it and sometimes it doesn’t work at all. Has anyone else come across this issue?
I’ve had once where the volume, mute and input buttons blacked out completely.
There are just some minor issues with electronics I feel. Sound is gorgeous. I didn’t think I could get much better than Diablo but the Essence combo is just that much better. The DAC module is great and allows me to have a very neat setup where I play music directly from my MacBook Pro M1.
Thank you all for your help in advance.
GX

 

[Thieliste]

Hi members,
I’m new to this forum but have benefited a lot from reading the reviews.
One issue I have with the Essence preamp when coming from a Diablo 300 is the remote. It’s not as sensitivity as the one for Diablo 300. This is especially the case when I try to adjust screen brightness using the remote. It takes multiple clicks to do it and sometimes it doesn’t work at all. Has anyone else come across this issue?
I’ve had once where the volume, mute and input buttons blacked out completely.
There are just some minor issues with electronics I feel. Sound is gorgeous. I didn’t think I could get much better than Diablo but the Essence combo is just that much better. The DAC module is great and allows me to have a very neat setup where I play music directly from my MacBook Pro M1.
Thank you all for your help in advance.
GX

Welcome to WBF GXUE, contrats for your Essence combo!

 

[taww]

Hi members,
I’m new to this forum but have benefited a lot from reading the reviews.
One issue I have with the Essence preamp when coming from a Diablo 300 is the remote. It’s not as sensitivity as the one for Diablo 300. This is especially the case when I try to adjust screen brightness using the remote. It takes multiple clicks to do it and sometimes it doesn’t work at all. Has anyone else come across this issue?
I’ve had once where the volume, mute and input buttons blacked out completely.
There are just some minor issues with electronics I feel. Sound is gorgeous. I didn’t think I could get much better than Diablo but the Essence combo is just that much better. The DAC module is great and allows me to have a very neat setup where I play music directly from my MacBook Pro M1.
Thank you all for your help in advance.
GX

Welcome and congrats on the upgrade! Would love to hear more about your setup (especially speakers) and what improvements you’re observing vs Diablo.

I noticed the beam angle for the Diablo remote seemed a bit narrow, though I didn’t have any issues with erratic control. I use a Logitech Harmony remote exclusively now though so I haven’t been using the Essence remote at all. It may be worth asking for a replacement remote to see if that helps.

 

[GXUE]

Welcome and congrats on the upgrade! Would love to hear more about your setup (especially speakers) and what improvements you’re observing vs Diablo.

I noticed the beam angle for the Diablo remote seemed a bit narrow, though I didn’t have any issues with erratic control. I use a Logitech Harmony remote exclusively now though so I haven’t been using the Essence remote at all. It may be worth asking for a replacement remote to see if that helps.

Thanks @taww. I tried multiple remote on multiple essence preamps. They are all a bit insensitive but mine is the worst out of the bunch. I’d be interested to know if you experience the same issue with the stock remote when used to change screen brightness. Cheers.

 

[taww]

Thanks @taww. I tried multiple remote on multiple essence preamps. They are all a bit insensitive but mine is the worst out of the bunch. I’d be interested to know if you experience the same issue with the stock remote when used to change screen brightness. Cheers.

I actually never use the dimmer function so I can’t say. I’d ask Gryphon if they have any suggestions.

 

[GXUE]

I actually never use the dimmer function so I can’t say. I’d ask Gryphon if they have any suggestions.

Sure. Ive now tested 7 preamps and they have more or less the same issue. Mine is bad partly due to the heat generated by the DAC which apparently causes interference.

The IR receiver in preamp is not greatly placed since it’s behind the metal panel whereas it’s behind the acrylic panel for the integrated.

Another issue with the Essence combo is the hiss coming out speakers when not playing anything. I was told it’s due to the +18db gain of the preamp.

Anyways, you typically pay 50% to 60% of recommended retail price in HK for gryphon so can’t really complain too much.

 

[taww]

Sure. Ive now tested 7 preamps and they have more or less the same issue. Mine is bad partly due to the heat generated by the DAC which apparently causes interference.

The IR receiver in preamp is not greatly placed since it’s behind the metal panel whereas it’s behind the acrylic panel for the integrated.

Another issue with the Essence combo is the hiss coming out speakers when not playing anything. I was told it’s due to the +18db gain of the preamp.

Anyways, you typically pay 50% to 60% of recommended retail price in HK for gryphon so can’t really complain too much.

Interesting, I do not have the DAC anymore (auditioned it but preferred my PS Audio) and the Logitech Harmony blasts IR all over the room to make it omnidirectional, so that must mitigate. The Gryphon remote looks cool but I always have preferred slim, light and ergonomic remotes with rubberized buttons to the heavy audiophile stuff.

The Essence combo isn’t the quietest, no. On my speakers it is not really consequential or distracting but it is audible close up. If there were a low gain setting I would certainly use it as I never go above 26 on the volume.

 

[fabythom2713]

gryphon Essence combo, Magico A5.
work in progress, no Dac yet. Phono was sent to be fixed. Using Bluesound node for now. waiting on new cables from Shunyata!
only 2 weeks old.

 

[LL21]

Congrats! Big news! Look forward to your listening notes as things settle in!

 

[fabythom2713]

Congrats! Big news! Look forward to your listening notes as things settle in!

Thank you

 

[ICUToo]

Thank you

Love to hear what you think of this combo, fabythom2713?
Enough power to drive the A5s loud?
Quiet in terms of hiss?
Sound quality?
So many questions, I know!! Thanks a lot for any answers!!