Gryphon Mephisto Stereo
- Thread starter Thieliste
- Start date
I have never had my Colloseum shut down because of overheating. I wonder if something else may have caused the shutdown, ie a faulty temperature switch. I have had my amp on for 10 hours straight, mostly running in high bias and while it was hot and the fans were running I had no issues. I have actually had other gear that was much hotter.
Perhaps, but it was many years ago so that bird has flown. I did really like their sound though.
Hi Guys, this afternoon i went to my Gryphon dealer for a listen and i ended up being completely blown away by what he had prepared for me.
The system consisted of a pair of Wilson Benesch Resolution driven by Thrax Dionysos linestage, EmmLabs DV2 DAC and Gryphon Mephisto.
Never heard the Mephisto sing so well, the Thrax linestage is what made the big difference in the chain.
The Pandora was nowhere near as good as the Thrax.
The system consisted of a pair of Wilson Benesch Resolution driven by Thrax Dionysos linestage, EmmLabs DV2 DAC and Gryphon Mephisto.
Never heard the Mephisto sing so well, the Thrax linestage is what made the big difference in the chain.
The Pandora was nowhere near as good as the Thrax.
Fascinating to hear. Have read a lot of good things about Thrax. I also know many people who love the Pandora...but I have also heard (in my own personal experience so surely not a definitive statement) from more audiophiles who feel they have gone 'well beyond' the Pandora (after auditioning the Pandora plus others)...and going with other preamps. Of all the Mephisto owners I can think of...notoably more have NON-Pandora preamps than those who do.
I have never had the opportunity to hear the Pandora myself, so cannot say. But I could not be happier with the Robert Koda K15EX Superground.
Are you considering the Thrax pre and Mephisto combination?
We did the Shootout between the Pandora and the Thrax both driving the Mephisto.
There was no contest the Thrax preamp brought the Mephisto to another level.
Not yet, this year i will build the system seen in my signature.
The Mephisto-Thrax combo could be considered for a future rig.
Got it. Thanks for that...very interesting to hear. I am glad to see more fellow audiophiles focusing on Gryphon. A great design that has been around for decades and always with a commitment to all-out assault quality. And it has also become shockingly lower-priced than many competitors who have started out of the gate at 5 figures and in some cases now start in the 6 figures (even for stereo amps) and comfortably into the 6 figures for monos.
Thrax makes great sounding gear. FWIW, the Gryphon preamps are not considered in the same light as their power amps over here as well.
Interesting Howiebrou. Good to know about both Thrax and Gryphon. At this stage, I consider myself very blessed...and done with electronics, cables/isolation/power and main speakers for some time to come. The main focus today besides finetuning the setup which is yet to be done (waiting for a few months most likely for professionals to return)...is subs.
Hi everyone...just thought I would update this thread with my latest findings on the Gryphon Mephisto. As some fellow owners also use it with Torus Balanced Power, I am going to give my comments and welcome any others. Overall, my view of Gryphon Mephisto and Torus AVR series is that the combination should be 'required reading' for Gryphon Mephisto owners.
Yes, of course, that assumes a lot about someone else's power condition...where I can imagine some are well designed enough that having the Tours would not make a difference. I accept that.
In our case, we have dedicated wiring to the audio system, Furutech outlets and a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) somewhere out back which (marginally) may help. And the Torus AVR 16 has made a significant improvement with the Gryphon Mephisto where I would not now wish to separate them. I spoken with both Gryphon and Torus at senior levels directly before combining them to ensure our system's specs would be fine (they are).
I also conferred with a number of owners here who have this exact combination. And I have to say the upper bass detail and clarity is fantastic...but now so too are the ethereal, super-background elements of the mids and upper treble. Listening to the Grateful Dead Winterland '77 concert which is incredibly well recorded...and the sense of the live concert effect is really spectacular with the Torus in where it allows more detail/air/space into the music and the bass hit is more live. All thanks to the Torus.
One for Phil O'Hanlon to consider as he is the importer of Gryphon in N America where I imagine a great number of members are located.
Yes, of course, that assumes a lot about someone else's power condition...where I can imagine some are well designed enough that having the Tours would not make a difference. I accept that.
In our case, we have dedicated wiring to the audio system, Furutech outlets and a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) somewhere out back which (marginally) may help. And the Torus AVR 16 has made a significant improvement with the Gryphon Mephisto where I would not now wish to separate them. I spoken with both Gryphon and Torus at senior levels directly before combining them to ensure our system's specs would be fine (they are).
I also conferred with a number of owners here who have this exact combination. And I have to say the upper bass detail and clarity is fantastic...but now so too are the ethereal, super-background elements of the mids and upper treble. Listening to the Grateful Dead Winterland '77 concert which is incredibly well recorded...and the sense of the live concert effect is really spectacular with the Torus in where it allows more detail/air/space into the music and the bass hit is more live. All thanks to the Torus.
One for Phil O'Hanlon to consider as he is the importer of Gryphon in N America where I imagine a great number of members are located.
Congratulations, Lloyd! I'm glad you have this all figured out!
Purely out of curiosity, what is the reason for not using a larger Torus? I see that the AVR 16 is only a few amps (220 VAC x 16 amps = 3,520 watts) above the maximum power consumption of the Mephisto stereo (2,650 watts). Why not use a Torus with much greater current capacity "head room"?
Purely out of curiosity, what is the reason for not using a larger Torus? I see that the AVR 16 is only a few amps (220 VAC x 16 amps = 3,520 watts) above the maximum power consumption of the Mephisto stereo (2,650 watts). Why not use a Torus with much greater current capacity "head room"?
Hey Ron. Thanks...like many of my purchases over time, they are a combination of lots of research, listening...and patiently waiting for the bargain. There is no question that a bigger Torus would provide more headroom, but this particular unit was available at a steep discount with 2.5 years left on the warranty which Torus kindly confirmed to me in writing they would honor. And I had been on and off looking for probably 3-4 years.
Further, having added up the math of my system and spoken with both Gryphon and Torus HQ directly, they were both satisfied that not only would I not come near the stable output peak (at normal listening, the amps read around 5.1 amps...vs 16 amps stable max output), but that on top of that, the actual peak headroom is multiple times higher than that (7x - 10x or something crazy).
So I am currently using...something like...30%-35% of the stable output where the peak headroom is a further 7x - 10x higher or something.
Further, having added up the math of my system and spoken with both Gryphon and Torus HQ directly, they were both satisfied that not only would I not come near the stable output peak (at normal listening, the amps read around 5.1 amps...vs 16 amps stable max output), but that on top of that, the actual peak headroom is multiple times higher than that (7x - 10x or something crazy).
So I am currently using...something like...30%-35% of the stable output where the peak headroom is a further 7x - 10x higher or something.
Agree with Ron here. Seems out of spec to save just a few thousand for a $60k dual mono class A amp based system. Mephisto has tremendous current.
Hi Keith. Your point is well taken...if I trip a circuit because I underpower the amp, that is just stupid. That said, at the moment, the meters suggest I am not even using 35% of the total stable capacity of the Torus. I am at 5.1amps of useage vs 16amps of stable peak output.
My wife downloaded a decibel monitor on her phone...at normal listening levels, the sound is around 45-50 decibels. At 'loud' (for us), it is still only 65 decibels stable (obviously instant peaks are louder...but not drastically).
If we start to see the amperage useage climb...I will go back to our Torus dealer...the good news is he deals a lot in Torus, and further the next level or 2 up is the same height and width...and only about 3 inches deeper so it could fit.
Hey guys, I'm using Gryphon Mephisto - CH Precision L1+X1.
Please share your experience, which cables give the best results, especially the information on interconnect cables.
Please share your experience, which cables give the best results, especially the information on interconnect cables.
Hi folks not posted for a while so I thought I’d update you all.
Over the past few months I’ve changed a few things in my system.
The ARC ref 40 has been replaced with a Steve McCormack VRE silver reference Hifi One edition speaker cables are now EWA LS80 two pairs to biwire and my interconnects and power cables are all Sablon but one of the best things I have done recently is to stand my speakers external crossovers on Stillpoints as for the Mephisto it’s still here for the long haul, or until I can either afford or be able to get the new Apex up my stairs.
Just a quick comment. Torus is not Balanced power on the output like Equitech. It take 120 volt or 240 volt on the input and 120 volt on the output. The beauty of this is Torus Isolation transformers can utilize AFCI breakers on the output which is a requirement in any Dwelling unit in the USA.
I have been studying power for a long time now. I am very hesitant about power conditioners. I have tried many, heard them all, liked a lot of what I heard and had issues with some stuff. I would ask Mike L, are you sure the wall is not better than from your Equitech with your Dartzeel. He was adamant the isolation transformer was better. I was still hesitant as the "online" chatter was a transformer limits current delivery. Well, I finally decided to try one for myself. I was absolutely floored in what I heard. Better dynamics, better bass that integrated with the upper frequency range. A quite in the room. Not a black, just a calm. Better resolution and inner detail. The soundstage expands and moves up and out. There is 0 that comes across as a negative. I then went and bought a demo RM20 and took it around to people I know. If someone did not have any power conditioner, they bought it. If they had a different conditioner, they sold the other and kept the Torus.
Something to consider about a Torus transformer. You can't just throw it into a system and get all it has to give. An isolation transformer is very reactive to the power it is delivered. The better the grounding, service, feeders and branch wiring, the better the Torus will function.
I am updating my website this week. The update will reflect where I find the greatest band for the buck when building out your electrical infrastructure.
#1 Torus Isolation transformer
#2 Dedicated lines to your equipment. With or without a Torus.
#3 Corrosion protection/Removal of all aluminum. These 2 are very similar in affect and intensity so I rate them the same.
#4 Better branch wires
#5 damping mechanical vibrations
My experience is that all systems perform at a higher level with a quality isolation transformer. The only 3 I would call quality are Torus, Equitech and Controlled Power. The others such as Triplite, Topaz or industrial units are not the same. Torus stands apart from the rest as it is an amazing RF filter, uses NEC required AFCI breakers, has 2 types of built in surge protection, can be configured with automatic primary voltage selective taps that maintain 120 volt output with sags to 90 volts and surges to 130 volts. All the primary and secondary code required disconnects are built into one box. You don't need any disconnect switches on the wall to install it.
If you believe, which I don't buy into anymore, that you need to "Isolate" your server, preamps and amps from each other, then go ahead an put another filter on your rack that does as such. You will probably remove it in short time. What you do need is "#2 Dedicated Line". You never want everything on 1 branch wire and 1 duplex.
Last, I have never heard a RM20 in a room. Dead silent. Any larger and you want to have some way to potentially encase hum. I have set RM40 in rooms and if they are in a open back cabinet, the front and sides are plenty to keep the hum from being heard at the chair. You have to climb up to the rack to hear it. I prefer to put larger isolation transformers on a wall outside the room. The branch from the Torus to the duplex should optimally be 20 feet or less. 40 feet max, no more.
OK, sorry for the sidetrack, back to the Gryphon Thread.
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