Visit to Gryphon Audio Designs / Pendragon Review

[Andrew Stenhouse]

I think one or more of those could work (and would work) but, philosophically, I agree with Mike Lavigne's view that, if at all possible, a fully-integrated, full-frequency range solution by one manufacturer is preferable to grafting together two different systems with the risk of less than great results.

That is my experience as well. Seldom a happy event - blending subwoofers with speakers.

Yes - I agree with you and DaveyF: over speakering a room is too be avoided. Your room seems tailor made Ron. Sounds like you are onto a winner there.

Now about those pictures of Ry...

 

[Ron Resnick]

. . . Now about those pictures of Ry...

My wife is the official photographer. We were so focused on the audio aspects of the trip to Ry that she did not bring her big camera and I did not bring my small camera.

 

[LL21]

...And I know that tall ceilings are not supposed to help acoustically, but I think -- and almost everyone I talk with about tall ceilings agrees -- that the 14' ceiling, for some reason, helps.

I wonder if the extra height (even with Genesis and Gryphon speakers) is about volume of cubic space more than the actual height itself. In two rooms of same length/width, the one with 14' ceilings vs 8' ceilings will have a lot more cubic area which gives the big speaker more room to breath so to speak.

 

[LL21]

...For me personally I am very confident the Pendragon would fit in my room. The panel and the woofer tower are positioned right next to each other and, together, are 41.5" wide, exactly the same width as the just the mid/tweeter panel of the Genesis 1.2, and only about 10" wider than the Neolith...

By the way, how big do the Pendragons feel when you are in the room with them? Sometimes for whatever reason, a speaker seems bigger than it is, or seems more intrusive. How big do these come across when you are in the room looking at them...and when you are standing next to them?

 

[Andrew Stenhouse]

My wife is the official photographer. We were so focused on the audio aspects of the trip to Ry that she did not bring her big camera and I did not bring my small camera.

Ah well - next time eh. I'll goggle instead

 

[trueblue]

Ah well - next time eh. I'll goggle instead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbYLtYp0ySA

 

[LL21]

Ultimate Audio Portugal showing the Gryphon Pendragon with Gryphon electronics and Tripoint Troy...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67nu8N7FZ8w

 

[Ron Resnick]

I wonder if the extra height (even with Genesis and Gryphon speakers) is about volume of cubic space more than the actual height itself. In two rooms of same length/width, the one with 14' ceilings vs 8' ceilings will have a lot more cubic area which gives the big speaker more room to breath so to speak.

I think you are correct. That is the word I use. I think the height somehow gives the speakers "breathing room."

 

[Ron Resnick]

By the way, how big do the Pendragons feel when you are in the room with them? Sometimes for whatever reason, a speaker seems bigger than it is, or seems more intrusive. How big do these come across when you are in the room looking at them...and when you are standing next to them?

They are big but they do not look or "feel" overwhelming. Each tower is fairly svelte.

In my room it would be like putting another (taller, of course) Prodigy next to each of my current Prodigys. It would not look overwhelming. It helps a bit that I was able to widen my room last year by two feet by removing a bookshelf and cabinet on the front, left side of the room.

 

[Rodney Gold]

So have you decided to get the Pendragons .? .you really want them
nice thing about them is you can get perfect positioning for the mids/tweets and get optimal positioning for bass units and add a swarm of subs ..

 

[Ron Resnick]

So have you decided to get the Pendragons .? .you really want them
nice thing about them is you can get perfect positioning for the mids/tweets and get optimal positioning for bass units and add a swarm of subs ..

I do want them!

Flemming for the Pendragon and Evolution Acoustics for the MM7 and Wilson for XLF/Thors all prefer as a first cut that the towers be positioned on a curve at an equal radius distance to the listening seat. (In photos you almost always see the Thors in the front wall corners, but this is because they want to demonstrate that with the phase and other adjustments in the Watch Controller the Thors can be positioned in various places. I asked about Thor positioning and this was the reply.)

 

[rnsa2000]

Ron,

excellent thread!!!

As LL21, I'm also a lover of Gryphon. I found it very interesting observations and comparisons with loudspeakears of the other manufacturers, mainly in relation to Arrakis.

Their comments made me very excited to have the opportunity to hear the Pendragon. Very soon I will be listening to the Trident 2, I look forward to that moment.


PS. I saw your review in Mono and Stereo too.



Nice regards,
Ricardo.

 

[RayDunzl]

Send me your Prodigys when you are done with them, I'll give them a good home.

 

[garylkoh]

I wonder if the extra height (even with Genesis and Gryphon speakers) is about volume of cubic space more than the actual height itself. In two rooms of same length/width, the one with 14' ceilings vs 8' ceilings will have a lot more cubic area which gives the big speaker more room to breath so to speak.

Yes. Both the Gryphon Pendragon and Genesis Dragon are line sources from the midrange-up. In the bass, wavelengths are still so long that the 2m tall woofer towers are POINT sources. Pure cubic volume is important.

Ron,

it sounds like you've found the loudspeakers for the rest of your life. The Pendragon have a crossover point nearly an octave above what I like, but they are to be treated as two-towers and not 4-towers. The bass towers need to be as close as possible to the midrange towers. When I visited your fellow reviewer on Mono and Stereo Danon Han in Kuala Lumpur, we spent quite a few hours fine-tuning the placement and settings on his Pendragons. Getting the coherence right ended up with millimeter adjustments forward and backward on the midrange/tweeters in relation to the woofer towers.

 

[Dimfer]

There's another 4 tower speaker in the market that might interest you too, the VSA 111, this system belongs to a fellow WBF member .

Made in California

 

[Andrew Stenhouse]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbYLtYp0ySA

Thank you. That was very helpful in contextualising Ron's visit. I also googled Ry, and saw some lovely images. It is a beautiful township. Definitely on the to do list.

@Ron - do you see a move to Gryphon amplification accompanying any acquisition of the Pendragon? or do you reckon that a seperate question to be answered another day? ie one change at a time.

 

[Folsom]

I don't think the VSA fits the bill for what Ron is after. However, Albert certainly deserves an audition because he's bound to impress anyway.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Yes. Both the Gryphon Pendragon and Genesis Dragon are line sources from the midrange-up. In the bass, wavelengths are still so long that the 2m tall woofer towers are POINT sources. Pure cubic volume is important.

Ron,

it sounds like you've found the loudspeakers for the rest of your life. The Pendragon have a crossover point nearly an octave above what I like, but they are to be treated as two-towers and not 4-towers. The bass towers need to be as close as possible to the midrange towers. When I visited your fellow reviewer on Mono and Stereo Danon Han in Kuala Lumpur, we spent quite a few hours fine-tuning the placement and settings on his Pendragons. Getting the coherence right ended up with millimeter adjustments forward and backward on the midrange/tweeters in relation to the woofer towers.

That is very interesting. Thank you for reporting that, Gary. (And that explains why no photo of the Pendragons ever shows the woofer towers separated from the panels.)

I think sometimes the expensive and incredibly capable equipment people have is not properly optimized for the room, and the sonic results do not achieve all of which the components are capable. As amazing as your speakers are I truly think the "secret sauce" of Genesis is your expertise and experience in "dialing in" the speakers to the room.

 

[Ron Resnick]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbYLtYp0ySA

Thank you for posting these photos!

 

[Rodney Gold]

I actually rebuilt my room to suit my speakers..the room is often what stops you getting the best out of the speakers

I have heard the pendragons with matching amp at our local high end purveyor , quite a good room , but not perfect

My overall impression of that listening session in that room was that such visually imposing speakers did not have the scale and grandeur I was expecting.