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Athena
Owner´s Manual
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Table of Contents:
Introduction....................... 3
The Gryphon....................... 3
The Man.............................. 4
Made in Denmark............... 4
Musical Objectives............. 4
The Gryphon Master Tape
Collection............................ 5
Design Principles................ 5
Exterior Design................... 7
Manufacture and Assembly. 8
Using Your Gryphon.........
AC Voltage.......................... 8
Burn-in and Warm-up.......... 8
Balanced Connections....... 9
Choice of Cables................ 9
Care and Maintenance....... 9
Unpacking........................... 9
Installation........................... 10
Powersupply........................ 10
Front Panel & Remote Functions 11
Menu functions................... 11
AC Fuses............................ 16
Warranty.............................. 17
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Introduction
Welcome to the global family of
proud owners of fine audio components from Gryphon Audio
Designs of Denmark. Your new
Gryphon unit has been painstakingly designed to re-create the
sound of live music taking place
in its original recorded space.
Every Gryphon product is
designed to cater to the needs of
the most discerning music
enthusiast with sumptuous
styling and superb user-friendliness which elevate it above the
mundane world of conventional audio components.
As audiophiles, the
members of the
Gryphon design team are constantly reminded to keep their
priorities straight. We are not
involved in “hi-fi” for its own
sake, but strictly as a means to
an end, in the service of our lifelong love of the live music experience in all its sonic and emotional glory.
Our higher goal is to bring to the
listener a “You-Are-There” sensation. In taking up this challenge, the Gryphon designers go
back to basics to analyze the
essential nature of the live music
experience. For us, an awareness of soundstaging, ambience
and concert hall dimensions are
necessary components.
Dynamics and an unambiguous
sense of instrument location
even in the loudest passages
are also high priorities. To
achieve these objectives,
Gryphon products offer exceptional speed and agility along
with seamless coherence in the
time domain.
Since 1985, Gryphon Audio
Designs has quietly gone about
the business of creating fine
home audio components. We
know that you will appreciate and enjoy the benefits
of our accumulated experience and share our abiding passion for music.
The Gryphon
In Greek mythology: A fabled
creature, half-lion and halfeagle, combining the power of
the “King of Beasts” with the
grace of the “King of Birds”. The
guardian of the source of gold
and protector of the Dionysian
cup of infinite wealth.
In the real world: An acclaimed
Danish audio engineering company employing cutting edge
technology and common sense
in the pursuit of the purest musical experience. We feel that the
gryphon is an appropriate symbol for our high sonic goals.
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The Man
Gryphon Audio Designs is the
brainchild of Flemming E.
Rasmussen and the fulfillment of
a lifelong dream to allow the
purest essence of the live music
experience to be recreated in the
home environment.
Rasmussen holds a degree in
painting and graphic arts from
the Aarhus Art Academy,
Denmark. During his studies,
Rasmussen developed close
relationships with the local music
community and designed many
LP covers and concert posters.
After graduation, he taught photography and painting and
designed textiles, before founding 2R Marketing, which quickly
became Denmark’s leading High
End audio import company.
Gryphon Audio Designs was
founded in 1985 as an offshoot
of 2R Marketing, The first product, the now legendary Gryphon
Head Amp, grew from a one-off
spare time project developed
only for the designers’ own home
systems. Although the Gryphon
project was initially strictly a
hobby, not an actively pursued
commercial venture, demand
generated by reviews and wordof-mouth led to the formal establishment of Gryphon Audio
Designs as a separate corporate
entity.
Following the immediate success of the Gryphon brand, all
import business was phased out
in 1993, so that Rasmussen
could dedicate his efforts entirely to Gryphon.
Made In Denmark
Every product from Gryphon
Audio Designs is designed and
built in Denmark. This is much
more than just a geographical
fact. It is also a seal of approval,
a stamp of quality. Living in a
region with no natural resources
(no oil, coal, precious metals,
etc.), the Danes have learned to
rely on their quick wits and
skilled hands. Innovative technology, beautiful craftsmanship,
pride in one’s craft and a keen
eye for attractive design are
some of the long-standing
Danish traditions which are distilled to their finest essence in
every unit that bears the
Gryphon name.
Musical
Objectives
While scientific method and
sophisticated technology play an
important role in our electronics
design work, at Gryphon we
never lose sight of the fact that
the keen ears of an experienced
listener are the most crucial “cal-
The Gryphon Head Amp 1985
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Flemming E. Rasmussen painting 1967
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ibration tools.” Therefore, every
Gryphon product exists for one
simple purpose: to bring the user
closer in the never-ending quest
for a more natural and convincing musical illusion.
Every Gryphon design has been
built to cruise effortlessly through
even the most demanding musical passages, regardless of volume level, with a musical presentation defined by supreme
articulation and immediacy, subtle dynamic shading and razorsharp focus. Refinement and
delicacy are combined with
power and authority for a natural, involving listening experience.
The Gryphon
Master Tape
Collection
In the Gryphon listening rooms,
we are fortunate to possess a
unique library of more than
1,000 original master tapes of
recordings made during the
Golden Age of studio engineering from 1956-1976.
Unlike conventional commercial
releases, our master tapes capture the dynamic contrasts and
subtle inner harmonic structure
of the musical event, forcing us
to work to a higher standard in
our efforts to maintain the integrity of the original musical performance.
Design Principles
With state of the art technical
equipment and some of the
finest minds in the audio engineering field at our disposal, the
Gryphon brand name continues
to define the highest audiophile
standards of subjective and
technical performance.
The dual mono configuration
radically eliminates any possibility of crosstalk or other interference between channels and provides infinite channel separation
which contributes to the ability to
create space, focus, depth and
transparency.
Because the electrical power
coming out of your wall fluctuates wildly in terms of voltage
and distortion, Gryphon incorporates heavily regulated multistage power supplies that act as
effective mains conditioning filters. Displays and control circuits
are fed by a separate power supply to isolate any digital noise
artifacts and effectively prevent
them from contaminating the signal path.
Gryphon is located in beautiful tranquil
surroundings.
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While the printed circuit boards
in more conventional audio products utilize conductor tracks a
mere 35 um thick, Gryphon
employs at least 70 um traces of
the highest purity.
Beginning with our very first
product, “The Head Amp” all
Gryphon products have featured
extremely wide frequency bandwidth, because the ability to
reproduce ultra-sonic frequencies with no difficulty ensures linear phase across the audible frequency range.
The implementation of circuits
with wideband frequency
response is a painstaking
endeavor in which the actual layout and ground pattern of the PC
boards are crucial to the
achievement of superior sonic
performance with no loss of
inherent stability.
Wideband frequency response
ensures the high slew rate
essential to the realistic handling
of the ultra-fast transients which
routinely occur in live music and
is crucial in recreating the natural decay of musical instruments.
Wide bandwidth also improves
phase characteristics, for more
correct soundstaging and imaging.
All Gryphon designs are realized
with an absolute minimum of
negative feedback, which when
present in large amounts can
actually increase TIM distortion.
All Gryphon preamplifiers are
designed with zero, or extremely
low, negative feedback.
Gryphon power amplifiers apply
negative feedback judiciously for
improved linearity and bandwidth.
Gryphon research into the detrimental effects of magnetically
induced distorted (MID) has led
to the elimination of magnetizable materials wherever possible. To eliminate the effects of
stray magnetic fields, non-magnetic materials are employed
throughout, with the unavoidable
exception of the transformer
shield box.
The mechanical design of the
cabinet and assembly methods
are all carefully calculated to
ensure minimal resonance,
either through the use of
mechanically grounded high
mass or decoupling. Vibrationsensitive components, capacitors in particular, are thus guaranteed a non-resonant environment.
The heavy, thick chassis offers a
vibration-proof environment for
the sensitive electronics inside
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and provides crucial shielding
from a polluted world of low and
high-frequency radio waves,
power-line radiation and other
electrical interference.
Meticulous attention to such
issues makes a significant contribution to the relaxing, open
and transparent Gryphon sound.
Unique, non-invasive protection
circuitry offers reliable, fuss-free
protection without compromising
signal purity and signal path simplicity, with no conventional
relays in the signal path to
degrade or compress sound.
The ground path has been carefully laid out in order to achieve
superior sonic performance with
no loss of stability. Component
layout has been designed to
ensure the shortest conceivable
signal path.
Exhaustive investigation underlies the selection of every component part and many original,
proprietary components are custom-built exclusively for
Gryphon. Because what is left
out is just as important as what
goes in, an absolute minimum of
internal wiring is included.
By lavishing attention on each
aspect of the circuit and fully
understanding the purpose and
behavior of every single part of
the whole, our designers can
optimize performance in each
section, before moving on to the
next step. This ensures simplicity, a short signal path and a unity
of purpose with a single, welldefined objective: musical purity.
In the interest of ultimate fidelity,
tone controls, balance controls
and other unnecessary components have been banished from
the signal path.
Exterior Design
From the very beginning, every
Gryphon product has offered
stunning audio performance,
sumptuous styling and superb
user-friendliness, catering to the
needs of the discerning audiophile who demands musicality,
convenience and aesthetics, all
without compromise.
In every Gryphon product, form
follows function in a unique synthesis of aesthetics and practicality. Gryphon stands for
sophisticated technology with a
high standard of industrial finish
that also incorporates the best of
handcraftsmanship.
The peerless finish, build quality,
ergonomics and pride of ownership that contribute to the totality
of the Gryphon concept can only
be fully understood and appreciated up close and in person.
Gryphon Audio Designs in the
outskirts of the small town of Ry
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Rasmussen’s background in fine
arts and industrial design gives
every Gryphon product a distinctive, luxuriant finish which arises
organically out of the audio circuit design and the user interface for a truly unique integration
of form and function.
Manufacture and
Assembly
At our laboratories and manufacturing facilities in Denmark, we
maintain full control over every
aspect of development and production, and the members of our
conscientious staff diligently follow each Gryphon model from
initial concept to early prototype,
through to final quality control.
Printed circuit boards are
assembled by a supplier of precision military and medical
equipment with strict standards
of quality control and pre-inspection of components. Chassis
parts are manufactured by a
specialist chosen solely for the
outstanding quality of workmanship. In every aspect of every
Gryphon product, the same
stringent standards of excellence apply.
Following a 48-hour burn-in,
each product is tested again,
before being subjected to
Gryphon’s custom-developed
transport simulator which simulates the inevitable shaking that
a product will encounter in transit. The product is placed on top
of a very large loudspeaker
which plays a special CD with
low frequencies which simulate
the vibrations of an airplane.
Each unit “travels” the equivalent
of 40 round trips from Denmark
to Australia before leaving the
factory.
AC Voltage
Your Gryphon unit is especially
made for the AC voltage of the
country to which it has been
shipped. If the voltage has been
changed, the warranty is void
and the product may be unsafe
or malfunction.
Correct AC polarity contributes
greatly to optimum performance.
If you are not using a three-pin,
non-reversible power plug,
please experiment with the orientation of the plug for optimum
performance.
Burn-In and
Warm-Up
Your Gryphon unit has been
thoroughly tested and burned in
before shipping. Performance
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will continue to improve during
the first 40 – 50 hours of normal
use. After this period optimum
performance will be reached
approximately 45 minutes after
turn-on. With the exception of
Class A power amplifiers, we
recommend leaving your
Gryphon components powered
up at all times.
Balanced
Connections
All Gryphon products uses the
AES standard for balanced connections.
1. Ground
2. Positive
3. Negative
We recommend the use of dedicated balanced cables. Avoid the
use of adaptors as they degrade
performance.
Choice of Cables
Because your Athena is a highresolution Gryphon audio
device, it will immediately reveal
the characteristics and possible
limitations of the other components in your system, as well as
those of the interconnects and
loudspeaker cables used to connect your system.
Wiring should never be utilized
as "equalizers" to correct errors
elsewhere in the system.
Instead, any error should be corrected at the source, so that
interconnects and loudspeaker
cables can be selected solely on
the basis of sonic neutrality. For
this reason, we employ
Gryphon's own range of interconnects and cables in every
stage of the design of every
Gryphon product.
Care and
Maintenance
Gryphon products are handcrafted by individuals who take great
pride in the high level of fit and
finish which we achieve. To
maintain your Gryphon components in pristine condition,
please follow these simple
instructions.
Metal surfaces may be cleaned
with a damp cloth. Some product
made for treatment of vinyl interiors in cars may be useful. Test
the product on a non-visible surface, before using any fluids.
Unpacking
During unpacking and installation, please take care to avoid
scratching the Gryphon Athena.
Hard, sharp objects such as
tools should not be nearby dur-
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ing this process. You might
want to remove your wristwatch,
rings or other jewellery before
handling the preamplifier.
Please keep the carton and all
packing materials in a dry place
for safe future transportation.
The following items are
enclosed:
1 Athena preamplifier
1 AC power cables
1 pair of white gloves
1 acrylic polish
1 packing list
1 purchase registration-
card
1 Green Bias control link
(use with select gryphon power
amplifiers)
If anything is missing or damaged, please contact your
Gryphon dealer immediately.
Installation
In order to minimize any possible risk of electrical interference, do not place the preamplifier directly above or below
poweramplifiers.
Advise
ALWAYS turn the preamplifier
on, BEFORE turning on the
power amplifier.
ALWAYS turn the power amplifier off, BEFORE turning off the
preamplifier.
Rear panel connections
Make sure that the power supply is turned off, before making
any connections.
1 balanced XLR input marked
INPUT 1, is provided. INPUT24, TAPE IN and TAPE OUT use
single-ended RCA connectors.
Connect your signal sources to
the appropriate sockets.
1 XLR output marked output 1
and one RCA output marked
output 2 are provided.
If you are using a compatible
Gryphon power amplifier, you
may choose to connect the
Green Bias control link for automatic regulation of Class A bias
to the socket marked GREEN
BIAS on the preamplifier and
on the power amplifier.
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Front panel and
remote functions
The level selected using the
Volume wheel, position is
shown numerically in the display.
MUTE turns sound off without
using the volume controls.
ON/STANDBY turns the preamplifier on or activates Standby
mode. The red on symbol in the
display remains illuminated
when the preamplifier is in
standby.
MONITOR is used to listen to a
tape recorder. If the recorder
has a source/monitor function,
this switch may be used to listen to the tape as it is being
recorded.
Use INPUT Up or Down to
select the source which you
wish to hear. The source selected will be shown in the display.
Menu-activated
functions
The Gryphon Athena
incorporates several functions
which are accessed via a Menu
system.
To access the Menu, press
Menu. MENU will appear in the
display and the Athena will mute
its output. CONTINUE will blink
in the display. To enter the Menu,
press Monitor. If you do not wish
to access the menu-controlled
functions, press an Input button
so that EXIT blinks in the display,
then press Monitor to return to
normal playback and to the normal display.
When you enter the Menu,
NAME INPUT will appear in the
display. Press Menu again to
move through the menu-controlled functions in the following
order:
Name input - Change max level Change start level - Input level
match - dedicate input to 3 AV Display brightness - Green Bias
set-up - restore settings. Continue/exit.
At the end, you can either continue from the beginning of the
list or exit the Menu. To return to
the top of the list, press Monitor
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and NAME INPUT will appear in
the display. To exit the Menu,
press an Input button so that
EXIT blinks in the display, then
press Monitor to return to normal
playback and to the normal display. Any settings which you
have changed are automatically
stored in memory.
Naming Inputs
You can assign a specific name
to each input, either a pre-programmed standard name or a
custom name of your choice of
up to 8 characters. When NAME
INPUT appears in the display,
press Monitor. SELECT INPUT:
1 will appear in the display. To
choose a different input for naming, press an Input button to
move up or down through the
five inputs. When the number of
the input which you wish to
name is displayed, press
Monitor. CUSTOM will blink in
the display. If you wish to create
a custom name for the input,
press Monitor and skip to section
1.a. below. If you wish to select a
name from the standard list,
press an Input button so that
STANDARD blinks, then press
Monitor and skip to section 1.b.
below. Please note: If a name
has previously been assigned to
the input, that name will be deleted if you press Monitor while
STANDARD is blinking.
1.a. If you have choosen custom
naming, the selected input number will appear in the second
line, followed by a colon (:) and a
cursor marking the first position
in the 8-character name which
you can create. If a custom
name has already been
assigned to this input, it will be
displayed. To select a character
(letter, number, symbol, empty
space or punctuation mark) for
the first position, continuously
turn the volume wheel, until the
desired character is displayed.
Press Input Up to move to the
next position, then use the
Volume wheel to select the
desired character. Repeat for
each character in the name. If
you make a mistake or change
your mind, use the Input Down
button to move back and change
a previously selected character.
When the name is complete,
press Monitor. The name is now
stored in memory and will be displayed each time you select that
input. NAME INPUT will appear
in the display. You can go back
to step 1 above to name another
input or press Menu to select the
next menu-controlled function.
1.b. If you have chosen standard
naming, the selected input number and the first name in the
standard list (CD) will appear in
the second line. To select the
name which you wish to assign
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to the input, turn the volume
wheel through the standard
name list in the following order:
CD – DVD – DSD – TUNER –
TAPE – PHONO – DAT – MINIDISC – AUX
When the name which you wish
to assign to the input is displayed, press Monitor. The name
is now stored in memory and will
be displayed each time you
select that input. NAME INPUT
will appear in the display. You
can go back to step 1 above to
name another input or press
Menu to select another menucontrolled function.
Setting Maximum
Level
You can select and store in
memory a maximum volume
level (between 00 and 50) which
cannot be exceeded, manually
or by remote, until you re-set this
function. This effectively protects
your audio system from expensive accidents. When CHANGE
MAX LEVEL appears in the display, press Monitor. MAX
LEVEL: and the currently
assigned maximum volume setting will appear in the display. To
change this setting turn the
Volume wheel until the desired
maximum volume level is displayed. Press Monitor. The
selected maximum volume setting is now stored in memory.
CHANGE MAX LEVEL will
appear in the display. Press
Menu to select the next menucontrolled function.
Setting Start-Up Level
You can select and store in
memory a default volume level
(between 00 and 20) which will
automatically be set by the
amplifier each time you turn it
on. When CHANGE START
LEVEL appears in the display,
press Monitor. START LEVEL:
and the current default start level
will appear in the display. To
change this setting, press
Volume Up or Down until the
desired start level is displayed.
Press Monitor. The selected start
level is now stored in memory
and will be set each time you
turn on the amplifier. CHANGE
START LEVEL will appear in the
display. Press Menu to select the
next menu-controlled function.
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Input level Match
Within the level match menu
you must choose the input that
you wish to adjust. This is done
with the up/down function.
After you have selected your
input you can increase the level
in 1 dB steps from 0 dB to +
8dB.
Default is 0dB on all inputs.
Legato phono Option
Athena is prepared for the use
of the Phono stage 2 module.
If Phono Stage 2 is used, RCA
input 5 is dedicated input and
no set-up in the menu is
required.
Green Bias set up
Within the Green bias set up
menu you can choose the following settings.
Low setting
Vol. 00-13 Bias low
Vol. 14-23 Bias medium
vol. 24-50Bias high
High Setting
Vol. 00-19 Bias low
Vol. 20-29 Bias medium
Vol. 30-50 Bias high
Assigning Input 3 as
a Dedicated AV
Connection
You can use the Athena with a
stereoamplifier in a normal
stereo set-up but using a separate surround processor, you
can connect the left and right
front channels from your surround processor to Input 3 of the
Athena and using the Menu to
configure this input so that the
signal bypasses all preamplifier
stages in the Athena. This allows
you to enjoy the full performance
of the Athena for stereo and surround listening without placing
any surround components in the
stereo signal path.
CAUTION: When Input 3 is set
up as a dedicated AV connection, the Athenas volume control
is automatically set at a fixed
level. The signal from the surround processor goes direct to
the power amplifier and MUST
be calibrated and attenuated by
the surround processor.
When DEDICATE INP.3 TO AV
appears in the display, press
Menu to select the next menucontrolled function, if you do
NOT wish to connect the left and
right front channels from a surround processor to Input 3 of the
Athena. If you do wish to make a
dedicated AV connection, press
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Monitor. WARNING! NO ATTENUATION will blink in the display
for 5 seconds, after which you
will be asked to confirm that you
wish to configure Input 3 as a
dedicated AV connection which
bypasses the Athena volume
control. ARE YOU SURE? will
appear in the first line of the display. NO and YES will appear in
the second line. NO will blink.
If you do NOT wish to make a
dedicated AV connection, press
Monitor while NO is blinking,
then press Menu to select the
next menu-controlled function. If
you do wish to make this connection, press Input Up so that
YES blinks in the display. Press
Monitor. Input 3 is now configured as a dedicated connection
which bypasses the Athena volume control and should ONLY
be used with a source which has
its own volume control, such as
a surround processor. NEVER
connect a normal line-level
source such as a tuner, CD player, etc. directly to this input, while
it is configured in this manner.
You can always restore Input 3
to normal operation via the
Menu.
When you have configured Input
3, DEDICATE INP.3 TO AV will
appear in the display. Press
Menu to select the next menu-
controlled function.
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Setting Display
Brightness
You can select and store in
memory the desired level of
brightness in the front-panel display. When BRIGHTNESS CONTROL appears in the display,
press Monitor. BRIGHTNESS
will appear in the first line of the
display. 100% 75% 50% 25%
OFF will appear in the second
line. The 100% indicator will
blink. Press an Input button
repeatedly until the desired level
of brightness blinks. The display
will immediately change to the
selected brightness, unless you
have selected OFF. If OFF is
selected, the display will turn off
after you exit the Menu. Press
Monitor. The selected brightness
level is now stored in memory.
BRIGHTNESS CONTROL will
appear in the display. Press
Menu to select the next menucontrolled function.
NOTE: When the display is
turned completely off, pressing
any button on the front panel or
on the remote will cause the display to turn on briefly so that you
can see the current volume level
and selected input. Press a second time to activate the desired
function.
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Restoring Default
Settings
You can delete all of your custom
Menu settings and return to the
factory pre-set default settings.
Doing so deletes all input
names, sets Maximum Level at
50, sets Start Level at 00, sets
Brightness at 100% and sets
Input 3 as a normal audio input.
When RESTORE SETTINGS
appears in the display, press
Monitor. RESTORE? appears in
the first line of the display. NO
and YES appear in the second
line. NO will blink. If you do NOT
wish to delete your custom settings, press Monitor, while NO is
blinking, then press Menu to
select the next menu-controlled
function. If you do wish to delete
all your custom settings, press
Input Up until YES blinks, then
press Monitor. You have now
deleted all your custom settings.
The factory pre-set default settings are now in effect.
RESTORE SETTINGS will
appear in the display. Press
Menu to select the next menucontrolled function.
Exiting the Menu
When CONTINUE and EXIT
appear in the display, you can
either exit the Menu or return to
the beginning of the list of menucontrolled functions.
To go to the top of the list, press
Monitor while CONTINUE is
blinking.
To exit the Menu, press an Input
button so that EXIT blinks, then
press Monitor to return to normal
playback and to the normal dis-
play.
AC Fuses
The Athena powersupply has 1
AC fuse holder, holding 2 fuses.
100-120v. countries: 1 AT
200 -240v. countries:500m AT
5x20 mm fuse dimensions.
DO NOT REPLACE WITH ANY
OTHER FUSE VALUE.
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Warranty
The Gryphon Athena is warranted against failures arising
through faulty workmanship and
materials for a period of 5 year
from date of purchase. The warranty is not transferable.
This
warranty is only valid in the
country where the product was
purchased
. All claims under this
warranty must be made to the
distributor in the buyer
`
s country
by returning the unit securely
packed in the original box with all
accessories, postage/freight prepaid and insured. The unit will be
repaired or replaced at no
charge for parts and labor.
This warranty remains valid only
if the serial number of the unit
has not been defaced or
removed and if repairs are performed only by authorized
Gryphon dealers or distributors.
It does not cover damage due to
misuse, accident or neglect. This
warranty is not valid if the operation voltage of the product has
been changed. The distributor or
manufacturer, Gryphon Audio
Designs, Denmark, retains the
exclusive right to make such
judgement on the basis of
inspection.
The retailer, distributor or manufacturer of the Gryphon shall not
be liable for consequential damage arising from the use, misuse
or failure of this product, includ-
ing injuries to persons or property.
To qualify, the enclosed warranty
registration card must be filled
out and returned to the manufacturer within 10 days of purchase.
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