Gryphon Colosseum User Manual

OWNERS MANUAL

Gryphon

COLOSSEUM

Vers. 1.1

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 “hi­fi” for its own sake, but strictly as a
means to an end, in the service of
our life-long 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 half-eagle, 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.

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.

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 “calibration tools.”
Therefore, every Gryphon product
exists for one simple purpose: to
bring the user closer in the never­ending 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 razor-sharp focus. Refinement
and delicacy are combined with
power and authority for a natural,
involving listening experience.

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 word-of­mouth 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

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 multi-stage 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.

While the printed circuit boards
in more conventional audio prod­ucts utilize conductor tracks a mere
35 micron thick, Gryphon employs
at least 70 micron 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 ultra­fast transients which routinely occur
in live music and is crucial in recre-

ating 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 negative feedback. Gryphon
power amplifiers apply negative
feedback judiciously for improved
linearity and bandwidth.

Gryphon research into the detri­mental effects of magnetically
induced distortion (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. Vibration-sen­sitive 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 and pro­vides crucial shielding

from a polluted world of low and
high-frequency radio waves, power­line 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, well-defined 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 apprecited up close
and in person.

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.

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, non­reversible 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
abefore shipping. Performance 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 use the inter­national AES standard for balanced
connections.
Pin:

1. Ground

2. Positive

3. Negative
We recommend the use of dedicat-

ed balanced cables. Avoid the use
of adaptors as they degrade per­formance. Your Gryphon dealer has
a range of cables matching the per­formance of the Colosseum.

Choice of Cables

Because your Colosseum 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.

Acrylic surfaces should only be
wiped with a very soft, dry cloth.
Small scratches may be removed
with Gelcoat polish. Fingerprints
may be removed with a damp cloth.
Do NOT use spirits or paper tissue

Colosseum

User Guide & Introduction

Features:

*Fully balanced circuit
*2 x 160 Watts per channel Pure
Class A
*48 High current bipolar output tran­sistors
*340,000 µF power capacitor bank
*Flat frequency response to beyond
350 kHz
*Zero negative feedback
*User-programmable Class A bias
*Class A green autobias **
*DC servo coupling
*Frequency-independent damping
factor
*Rigid mechanical structure
*Microprocessor controlled,
non-invasive “smart” protection sys­tem
*Upgradeable software.
*Double sealed, mil spec PCB with
105 µm copper trace
*Integrated service log.

** with Gryphon Mirage or Sonata
range of Preamplifiers
‘

Specifications subject to change without notice:

Installation

Unpacking

Obviously, the purpose of packing
materials in the transportation of
heavy amplifiers is to protect the
product on its perilous journey from
manufacturer to proud owner.
Unfortunately, in our experience
this often results in sprained backs
and bleeding fingers at the moment
of truth: the uncrating of hefty
power amplifier.
The Colosseum will be delivered in
a dedicated flightcase. Keep this
case and foam for any future trans­port. Do not try to lift the amplifier
alone. You Grypphon dealer will set
the amplifier up for you.

The following items are enclosed:

1 Colosseum
1 Pair of gloves
1 Acrylic polish
1 AC power cord
1 Warranty card
1 This manual
1 Green bias cable
1 Packing list

If anything is missing or damaged,
please contact your Gryphon dealer
immediately.

AC Power

Before installation, you must ensure
that sufficient current is available
from you domestic AC power sup­ply:
Minimum: 10A for 220/240 V
Minimum: 20A for 100/120 V
It is also very important that the
wiring from your AC breaker can
carry the high constant AC voltage
with only a minimum of loss. A con­ductor with a minimum gauge of 1.5
sq. mm. Is recommended.
The Colosseum should ideally be
connected to a separate AC break­er group independent of other
equipment. ( see also section: pow­erline conditioners )

Placement

The Colosseum is a high bias Class
A design and MUST be placed so
that air may circulate freely around
the heatsinks and the amplifier
must be able to intake air from
under the amplifier. Do never place
anything on top of the amplifier or
place it in a closed cabinet. There
must, at all time, be a minimum of
30 cm ( 1 ft. ) of free space above
the amplifier.

AC Fuses

Located under amplifier.

220-240v. 8A T 6,3 x 32 mm
100-120v. 16A T 6,3 x 32 mm
( T = Slowblow )

Do NEVER replace with other
values or types.

AC Power Cords

Use only a dedicated AC power
cord. Do NOT use loudspeaker
cable or other wire not expressly
designed to carry high current.
Improper cable or cables of insuffi­cient gauge will generate heat and
the insulation may melt with disas­trous results.
AC cords DO have an audible effect
on sound quality, but experiments
should be carried out with due con­sideration to safety.

Power Line
Conditioners?

We do not recomend the use of any
kind of power line conditioning with
the Colosseum.
If you wish to experiment with
external line conditioners or other
devices, we strongly recommend
that you listen to the Colosseum.
without these devices before mak­ing your decision. Given the high
powerconsumption of the
Colosseum, most powerline condi­tioners may fail and could damage
your amplifier. You have purchased
the worlds finest amplifier, it
deserves the best fuel. Invest in a
very reliable high current AC supply
for your amplifier. Be aware that
you AC grounding is clean and not
shared with Air Conditioners ,com-

TIP: Remember to listen for correct
sound and not merely different
sound.

VERY IMPORTANT

FUSES

puters or other machinery that may
contaminate power.
Ideally, you should have a dedicate
AC line and dedicated true ground­ing - (a copperpole in the ground. )
Contact a skilled electrician, don´t
kill yourself trying to do it on your
own.

AC Polarity

Do not run, thin, coiled, extension
cords.
The Colosseum is a rare true dual
mono construction and we must
stongly emphasize the importance
of correct AC polarity. The sonic
effect is evident on soundstaging
and other important parameters.

Internal fuses:

A set of fuses for amplifier protec­tion are located inside the amplifier
under the topcover. These fuses
are not user serviceable. And in the
unlikely need for replacement it
should only be done by a Gryphon
dealer:
F1. 100mA T250V. 5x20mm
F2. 1 A T250V. 5x20 mm.

( T = Slowblow )

Sonic excellence

The Colosseum impresses immedi­ately with its ability to cruise effort­lessly through even the most
demanding musical passages,

regardless of volume level. As a
result of the constant high power
reserves available at all times, the
amplifier simply does not "see" the
speaker, so the speaker's reactive
load cannot degrade amplifier per­formance. Unlike other high power
amplifiers, Gryphon's no compro­mise pure Class A topology allows
the Colosseum to offer high power
as well as refinement and delicacy
in musical presentasion. It is our
fundamental philosophy that all
electronics in the playback chain
must ideally be neutral and not add
or subtract anything from the
recording no matter how "attractive"
such distortions may be. The
Closseum is by nature a product for
the fortunate few who can afford
such a statement, just as it is a
product for the increasing number
of audiophiles who seek purity in
the reproduction of music, a prod­uct for the music lover who respects
both the musicians and recording
engineers enough to refrain from
adding or subtracting anything in
relation to the original intention of
the recording.

Circuit Topology

Power is the name of the game and
the Colosseum is equipped to take
on even the most vicius and night­marish of speaker loads. The output
section uses Sanken bipolar output
devices which have demonstrated
extreme reliability in addition to out-

standing sonic performance. These
transistors can be called upon to
deliver momentary peak power of
4,000 watts per channel without
overload. Each of the 48 transistors
is bypassed with individual film
capacitors. The separate driver
section has its own supply from
individual windings on the custom­made toroidal transformers. Unique
mechanical design ensures optimal
thermal tracking between drivers
and output devices. The driver sec­tion features its own generous bank
of proprietary Gryphon capacitors.
The power capacitor bank is an
astounding 400,000 uF array of
capacitors.
Negative feedback is not used and
DC coupling employs DC servo cir­cuitry. Internal wiring in the signal
path is kept to an absolute mini­mum. The input wiring is Gryphon
Guideline Reference gold-embed­ded silver cable. Only balanced
inputs are provided.
In the best Gryphon tradition, the
Gryphon Colosseum utilizes a com­pletely independent transformer
and power supply for display and
control circuits, effectively prevent­ing digital noise generated by these
circuits from reaching the amplifier
circuits.
Gryphon proprietary speaker termi­nals accept bare wire, spade lugs,
banana connectors or any combi­nation.

Class A

True Class A operation has always
been a Gryphon benchmark, simply
because nothing in our experience
can match the sonic glories of pure
Class A.
Unfortunately, true Class A is even
rarer today than when we intro­duced the DM100. Rising consumer
awareness has forced some manu­facturers to stop making outra­geous unsubstantiated claims of
Class A power ratings that only
exist in the fevered imagination of
some marketing "expert".
Still, there is a growing number of
so-called "new" Class A topologies
based on automatic biasing which,
simply explained, somehow allow
the amplifier to sense when the bias
should increase to ensure constant
Class A performance!
If such thing were to actually work
as claimed, it would be tantamount
to a re-writing of the laws of
physics. In order for an amplifier to
be able to increase bias and stabi­lize thermally to instantaneously
track the dynamics of the input, it
would have to be able to predict
what is going to happen next on the
recording. Auto-biasing can by
nature only respond to something
that has already happened and the
bias will rush up and down in a des­perate attempt to follow the last
note.
Put bluntly, there is no such thing as
a free lunch when it comes to pure

Class A, so we repeat with no
apologies: TRUE PURE CLASS A
means heavy transformers, very
large heatsinks, lots of heat, lots of
electricity, expensive parts and
costly assembly.

While we appreciate and endorse
every effort to conserve energy and
preserve our global resources, our
research into efforts to obtain Class
A performance from class A/B
topologies makes it clear that there
simply is no substitute for the sheer
magic of pure class A.
However, based on thorough analy­sis of typical listening situations, we
have devised Green bias (green for
reduced environmental impact).
Green bias offers TRUE, PURE
CLASS A with considerably lower
power consumption than the tradi­tional solution.
With the DM100, Gryphon was the
first amplifier manufacturer ever to
offer programmable Class A bias as
a means of reducing power con­sumption without compromising
Class A performance.
Green bias in the Gryphon
Colosseum allows the user to
select the amount of Class A at any
given time, taking into account such
factors as speaker sensitivity, room
size , musical dynamics and overall
volume level.

Green bias improves on our pro­grammable bias by giving the fortu­nate owners of a Gryphon pream-

plifier the option of letting the pre­amplifier automatically control the
bias.
Instead of a conventional poten­tiometer, the Gryphon Mirage and
Sonata employs a attenuator type
technology, which can be used to
select the bias to match the overall
playback level, thus ensuring pure
Class A at all times.
Unlike signal-sensing "auto-biasing
systems" Green bias does not
attempt to follow the signal at all,
the current selection of the volume
control determines the bias setting
whether music is playing or not. In
effect, this means that if the user
selects, for instance, position 11
( Sonata Allegro ) on the volume
control, then the bias will increase
to 100% (High Bias) producing 150
Watts pure Class A. This bias level
will be maintained even when music
is absent or when the amplifier or
preamp is muted. If the user turns
the volume control down below
position 10, the Preamplifier will
automatically instruct the amplifier
to reduce bias to 50 watts of pure
Class A.
Bias low is selected manually from
the top panel. To leave low bias
,you must select mid or high bias on
the top panel.
If Green bias is activated, in the dis­play manu and the amplifier will
automatically adjus bias to match
the postion of the preamp volume
control.
While Green bias does not offer the

extreme low power consumption of
Class A/B, or even the low power
consumption of "auto-biasing" sys­tems, it does offer significantly
lower power consumption without
sacrifice or compromise of even a
fraction of its PURE CLASS A per­formance.
The Colosseum user who do not
own a Gryphon preamplifier can
access the progammable bias sys­tem manually.

Protection

When DC or HF is detected at the
input, the amplifier mutes until the
error condition is corrected.
The output signal is constantly com­pared to the input, so that, in the
presence of a difference which
exceeds predetermined limits (typi­cally a short circuit condition), the
amplifier mutes until the error con­dition has been corrected. Heatsink
temperature is constantly moni­tored by a thermistor. In the event of
overheating (temperature in excess
of 82° C), the amplifier will turn-off
and go in stand-by mode. Normal
operation will resume when a safe
operating temperature is reached.
At temperatures above 100°, the
amplifier will turn off and can not be
turned on again before temperature
is below 50°.

Exterior

The Top and base plate is
machined from a solid 40 mm black
acrylic block. A VFD display pro­vides continuous information on
amplifier status. The amplifier is
“floating” inside the oval cover, the
unique architecture of the
Colosseum provides a new level of
logic amplifier thinking, allowing the
componets the best possible work­space and conditions. The double
transformers are suspended and
radiation is controlled to prevent
them from intruding other compo­nents. The decoupled curved side­panels are purely cosmetic and are
not any expression of how the
amplifier is mechanically ridgid
ordampened. - You don´t kick the

tire of a Ferrari to judge the quality
of the design...

Top panel functions

1.ON/STD
Turns off all active circuitry, but
there is still AC power inside the
Amplifier. For full shutdown use the
master AC power switchs under the
amplifier or disconnect the AC
cords.
When turning the Colosseum on
from the top, the Gryphon logo and
display will flash for approx 25 sec.
before the amplifier is fully opera­tional.
When the amplifier is ready the
Gryphon logo will stay on.

If the Colosseum is being used with
a voltage that it was not manufac­tured for, voltage error will flash.
The amplifier can not be used in
your region.

2. MUTE
Use this function when changing
speaker cables or interconnects
without turning the amplifier off.

3. LOW BIAS This position pro­vides 30 Watts of pure class A,
more than enough for normal listen­ing conditions and speakers with
normal sensitivity. In this setting
180 watts of Class A/B power is
available.

4. MBIAS70 W Class A power for
the ultimate performance on normal
sensitivity speakers at normal lis­tening levels

5. H BIAS

100% class a for very demanding
speakers at high levels.

The bias selectors determines the
degree of Class A operation. In the
H mode the Colosseum provides
160 watts of PURE CLASS A power
into an 8 ohm load. The bias adjust­ments do not change total output
power, but only the Class A opera­tion range.
With efficient speakers, 160 Watts
of pure Class A might rightly be con­sidered overkill. With LOW BIAS,
efficient speakers will be driven in
Class A most of the time.
Naturally, lowering the Class A
operation range reduces AC power
consumption at idle.

When evaluating the sonic effect of
the 3 bias adjustment modes, it
must be taken into consideration
that the Colosseum requires time to
settle when bias is changed. (5
min.)
Bias may be adjusted when the
Colosseum is turned on. However,
we recommende that bias adjust­ment be made once and for all dur­ing initial installation.
If the Colosseum has been turned
off using the top panel on/off switch,
it will remember the last bias set­ting. After using the master on/off
switch at the bottom, it will return to
its last setting.

If you own a Gryphon preamplifier
with the green bias link, The
Colosseum will automatically
change bias with reference to the
current position of the
Preamplifier´s volume control, inde­pendent of the music signal. If you
wish the Colosseum to go to bias
low, you must use the bias low
switch on the front panel.
Remember, the Green bias system
is not in the signal path and has
only reference to a separate deck
on the Preamplifier´s attenuator.
The Colosseums responds to pre­programmed switching points at the
volume control, based on our expe­rience with most speakers. It is
however, possible to lower the
switching positions if you have effi­cient speakers or if you wish to play
at 100% Class A even at low play­back levels. Please refer to the pre­amplifier´s manual for further infor­mation about this.
If you remove the link between the
Antileon and the preamplifier, the
Antileon will automatically revert to
manual operation only.

5. MENU
Brightness. Display intensity

Choose 25/50/75/100%

Auto Power Setting

Active: Amplifier starts when pre­amplifier is turned on. If no signal is
present in 30 minutes, the amplifier
turns off.

Green Bias Setting

Turning Gren bias on / off

Restore settings

Returning to default settings:
Display brightness: 100%
Auto power: Off
Green Bias: Off

Display messages:

Overheat - amplifier will shut down

and reactivate when correct condi­tion is restored.

DC/HF Error: - Amplifier will reacti­vate when correct working coondi­tions are restored. If not reactiva­tion is established, disconnect other
componenets and restart. If amplifi­er restarts, the fault is in the con­nected components, if it does not
restart, contact your Gryphon deal­er.

Voltage error:

The amplifier is not manufactured
to be used in your region

Display messages:

Using the Menu:

1. After choosing menu, the follow­ing text will will appear in the dis­play:
MENU VERS. 1.0
CONTINUE ( Flashing )
EXIT

3 small blue symbols will appear
under the 3 bias settings.
Arrows for up and down and a dot
for select.

If you wish to continue choose
select ( Dot ) if you wish to leave,
use the arrows to choose EXIT and
confirm by select ( dot ).

If you select to continue the follow­ing text appears :
MENU VERS. 1.0

BRIGHTNESS

Use the arrows to choose and con­firm by select dot. *

Press menu again for:
MENU VERS. 1.0

AUTO POWER SETTING

USE AUTO POWER
YES - NO
Use arrows to choose and confirm
selection.

Press menu again for:
MENU VERS 1.0

GREEN BIAS SETTING

USE GREEN BIAS
YES - NO

Use arrow top choose and confirm
selection. *

Press menu again for:
MENU VERS 1.0

RESTORE SETTINGS

RESTORE
YES - NO ( No is flashing )
Use arrows to choose and confirm
selection.
Sotware will now return to factory
default settings.

Press menu again for:
MENU VERS 1.0
CONTINUE - EXIT ( Continue
flashes )
use arrows to choose and confirm
selection.

When leaving Menu, the 3 blue indi­cators are no longer visible.

Menu

Connections under the
Colosseum.

Speaker terminals:

The binding posts are designed by
Gryphon. The special design will
provide a tight reliable connection
to: plugs, lugs or bare wire. Do not
use tools or excessive force when
tightening the terminals.

Balanced Inputs:

The Colosseum provides only bal­anced inputs. There are no deterio­rating phono sockets in parallel with
the balanced input.

The Colosseum balanced inputs
are made to AES standards:

Pin # 1 Shield
Pin # 2 Positive
Pin # 3 Negative

Bias:

Connection for Green bias link
between compatible Gryphon pre­amplifier´s and the Colosseum

AC Mains:

AC input and master AC switch.

We are aware that the Colosseum
is the choice of the very experi­enced audiophile, so please bear
with us while we repeat classic
ground rules:

MANUAL TURN-ON PROCE­DURE:

1. Turn on source components,
Turntable, CD Player, etc.)

2. Turn on preamplifier

3. Allow a few moments for compo­nents to stabilize, (tube equipment
may require more time).

4. Turn on power amplifier

TURN-OFF PROCEDURE:

1. Turn off power amplifiers.

2. Turn off rest of the system.
PLEASE
ALWAYS TURN OFF OR MUTE
THE POWER AMPLIFIER
BEFORE CONNECTING OR DIS­CONNECTING ANY CABLES IN
THE SYSTEM.

Tweak Alert

In the best Gryphon tradition we have

spent a huge amount of time with our
prototypes before we release a new
product. We are obsessed with what we
do and consider ourselves to be open­minded and are fascinated by the "Grey
area" between logical, technical facts
and things we just hear that make no
obvious technical sense. We will imple­ment them as long as it does not sacri­fice safety or reliability. In the Antileon
design a number of tweaks can be
found and the result is a fine balance
that can easily be disturbed.
We strongly advise against any alter­ation of the original design, it will void
the warranty and most certainly only
provide a diffence, not a real improve­ment of musical realism.
We are fully aware of the fun of playing
with AC conditioners, bricks, platforms,
cables and so on. We appreciate much
of it, but please listen to our intentions
before you go ahead and if you do, do
yourself (and us) the favor of now and
then going back and listening to the
"naked" design as it was intended.

Enjoy…

Warranty

The Gryphon Colosseum is war­ranted against failures arising
through faulty workmanship and
materials for a period of 2 years
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, including
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.

Alternatively, you may choose to
register your Gryphon on our web­site:

www.gryphon-audio.com

NOTES: