Gryphon Sonata Allegro Owner's Manual

Sonata-Allegro
Owner´s Manual
Table of Contents:
Introduction....................... 3
The Gryphon....................... 3
Sonata-Allegro.................... 4
The Man.............................. 4
Made in Denmark............... 4
Musical Objectives............. 5
The Gryphon Master Tape
Collection............................ 5
Design Principles................ 5
Exterior Design................... 7
Manufacture and Assembly. 8
Using Your Gryphon......... 8
AC Voltage.......................... 8
Burn-in and Warm-up.......... 9
Placement........................... 9
Balanced Connections....... 9
Choice of Cables................ 9
Care and Maintenance....... 9
Unpacking........................... 10
Powersupply........................ 10
Front Panel & Remote Functions 11
Menu functions................... 12
AC Fuses............................ 15
Warranty.............................. 15
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 painstak ­ingly 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 musi ­cal experience. We feel that the gryphon is an appropriate sym­bol for our high sonic goals.
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Made In Denmark
Flemming E. Rasmussen painting 1967
The Gryphon Head Amp 1985
Sonata-Allegro
Sonata Allegro form was a development of the classical era. It represents a more open form than many of the earlier Baroque forms such as fugues, rondeau form ect.
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.
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.
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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 never-ending quest for a more natural and convinc ­ing 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
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 pro ­vides infinite channel separation which contributes to the ability to create space, focus, depth and transparency.
Gryphon is located in beautiful tranquil sur­roundings.
Master Tape Collection
In the Gryphon listening rooms, we are fortunate to possess a
Because the electrical power coming out of your wall fluctu­ates wildly in terms of voltage and distortion, Gryphon incorpo­rates heavily regulated multi-
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Typical Gryphon module
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 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 lay ­out 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 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, capaci-
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tors 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, 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.
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 simplici ­ty, 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.
Gryphon Audio Designs in the outskirts of the small town of Ry
Exhaustive investigation under­lies the selection of every com­ponent part and many original, proprietary components are cus ­tom-built exclusively for Gryphon. Because what is left out is just as important as what
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.
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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 appreci ­ated 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 manufac ­turing 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-inspec ­tion of components. Chassis parts are manufactured by a specialist chosen solely for the outstanding quality of workman-
ship. 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.
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Burn-In and Warm-Up
Your Gryphon unit has been thoroughly tested and burned in before 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
teristics 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.
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 performanc
Choice of Cables
Because your Callisto integrated amplifier is a high-resolution Gryphon audio device, it will immediately reveal the charac-
Care and Maintenance
Gryphon products are handcraft ­ed 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.
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Unpacking
During unpacking and installa­tion, please take care to avoid scratching the Gryphon Sonata­Allegro. Hard, sharp objects such as tools should not be nearby during this process. You might want to remove your wristwatch, rings or other jew ­ellery before handling the pre­amplifier. Please keep the car ­ton and all packing materials in a dry place for safe future trans ­portation.
Installation
In order to minimize any possi ­ble risk of electrical interfer­ence, do not place the preampli­fier directly above or below the power supply. The power supply connector allows you to place them some distance apart. If you wish to place them side by side, please place the power supply to the left of the pream­plifier as seen from the front.
The following items are enclosed:
1 Gryphon Sonata-Allegro pre amplifier 1 Gryphon Sonata-Allegro power supply 2 AC power cables 2 DC power supply con-
nectors 1 pair of white gloves 1 acrylic polish 1 packing list 1 purchase registration-
card 1 Green Bias control link (use with Gryphon Antileon or Antileon Solo power amplifiers)
If anything is missing or dam­aged, please contact your Gryphon dealer immediately.
Power supply
For each channel, connect a DC connector cable to the sock­et marked DC OUTPUT on the supply and to the socket marked DC INPUT on the pre ­amplifier. Turn the locking con­nector clockwise to lock firmly to prevent accidental disconnec ­tion.
Each channel has its own On/Off switch. For optimum per ­formance, we recommend that you leave the Sonata powered up at all times. If you choose to turn the Sonata on and off, please remember:
ALWAYS turn the preamplifier on, BEFORE turning on the power amplifier.
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