OWNERS MANUAL THE GRYPHON BEL CANTO
Contents
1. OWNERS MANUAL THE GRYPHON BEL CANTO THE GRYPHON FEATURES MUSICAL OBJECTIVES and thank you for purchasing the Gryphon Bel Canto To ensure optimum performance and maximum satisfaction please read the owner s manual before proceeding to listen to your latest acquisition As designers audiophiles and music enthusiasts we ore well aware that most manuals are read in the first healed moments of actually listening to he eguipment but we do advise you to read his manual carefully before installing the Gryphon Bel Canto T Gryphon team would like to take this opportunity to congratulate The Gryphon Bel Canto is a prestige product in the on y meaningful sense of the term a handmade product in very limited numbers based on the ex tensive research and development efforts of professional audio engineers a component expert a mechanical engineer and a designer The Gry phon Bel Canto is the end result of six years of constant experimentation and investigation into the behavior of audio circuits under real world conditions It is our intention to offer to the serious music lover a true state of the art system control amplifier which will extract the full measure of mu sical satisfaction from whatever source is used Working for our own pleasure as much as for anything else we have challenged ourselves to push back the borders of audio component per formance in a series of no compromise cost no object designs The Gry phon Bel Ca2. ALANCED XLR XLR SIGNAL FLOW gt XLR XLR PIN 2 2 POSITIVE PIN 3 3 NEGATIVE PIN 1 1 GROUND FROM RCA TO BALANCED XLR SIGNAL FLOW gt RCA XLR Plus 2 POSITIVE Minus 3 NEGATIVE 1 GROUND Do not apply any abrasive cleaning agents to the Gryphon Bel Canto The black coated sections may be cleaned using a moist cloth Use only a soft cloth to remove dust and fingerprints from the front panel There are no user serviceable parts inside the Gryphon Bel Canto All components are carefully selected and matched to meet the stringent demands of the sophisticated dual mono design For service or advice please contact your Gryphon dealer or your national Gryphon distributor Any attempt by unauthorized personnel to re pair or modify the Gryphon Bel Canto invalidates the warranty 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 open minded and are fascinated by the grey area between logical technical facts and things we just hear that make no obvious technical sense If we find that a grey trick makes musical sense we will implement it as long as it does not sacrifice safety or reliability In the Bel Canto 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 m
3. cables should be connected as indicated on the rear pan el The 2 sets of outputs allows easy bi wiring or bi amping without the de grading influence of Y connectors In a normal audio system we recommend the use of both grounding posts if grounding is required at all Grounding and the grounding path are high priorities in the Gryphon design philosophy und we strongly rec ommend that you experiment with various means of grounding your sys tem Correct grounding is not a simple matter of the absence of hum Ground ing has a profound influence on system performance in such essential ar eas as tonal balance stereo perspective and dynamics to name but a few Our experiments have demonstrated that star grounding is very effective In a star ground all chassis are grounded to the same point This point is then truly grounded a long metal pipe in the ground or a water pipe However the results will vary depending on the audio system the electrical environment and the purity of the AC supply In some cases a water pipe may prove to be a very poor solution Experi ment it pays off Although you probably already have a favorite cable the Gryphon Bel Canto is so revealing that you may have cause to rethink your opinion on this crucial optimum confact A bad connection becomes a series re sistance with degrading effect on performance Use only gold plated con nectors of premium quality CARE amp MAINTENANCE TWEAK ALERT B
4. easured performance to subjective sonic performance the Gryphon Bel Canto is and ideal tool for the evaluation of other com ponents EXTERIOR DESIGN MANUFACTURE AND ASSEMBLY UNPACKING THE GRYPHON BEL CANTO PLACEMENT AC CONNECTION Even if beauty is only skin deep we see no reason why a fine and ex pensive audio instrument should not be to the eye as it is to the ear so long as the visuals do not constitute an aesthetic dictatorship which con promise performance The Gryphon philosophy makes no allowance for convenience features such as remote control or digital c long as they cannot be executed with out dire consequences for sonic performance In the Gryphon Bel Canto form follows function reinforcing the basic prin ciples of the Gryphon concept and the dual mono topology Because form follows function the thoughtfully laid out features of the Gryphon Bel Canto are largely self explanatory breaking down the barriers that are usually erected between technology and the consumer The Gryphon Bel Canto is manufactured by a select team of specialists The fully sealed printed circuit boards with purity copper are assembled by a supplier of precision medical equipment with strict standards of quality control and pre inspection of components Chassis parts are man ufactured by a specialist chosen solely for the outstand of workmanship every aspect of the Gryphon Bel Canto from the acrylic cover to the handmade knobs stri
5. ections The Gry phon Bel Canto power supplies incorporate 36 capacitors and 11 volt age regulations for each channel in a 40 000 microFarad capacitor bank for a pure stable power supply that is larger than in most 60 Watt power amplifiers Same might call it overkill but experience has taught us that the design and capacity of the power supply is of critical importance in the performance of an audio component SPECIFICATIONS FRONT PANEL FUNCTIONS CUSTOM MADE PRECISION 24 STEP VOLUME ATTENUATOR PROGRAM SELECTOR SWITCH REAR PANEL CONNECTIONS THE ART OF GROUNDING INTERCON NECTS Signal to noise ratio 90dB ref 10mV un weighted Frequency response 1Hz 3 5MHz Overload 1kHz 300mVRMS Input impedance 8k ohms Gain 21dB Output impedance 22 ohms Output max 11 5 VRMS Output voltage sving 33 Vpp Regulation stages 11 per channel Shipping weight 20 kgs The stepped passive resistor network volume control offers superior sound quality to even the most expensive potentiometers with their inherent tracking and noise problems The fixed resistor stepped rotary switch offers pristine sound and improved resolution of fine musical detail The input selector has six positions marked Mute A B C D E amp F The position marked before A is the mute function which may be used as an alternative to turning the volume control all the way down when changing records or during brief interruptions Interconnect
6. nd source components turntable tuner CD player etc except devices with large powerconsumption such as power amplifiers All power supplies should ideally be connected symmetrically to the pow er source for identical polarity Experiment with reversing both power sup ply plugs to find the optimum position Connect polarity will particularly af TOPOLOGY DUAL MONO DESIGN ZERO NEGATIVE FEEDBACK NO CAPACITORS IN THE SIGNAL PATH PURE CLASS A MODE x 100 DISCRETE CONSTRUCTION PREMIUM GRADE COMPONENTS TWO SEPARATE POWER SUPPLIES fect the reproduction of the decay of transients the depth of the sound stage and the ambience of the recording venue The power card of the Gryphon Bel canto is terminated with a three pin plug Connection to mains earth is strongly recommended to derive maximum benefit from the AC filtering of the power supply See the section an The Art of Grounding for further advice The Gryphon Bel Canto is a pure dual mono configuration with two in dependent power supplies and separate AC cords for total galvanic channel separation The Gryphon Bel Canto is in fact two completely autonomous mono pre amplifiers Absolute dual mono construction ensures minimal crosstalk and maximum channel separation for improved stereo perspective better focus and greater dynamic stability The absence of feedback means the virtual elimination of SID and TIM distortion for cleaner faster transients and s
7. ngent standards of excellence apply Final assembly and testing take place in the Gryphon laboratories Our research and de velopment experience give us the confidence to back these products with a five year guarantee The carton includes 1 Gryphon Bel Canto 2 power supplies 2 power supply cords 2 AC Cords 1 pair of gloves Please keep the carton and all original packing materials for safe future transportation of your Gryphon gear Your system should be set up for the shortest possible cable lengths al though the extreme low output impedance of the Gryphon Bel Canto does make it suitable for long cable runs In order to optimize the outstanding signal to noise ratio of the Gryphon Bel Canto it should be placed as far away as possible from strong mag netic fields such as large transformers in power amplifiers etc Careful placement of the power supply and Bel Canto will prevent hum and noise in unshielded cables which may be caused by the electromagnetic field generated by power supply trans formers We suggest that you experiment in older to find the position that works best in your environment The power supply includes a captive 1 2 meter connecting cable Generally power cords should be kept away from signal interconnect cables and loudspeaker cables should not be wound in circles The proper voltage for your Gryphon Bel Canto is factory pre set Ideally you should use the same AC power source for the Gryphon Bel Canto a
8. nto is the latest realization of these goals and stands proudly alongside the other Gryphon products Myth Creature which combines the power of lion King of Beasts with the grace of the King of Birds Known in Greek mythology as the guardian of the source of gold and protector of the Dionysian cup of infinite wealth Reality Danish audio engineering company employing cutting edge technology and common sense in the pursuit of musical excellence Dual mono configuration 24 position passive resistor volume control Fully discrete construction e Select premium grade components Short signal path with limited internal wiring 40 000 micro Farad capacitor bank Flat megabandwidth frequency response Zero negative feedback e Pure Class A mode x 100 e Custom built C core transformer low output impedance for long cable runs DC coupling with servo control Independent regulated power supplies with noise filters 24 K gold plated phono sockets Eleven stage voltage regulation per channel e Five year warranty Let us make one thing perfectly clear The sound of live music must be the ultimate reference in the design of any audio playback system Of course there is on endangered species of techno freaks who se THE GRYPHON CREW THE GRYPHON DESIGN GOAL riously maintain that the concert hall experience is irrelevant to the hi fi ex perience The techno freak finds live music in real space duller than the
9. ost certainly not provide more than a difference instead of 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 go back and listen to the naked design as it was intended Enjoy GRYPHON WARRANTY GRYPHON MAILING LIST PE EE SSSSSSESSSSESSSSSESSSSESSESESE The Gryphon Bel Canto 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 All claims under this warranty must he made to the distributor in the buyers 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 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 o
10. r failure of this product including injuries to persons or property To qualify the warranty registration card must he filled out and returned to the manufacturer within 10 days of purchase AAA TE al i i T i i T T T i TU U EEE NEE a a a a a a a a a a a a aaa a aa a a The warranty of your Gryphon Sonata is effective only if you fill out the enclosed registration card and return it to us or to your national Gryphon distributor Your comments are highly appreciated When we receive the card from you we will send you a small token gift and keep you informed of future product development Thank you If you attend Hi Fi Shows please look us up We always welcome the opportunity to meet people who live with our products and share our love of music NOTES GRYPHON AUDIO DESIGNS Industrivej 9 8680 Ry Tel 45 8689 1200 Fax 45 8689 1277
11. tering are also Gryphon trademarks Simplicity is the watchword in Gryphon circuit design with painstaking attention to the layout of grounding paths Even the earliest version of the Gryphon Head Amp in 1984 featured true star grounding The presence of the MUTE function the program selector switch is just one example of our de ceptively simple approach to maintaining the shortest possible signal path What is left out in audio engineering is every bit as important as what is put in Too many audio engineers use large numbers of mediocre components in a vain effort to compensate for fundamental shortcomings in circuit design resulting in overly complex products with textbook specifications yet me diocre sound quality Equally irrelevant to the quest for realistic home music reproduction is the school of thought which subscribes to the indiscriminate use of only the best and most fashionable components dream caps superresistors etc That approach guarantees nothing but a very high price The Gryphon design team employs premium grade components some of which one very expensive others of which are less well known in con sumer audio but held in high regard in the computer industry and other professional applications Rather than view these components in isolation the interface and synergy of every part of the whole is carefully scru tinized Because Gryphon products are designed with careful attention to the true relationship of m
12. thrill of hi fi lacking the ultra sharp focus on instruments The pre dominance of reflected sound in the concert hall also lakes the edge of live music for the techno freak The sole purpose of every Gryphon product is to recreate as accurate an illusion of the live music experience as is humanly possible We are suc cessful only if our endeavours move you not to say What a wonderful am plifier but to say instead What marvellous music he exterior design ergonomics and basic philosophy behind every Gryphon project are the brainchild of Gryphon founder Flemming E Rasmussen More often than not a full line of audio products is conceived and de signed by a single person whose lack of overall expertise is revealed by the fact that a fine power amplifier is followed by a mediocre preamplifier or that the phonostage in an otherwise excellent preamplifier is not up to the some standard The Gryphon design team consists of two permanent members to ensure a consistent standard of performance ergonomics and styling They are as sisted by a strong line up of specialists who provide additional know how and creativity for each individual project One immediately obvious aspect of Gryphon products is the dual mono concept which is carried to its ultimate extreme in the topology of every Gryphon design in order to achieve minimal crosstalk and maximal channel separation The use of large separate power supplies and multistage AC regulation and fil
13. weeter purer high end re sponse The elimination of AC coupling capacitors and compensating capacitors in the signal path preserves signal purity with superior bass performance and more airy reproduction or fine detail The Extremely high bias current means that the Gryphon Bel Canto uses a mere fraction of its capacity for even the most demanding signal The Bel Canto literally coasts along well within its wide operating range with an ease which can be heard as smoother more coherent reproduction with out grain or suppression c f dynamics Integrated circuits may well be both practical and economical in mass market applications but when it comes to ultimate transparency and sonic purity in music reproduction there is no substitute far discrete components judiciously deployed in the simplest possible circuit layout One of the major strengths of the Gryphon design team is 0111 wide ex perience in fields outside consumer audio We have drawn on this ex perience in the selection of components which are less well known in hi fi but held in high regard in the computer industry and other professional ap plications The selection of components in the Gryphon Bel canto is based solely on sonic performance with no concern for tradition size or cost In order to fully exploit the advantages of the dual mono concept the Gryphon Bel Canto employs completely independent power supplies with DC conditioning AC filtering and separate mains conn
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