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Introduction

Welcome to the global family of
proud owners of fine audio com-
ponents 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-friendli-
ness which elevate it above the
mundane world of con-
ventional audio compo-
nents.

As audiophiles, the
members of the
Gryphon design team are con-
stantly 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 life-
long love of the live music expe-
rience in all its sonic and emo-
tional glory.

Our higher goal is to bring to the
listener a “You-Are-There” sen-
sation. In taking up this chal-
lenge, the Gryphon designers go
back to basics to analyze the
essential nature of the live music
experience. For us, an aware-
ness 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 excep-
tional 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 appreci-
ate and enjoy the benefits
of our accumulated expe-
rience and share our abid-
ing 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 com-
pany employing cutting edge
technology and common sense
in the pursuit of the purest musi-
cal experience. We feel that the
gryphon is an appropriate sym-
bol for our high sonic goals.

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Summary of Contents for Mephisto Solo

Page 1: ...Mephisto Solo Owner s Manual...

Page 2: ...g Your Gryphon 8 AC Voltage 8 Burn In and Warm Up 8 Balanced Connections 9 Choice of Cables 9 Care and Maintenance 9 Gryphon Mephisto 10 Sonic Excellence 10 Circuit Topology 11 Class A 11 Protection 1...

Page 3: ...o analyze the essential nature of the live music experience For us an aware ness of soundstaging ambience and concert hall dimensions are necessary components Dynamics and an unambiguous sense of inst...

Page 4: ...reviews and word of mouth led to the formal estab lishment of Gryphon Audio Designs as a separate corporate entity Following the immediate suc cess of the Gryphon brand all import business was phased...

Page 5: ...ri ty of the original musical per formance Design Principles With state of the art technical equipment and some of the finest minds in the audio engi neering field at our disposal the Gryphon brand na...

Page 6: ...M distortion All Gryphon preamplifiers are designed with zero negative feedback Gryphon power ampli fiers apply zero or minimum neg ative feedback judiciously for improved linearity and band width Gry...

Page 7: ...h a single well defined objective musical purity In the interest of ultimate fidelity tone controls balance controls and other unnecessary compo nents have been banished from the signal path Exterior...

Page 8: ...l encounter in tran sit 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 equiva...

Page 9: ...interconnects and loudspeaker cables can be selected solely on the basis of sonic neutrality For this reason we employ Gryphon s own range of inter connects and cables in every stage of the design of...

Page 10: ...high power reserves available at all times the amplifier simply does not see the speaker so the speaker s reactive load can not degrade amplifier perform ance Unlike other high power amplifiers Grypho...

Page 11: ...Guideline Reference gold embedded silver cable Only bal anced inputs are provided Unique even in this price range The Gryphon Mephisto utilizes a completely independent trans former and power supply f...

Page 12: ...SS 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...

Page 13: ...ists entirely of brushed black anodized alluminium 13 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 vol...

Page 14: ...power cords 1 Warranty card 1 green bias cable If anything is missing or dam aged please contact your Gryphon dealer immediately AC Power VERY IMPORTANT Before installation you must ensure that suffic...

Page 15: ...sound 15 AC Polarity Do not run thin coiled exten sion cords The Mephisto is a true dual mono construction and we must stongly emphasize the impor tance of symmetrical AC power polarity for each chan...

Page 16: ...ts of pure class A more than enough for normal listening conditions and speak ers with normal sensitivity In this setting 175 watts of Class A B power is available 6 High Bias 100 Class A power for th...

Page 17: ...l provide a tight reliable connection to plugs lugs or bare wire Do not use tools or excessive force when tightening the terminals Link in is automatic switching the Mephisto on when connect ed to a u...

Page 18: ...e repeat cer tain ground rules TURN ON PROCEDURE 1 Turn on source components Turntable CD Player etc 2 Turn on preamplifier 3 Allow a few moments for com ponents to stabilize tube equip ment may requi...

Page 19: ...eating See above 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 ourselve...

Page 20: ...s and labor This warranty remains valid only if the serial number of the unit has not been defaced or removed and if repairs are per formed only by authorized Gryphon dealers or distributors It does n...

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