Gryphon Diablo 300 User manual

Diablo 300
Owner´s Manual
v. 1

Table of Contents:
Introduction....................... 3
The Gryphon..................... 3
The Man............................ 4
Made in Denmark............. 4
Musical Objectives........... 5
The Gryphon Master Tape
Collection......................... 5
Design Principles............. 5
Exterior Design................ 8
Manufacture and Assembly. 8
Using Your Gryphon
AC Voltage........................ 9
Burn-in and Warm-up........ 9
Placement......................... 9
Menu Activated
functions........................... 9
Balanced Connections...... 15
Choice of Cables.............. 15
Care and Maintenance...... 14
Safety Instructions............. 16
Phono option..................... 17
DAC option....................... 18
Remote codes................... 19
Warranty/support............. 20

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 origi-
nal 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 con-
ventional audio compo-
nents.
As audiophiles, the
members of the Gryphon
design team are constantly
reminded to keep their priori-
ties 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
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 soundstag-
ing, ambience and concert hall
dimensions are necessary com-
ponents. Dynamics and an
unambiguous sense of instru-
ment location even in the loud-
est passages are also high pri-
orities. To achieve these objec-
tives, 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 accumu-
lated experience and
share our abiding pas-
sion 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
musical experience. We feel
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that the gryphon is an appro-
priate 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.
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 gradua-
tion, he taught photography
and painting and designed tex-
tiles, before founding 2R
Marketing, which quickly
became Denmark’s leading
High End audio import compa-
ny.
Gryphon Audio Designs was
founded in 1985 as an offshoot
of 2R Marketing, The first prod-
uct, the now legendary
Gryphon Head Amp, grew from
a one-off spare time project
developed only for the design-
ers’ own home systems.
Although the Gryphon project
was initially strictly a hobby, not
an actively pursued commer-
cial venture, demand generat-
ed by reviews and word-of-
mouth led to the formal estab-
lishment of Gryphon Audio
Designs as a separate corpo-
rate entity.
Following the immediate suc-
cess 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
The Gryphon Head Amp 1985
4

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 attrac-
tive 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 elec-
tronics 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 clos-
er 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 demand-
ing musical passages, regard-
less 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, involv-
ing listening experience.
The Gryphon
Master Tape
Collection
In the Gryphon listening rooms,
we have over the years used a
unique library original master
tapes of recordings made dur-
ing the Golden Age of studio
engineering from 1956-1976.
Unlike conventional commer-
cial releases, the 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 main-
tain 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 engi-
neering field at our disposal,
the Gryphon brand name con-
tinues to define the highest
audiophile standards of subjec-
Gryphon is located in beautiful tranquil sur-
roundings.
5
The house of Gryphon, this is where all
Gryphon products are developed.
Manufacturing is in the hands of a
select number of highly specialized dan-
ish companies.
We take the ”Made in Denmark” very
seriously.

tive and technical perform-
ance.
The dual mono configuration
radically eliminates any possi-
bility of crosstalk or other inter-
ference between channels and
provides infinite channel sepa-
ration which contributes to the
ability to create space, focus,
depth and transparency.
Because the electrical power
coming out of your wall fluctu-
ates wildly in terms of voltage
and distortion, Gryphon incor-
porates heavily regulated
multi-stage power supplies that
act as effective mains condi-
tioning filters. Displays and
control circuits are fed by a
separate power supply to iso-
late any digital noise artifacts
and effectively prevent them
from contaminating the signal
path.
While the printed circuit
boards in more conventional
audio products, utilize conduc-
tor 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 fea-
tured extremely wide frequen-
cy 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 han-
dling of the ultra-fast transients
which routinely occur in live
music and is crucial in recreat-
ing the natural decay of musical
instruments. Wide bandwidth
also improves phase character-
istics, for more correct sound-
staging and imaging.
All Gryphon designs are real-
ized with an absolute minimum
of negative feedback, which
when present in large amounts
can actually increase TIM dis-
tortion. All Gryphon preampli-
fiers are designed with zero
negative feedback. Gryphon
power amplifiers apply nega-
tive feedback judiciously for
improved linearity and band-
width.
Gryphon research into the
detrimental effects of magneti-
6

cally induced distorted (MID)
has led to the elimination of
magnetizable materials wher-
ever 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, capaci-
tors in particular, are thus guar-
anteed a non-resonant environ-
ment.
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 radia-
tion and other electrical inter-
ference. 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 compro-
mising signal purity and signal
path simplicity, with no conven-
tional relays in the signal path
to degrade or compress sound.
The ground path has been care-
fully 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 under-
lies the selection of every com-
ponent 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 sim-
plicity, a short signal path and a
unity of purpose with a single,
well-defined objective: musical
purity.
In the interest of ultimate fideli-
ty, tone controls, balance con-
trols and other unnecessary
components have been ban-
ished from the signal path.
7

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 musi-
cality, convenience and aes-
thetics, all without compromise.
In every Gryphon product,
form follows function in a
unique synthesis of aesthetics
and practicality. Gryphon
stands for sophisticated tech-
nology with a high standard of
industrial finish that also incor-
porates the best of handcrafts-
manship.
The peerless finish, build quali-
ty, ergonomics and pride of
ownership that contribute to
the totality of the Gryphon con-
cept can only be fully under-
stood and appreciated 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 func-
tion.
Manufacture and
Assembly
At our laboratories and manu-
facturing facilities in Denmark,
we maintain full control over
every aspect of development
and production, and the mem-
bers 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 pre-
cision 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 work-
manship. 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 simu-
lates the inevitable shaking that
a product will encounter in
transit. The product is placed
on top of a very large loud-
speaker which plays a special
CD with low frequencies which
8
The very first loose sketch of the Diablo 300
by FER

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 con-
tributes 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 per-
formance.
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 compo-
nents powered up at all times.
Placement
Care must be taken to position
the Diablo only on a stable sur-
face which can reliably support
the weight of the amplifier. The
amplifier's heat sinks have
been carefully designed and
placed to optimize heat dissi-
pation for ideal cool operating
conditions. In order for the
heatsinks to operate effectively,
there must be ample air circula-
tion around the Diablo at all
times.
Do not place the Diablo on or
near any source of heat. Do not
place any object directly on top
of the Diablo. Do not place the
Diablo in an enclosed space
such as a cabinet, unless ample
ventilation is provided.
Menu-activated
functions
The Gryphon Diablo incorpo-
rates several functions which
are accessed via a Menu sys-
tem.
To access the Menu, press
Menu. MENU will appear in the
display. Exit will blink. To enter
9
The master On/Off switch on
the Diablo is placed on the
underside of the unit near the
front.
If the led indicator to the left of
the ON/STD symbol is blinking
3 times in STB mode, it indi-
cates wrong/defective mains
voltage/supply.

the menu, press input up/down
and then monitor. Diablo 300
will mute its outputs.
If you do not wish to access the
menu-controlled functions,
press Monitor when exits blink.
you will then return to normal
playback mode and default dis-
play.
When you enter the Menu,
NAME INPUT will appear in the
display. Press Menu again to
move through the menu-con-
trolled functions in the follow-
ing order:
Name Input - Change Max
Level - Change Start Level -
Brightness - Input level match -
Restore Settings - Dedicate
input 3 to AV - Continue/Exit
At the end, you can either con-
tinue from the beginning of the
list or exit the Menu. To return
to the top of the list, press
Monitor and NAME INPUT will
appear in the display. To exit
the Menu, press an Input button
so that EXIT blinks in the dis-
play, then press Monitor to
return to normal playback and
to the normal display. Any set-
tings which you have changed
are automatically stored in
memory.
Naming Inputs
You can assign a specific name
to each input, either a pre-pro-
grammed 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 sec-
tion 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 sec-
tion 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 chosen custom
naming, CUSTOM will appear
in the first line of the display.
The selected input number will
appear in the second line, fol-
lowed by a colon (:) and a cur-
sor marking the first position in
10