£13,250

Diablo 120

Now, drawing heavily on our experience with these uncompromising, reference level components, Gryphon Audio Designs proudly presents the next generation Atilla, the Gryphon Diablo 120. Gryphon Diablo 120 exudes timeless elegance and beauty, informed by the unique vision of Gryphon founder and CEO Flemming E. Rasmussen.

INTEGRATED GREATNESS

The understated styling and forceful lines of the satin black, brushed aluminium chassis and gleaming black acrylic faceplate represent a superb level of fit and finish, exceptional audio finesse and a sense of unlimited power all on a single chassis.

The casework, consisting of interlocking blocks of flawless acrylic and deeply brushed and anodized aluminium, is true to the acclaimed Gryphon house style, a complex construct of contrasting angles and planes that is both reassuringly intricate and impressively solid.

Built entirely at Gryphon’s Danish research and development and manufacturing facility, the Diablo 120 inherits the dual-mono circuitry, ultra-short signal path, heavily gold-plated printed circuit boards, minimal internal wiring, high-quality gold-plated and PTFE-insulated sockets and proprietary binding posts employed in our flagship models. Only the finest audiophile grade components have been selected based on strenuous, extended auditioning for sound quality, thermal stability and long-term reliability. The wire-wound emitter resistors in the original Atilla output stage have been upgraded to non-inductive types for Diablo 120.

The meticulous attention to electrical and mechanical grounding, typical of our top of the line designs, is also equally in evidence here.

The Diablo 120 integrated amplifier is essentially two independent mono devices for reduced crosstalk and minimal interchannel interaction. The only things shared electrically between channels are the famed Holmgren toroidal transformer and AC power cable.

The custom made 1,300 VA transformer adds substantial heft with discrete secondary windings for left and right channels. Each channel is fed by its own 60,000 µF capacitor bank.

The output power of the Diablo 120 is 20% greater than that of the original Atilla: 2 x 120 W (8Ω), 2 x 240 W (4Ω), 2 x 440 W (2Ω). Consistent increases of output power as impedance is halved is a reliable indicator of exceptional high current capability, just as the extraordinary wide audio bandwidth, 0.1Hz to 250 kHz (-3 dB), is a sign of extreme stability. Heatsink surface area has also been increased to match the increase in output power.

With two pairs of Sanken transistors, Diablo 120 can easily drive difficult loudspeaker loads without the faintest hint of strain.

Specifications

True Dual Mono configuration
Zero negative feedback
Microprocessor-controlled 46-step relay volume attenuator for best sonic performance featuring only up to 6 resistors in series with signal at all levels
Optional phonostage MM/MC module
Optional DAC PCM/DSD module with one USB, 1 BNC S/PDIF, 1 AES/EBU and 1 optical input
Digital formats. USB: PCM: 44.1kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 9 6kHz, 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz, 352.8 kHz and 384 kHz up to 32-bit.
USB: DSD (DoP); DSD64 (2.822 MHz, 3.072 MHz), DSD128 (5.644 MHz, 6.144 MHz).
USB Native DSD: DSD256* (11.2896 MHz) and DSD512* (22.5792 MHz) (currently, DSD256 and DSD512 only on Windows OS)
BNC S/PDIF and AES/EBU digital inputs: up to 192 kHz/32-bit
TOSLink: up to 96 kHz/24-bit
One optional module can be installed at time of purchase or later, either phonostage or DAC
Ultra-short signal path
Minimal internal wiring
Two to four-layer printed circuit boards up to 70µm copper
Dual Mono Holmgren toroidal transformer
PCB-mounted sockets eliminate wiring and shorten signal path
Gold-plated Swiss Neutric XLR sockets for one balanced source
Gold-plated phono sockets with Teflon insulation for four inputs and one Tape output
Fixed-level AV throughput for uncompromising integration with surround preamplifier
Graphical Vacuum Fluorescent Display with larger font for improved legibility
Adjustable display intensity (100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, Off)
12VDC link input and output
Flash memory upgrades via Key-Fob
Non-invasive protection system
Infrared remote control
EU CE approval
Standby power consumption < 0.5 W
Designed and built in Denmark
2 x 120 W @ 8Ω, 2 x 240 W @ 4Ω, 2 x 440 W @ 2Ω
Output impedance:0.030Ω
Bandwidth (-3 dB):0.1 Hz to 250 kHz
Power Supply Capacity:2 x 60,000 µF
Gain:+38 dB
Input Impedance, balanced (20-20,000 Hz):40 kΩ
Input Impedance, single-ended (20-20,000 Hz):8 kΩ