The Gryphon Ethos CD-afspiller
Ethos er Gryphons bud på den ultimative cd-afspiller og en kærlighedserklæring til det digitale redbook-format der, på trods af streaming, stadig har sin berettigelse i et seriøst highend anlæg.
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Ethos er Gryphons bud på den ultimative cd-afspiller og en kærlighedserklæring til det digitale redbook-format der, på trods af streaming, stadig har sin berettigelse i et seriøst highend anlæg.
De slanke linjer, den lave profil og den stilfulde blanding af metal og højglans akryl som tilsammen udgår en afspiller der ikke ligner noget andet - Gryphon Ethos CD-afspilleren - viser meget godt hvor langt Gryphon kan tage noget så velkendt og almindeligt som en klassisk cd-afspiller og skabe noget helt unikt der vil være et ikonisk design i mange år frem.
Gryphon Audio Designs har stået for store innovationer gennem den digitale æra med en anerkendt serie af cd-afspillere, der måske mere end de fleste fortjener at blive beskrevet som integrerede transport/DAC'er.
Design og teknik i verdensklasse - det beskriver vist Ethos kort og meget præcist.
Gryphon Ethos er en 100% ren redbook cd-afspiller og intet andet. Det gør den til gengæld oppe blandt de allerbedste maskiner i verden. Ethos er desginet som Gryphons bud på den ultimative cd-afspiller og hvor alt er løftet til et nyt niveau.
Det ekstravagante design med den kraftige aluminiumsplade og det elegante kabinet på de kraftige afkoblingsfødder skiller vandende, men så snart musikken spiller, så gror både lyden og designet på letteren. Betjeningen er så lækker og eksklusiv som man kan forestille sig af et prestigeprodukt, og tilgangen til musikken er som med alt andet Gryphon - ærlig og uden nogen form for "udenomssnak". Her er fokus lagt på at hive alt det sidste ud af cd-pladerne uden at gå på kompromis.
Ud over at håndtere standard 16-bit/44.1 kHz "Redbook" CD, kan Ethos fungere som DAC for tilsluttede eksterne kilder op til 32-bit/384 kHz PCM og op til DSD512. Det giver mulighed for at få Gryphon-lyden fra andre kilder end Ethos selv, det værende en netværksafspiller eller lign.
Gryphon Ethos er fuldt symmetrisk og fuldt balanceret opbygget og der benyttes 2 stk DAC-chips i form af ESS Sabre ES9039PRO kørt i fuld dobbelt differentialtilstand. Det betyder at lyden er forbavsende mere støjsvag end mange konkurrenter men uden at der er ofret noget på opløsning, timing og dynamik. Den sorte baggrund er kulsort, og støjfriheden er tydelig når Ethos leverer musikken - det hele er mere nærværende og realistisk. Den massive overbestykning betyder at systemet ikke "stresses" og der er rigeligt kraft til at levere musikken 100% præcist.
Der benyttes separate femto-clocks for hver kanal og udgangstrinet er 100% balanceret opbygget, og hele afspilleren er delt op i højre/venstre kanal adskildt af transportdelen. Det stærkt regulerede og fuldt diskret opbyggede klasse A udgangstrin anvender nul negativ feedback og der er både balancerede XLR og phono-udgange. Strømforsyningen er på samme kompromisløse måde opbygget med to separate ringkernetrafoer og yderligere to separate strømforsyninger til de digitale og analoge kredsløb samt til drev og displaykredsløbene.
Selve drevet er et modificeret Philips CDM-pro baseret drev med trykstøbt base og børstefri motor der tilsammen garanterer mange års uproblematisk afspilning. Selve pladestrammeren er en massiv poleret messingklump der fikseres på pladen før afspilning og herefter lukkes den ekstremt lækre lukkemekanisme der kører på en gasdæmper og byder på helt tyst bevægelse.
Signalvejen er naturligvis så kort som muligt, og de balancerede analoge udgange er de fineste Neutrik, XLR-stik mens Gryphon single-ended stik er guldbelagte.
Ethos kan med rette betegnes som cd-afspillernes Rolex-ur, men her er det ikke kun udseende, men også præcision der er på allerhøjeste niveau.
Features
Exterior design by Flemming E. Rasmussen
Electronics design by Tom Møller
Exclusive, CD-only CD-Pro8 transport with all-metal chassis
Extensive mechanical decoupling of the CD transport
Dedicated ESS SABRE ES9038PRO 32-bit D/A converter for each channel
Each ES9038Pro incorporates eight individual D/A converters in Dual Differential coupling for optimal performance
User-selectable, 7 different PCM and 3 DSD digital roll-off filters
User-selectable, asynchronous PCM sample rate conversion to 384kHz and PCM to DSD conversion to DSD128.
Temperature-compensated, ultra-low jitter crystal oscillators with better than 5 parts per million accuracy
USB input compatible with following audio formats via PC/MAC: PCM: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8 and 384 kHz, up to 32 bits DSD via USB: DSD64 (up to 3.072 MHz), DSD128 (up to 6.144 MHz), DSD256 (up to 12.288 MHz) and DSD512 (up to 24.576 MHz)
No USB driver required for LINUX or MAC OSX
USB driver available for Windows
Super-Capacitor (12.5 Farad!) power supply for USB module – for true battery source
Digital BNC and XLR inputs compatible with PCM: 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48, 64, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192 kHz, up to 24 bits
Balanced 110 Ohm XLR AES/EBU digital input
Single-ended 75 Ohm BNC S/PDIF digital input
Balanced 110 Ohm XLR AES/EBU digital output from CD transport
Galvanic isolation of all digital BNC and XLR inputs and outputs for minimal jitter
Comprehensive noise regulation of all digital circuits
Modular digital audio sections for possible future upgrades
True Class A, fully discrete analogue circuitry with zero negative feedback
First-order PCM analogue filters and user selectable second-order DSD analogue filter with silvered Mica capacitors
Analogue output stages with low noise +/- 23 VDC regulated voltage supplies for low THD and noise suppression
Custom-built 32 VA toroidal transformer for each analogue channel
20,000 microFarad power capacitor banks for each analogue channel
True Dual Mono analogue and DAC configuration
Balanced XLR analogue outputs and single-ended phono outputs
“Beauty and The Best”
Gryphon believes that audio should be as pleasing to the ear as to the eye, as beautiful to behold as it is to hear. The culmination of this philosophy is Ethos CD. Unique in the world of High-End consumer electronics, Ethos is a genuine “Audio Artwork” that enhances the opulence of luxury living spaces. Handcrafted from precision-milled aluminum and acrylic, Ethos’ delta-shaped chassis with arched aluminum CD lid has been praised by countless critics as “The Most Beautiful Audio Component Ever Made.”
Ethos’ internals are equally remarkable: from the selection of the finest CD Transport mechanism available, to the specification of the most advanced Digital-to-Analog Converters and Digital Filters, to the creation of discrete, monaural power supplies for every active circuit, Ethos CD is actually two State-of-the-Art components sharing a single chassis, designed to be the ultimate CD Player as well as a world-class DAC.
Ethos CD advances Gryphon’s tradition of digital innovation, which dates to 1998 when our CDP-1 CD player incorporated world’s first implementation of 88.2 kHz asynchronous sample rate conversion. Launched in 2001, the Gryphon Adagio offered asynchronous 24-bit/96 kHz technology. The Gryphon Mikado Signature was first to offer 32-bit/192 kHz upsampling while our debut stand-alone DAC, Kalliope, was acclaimed as a breakthrough by the world audio press. Ethos CD pushes the envelope even further: the only component as adept with silver discs as it is with digital files.
The Drive
Completely aside from its mastery of the “Redbook” CD, Ethos offers unsurpassed digital connectivity: AES/EBU, USB and BNC inputs allow direct connection of external digital sources (Streamers, Computers, Music Server) to the Ethos DAC section, which accommodates formats up to 32-bit/384 kHz PCM and DSD512. An AES/EBU output allows connection to external DACs. The USB socket features a “Super Capacitor” power supply and is fully compatible with all digital audio formats.
Honoring our cornerstone philosophies of dual monaural design and fully symmetrical balanced operation, Gryphon Ethos employs ESS SABRE ES9038PRO 32-bit DAC chips, capable of full 32-bit processing, in a dual-differential, dual-mono topology. Timing issues (jitter) are addressed with dual independent, temperature-compensated crystal oscillator clocks with accuracy better than five parts per million. Custom-built 32 VA toroidal transformers and 20,000 microFarad power supply capacitor banks for each channel, monaural digital power supplies combined with true Dual Mono analogue and DAC signal paths—all executed with the finest electrical components available—demonstrate how Gryphon’s deign mandates have been fully realized in Ethos.
Ten User-selectable, digital roll-off filters (7 PCM and 3 DSD) and user-selectable, asynchronous PCM sample rate conversion to 384kHz and PCM to DSD conversion to DSD128 enable listeners to fine-tune Ethos’ sound to their personal taste. These filters are available through DAC inputs as well as CD Transport.
Gryphon Ethos also happens to be the world’s finest CD Player. It has been created for 16-bit/44.1 kHz “Red Book” CDs as our CD Transport Mechanism—the CD-PRO8 from Austria’s Stream Unlimited—has been optimized for CD playback. Gryphon was the first company to use this Transport and has extracted every last bit of performance from it. Ethos’ chassis has been purpose-engineered to maximize the sound quality of this drive mechanism, combining extensive mechanical de-coupling and constrained layer damping with an effective clamping system to eliminate spurious disc motion. A trio of Gryphon’s proprietary Atlas Spikes evacuate any residual vibrational energy. Lift the sculpted aluminum lid, load your favorite CD into the transport, push ”Play” and the wisdom of our transport choice becomes obvious from the first note.
”The Best” In Every Way
In the realm of Ultra-Luxe Audio, perfect sound is necessary but not sufficient. To meet the expectations of today’s uncompromising conoisseurs, a State-of-the-Art product must define ”The Best” in many aspects: artisanal craftsmanship, intuitive operation, supreme functionality and multi-generational longevity. Nowhere is the challenge of anti-obsolescence more daunting than with digital audio, a challenge Ethos CD masters with upgradeable firmware, software and modular construction. A host of inputs, outputs, filters and features offer options without limit. And of course, there is the timeless, matchless beauty of a one-of-a-kind Audio Artwork. Fourty years after its debut, the CD Player has reached its Zenith: Ethos CD.
Opsampling: op til 384 Khz - 32 bit
Formater: PCM og DSD (DSD op til 512)
Udgangsspænding: 4,3 volt XLR, 2,15 volt RCA
Signalstøj A-vejet: 120 dB
Forvrængning: <0,007% 0 dB
Strømforbrug standby: <0,5 watt
Strømforbrug tomgang: 34 watt
Strømforbrug maksimalt: 40 watt
Dimensioner (B x H x D): 480 x 176 x 453 mm.
Vægt: 13,7 kilo
