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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.
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.
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.
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