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Rockport and Gryphon speakers


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These speakers really don't get the accolades that other high-end speaker manufacturers get but they are among the absolute best I have heard. Any other members have the same experience or know of other similar brands that seem to fly under the radar. I am looking for new floor stand speakers and would really hate to miss a hidden gem.

 

Cheers

Edited by Jones99
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... brands that seem to fly under the radar.

Cheers

 

 

Jones, don't know about Rockport & Gryphon flying under the radar - more like flying 'over' the radar because of most people's spending habits on audio and not even wanting to go there! I think most would respect these cost no object superbly engineered speakers if they heard them. :)

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Hi

Not sure if you've had a chance to read the following review....very impressive

http://www.gryphon-audio.dk/media/9966/hf-nov14_gryphon.pdf

Hi Samman I have read the review and also heard both the Pendragon and Trident II on several occasions now. The Pendragon is a mighty impressive speaker and truly is world class.My first audition of it left me a bit bewildered what all the fuss was about due to poor setup and poor electronics driving it. The second audition impressed its size really lends it to very large listening spaces and I suspect I have not heard its best yet. The traits of power,presence and dynamics come to mind and I will definitely be hearing them again.

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No more Dynaudio?

Still have some Dyns  but they are for sale . I wont be home in Oz for a long time so to do them justice really need to find them all a new home

 

Jones, don't know about Rockport & Gryphon flying under the radar - more like flying 'over' the radar because of most people's spending habits on audio and not even wanting to go there! I think most would respect these cost no object superbly engineered speakers if they heard them. :)

Yes Steve I guess you are right they definitely are out of reach for most but compared to similar products from the more popular market  brands they definitely do not have as much exposure or accolades given to them. Perhaps it is marketing or distribution issues but to me they are absolute stand outs in the forest of speaker brands. And if there are any other less well known brands who are pushing the speaker design to the limits I want to know about them and hear them.

Cheers 

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http://www.analysisaudio.com

Fantastic panel speakers

I have heard some fantastic panel speakers and like what they do but the ones I have heard just don't have that weight , presence and bottom end punch that I like. I looked for the frequency response on the Amphitryon but could not see any ...are they full range 20hz to 20khz or better?

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These speakers

 

... are waaay too expensive for the delivered performance.

 

That being said, they seem successful - they have a target market, and they service it well.     The speakers I have heard were very good, but very overpriced.

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Never heard either brand. Never even seen them in a store. Same for Karma, Estellion, and Zellation. Piega as well.

If you are in that price range then I have heard Raidho C2 and C3 and loved them. Same for the MBL 101 extreme. Stunning. Well worth a look even if you don't have the cash. The Gauder Akustik Berliner line I also heard sounding very nice and same for Marten Coltraine 2. Oh and definatly any of the TAD range. Stereophilus's PMC bb5se's are also very cool. Have not heard Magico enough to know if I like em or not.

What I have heard but have not been impressed by - b&w 800 series, vivid Gaia, wilson alexia, JBL horns, wisdom panels, most of the sonus faber range. Of course these could all have been room problems so maybe not fair but that's what I have noted.

If you are looking in that price range I recon paying for a ticket to the Munich audio show in mid may would be well worth the time and effort.

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Every person has different opinions on price/performance ratio  tolerance I understand that  ..... if you know of a speaker that can equal Pendragon ,Arrakis Altair for less  money would love to hear them suggest away!

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Never heard either brand. Never even seen them in a store. Same for Karma, Estellion, and Zellation. Piega as well.

If you are in that price range then I have heard Raidho C2 and C3 and loved them. Same for the MBL 101 extreme. Stunning. Well worth a look even if you don't have the cash. The Gauder Akustik Berliner line I also heard sounding very nice and same for Marten Coltraine 2. Oh and definatly any of the TAD range. Stereophilus's PMC bb5se's are also very cool. Have not heard Magico enough to know if I like em or not.

What I have heard but have not been impressed by - b&w 800 series, vivid Gaia, wilson alexia, JBL horns, wisdom panels, most of the sonus faber range. Of course these could all have been room problems so maybe not fair but that's what I have noted.

If you are looking in that price range I recon paying for a ticket to the Munich audio show in mid may would be well worth the time and effort.

I have heard MBL Extreme on several occasions with 4 x MBL9011 the sound was sublime. Not much to fault here although with vocals I was not 100% sold on them. Running them would require all MBL amps and front end to get the best out of them and I am not willing to head down this rabbit hole....

I have heard most of the top Wilson,Focal,Martens,Tads,Vivid,Magico,YG,TAD B&W,Sonus,Kharma some very nice sounding speakers but to me the Rockports and Gryphons were the standouts for my tastes. 

The Radhios and Gauders I have been recommended to check out ,as well as Tidal which I am told is exceptional  hopefully soon.

I will look into the Munich show looks very similar to the Hong Kong Hifi Show which I went to last year it was a fantastic event .I will be heading  back again this year hopefully a few SNA members will make the trip as well.Thanks for your thoughts appreciated.

Edited by Jones99
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I have heard some fantastic panel speakers and like what they do but the ones I have heard just don't have that weight , presence and bottom end punch that I like. I looked for the frequency response on the Amphitryon but could not see any ...are they full range 20hz to 20khz or better?

Yes, full range and much more dynamic than magnepan, quad 2905 and the largest soundlabs esls but the bass will not have that ultimate punch that big dynamic speakers would have but they are surprisingly good in this regard. I too like full mid bass and bass. These r the only panels I've heard that do this well enough. I'm very very happy with my omegas. Also very natural, ffull sounding and not thin sounding at all like many others. Bass has real texture. I think will need subs depending on the model and room. I'm using jlf112. I think if you like the presentation of panels these are a must audition. Something special about full range ribbons done properly. They do v little wrong imho.

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The Radhios and Gauders I have been recommended to check out ,as well as Tidal which I am told is exceptional  hopefully soon.

I will look into the Munich show looks very similar to the Hong Kong Hifi Show which I went to last year it was a fantastic event .I will be heading  back again this year hopefully a few SNA members will make the trip as well.Thanks for your thoughts appreciated.

By all accounts the Munich show is supposedly THE preeminent hi fi show these days. I aim to attend some day. In between I am going to stop by at the newport hifi show in LA at the end of May. I am hopping that Rockport will have something on display there. I don't expect to see gryphon but I hope some of the other silly priced brands will also be showing stuff I can't afford.

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Addressing your OP re the Rockport and Gryphon speakers. I've heard the Rockport Avior several times in different systems/rooms. IMO, it's a stunning speaker with superb bass and dynamics while being tonally very accurate. The new bigger Cygnus promises more of the same.

 

The Pendragon is an unforgettable experience even in a less-than-optimum environment. In line with Avior/Cygnus would be the new Pantheon which I'm itching to hear.

 

Properly set-up and with the right gear there are many superb SOTA passive speaker designs from companies such as Magico, TAD, Kharma, Wilson Audio, YG Acoustics, Focal, Raidho, Evolution Acoustics, etc. In my experience, all of these require careful matching and room placement to wring the best performance out of them. If one of those aspects is not right then you could be left wondering what all the fuss is about. But if all is kosher you'll have the best that current passive technology can provide.

 

Good hunting.

 

Cheers,

EK

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My vote is for the Rockports.After a 2 year search for speakers,I now own the Rockport Atria's.Look's,technology,sound and each set of speakers tuned by the owner Andy Payor.I have also listened to the Altair's breifly.Shocked and awed by the lack of noise from the carbon fibre enclosures.I hopefully will be able to have another listen soon.

There is a new model,the Cygnus which sits between the Avior and Altair.

Edited by DRE
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altair looks good.

i have heard tidal - that was huge sounding. very expansive, but you need a huge room to let them breathe.

 

imo - something like altair would probably be good enough for most people and rooms, then focus on the rest of the system with the money left over and don't skimp on anything. implement the best racks, isolation, power distribution, cables, room tuning, etc., that you can buy.

god is in the details.

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Yes, full range and much more dynamic than magnepan, quad 2905 and the largest soundlabs esls but the bass will not have that ultimate punch that big dynamic speakers would have but they are surprisingly good in this regard. I too like full mid bass and bass. These r the only panels I've heard that do this well enough. I'm very very happy with my omegas. Also very natural, ffull sounding and not thin sounding at all like many others. Bass has real texture. I think will need subs depending on the model and room. I'm using jlf112. I think if you like the presentation of panels these are a must audition. Something special about full range ribbons done properly. They do v little wrong imho.

I will try and check them out if i can find them appreciate the suggestion. The Pendragons run a near a near full range ribbon so the bar is set very high but so is the price... :(

 

By all accounts the Munich show is supposedly THE preeminent hi fi show these days. I aim to attend some day. In between I am going to stop by at the newport hifi show in LA at the end of May. I am hopping that Rockport will have something on display there. I don't expect to see gryphon but I hope some of the other silly priced brands will also be showing stuff I can't afford.

Well there you go I was told the Hong Kong show was THE preeminent show as well  ...I will try my best to make it and then back it up to Hong Kong to hopefully settle that one. If I don't make it look forward to your thoughts.

 

altair looks good.

i have heard tidal - that was huge sounding. very expansive, but you need a huge room to let them breathe.

 

imo - something like altair would probably be good enough for most people and rooms, then focus on the rest of the system with the money left over and don't skimp on anything. implement the best racks, isolation, power distribution, cables, room tuning, etc., that you can buy.

god is in the details.

Yes the Altair is mighty impressive I have enjoyed it thoroughly the times I have heard it .Superb power presence and that rich mids that  I crave exceptional ..... unfortunately  or fortunately I have also heard the Arrakis as well which  still haunts me ...Semi active beast  that  requires bi amping ....I have the Colosseum Solos and the Mephisto amp which would work very nicely .The Gryphons I am told are used to voice Rockport  and are a superb match.......now if I could only get the price reduced by half on the Arrakis........I guess it would then be an Altair.... :P

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Tuyen a great suggestion although I am struggling to find a dealer to audition.Genesis are revered and almost  mythical.  I am not sure the Junior will do perhaps the 2.2 with the base tower....which look very similar to Pendragon and seem to share a lot of similar technology too. Are Genesis still in business? 

 

The Gobel were on my audition wishlist and I hope to listen to them in Germany or Hong Kong soon

Edited by Jones99
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