Sonett Phonostage
Product Reviews:
Gryphon Audio Designs of Denmark have maintained a consistent commitment to vinyl reproduction from the creation of the company in 1985, right up to the launch of the Gryphon Sonett Phonostage.
Ultimate LP playback was the inspiration for our very first product, the now legendary Gryphon Head Amp. To many, the LP remains the finest high fidelity medium ever offered for home use with a catalogue of titles that never to be rivalled by the compact disc.
In a concerted effort to bring the performance of the reference level Gryphon Legato Legacy phonostage to more affordable price points, Gryphon initially offered the Sonett in a modular form for optional installation in the Gryphon Diablo 300 and Diablo 120 integrated amplifiers. Haute Fidelité (France) praised the module for “some of the most well-defined vinyl playback that we have ever experienced in our listening room.”
However, vinyl connoisseurs with other system configurations generated immediate demand for a stand-alone version with independent dual mono power supply that would make the fruits of Gryphon’s explorations into the latest circuit topologies, low-noise component breakthroughs and power supply innovations accessible to all.
The Sonett MM/MC Phonostage is also the perfect companion for the Gryphon integrated amplifiers if an outboard vinyl solution is desired.
The Gryphon Sonett is a fully discrete, DC coupled design employing exclusively polypropylene capacitors for precision RIAA correction.
Rear panel switches offer multiple options for selection of the desired MC load (10, 20, 80.6, 100, 200 or 402 Ω). Multiple load options can be combined in parallel for even more options. For instance, 80.6 Ω can be activated together with 100 Ω to achieve a load of 45 Ω.
Gryphon Sonett employs only the finest components, including Wima polypropylene capacitors and polymer coupling capacitors, Schottky barrier diodes with low Von voltage. Separate Talema toroidal power transformers for each channel ensure minimal magnetic radiation. Low-noise linear series regulators deliver a total of 22,400µF per channel.
The transformers are mounted behind the front panel as far away as possible from the phonostage circuit to effectively isolate it from transformer radiation. The internal power wiring from the rear IEC socket to the power switch is mounted in a shielded channel to minimize risk of 50/60 Hz interference.
The Gryphon Sonett Phonostage and will provide a significant upgrade for any system assembled to extract the very best from black vinyl grooves to enlighten the lives of dedicated music lovers for years to come.