Ethos

The Gryphon Ethos is a high-end CD player and digital-to-analogue converter, housed in a delta-shaped chassis made from precision-milled aluminium and acrylic. Its arched aluminium CD lid and sculpted construction reflect Gryphon’s approach to audio equipment as an audio artwork intended for luxury living spaces.

The design combines a CD transport and a DAC in 1 chassis. Its internal specification includes the CD-PRO8 transport mechanism from Austria’s Stream Unlimited, advanced digital-to-analogue conversion and digital filtering, together with discrete monaural power supplies for each active circuit. Ethos is designed to operate both as a CD player and as a DAC for external digital sources.

Gryphon’s digital development began in 1998 with the CDP-1 CD player, which incorporated the first implementation of 88.2 kHz asynchronous sample rate conversion. The Gryphon Adagio followed in 2001 with asynchronous 24-bit/96 kHz technology. Gryphon Mikado Signature introduced 32-bit/192 kHz upsampling, while the company’s first standalone DAC, Kalliope, was recognised by the world audio press as a breakthrough. Ethos continues this development for both CDs and digital files.

Digital inputs include AES/EBU, USB and BNC, allowing streamers, computers and music servers to connect directly to the DAC section. It supports PCM formats up to 32-bit/384 kHz and DSD512. An AES/EBU output provides connection to an external DAC. The USB input uses a Super Capacitor power supply and supports all digital audio formats.

Gryphon Ethos uses ESS SABRE ES9038PRO 32-bit DAC chips, capable of full 32-bit processing, in a dual-differential, dual-mono topology. Timing is controlled by 2 independent temperature-compensated crystal oscillator clocks, each with accuracy better than 5 parts per million. Each channel has a custom-built 32 VA toroidal transformer and a 20,000 microFarad power supply capacitor bank. Monaural digital power supplies, true Dual Mono analogue and DAC signal paths, and fully symmetrical balanced operation complete the dual-monaural design.

10 user-selectable digital roll-off filters are provided, comprising 7 PCM filters and 3 DSD filters. Users can also select asynchronous PCM sample rate conversion to 384 kHz and PCM-to-DSD conversion to DSD128. These settings are available through both the DAC inputs and the CD transport.

The CD section is designed for 16-bit/44.1 kHz Red Book CDs. Gryphon was the first company to use the Stream Unlimited CD-PRO8 transport mechanism and has optimised its implementation for CD playback. Mechanical de-coupling, constrained-layer damping and a clamping system are used to control spurious disc motion, while 3 Gryphon Atlas Spikes evacuate residual vibrational energy from the chassis. The aluminium lid lifts to provide access to the transport.

Ethos uses upgradeable firmware, software and modular construction to address the long-term development of digital audio equipment. Its connectivity includes multiple inputs and outputs, with selectable filters and conversion options providing flexibility for different digital sources. The chassis is handcrafted from aluminium and acrylic, combining the CD transport, DAC circuitry and power supplies within a single design.