TH E GRYPHON CANTATA SYSTEM - Gryphon … Cantata Gryphon Audio Designs stands at the vanguard of...

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T H E G R Y P H O N CANTATA SYSTEM

Transcript of TH E GRYPHON CANTATA SYSTEM - Gryphon … Cantata Gryphon Audio Designs stands at the vanguard of...

Page 1: TH E GRYPHON CANTATA SYSTEM - Gryphon … Cantata Gryphon Audio Designs stands at the vanguard of home entertainment design and engineering. Founded in 1986, Gryphon achieved immediate

T H E G R Y P H O N C A N T A T A S Y S T E M

Page 2: TH E GRYPHON CANTATA SYSTEM - Gryphon … Cantata Gryphon Audio Designs stands at the vanguard of home entertainment design and engineering. Founded in 1986, Gryphon achieved immediate

Gryphon CantataGryphon Audio Designs stands at thevanguard of home entertainment designand engineering. Founded in 1986,Gryphon achieved immediate globalacclaim for the state of the art perform-ance, intuitive ergonomics and stunningbeauty of the cost-no-object Gryphon pre-amplifiers and power amplifiers.

Now, the Gryphon Cantata loudspeakersystem reaps the benefits of the vastbody of technical knowledge and experi-ence accumulated by Gryphon at the cut-ting edge of audio engineering.

Designed and built by our dedicated, con-scientious team of award-winning engi-neers, Gryphon Cantata sets a new high-water mark for sonic realism and emo-tional involvement with bold innovativedesign that will be a handsome addition toany contemporary interior.

The arrival of the Gryphon Cantata forcesus to seek out entirely new descriptiveparadigms in order to convey the full mag-nitude of its achievement.

A MonumentalAchievementWithout the Monument

We didn’t set out to build a compact floor-standing loudspeaker. We set out to buildthe best possible loudspeaker, one trulyworthy of the Gryphon name. When weapplied Gryphon’s assembled expertise ina unified effort to re-think every aspect ofthe process of loudspeaker design andassembly, questioning what had beenaccepted wisdom for nearly a century, wesoon discovered that there was simply no

reason to make it bigger. And lots ofsound reasons to keep it compact.

At Gryphon, decades of experience havetaught us this crucial lesson: What is leftout can make even more difference thanwhat goes in. By attacking the familiarproblems of loudspeaker design from thisfresh perspective, Gryphon’s engineersacquired new knowledge and understand-ing that offered a unique opportunity tooptimize every aspect of loudspeaker per-formance in a system of greater beautyand more modest dimensions than everbefore at this exalted level of quality.

A Celebration of Beauty

Because the Gryphon Cantata so radical-ly re-defines loudspeaker performance,we felt it appropriate that it should also re-define the loudspeaker’s role as a physi-cal object in the domestic landscape, as athing of beauty to be celebrated in its ownright.

To set the Gryphon Cantata apart as awork of audio art, High-gloss blackMethacrylate and black Nappa are stan-dard finishes. Side panels are also avail-able in High-gloss black, AmericanWalnut Burl and Black Anodized alu-minum. Optional finishes include VavonaVeneer, Ebony Veneer, Perforated Steel,black rubber and other distinctive finish-es. For a truly customized finish, panelscan be upholstered with textiles, carpet-ing, fur, leather or just about anything youcan imagine. Your Gryphon dealer canassist you in creating a uniquely person-alized Cantata System.

Thinking Outside the Box

To fully understand the towering accom-plishment that the Gryphon Cantata loud-speaker represents, consider the contra-dictory demands that a loudspeaker mustlive up to. It must be able to reproduce thehighest audible frequencies by carefullycontrolling the microscopic motion of anearly weightless diaphragm that vibratesup to 20,000 times per second, yet it mustalso displace massive amounts of air toreproduce the soul-shaking rumble of achurch organ.

Elegance and Brute Force

To use a metaphor from the animal king-dom, a loudspeaker must offer the speed,elegance and accuracy of a lion (for midand high frequencies) along with the brute

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strength of an elephant (for bass frequen-cies). But put a lion and an elephanttogether in the same cage and they willonly hurt each other. This is exactly whathappens in a conventional loudspeakeras it attempts to cope with the challengesof achieving undistorted, full-range fre-quency response.

The central problem here is the traditionalbrute force approach to bass that remainsvirtually unchanged after nearly a century:The largest possible driver with thelargest possible motor system attempts toshift the largest possible air mass. Thisapproach can produce impressive resultsif all you want to do is measure bassresponse in free air or under anechoicconditions. But under real-world condi-tions in real living spaces, all bets are off.

The simple fact is that no loudspeakercan be better than the room allows it tobe, particularly at lower frequencieswhere the room’s unwanted contributionis greatest. To eliminate this major obsta-cle, Gryphon has executed a detailedanalysis of the complex room-speakerinterface and devised a reliable, scientifi-cally sound solution, the Gryphon CantataQ Controller.

Working with the Room

Built to the same exacting standards asthe acclaimed Gryphon range of audioamplification components, the GryphonCantata Q Controller ensures outstandingroom integration for extended, naturalroom-independent deep bass to matchthe stunning clarity and resolution of themid and upper frequencies. Describedbriefly, the Q Controller exploits anacoustical phenomenon known as roomgain, the fact that in any room, theenclosed space will reinforce frequenciesbelow the room resonance frequency by12 dB per octave. Since systemresponse from a sealed loudspeaker cab-

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inet rolls off by 12 dB/octave below theloudspeaker’s resonance frequency, it ispossible to calculate complementary res-onance and Q values for the loudspeakerand for the room in order to obtain reso-nance-free bass response extendingdown to DC (zero Hz).

Due to the room-specific nature of reso-nance and Q, the Gryphon Cantata QController offers a range of adjustmentoptions as well as a slot for installation ofa custom value. Once system Q and roomQ are defined for your particular room,bass frequencies are coupled ideally tothe room and are reproduced in perfectphase with the upper frequency range.

Think of it as teaching a lion to do an ele-phant’s job, using intelligence, instead ofbrute force.

This unique approach to low frequencyreproduction offers numerous audiblebenefits that have profound positiveimpact on other critical performanceparameters.

Integrating Style and Sound

Because the Gryphon Cantata works withthe room, not against it, compact bassdrivers can be utilized with smaller, lightercones that respond more rapidly andmore accurately to the music signal.Since the Q-controlled Cantata systemrequires far less internal volume for full-bodied deep bass, the Cantata enclosureis substantially smaller than comparablehigh end loudspeakers without sacrificingperformance. A smaller cabinet also pro-vides enhanced structural integrity, reduc-ing any risk of vibration or panel reso-nance.

A Solid Foundation

The compact drivers permit a narrower

front baffle as an ideal, stable platform forthe highly customized drive units.Gryphon’s specially developed 5” driverwith coated fibreglass cone and a uniquerubber suspension delivers new levels ofopenness and precision across the cru-cial midrange. The oil-cooled high-fre-quency driver with coated textile dome

and specially designed machined alu-minum housing has been optimized forlow distortion, high power handling andexceptional resolution of fine detail.The bass drivers above and below thehigh-frequency driver in the symmetricalvertical array are equidistant from the lis-tening position and are precisely angled,so that the three drivers form an ideal vir-tual point source. To eliminate edgereflections, the front baffle featuressmooth surfaces with no protrudingedges. Strategically placed Nappa andGrand Piano felt aid in minimizing diffrac-tion.

Patented Assembly Techniques

Gryphon Cantata employs patented man-ufacturing techniques, a unique combina-tion of materials and bold contemporarydesign to create a sonically invisibleenclosure for the drive units. Extensiveinternal bracing and bitumen dampingensure rigidity and high inner damping.

The integral Cantata stand is assembledusing the same manufacturing techniquesto form a non-resonant chassis for thecrossover network. Based on carefullyselected components in a layout calculat-ed to eliminate electromagnetic interac-tion, each Cantata crossover is individual-ly trimmed and fine-tuned by hand toensure an exceptional level of consistenthigh performance.

Tweeter housing machined from solid 6061T6 aircraftaluminum.

Gryphon founder Flemming E. Rasmussen inspectsprototype cabinet

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The Gryphon Cantata QController is designed andbuilt to the same high stan-dards as every Gryphon audiocomponent. The Q Controllerfeatures flexible single-endedor balanced connectionoptions.

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,That is all Ye know on earth,

and all ye need to know.”

John Keats

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Gryphon Audio Designs Industrivej 9

8680 Ry, DenmarkPhone: + 45 86 89 12 00

Fax + 45 86 89 12 77

Technical Specifications

Two-Way SystemFrequency Response (in- Room):20 Hz - 20 kHz with Gryphon Q ControllerImpedance: minimum 3.4 Ohm max 7.8 OhmCrossover Frequency: 2 kHzPower Handling: 200 WattsSensitivity: 90 dBResonance Frequency: 58 Hz System Q: 0.5Dimensions: (each Speaker)HxWxD: 118 x 38 x 43 cm.Weight: 75 kgShipping Weight: 130 kgDimensions: Q ControllerHxWxD 14 x 48 x 38 cmWeight: 13 kg

Gryphon Cantata finish options arelimited only by your imagination.

Specifications are the most recently available at thetime of publication and are subject to change withoutnotice.

For additional information or for theopportunity to audition the GryphonCantata in person, please accept our cor-dial invitation to visit the showroom ofyour local authorized Gryphon dealer. Aselect number of audio salons whose staffshare our commitment to excellence havebeen appointed to guide you on your wayto the Gryphon experience.

www.gryphon-audio.com