Gryphon Commander

Gryphon Commander Preamplifier

The Gryphon Commander is Gryphon's flagship preamplifier and, by the company's own account, the most advanced preamplifier ever made. A dual-mono, pure Class A design spanning two chassis, it draws on four decades of Gryphon design and engineering to deliver a signal path of exceptional purity, surrounded by a power supply of amplifier-like scale and a mechanical foundation unlike anything else in its class. Introduced alongside the Apex Power Amplifier, the Commander sets the reference standard within Gryphon's preamplifier range.

Heritage and Lineage

The Commander's starting point was the Gryphon Pandora, widely regarded as one of the finest preamplifiers produced at the time of its introduction. The Commander shares the Pandora's core architectural commitments: a dual-mono layout with separate chassis for signal and power supply circuitry, a single-ended Class A input buffer designed to pass the signal through the smallest possible number of components, and zero global negative feedback. From that foundation, Gryphon's engineering team developed the Commander as a comprehensive statement of where those principles could be taken with unlimited resources.

Within the Gryphon preamplifier lineup, the Commander sits at the top, above the Helios, which itself succeeds the Pandora in the role of the brand's more accessible reference-tier preamplifier. Where the Helios incorporates a new ultra-low-noise dual JFET input buffer and a modular expansion system, the Commander pursues a different philosophy: absolute minimalism in the signal path, achieved by reducing the number of active components to two transistors and a single resistor in the input buffer stage.

Circuit Design and Signal Path

The Commander's input buffer is a super-fast single-ended Class A design, chosen expressly because it requires fewer components than a balanced input buffer while delivering exceptional transparency, speed, and openness. This buffer feeds a fully discrete balanced dual differential Class A line stage, which in turn drives a very fast, symmetrical current-amplifying Class A output stage. DC servo coupling eliminates the need for coupling capacitors in the signal path. Zero global negative feedback is maintained throughout every stage. No tone controls or other superfluous circuitry are present anywhere in the chain.

The volume attenuator is an 85-step relay-based design using Charcroft Z-Foil Audio ultra-precision resistors, paired with ultra-low capacitance relays. The relay switching may produce a faint click at certain volume transitions, which is normal for this topology. All circuit boards are 4-layer designs with pure copper traces up to 70 microns thick.

Power Supply

The Commander PSU chassis is a statement in its own right, weighing 38.2 kg and housing four custom-wound 36VA toroidal transformers, two per stereo channel. A pair of fully discrete, linear power supplies feeds each channel's analog circuitry independently, while a dedicated third supply serves all digital control circuits, maintaining absolute electrical isolation between analog and digital sections. The total power supply capacitor bank reaches 90,000uF per channel, for 180,000uF in total. Local power supply decoupling at each amplification stage is handled by premium Mundorf MCap ZN foil capacitors, chosen for a loss factor more than ten times lower than metallized polypropylene types and a mass inertia that suppresses oscillation.

The PSU chassis includes a second pair of analog DC output connections (Analog PSU 2) that can power the Gryphon Legato or Legato Legacy phono preamplifier, reducing the number of separate power supplies in the system. Additional outputs are reserved for future Gryphon source components, a future-proof provision built into the Commander's design from the outset.

Mechanical Isolation

Unique among preamplifiers, the Commander features a constrained-layer-damped bottom plate in each chassis: a three-layer sandwich of Kerrock, bitumen, and steel designed to absorb and dissipate mechanical resonance at the chassis foundation. All amplifier and analog power supply circuit boards float above these base plates on purpose-engineered isolators, suspending the sensitive circuitry in a virtually vibration-free environment. Four Gryphon Atlas Spikes under each chassis extend resonance control to the interface between the chassis and the support surface.

Connectivity and System Integration

The Commander provides six analog inputs: four balanced XLR and two single-ended RCA, with Input 6 doubling as a dedicated tape input. Two balanced XLR outputs and one single-ended RCA output are provided for power amplifier connection, along with a separate tape output. Input 4 (XLR) or Input 5 (RCA) can be assigned as a fixed-level AV bypass input for unity-gain integration with a home theater processor. The Green Bias output enables the Commander to manage the Class A bias point of connected Gryphon power amplifiers automatically in response to volume position. A 12V link accommodates remote power sequencing. Each input can be individually named, level-matched, and trimmed for balance. A configurable output level reduction of 6dB is available for use with high-sensitivity loudspeakers.

Display and User Interface

The 4.3-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen, set behind a 4mm tempered glass panel, provides volume control, input selection, mute, tape monitor, and full menu access from the front panel. The Commander implements a dual display mode system: in Operation mode, the full interface is visible when the listener is within approximately 70cm of the panel; at greater distances, Distance mode automatically switches to a large-font view showing input selection and volume level in a format readable from the listening position. The included IR remote provides complete system control without approaching the equipment.

Design

The Commander's chassis was designed by Flemming E. Rasmussen, representing one of the final expressions of his Nordic Noir aesthetic at Gryphon before his retirement from the company he founded. The hard-anodized aluminum chassis, sculpted Gryphon emblem, and large triangular display are shared with the Apex and the Diablo 333 Integrated Amplifier, forming a visual family that Gryphon describes as the zenith of Rasmussen's design work. At 30.5 kg for the preamplifier and 38.2 kg for the power supply, the Commander is physically imposing in a way that reflects the engineering within.

Critical Reception

The Commander was awarded Solid-State Preamplifier of the Year by The Absolute Sound, reviewed by Jacob Heilbrunn. Heilbrunn wrote that "no detail is too minute for it to reproduce with utter clarity and control," and described the Commander as presenting silky black backgrounds alongside exceptional dynamic authority, without a trace of the sterility sometimes associated with solid-state designs. He concluded that the Commander pushed to the very edge of neutrality without crossing into sterility, describing the result as an enticing mix of beauty and the beast.

The Gryphon Commander is the choice for the listener who wants Gryphon's ultimate preamplifier performance, an uncompromised dual-mono Class A design with the power supply scale, component quality, and mechanical engineering to match the ambitions of the Apex and any future Gryphon source component.