Gryphon Siren

Gryphon Siren Phono Stage

The Gryphon Siren is a dual-mono, fully balanced phono preamplifier and, by Gryphon's own account, the finest phono stage ever made. A two-chassis design pairing the phono stage with a dedicated dual-mono power supply, it was developed to bring the same engineering ambitions that define the Apex and Commander to the analog front end of a Gryphon system. Designed and built in Denmark, the Siren is built for the serious vinyl listener who wants a phono stage commensurate with the rest of a flagship Gryphon system.

Heritage and Design Starting Point

Gryphon's starting points for the Siren were the Legato and Legato Legacy phono preamplifiers, both of which featured a fully balanced circuit from cartridge input to output. The Siren carries forward that topology in a larger, more elaborately powered chassis, adding four selectable inputs, a much lower noise voltage power supply section, and new matched NPN dual transistors in the last two gain stages. Gryphon notes that the fully balanced phono circuit has been a signature of their phono stage design since 1994, long before it became common in the broader industry.

The Siren was developed as the analog companion to the Apex and Commander, completing what Gryphon describes as the world's finest audio system. Its chassis shares the Nordic Noir aesthetic of those components, including the same 4.3-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen behind 4mm hardened glass, the same constrained-layer-damped bottom plate construction, and the same Gryphon Atlas Spikes under each chassis.

Circuit Design

The Siren's circuit is fully balanced and fully discrete from cartridge input to output, with zero global negative feedback maintained throughout. DC servo coupling is employed throughout the circuit. The balanced topology is particularly well suited to phono cartridges because, as Gryphon's documentation notes, the phono cartridge is the only inherently balanced signal source in the audio playback chain. Preserving that balanced nature from cartridge through to preamplifier output avoids the noise and interference that single-ended phono circuits must work harder to reject.

Premium components are specified throughout. Mundorf MCap ZN foil capacitors handle local power supply decoupling. Vishay polypropylene capacitors are used in the RIAA correction stages, and SMD precision MELF resistors from Vishay handle signal path resistance. Matched transistors from ROHM and planar transistors from ZETEX/DIODES Inc are used in the gain stages. Ultra-quality, low-capacitance SIL Reed Relays from Pickering handle all input and load switching. All circuit boards are 4-layer designs with 70 micron pure copper on all layers. PCB-mounted sockets eliminate internal wiring and shorten the signal path.

Inputs and Loading

The Siren provides four cartridge inputs per channel: three balanced XLR and one single-ended RCA. Each input can be independently configured for MM or MC operation, gain, and loading via the front panel menu or the included remote. MM inputs are fixed at 47kΩ impedance, with capacitive loading adjustable across 12 steps from 0pF to 610pF. MC load impedance is adjustable across 24 steps from 20 ohms to 1,600 ohms, with capacitive loading selectable at 0pF, 220pF, or 440pF. Gain is selectable between +38dB and +48dB for MM, and between +58dB and +68dB for MC. Resistive and capacitive load can be changed directly from the remote handset without approaching the equipment, a practical convenience when fine-tuning a cartridge match from the listening position.

Power Supply

The Siren's dedicated PSU is a dual-mono design weighing 38 kg, with separate, fully regulated linear power supplies for the left channel, right channel, and digital control circuits independently, maintaining complete electrical isolation between analog and digital sections all the way back to the AC connections. The total power supply capacity across both units is 74,000uF per stereo channel. The PSU uses the same enclosure dimensions as the Siren phono stage chassis, allowing the two to stack cleanly.

Owners of a Gryphon Commander preamplifier with a PSU unit labeled "SIREN Compatible" may power the Siren directly from their existing Commander PSU, using the PSU's secondary Analog PSU 2 outputs. In this configuration, the Siren and Commander share a single PSU chassis, reducing the component count and simplifying system setup.

Mechanical Isolation

The Siren's chassis construction is described by Gryphon as unique to Commander and Siren within the product range. A constrained-layer-damped bottom plate, a three-layer sandwich of Kerrock, bitumen, and steel, is fitted to each chassis. All amplifier and analog power supply circuit boards float above these base plates on purpose-designed isolators. Four Gryphon Atlas Spikes under each chassis extend resonance control to the interface with the support surface.

Display and Control

The 4.3-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen operates in the same dual-mode system found on the Commander: Operation mode when the listener is within approximately 70cm of the front panel, switching automatically to Distance mode for large-font readability from the listening position. All gain, loading, and input settings are accessible from the display menu. The included IR remote allows input selection and direct adjustment of MC resistive and capacitive loading without leaving the listening seat. A proximity sensor can be disabled via the menu for installations where the auto-switching behavior would be undesirable. Firmware is upgradeable via a USB 2.0 socket on the rear panel.

Critical Reception

The Gryphon Siren received an award from The Absolute Sound in issue 334, reviewed alongside the Commander preamplifier and Apex power amplifier as part of Gryphon's flagship system. No independent full-length review quotes are currently available for the Siren specifically, but its TAS award recognition places it among the most distinguished phono preamplifiers the publication has evaluated.

The Gryphon Siren is the choice for the vinyl listener who wants a phono stage built to the same standard as the Apex and Commander, with the flexibility to accommodate multiple tonearms, a wide range of cartridge types, and the system integration to operate seamlessly within an existing Gryphon setup.