Gryphon
Gryphon Audio Designs is a Danish manufacturer renowned for its high-end, cost-no-object audio equipment, including preamplifiers, power amplifiers, and turntables. The company was founded in 1985 by Flemming E. Rasmussen, whose background in fine arts and industrial design heavily influences Gryphon’s distinctive blend of luxurious aesthetics and advanced audio engineering.
Gryphon’s initial breakthrough product was the Gryphon Head Amp, originally a hobby project for personal use that gained unexpected commercial success after attracting interest from a Japanese distributor at the 1986 Chicago Consumer Electronics Show. This success led to the formal establishment of Gryphon Audio Designs as a separate company, phasing out Rasmussen’s earlier audio import business, 2R Marketing.
Among Gryphon’s most celebrated products is the Apollo turntable, a landmark in analog playback developed through a collaboration with legendary turntable designer Helmut Brinkmann, cartridge specialist Ortofon, and the Aarhus Technical Institute. The Apollo system integrates a purpose-engineered turntable, tonearm, and cartridge designed to perform in perfect synergy. It features dual proprietary Sinus™ belt-drive motors with a sophisticated digital speed controller—Helmut Brinkmann’s first multi-motor design and digital controller—offering unprecedented speed accuracy and motor control refined over four decades. The turntable’s chassis employs a laminated sandwich construction with advanced damping materials to optimize rigidity and resonance control, making Apollo a seminal event in high-end analog audio history.
Gryphon products are designed and manufactured in Ry, Denmark, with rigorous quality control and traceability. Flemming Rasmussen’s passion for authentic sound reproduction is supported by his collection of master reel-to-reel tapes from the 1950s and 1960s, used as reference during product development to achieve the desired sonic character.
In summary, Gryphon Audio Designs stands out for its artisanal craftsmanship, innovative engineering, and commitment to recreating the purest live music experience at home, with the Apollo turntable exemplifying the company's dedication to analog audio excellence