A small Polish producer, Graphite Audio has developed a range of support products based around a graphite-loaded polymer resin compound. They offer risers for cables and couplers for electronics, but what caught my eye were some simple yet elegantly executed footers for speakers. At around €615 for a set of eight, these look extremely interesting. The company also offers a range of compressed veneer support slabs, thinner ones with ‘graphite’ feet feature 60 layers, while the thicker versions with larger, height adjustable ‘graphite’ cones are constructed with 140 veneer layers. The high gloss lacquer external finish is absolutely beautiful and whilst this might not be the most sophisticated support option in material terms, there are few that look more attractive. I’ll assess performance in due course. Prices vary with finish, but start around the €2,000 mark…
Gryphon Apollo Turntable and Siren Phono-stage
Gryphon returned to its roots big style, with an all-out assault on phono replay. The Siren is a two-box, four input phono-stage in the same massive chassis as the Commander flagship pre-amp, making it a more substantial beast than many a pair of mono power amps! But for real analogue die-hard, it was the Apollo turntable that took the eye. With unmistakably Brinkmann DNA when viewed from above, it’s equally unmistakably a Gryphon when viewed from the front, an aesthetic marriage that is surprisingly successful. Capable of taking two tonearms, the turntable, a matching Brinkman/Apollo 12.1” tonearm and Black Diamond DLC cartridge will set you back €128,800. Just as the ‘table was developed in conjunction with Brinkmann, so the cartridge bears the familiar lines of the Ortofon Diamond , albeit with a super hard anodized, ‘diamond like’ body. The cartridge is available separately at €20,000.
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