£139,950.00
Gryphon’s no-compromise flagship turntable, developed with revered designer Helmut Brinkmann and Ortofon: a dual-motor, digitally-controlled belt drive in a constrained-layer chassis, conceived as the finest analogue playback system Gryphon could build.
The Apollo is Gryphon‘s flagship turntable and the result of a rare collaboration between Gryphon’s design team, turntable designer Helmut Brinkmann, cartridge maker Ortofon and the Aarhus Technical Institute. Freed from the price constraints of Brinkmann’s own range, it was conceived as a “dream turntable” without compromise. For the serious analogue listener, it is among the most complete record-playback systems available.
The industrial design, by Gryphon’s Soren Slebo, pairs visual restraint with rigidity and resonance control. The chassis uses a laminated “sandwich” of anodised aluminium, Kerrock and “Smart Stack”, a constrained-layer damping compound patented by Denmark’s MENETA Group. The considerable mass rests on four solid, adjustable spikes, and each motor is entirely decoupled from the structure on its own subchassis.
The Apollo is built around speed accuracy and mechanical silence. Two of Brinkmann’s proprietary, hand-built Sinus belt-drive motors sit at 180 degrees to one another, straddling the massive platter to raise torque, reduce cogging and lower stress on each motor. A dedicated digital speed controller synchronises the two motors, and is described as more accurate than analogue equivalents while never requiring calibration.
This is Brinkmann’s first multi-motor turntable and the first for which he developed a digital speed controller. The bespoke power supply is based on his third-generation RoNt technology, employing the proprietary BZ 34 “Tube Rectifier Simulator” with semiconductors in place of tubes and a higher output current to drive the two motors optimally. A fully separate power source with its own transformer supplies the bearing heater and platter light.
Speed control is the heart of the design: Brinkmann’s refined “soft” motor-control techniques, developed over more than four decades, set the Apollo’s controller apart from those of other turntables. The constrained-layer chassis, decoupled motors and adjustable spikes together isolate the platter and record from vibration, allowing the cartridge to retrieve the finest detail from the groove.
Type: dual-motor belt-drive turntable. Motors: two hand-built Sinus belt-drive units at 180 degrees. Speed control: bespoke digital controller (no calibration required). Power supply: third-generation RoNt-based with BZ 34 Tube Rectifier Simulator. Chassis: laminated aluminium / Kerrock / Smart Stack constrained-layer construction. Feet: four adjustable spikes. Dimensions: 480 × 236 × 455 mm (W × H × D). Weight: 30.4kg. Designed in Denmark.
The Apollo is for the committed vinyl listener assembling a reference front end, who values engineering pedigree and long-term stability as much as sound. It is a turntable to be partnered with an equally serious tonearm, cartridge and phono stage, and to be set up with care.
Analogue at this level depends on meticulous installation, levelling and system matching. We can advise on tonearm, cartridge and phono-stage pairing, arrange a demonstration, and handle delivery and precise setup across the South. Speak to our team to arrange a listen or to specify your Apollo.
