Gryphon Legato Legacy XLR Phonostage

Description

Overview

The Legato Legacy XLR is the current expression of a phonostage lineage that began with Gryphon‘s Orestes in 1994 — the world’s first fully balanced moving-coil preamplifier — and continued with the original Legato at the turn of the millennium. Revived by demand, the Legacy is a fully balanced, no-compromise design for the vinyl listener who values purity of signal path above all.

Design & build

The Legacy is built around dual-mono external power supplies with custom C-core transformers, feeding a fully sealed, double-sided military-specification circuit board. It uses the finest Swiss XLR connectors and premium components drawn from military and medical suppliers, and is made in Denmark. It is offered as a stand-alone unit or as a module for Gryphon’s Pandora and Sonata-Allegro preamplifiers — the two versions identical in circuit and sound.

Sound & performance

The design is fully balanced from input to output, dual-mono, DC-coupled and runs zero negative feedback, with no op-amps or integrated circuits anywhere in the signal path. The result is an exceptionally low noise floor and the smooth, connected presentation that the name — Italian for “bound together” — describes.

Key features

Both moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges are supported, with selectable input and gain. Moving-coil input impedance is adjustable from 10 ohms to 47 kohms, set through a high-quality Swiss precision attenuator that can be bypassed once the optimal load has been identified — taking the adjustment circuitry out of the signal path entirely.

Technology

The fully sealed PCBs use 75-micron copper traces with no internal hook-up wiring, keeping the circuit in a shielded, RF-free environment. Dispensing with feedback and integrated circuits in favour of a fully discrete, DC-coupled balanced topology is the essence of Gryphon’s approach to analogue replay.

Specifications

Type: fully balanced dual-mono phonostage (stand-alone or modular). Topology: fully balanced, DC-coupled, zero negative feedback, no op-amps/ICs. Inputs: balanced XLR, MM or MC selectable. MC input impedance: 10 ohms to 47 kohms via Swiss precision attenuator (bypassable). Power supply: dual-mono external, custom C-core transformers. Construction: sealed mil-spec PCBs, 75-micron copper. Made in Denmark.

Who it’s for

The Legato Legacy is for the serious analogue listener who wants a reference balanced phonostage with fully adjustable loading and the shortest, purest signal path — whether as a stand-alone unit or built into a Gryphon preamplifier. Pricing is on application.

Why buy from Hidden Home Technology

Extracting the best from a phonostage of this class depends on careful matching to the arm and cartridge. We can advise on loading and system synergy, demonstrate the Legacy, and arrange delivery and installation across the South. Browse our phonostages or speak to our team.