Gryphon Audio Ethos review

Is the humble compact disc about to experience a revival in the way vinyl records have enjoyed over the past few years? While there are some positive signs, we wouldn’t go that far just yet – but it is possible.

Perhaps more importantly, given that more than 200 billion CDs have been made since the format was launched in Japan in 1982, there remain plenty in circulation. There are many people, including us, who still have large CD collections and aren’t about to give them up any time soon.

In such circumstances, and if funds allow, you owe it to yourself to have a listen to the Gryphon Audio Ethos CD player. It is hugely expensive, of course, but shooting for the stars is never going to be a low-cost option.

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Build & design

In the metal, this is a mighty impressive beast. We love that Gryphon Audio has been brave with the styling of the Ethos. The company could have easily made this into yet another rectangular box, but instead, it has chosen a striking triangular design that looks like little else on the market.

We like the sci-fi appearance and have something of a soft spot for top-loading CD player designs. There are practical issues with this kind of layout, though. The player can only be placed on the top shelf of your equipment rack, for example, but it also adds ritual to loading a CD that puts us in mind of using a turntable. That’s a good thing in our book.

The loading process is as follows. First, you raise the lid using the small gold lift bar on the attached arm, place the CD over the motor spindle, and then put a small magnetic puck over the centre to hold the disc in place. The lid is then lowered manually. Take care here, because its motion isn’t damped, so it can slam shut rather inelegantly. Gryphon provides a small coaster to place the puck on during the process, which is a thoughtful touch.

Once the lid closes, the Ethos’s transport whirs up to speed. While not overly noisy, it is still possible to hear the mechanism working even when we are a few metres away, something a conventional drawer-loading design would suppress better.

Overall build quality is excellent, just as we have come to expect from Gryphon. At this price, anything less would be unacceptable. The Ethos feels immensely solid and engineered to last decades. Fit and finish are straight out of the top drawer, too.

We even like the partnering metal remote. It is a small unit, but it sits well in the hand and is intuitively laid out.

Features & connections

As is fashionable, Gryphon’s engineers have allowed plenty of leeway for their customers to tweak this player’s sound. There are seven filter options for PCM and three for DSD music files. As is usual, these filters make subtle differences, and the best choice is down to taste and system matching as much as anything else. In our system, the Slow Roll-Off, Minimum Phase option works best for PCM. We left the Ethos on the default Filter 1 setting for DSD.

Then there are upsampling options, and the choice of whether the CD player processes the digital data stream in PCM or DSD. Once again, the differences are small, but we prefer the DSD option at the highest sampling rate. It sounds a touch more natural and fluid to us.

Lastly, there is a Phase-Invert switch. On the surface, this might sound like a fringe concern, but having come across recordings that have mistakenly been recorded out of phase, the ability to correct this allows the listener to enjoy a more focused presentation. It is a subtle effect, but in a transparent enough system, the benefits are clear.

This Gryphon doesn’t play SACD discs, so DSD recordings and high-resolution PCM can only be fed through the Ethos’s DAC via one of its digital inputs. It is equipped with BNC coaxial, AES/EBU and USB Type B connections, and is compatible with PCM files up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD512.

A pair of ESS Sabre ES9038Pro 8-channel DAC chips (one per side) work in full dual-differential, dual-mono mode, and sit at the heart of the Ethos’s digital module.

On the analogue output side, there are balanced XLR and single-ended RCA options. You will find the left and right channel outputs on opposite sides of the chassis, which is a result of Gryphon’s preferred dual-mono circuitry layout. This kind of arrangement tends to help stereo imaging and prevent unwanted interactions between the left and right signal paths, so improving overall performance.

Add fully balanced operation in both the digital and analogue circuits, something Gryphon has always done, and noise levels are even lower, leading to gains in dynamics and transparency.

Compatibility

The Ethos positively demands a top-class partnering system. We use our reference Burmester 088/911 MkIII pre/power combination driving a pair of ATC SCM50 speakers. We also try a pair of Fyne Audio F1-8 standmounters for a bit of variety. All cables are premium offerings from Chord Company and Vertere Acoustics.

The Ethos needs care in placement. A CD transport is a mechanical mechanism that is easily affected by external vibrations, so a level, rigid, well-damped support is essential.

Make sure it is absolutely level, too. This aspect is important, and Gryphon even provides a rather neat spirit level with the Ethos to help. The player has adjustable spikes that lock into place once everything is set. Such details matter.

Sound

We have long lived in a world where the standard 16-bit/44.1kHz CD specification has been seen as the minimum level of quality digital hi-fi, with hi-res PCM and DSD recordings being cast at the pinnacle of sound. The Ethos proves that there remains plenty of value in the original digital standard.

This player sounds natural in a way that still eludes most high-end music streamers we’ve come across, even if they are playing high-res music files. By natural, we don’t mean the kind of smooth and rich presentation some manufacturers engineer into their products to make them sound less ‘digital’.

Rather, Gryphon has gone for a subtle, unforced approach that rewards over the long term. It is a sound all about texture, physicality and body, rather than focusing on leading edges or the mechanics of the recording.

Play a large-scale classical piece such as Tchaikovsky’s Marché Slave Op.31, and the Ethos sounds wonderfully fluid, uncovering a massive amount of information, without sounding the least bit etched or clinical.

It conveys the scale of the orchestra superbly, delivering the music’s brutal crescendos with enthusiasm, while never losing its composure. We love this player’s sense of authority and its ability to organise the mass of information it uncovers into a cohesive and musical whole.

We can track low-level instrumental strands with ease, yet the Ethos’s sound also allows us to take a step back and just enjoy the spectacle. It is rare to hear a digital source component that combines insight with such a music-first attitude.

The player’s tonal balance is spot on. It is neutral without lacking in warmth and substance. No part of the frequency range stands out unnecessarily, and it all blends seamlessly to the extent that we have to work hard to split the presentation into distinct frequency ranges during analysis.

Stereo imaging is as crisp and precise as you like. We love the solidity of the presentation and the convincing way the Gryphon renders the depth of recordings (provided the recording has depth, of course). The soundstaging remains stable and locked in, no matter how complex the music gets. We find the control and grip of this player hugely appealing.

While the Ethos’s presentation is undeniably refined, there is no lack of bite when the music demands. Listen to Kendrick Lamar’s Humble, and we’re pleased to find that the Gryphon responds with plenty of attack and energy. The song’s bassline kicks with real power, and the player delivers rhythmic drive with conviction.

The story remains equally positive when we try out the player’s digital inputs. We use the digital outputs from our reference Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer, a Cyrus CDi and our MacBook Pro (loaded with Audirvana music software and plenty of high-res music), and regardless of source, the Ethos performs excellently.

While the sonic character of the digital inputs remains consistent with the player’s CD playback, the extra information of high-res files is easily heard. Yet, we don’t find going back to the humble compact disc any issue, so good does it sound. The Ethos sounds musically engaging and entertaining, regardless of the source.

Verdict

The Gryphon Ethos is an exceptional CD player. It is beautifully made and is a pleasure to use. While its price puts it out of reach for most people, we’re still glad it exists.

This player shows just what is possible with the original silver disc, and we suspect that it is way more than most people would imagine.

Review published: 6th July 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 5

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