Premiere Design

Since 1985, Danish Gryphon Audio Designs has been well-regarded for its high-end audio electronics. But in the last decade, the company has expanded its portfolio to include speakers as well, foremost among which is the mighty Poseidon.

Each audio channel is served by two towers standing 6.5 feet tall. The bass module includes eight 8-inch drivers in a sealed cabinet with a built-in 1000W power amp that provides sophisticated Q Control circuitry to fine-tune the bass response to the room. Handling the mids and highs, the other tower includes four 5-inch midbass drivers (two at the top and two at the bottom) and four 5-inch midrange drivers flanking a ring-radiator tweeter in the center.

A passive crossover in the mid-high tower uses carefully selected custom components to ensure ideal phase at all frequencies. A separate active low-frequency crossover resides in the bass tower.

Another element contributing to Gryphon's goal that all drivers be in phase at all times at all frequencies is the concave shape of the front of the cabinet. This places the acoustic center of each driver at the same distance from the listener, and the cabinets can be angled in the vertical and horizontal planes to fine-tune their directionality.

The Poseidon's impressive frequency response extends from 16Hz to 40kHz (±3dB), depending on the Q setting and room size. The passive mid-high module's sensitivity is 92dB/W/m, and the impedance never drops below 4Ω, making it an amp-friendly load.

And the cost? 125,000 euros/pair (just over $185,000 as of this writing). And if you want carbon-fiber side panels, that will be another 6600 euros (almost $9800). But I'd wager that the Poseidon makes a gorgeous sound that Gryphon founder Flemming E. Rasmussen is justifiably proud of.