Verdict
The iFi Audio xDSD Gryphon is a hugely impressive portable DAC / headphone amp , with more functionality than most user will require . The amplifier is knock-down enough to stand most style of headphone and its stereo imaging and fine detail performance is outstanding .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The xDSD Gryphon from iFi Audio is a gloriously over - specified portable DAC / earphone amplifier that undertake to be pretty much all thing to all headphone user – and largely succeeds .
An rising slope on 2018 ’s original xDSD from the Southport base turnout , it adds balanced analogue circuitry to complement its Bluetooth provision .
An upgraded stablemate to the brand ’s Hip - dac2 , its primary competition is theChord Mojo 2 . Stiff competition . allow ’s see how it fare .
The xDSD Gryphon is uncommitted now and sells for £ 599 . It ’s more expensive than the Chord Mojo 2 headphone / DAC but retrieve that option requires the accession of a Chord Poly for wireless functionality , which doubles the overall price .
Design
As we ’ve come to wait from the design team at iFi , the xDSD Gryphon is slender , compact and beautifully tactual . The aluminium chassis is ridged , which not only looks nerveless but help with hold , and it feature a large clearOLED displaywindow which lights up when power up .
In fact , you might not even make it ’s a CRT screen because of the bully mirrored conclusion . The display is brilliant , and apace scrolls through options such as brightness adjustment and BT control .
A live up to central multi - function thickening can be used to king on , control intensity and menu navigation .
On the front fascia there ’s both standard 3.5 mm and 4.4 millimetre balanced headphone jacks , plus options andBluetooth/ remark selector switch buttons . A longer press on the former will get you into the menus . It ’s here you’re able to select from one of three filter preferences – Bit - Perfect ( which is sans filtering ) , Standard and GTO ( Gibbs Transient Optimised ) .
As you might expect , the differences between these options are subtle . I tend to leave the Gryphon on Bit Perfect , more for peace of intellect than anything else .
To the rear , there are twoUSB - Cjacks , one for charging and the other for data ( although there is an choice in the menu to expend both ports for charge ) , plus a digital coaxal input and 4.4 mm and 3.5 mm input / outputs . There ’s also an XBass tonicity ascendency .
On the undersurface of the xDSD Gryphon are four little natural rubber feet and a manual iEMatch switch to rule out hoot from IEMs ( In - Ear monitor ) .
Features
The xDSD wears itsHi - res audiocredentials on its sleeve . There ’s aboriginal livelihood for DSD up to DSD512 , andMQA decoding , all good manners of a 16 - core XMOS processor and Burr Brown rebirth . Whether your wired cans are unbalanced or balanced , source analog or digital , it ’ll play nice .
The social unit is also unambiguously supportive of wireless cyclosis , with Bluetooth 5.1 up to 96kHz . A helpful LED brightness uses a colour code to reveal the audio formatting and sampling frequency that the xDSD Gryphon is getting from your source .
The xDSD hire a 3600mAh lithium Ion cell , which should keep you on the move for most of the daylight ; battery liveliness extends to around 8 hours .
Bluetooth format support is comprehensive : aptX , aptX HD , aptX Adaptive , aptX Low Latency , LDAC , HWA , AAC and SBC Codec with the unit using Qualcomm ’s QCC5100 IC chip . Significantly , I never felt I was compromising performance when using Bluetooth .
Usability is also high , thanks to its clearly legible OLED display . The Gryphon ships with a soft carry pouch and Lightning , USB - C and USB - A cable .
Sound Quality
adjective that aptly describe the sonic fibre of the xDSD Gryphon include fresh , dynamic and insightful . In short , it ’s a joy to listen to .
If you could glance beneath the chapeau , you ’d discover that iFi Audio has maintain Bluetooth , amplification and DAC separate to minimise haphazardness and interference . The Gryphon actually uses the same Burr - Brown chipset as the sword ’s flagship Pro iDSD signature tune desktop DAC / Aamp . Attention to point is high .
There ’s some very graceful processing going on . The brand ’s XSpace modality is used to produce a more naturalistic soundstage for transcription , and it ’s a little bit special . engage it impart air to any soundstage . It ’s as if the Three Tenors had been told to give each other a second more elbow room .
Is this introduction more accurate ? I really do n’t hump – but it ’s passing comfortable to heed to .
The DAC ’s public presentation could be describe as dry at meter . If you hanker for a juicer bottom death , there ’s XBass II processing that ( unsurprisingly ) emphasise bass . It adds a fun clump but I line up it well used in combination with the more nuanced XSpace modality .
you’re able to moderate the unit ’s output using the physical XBass Presence toggle on the rear . At its heart degree , the accent is place on the mid - kitchen stove , probably the best default position for most users .
instead , you’re able to plunge it to emphasise microphone boom , or tip it up to better blend bass and presence . pick out between them is very much a personal choice . I found myself occasionally choose the latter , to add body to percussion on wide-eyed acoustical tracks like Faye Wong ’s Unplugged ( Tidal Master ) , without sacrificing the Gryphon ’s characteristic top destruction twinkle .
The amplifier sure enough has mass of grunt and will tug even the most demanding of phone . For the bulk of this revaluation , I paired the Gryphon with a pair of Meze Audio 99 Classics , and the combo sounded superb .
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Should you buy it?
The Gryphon is as futurity - substantiation as you may get properly now .
A alike transonic performance can be had from iFi Audio ’s Hip - dac 2 which shares the same Burr Brown silicon but sells for less than half the terms
Final Thoughts
If you ask a high performance portable audio DAC but do n’t want to give any aspect of functionality , the xDSD Gryphon presently has no compeer . It ’s a fantastic stereo performing artist that ferment well with a all-encompassing variety of pumped up phone and source ; its feature of speech specification is remarkable .
You ’ll be severely pressed to find a source this does n’t support or a hardware combination that it ca n’t integrate with . Build quality is also high , although it does be given to run warm .
Value for money can be view excellent , feed you really have to spend a good deal more to agree what this DAC / headphone amp can extend .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every DAC we review thoroughly over an drawn-out stop of time . We use diligence - standard tests to compare features in good order . We ’ll always tell you what we get . We never , ever , accept money to refresh a mathematical product .
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FAQs
The Gryphon natively supports MQA encoded file as the DAC can receive and decode tracks in the format .
Full Specs
Sustainability
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