iFi Audio xDSD Gryphon Ultra-Res Portable Balanced DAC and Headphone Amplifier
My first portable audio component was a yellow Sony Walkman cassette player; you probably know which one I’m describing. I spent so much time with it that the few pictures I have from that time always show it by my side. My faithful companion in adolescence eased that period in my life—I was glued to that yellow sound machine. I could fit many cassettes into my backpack (sometimes instead of books), and I knew my trusted player would acquiesce. Since the cassette player was portable, it connected me to others and handing it to my friends so they could experience music was what made that walkman unforgettable. This review of the iFi xDSD Gryphon Headphone Amp and DAC ($599), reminded me of those days. A big thanks to Ricardo Anton of iFi Audio USA for his help in getting me the xDSD Gryphon.
Headphone and DAC/Amp components are some of my favourite pieces to review. Their on-the-go attribute seems to have stayed with me from my early years of listening to cassettes. For some time though, I had been reluctant to explore portable components, the main reason was that being stuck in my apartment for over two years (with the pandemic), going outside, walking, and hiking, was not an option. But things change, as do we. Now, while we’re reconnecting with the outdoors, going for a stroll has a different meaning, contact with others, and pondering in our soliloquy (through long walks for example) is a goal for many of us. For audiophiles, this means portable audio components will maintain their momentum.
Connectivity
The sleek-looking component, grey, shiny and metallic xDSD Gryphon arrived a few months ago. Having loved other iFi DAC/amps, like their hip-dac2 and the iFi GO blu (with Bluetooth), I was excited to try the new $599 xDSD Gryphon.
Where to begin? While I don’t plan to drown you in tech stuff and specs (okay, maybe a little), we need to analyze some of the features in this DAC/Amp. iFi sets out to accomplish an all-in-one audio component that goes from your desktop to your pocket. My first impression of the OLED display was that it looked beautiful—the old-school-type font has a high-end demeanour. It weighs just .5 lbs and it's small (4.8" x 3.0" x 0.7”), also, it feels very comfortable in your hand. A multi-function knob that’s pretty easy to work with (Power, Volume, Mute, and Menu) and USB-C charging. Another good surprise is that the Gryphon is not just digital, but analog as well. Line section outputs, balanced (6.7V max, ≤200Ω) and unbalanced (3.5V max, ≤100Ω), while in the headphone section, balanced (6.7V max. @ 600 Ω) and unbalanced (3.5V max. @ 600Ω). A real treat for connecting to other components, it even has a bass equalizer, called Bass Presence. iFi comments on the analog section:
Just like its mythical namesake, it is two beasts in one, from the Ultra-Res digital stage using the Burr-Brown MultiBit at the core to the PureWave analog power section pumping out 1,000mW and other things in between.
Reading the specs of the xDSD, you start to get excited and a little overwhelmed. One of the exciting features is the Gryphon delivers a superior Bluetooth connection, a game-changer to the portable audiophile world. On the other hand, it also has many functions, an analysis of each feature and learning what’s the xDSD Gryphon sound, and what headphones fit best with it, takes time, patience, and attentive listening. iFi describes the Bluetooth feature as a “Bluetooth Engine”:
We use Qualcomm’s new QCC5100 Bluetooth processing IC in combination with proprietary circuits to create an audibly superior “Bluetooth engine”. All the current high-definition Bluetooth audio formats are supported – Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive and aptX HD, Sony’s LDAC and HWA’s LHDC, regular aptX and aptX Low Latency, AAC (Apple iOS devices) and SBC (the ‘plain vanilla’ Bluetooth codec). Of the 24-bit-capable codecs, aptX Adaptive and aptX HD support up to 48kHz, while LDAC and LHDC reach 96kHz. iFi’s “Bluetooth engine” can also be updated over the air, so future codecs may be added.
Specifications
Separate Bluetooth + DAC + amp stages: each optimized for maximum performance
Digital sources via USB, S/PDIF or Bluetooth
Analogue sources via 4.4mm or 3.5mm inputs
Inputs
Wireless: Bluetooth 5.1 (aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX LL, LDAC, HWA, AAC and SBC Codec).
Formats
DSD: DSD512/256/128/64, Octa/Quad/Double/Single-Speed.
PCM: 768/705.6/384/352.8/192/176.4/ 96/88.2/48/44.1kHz.
DXD: 768/705.6/384/352.8kHz, Double/Single-Speed DXD.
MQA (Decoder): 384/352.8kHz.
Bluetooth: Up to 96kHz
DAC: Burr-Brown
S/PDIF Coaxial
PCM (192/176.4/96/88.2/48/44.1 kHz)
DoP
The S-Balanced technology from the Gryphon (single-ended, compatible balanced), 3.5mm headphone output delivers the benefits of the balanced connection to single-ended headphones. The flexibility in connectivity that the xDSD offers should be a benchmark for other DAC/Amps to follow.
Get ready for more tech stuff, as the Gryphon has three digital filters for your listening pleasure.
BP – Bit Perfect, no digital filtering
GTO – Upsampled to 384/352kHz, minimum filtering, no pre-ringing, and minimum post ringing
STD – Modest filtering, modest pre, and posting ringing
For your IEMs there’s the built-in “IEMatch” that helps to drive and lessen distortion with your in-ear monitors. Of the three filters mentioned above, I didn’t find that much difference, perhaps a little more colour-on-top in the standard modest filtering (STD), so I stayed with bit-perfect most of the time I used the xDSD.
iFi went out of its way to be cautious about noise and distortion. For example, for negative feedback:
Incorporates multiple feedback paths instead of one global loop, each path optimized for a particular function and working synergistically with the others to deliver optimal overall performance. We call this new configuration “OptimaLoop”.
For the OLED screen, they have what they call a “SilentLine”, that:
…” ensures that no electrical noise interferes with the audio signal. The xDSD also features “PureWave” circuitry, a balanced, symmetrical dual-mono topology with short, direct signal paths. The name refers to the sonic purity it achieves thanks to exceptional linearity and infinitesimally low levels of noise and distortion.
So you need not worry about noise and distortion with the Gryphon, and this indeed was the case. I turned up the volume on my IEMs (the component where you usually feel the frustration of distortion) and I had no issue with the sound faltering.
Chemistry with your DAC/Amp
That’s it for the tech stuff—let’s dive into the sound. The xDSD is a marvel of flexibility; these types of DAC/Amps are working themselves into the daily audiophile life, at least this was my experience. As such, I could not leave home without it. The devil does not only lie in the details with this one, it lies with its fit or chemistry with you. Yes, it has many cool features (for example the LEDs colouring formats, so you can identify what type of resolution, volume level, and connection you are listening to) but let’s get back to its sound.
Setup
Staying with the concept of flexibility, I used several open and closed-back headphones as well as IEMs. Headphones used: Mark Levinson 5909 (review forthcoming), Arya (non-stealth) from Hifiman, Focal Clear and Elegia, Grado GS1000e and the Reference Series RS-2X, the Sennheiser HD 650 and the Moondrop Aria IEMs. Balanced cables on most of them.
Part of understanding the sound of a DAC is to analyze the components you already have in your arsenal, know all their capabilities, and explore their sound. If you have patience you can build an image of the sound of your headphones, little by little exploring what the drivers and your ears conjure up, a development of sorts becomes clearer, and curiosity of sound reveals what lies behind the curtain. All the headphones brought out their unique style and tuning with the xDSD. Some surprised me, and others were not very memorable, but all worked well for what I needed from the Gryphon and my headphones: experiencing good sound quality.
One of my setups.
Sound
When I started listening to the Gryphon via Bluetooth with high-resolution headphones like the Mark Levinson wireless ANC (active noise cancellation), I found that the neutrality of these headphones came through with a punch in the middle frequencies. Even more importantly, when I compared them in passive mode (wired), there was little difference (for example in the low-end bass). It was barely noticeable, the Bluetooth connectivity was so good. This surprised me. The DAC delivers a clear non-artificial sound with these cans, it made me enjoy the midrange a lot more on the neutral 5909 Levinsons. The xDSD didn’t have to overwhelm the treble response and made it slide (and not overreach) like some of the DACs I’ve heard recently.
With this nice mid-range taking more of the sound characteristic, I used the Aryas (which is one of the best mid-frequency-range and soundstage headphones out there). The Gryphon didn’t flinch, the DAC flowed in songs like The Smiths “Frankly, Mr. Shankly”, the up-strokes, open chords and arpeggios from Johnny Marr’s guitar felt present and lively with a wide soundstage.
Next up were the Focal cans. My favourite headphones are still the Focal Clear, an absolute dynamics and soundstage beast. The sound of these headphones rivals any other high-end I’ve listened to (even the Hifiman HE1000). The xDSD opened the soundstage of these cans softly, Avishai Cohen’s otherworldly “Arab Medley” never sounded so smooth and eloquent.
When I needed more bass I turned on the digital bass boost “XBass II” (perhaps my favourite feature). I tried Primus’ “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver” and enjoyed guitarist Larry Lalonde’s fluid three-note string hammer-ons and pull-offs and Les Claypool’s unique versatility.
For the closed-back Elegia, I found the “XSpace” (yet another feature, it opens up the sound a little) useful for instrumental music like Arielle Besson’s “Neige” in an intimate space. iFi comments that the XSpace feature "recreates a holographic sound field. The purely analog signal processing circuit is designed for listening to headphones as if you were listening to speakers”. This might sound like the component will completely modify your favourite recordings, but it doesn’t really, there’s just a little air on some moments of those albums, nothing that changes it completely. Besson’s trumpet filled the Elegias. I was on a plane when I listened to this track, coming back home from a short trip; some albums welcome you back, but this one does it for me. The Gryphon handled it well. Brass is difficult for some DACs, they’re either too flat or too bright, the xDSD sometimes wanted to go in the latter case, but with the equalization, this was fixed.
If you are familiar with Grado headphones, you’ll agree that they work especially well for very specific types of music, and if you don’t pair them well, you’re in trouble. The GS1000e are masters at instrument separation, which shows in the symphonic repertoire range. Chamber arrangements on several Mahler symphonies by Klaus Simon, were a joy to listen to. The Reference Series RS-2X is good for rock and metal. Thus, Pantera’s “I’m Broken” blasted from these cans with gusto.
The xDSD with the Sennheiser HD 650 was not a match. I found it too center-focused sounding, the mids overwhelmed the sound and it just didn’t work well with this pairing. I did need the bass feature again to bring out a better experience. Lastly, the Moondrop Aria IEMs were easy to drive and had no issues with noise or distortion, I put on Bjork's brilliant new album “Fossora”, electronica and string arrangements sounded full and with low-bass contours.
As much as I love my turntable and the analog chain, I gave the Gryphon almost all my listening time for months, in my home and outside of it. Comparing it with the iFi hip-dac2 was interesting. Things jumped out more with the Gryphon, the features like the XBass II and XSpace do give it a different overall feel—the flexibility of helping flat recordings (with equalization). For me, this was the best attribute of the Gryphon.
The xDSD has a lead over its competitors because in a way it fixes some recordings. What I enjoyed the most with this DAC/Amp was that it lead me to a place where badly recorded music sounded better. For example, a record I love is Wincing the Night Away by The Shins but it has one flaw, it’s a horribly recorded album. The sibilance in James Mercer’s voice rings throughout the album, making it almost unlistenable. But, thanks to the two equalization options (bass boost especially) I could enjoy this wonderful record without cursing the audio engineer.
Conclusion
How we listen to music today reveals many things about who we are; music requires patience and desire, and if we make time for them, the components with which we listen to said music will also reveal moments of pleasure. The xDSD Gryphon is a beautiful, compact, complicated, and complete component. It’s the Swiss army knife of DAC/Amps. My only complaint is that it can be a little daunting if you’re starting in the world of DAC/Amps. Its features require time for attentive listening.
You do have to give credit to iFi for the retail price of the Gryphon of $599. You get features galore and solid engineering quality (not to mention firmware updates). With time you will understand all of the functions and you’ll get the most out of it. For audiophiles and music lovers, the iFi xDSD Gryphon is a welcome copilot. I highly recommend it.
Further information: iFi Audio
