Review xDSD Gryphon: portable quality and fun

The portable DAC and headphone amplifier xDSD Gryphon from the British company iFi is a model designed for the headphone enthusiast who aims for high-quality audio reproduction performance with a small, convenient, and lightweight device. The Gryphon is a very prominent model in the mid-range of its category; we tested it with curiosity and below you will find all the features of the model, its functions, usage modes, and of course our evaluations of its sound capabilities.

The iFi Gryphon is the evolution of the xDSD model released in previous years and represents a significant upgrade over the previous version, with clear improvements in performance and some important design changes.

It is a “pocket-sized” high-fidelity solution. Its size and weight are extremely compact. The xDSD Gryphon supports any lossless format and is not afraid of pairing with demanding headphones. It is important to emphasize right away that although it is a portable device, the Gryphon is actually characterized by great versatility, ensured by a wide range of connections. The device can in fact be used as a DAC/amp for portable headphone listening, as a standalone amplifier, as a desktop DAC and amp, with wired connection or wirelessly via Bluetooth.

The Gryphon features 4.4mm and 3.5mm outputs and is supplied by the company with three small cables (USB-A, USB-C, and Lightning for Apple devices).

Design and build

The Gryphon is a real pleasure to look at and handle. As you can see from the photos, it has a curious shape reminiscent of a small liquor flask, with undulating curves on the chassis. The finish is very well executed, as are the buttons and the volume wheel (which can be pressed to turn the device on). As shown in the photos, the build quality is also very refined even in the details on the underside, where the IEMatch selector is located. The display is so seamlessly integrated into the top panel that you are surprised when it lights up (it is an OLED and thanks to SilentLine technology it does not cause signal interference). The front LEDs also display non-trivial color combinations, as you can see in the photo gallery at the end of the article, and they significantly contribute to the charm of this small device.

Thanks to the aluminum chassis, the weight remains low, and it can be carried around without issues (optionally inside the soft black pouch with the iFi logo included in the package). The design and build quality of the Gryphon are truly top-tier in its segment.

Here is the technical specifications sheet:

• Inputs: USB-C; Bluetooth 5.1 (aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX LL, LDAC, HWA, AAC and SBC Codec);
• S/PDIF Coaxial;
• Balanced 4.4mm;
• Single-Ended 3.5mm Formats: 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 384/352.8kHz Bluetooth Up to 96kHz DAC Bit-Perfect DSD & DXD DAC by Burr Brown. Line section – Output: Balanced 6.7V max (variable);
• Single-ended: 3.5V max (variable).
• Output impedance: Balanced ≤200Ω, Unbalanced ≤100Ω. SNR: Balanced <110dB(A); Unbalanced <110dB(A) THD+N: Balanced <0.007%; Unbalanced <0.015% Headphone section Outputs: Balanced 6.7V max @ 600Ω; Unbalanced 3.5V max @ 600Ω. Output power: Balanced >1000mW @ 32Ω; >74mW @ 600Ω Unbalanced >320mW @ 32Ω; >40mW @ 300Ω.
• Output impedance: Balanced <1Ω; Unbalanced <1Ω SNR: Balanced <116dB(A) @ 0dBFS; Unbalanced <115dB(A) @ 0dBFS. THD+N: <0.005% (1V @ 16Ω).
• Dimensions: 123 x 75 x 19 mm
• Weight: 215 g

Technology and features

The xBass II and xSpace functions are two classics of the brand, which often includes buttons for real-time customization of playback characteristics (from TrueBass in the Zen DAC to the 3D Holographic in the iCan Pro). The xSpace works on spatial perception and more specifically increases the perceived soundstage size. The difference is significant and, especially in vocal reproduction, creates the sensation that notes expand and gradually dissolve in a large enclosed hall.

The xBass II function, as you might expect, is a small bass boost at the press of a button. Your playlist leads you to a track where you want more bass punch? XBass on. Simple as pressing a button. Needless to say, the use of these functions depends heavily on the listener’s personal taste (and partly on the characteristics of the paired headphones); we generally preferred to keep them off and activate them only on specific tracks, to get more bass impact or to widen the perceived soundstage in tracks with prominent vocals, but as mentioned this is up to individual preference.

Also pay attention to the small switch on the underside of the chassis, which controls IEMatch: this is a proprietary iFi technology that reduces hiss, the background noise of certain high-sensitivity headphones. It is worth experimenting with as an additional variable in finding the perfect setup for your headphones and your ears.

The amplification stage, Bluetooth chipset, and DAC are built separately for optimization of overall performance and each individual component. Bluetooth v5.1 is handled by a QCC 5100 chipset and naturally supports all major formats (aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, LDAC™, and HWA/LHDC).

In terms of digital-to-analog conversion quality, the Gryphon met our high expectations: it uses a Burr-Brown chip also used in the Pro iDSD Signature, with the ability to switch between standard, bit-perfect, and GTO modes. Bit-perfect leaves the original signal completely unchanged, standard adds a slight filter, and GTO mode upscales files up to 384/352kHz (for technical details, refer to the complete official documentation).

The Gryphon also adopts the circuit design known as PureWave for balanced cable listening, a mode we recommend. The device’s power is truly remarkable and we experienced no issues driving even high-impedance headphones (for example, although at its limit, the Gryphon can produce an acceptable volume level even with HE6-se, a notoriously difficult model to drive).

How it sounds

The company has created what we might call a very solid “baseline package,” meaning that starting from bit-perfect decoding settings, with no xBass II and no xSpace, the Gryphon delivers a natural, melodic, and dynamic sound, fast and precise, with remarkable balance across frequencies. The bass is tight and well-detailed, overall not overly boosted. In the midrange, the device’s strong dynamism stands out, accompanied by excellent detail and control. In the high frequencies, the sound tends toward crystalline and bright, and we never encountered harsh peaks. Overall, good instrument placement within the soundstage is also appreciated.

The wide sound customization options, easily activated with just a couple of button presses, make the Gryphon a very entertaining device. Who wouldn’t be tempted to re-listen to a favorite track with boosted bass or expanded soundstage?

The most important comparison in this segment is likely the Chord Mojo 2. The differences are quite clear: the Mojo 2 sounds excellent but is very limited in features and connectivity, whereas the Gryphon, although slightly more expensive, is packed with features, connections, and sound customization options (and also has a more premium design).

In terms of pairing, the device performs well with both dynamic and planar magnetic headphones, even shining with models such as the Arya Stealth. Considering the quality the Gryphon can deliver and its price, we still recommend pairing it with headphones that are not entry-level—roughly from the Sundara and above in terms of price and quality.

Conclusion

The iFi Gryphon is a mid-range portable device with excellent playback performance, spectacular design, and outstanding versatility, both in terms of connectivity (and thus also home use) and sound customization. We highly recommend it to anyone looking for a device to step up into higher-quality headphone listening, possibly paired with a good mid-range headphone.