I am using the Fiio BTR7 with mostly iems. Is the IFI XDSD Gryphon a worthy upgrade over it ?
Upgrade from Fiio BTR7 to IFI XDSD Gryphon worth it ?
- Thread starter sunster77
- Start date
Could you state why
I have both BTR7 and Gryphon. To my ears, Gryphon is definitely an upgrade but obviously comes at a cost. I find the stage, separation and depth better on Gryphon. Bass seems cleaner and crisper, and the overall sound more engaging. That's not to say BTR7 isn't really good, I just prefer Gryphon.
The hardware EQ options on Gryphon are very effective, enabling you to tune the sound to suit your IEMs. XBass is brilliant fun and can help you tune brighter IEMs, or those seemingly lacking weight in the low-end. The Presence switch can be useful but I've yet to find any purpose to XSpace. I know you have EQ options with BTR7 as well, but it doesn't always feel quite as effective.
Gryphon is obviously much more expensive and larger, so you'd need to accept compromises there. Bluetooth is effective on both and I've had no issues in that regard. I don't know your circumstances but I would consider other options as well, maybe the Shanling H7 (although it's even bigger and more expensive), Aroma Air, or a DAP like the HiBy RS2.
Hope that helps.
The hardware EQ options on Gryphon are very effective, enabling you to tune the sound to suit your IEMs. XBass is brilliant fun and can help you tune brighter IEMs, or those seemingly lacking weight in the low-end. The Presence switch can be useful but I've yet to find any purpose to XSpace. I know you have EQ options with BTR7 as well, but it doesn't always feel quite as effective.
Gryphon is obviously much more expensive and larger, so you'd need to accept compromises there. Bluetooth is effective on both and I've had no issues in that regard. I don't know your circumstances but I would consider other options as well, maybe the Shanling H7 (although it's even bigger and more expensive), Aroma Air, or a DAP like the HiBy RS2.
Hope that helps.
More features and minor sound improvement for 3x the price, not worth it to me unless you have hard to drive iems/cans.
Noted. Thanks for the inputs. I guess I’ll stick with my BTR7 for now. I also don’t see 3X the benefits with that price for the Gryphon.
I own both and the gryphon is definitely NOT worth anywhere near 3x the the asking price. $300….maybe…..and even that is a stretch in my mind. The BTR7 will do nothing to detract from your listening experience. I find it more engaging in a lot of situations.
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imo btr7 is not good. it's very digital, cold sounding. same soulless sound as thx onyx. Controls/ui/app are badly implemented as well, fiio is very bad at software generally. i sold it and bought go blu, much more musical sounding. Then, I upgraded go blu to gryphon. Gryphon is go blu on steroids, cleaner, more powerful, more tools. Been very happy with gryphon. i guess one man's trash is another man's treasure.
Andrew_WOT
Headphoneus Supremus
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Literally opposite to what BTR7 sounds to my ears.
I would describe it as lush, warm, almost 3D effect spacious, with authoritative and punchy bass.
bassdad8
Head-Fier
So I put the Ifi hip dac2 head to head with the Fiio Q3 and I definitely found the Ifi to be both warmer and more musical. That is the type of coloring that I enjoy and may not be everyone’s cup of Tea. The Q3 was returned, but it was by no means a “bad” product.
Since then, my curiosity has gotten the better of me and so I ordered the Btr7 which will arrive tomorrow. I can’t wait to put it up against the hip dac2, but regardless of which I prefer, I will be keeping both. I now have a whopping 4 pairs of IEMs (whoa, careful now!) and I am looking forward to trying all possible combinations. I thought very hard about upgrading to the Gryphon, but the fact that it costs as much as the Fiio + 2 or 3 pairs of IEMs, I just couldn’t justify it. And this is going to be way more fun with these to play with:
Letshuoer S12 Pro
Letshuoer D13
Moondrop Kato
SeeAudio Yume Ultra
I think of it this way. I’m pushing sub $200 IEMs with sub $200 Dac/amps. Which seems appropriate. If I were trying the same with $500-$1K IEMs (and my budget could support it), I’d utilize the Gryphon (or Diablo) in a heartbeat.
Since then, my curiosity has gotten the better of me and so I ordered the Btr7 which will arrive tomorrow. I can’t wait to put it up against the hip dac2, but regardless of which I prefer, I will be keeping both. I now have a whopping 4 pairs of IEMs (whoa, careful now!) and I am looking forward to trying all possible combinations. I thought very hard about upgrading to the Gryphon, but the fact that it costs as much as the Fiio + 2 or 3 pairs of IEMs, I just couldn’t justify it. And this is going to be way more fun with these to play with:
Letshuoer S12 Pro
Letshuoer D13
Moondrop Kato
SeeAudio Yume Ultra
I think of it this way. I’m pushing sub $200 IEMs with sub $200 Dac/amps. Which seems appropriate. If I were trying the same with $500-$1K IEMs (and my budget could support it), I’d utilize the Gryphon (or Diablo) in a heartbeat.
I had to send my Gryphon in for a battery replacement after well over a year of trusty service. I bought the FiiO BTR7 as a fill in replacement because most of my IEMs and headphones are 4.4mm. I will say the BTR7 is an improvement over the BTR5 but not by a lot. The Gryphon sweeps the floor with the BTR7. All of my IEMs from budget single DDs, planars, mid level hybrids, they all sound much better. The difference isn’t subtle.
bassdad8
Head-Fier
It’s nice to know that when I am able to upgrade my Dac, that the Gryphon will make even the $95 D13s sound better. I mean they sound pretty good already.
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