[Infoseeker]

I just tried it, admittedly not with the 4.4mm line out which I couldn’t do conveniently right now but with the 3.5mm line out.

I plugged the Gryphon into a Schiit Heresy and listened to a part of a track with very distinct cymbals. Switching IEMatch on and off did very obviously nothing at all.

I can’t argue that there may he some oddity with the 4.4mm versus the 3.5mm of course.

Have you tried the same with the 3.5mm line out ?

Now, I didn't try it on the other single-ended Line-out.

Try to see if xSpace/xBass maybe tied to what I am observing by the IEmatch.

 

[BlackD]

Hi! Has anyone tried lcd-2c with iFi xDSD Gryphon? How does it work together? Does this dac/amp reveal them? Sorry for my english

 

[BryceS]

Now, I didn't try it on the other single-ended Line-out.

Try to see if xSpace/xBass maybe tied to what I am observing by the IEmatch.

XBass and XSpace definitely do carry over into the line out.

 

[zhuhang]

Why would you be plugging headphones in to the rear 4.4mm “line out” port ?

As a line out it has a much higher output impedance than the headphone port as it is designed for an entirely different purpose. That being to push voltage into the very high input impedance of an amplifier rather than drive a headphone load. That will alter the frequency response of the headphones somewhat, relative to the headphone out, and thus will to some extent alter the sound.

It also has a lower output than the headphone port for any given volume setting.

Out of interest after reading the questions above I just plugged relatively sensitive IEM into the line out. The IEMatch did nothing to the line output volume at all. Also, in terms of volume for any given setting, the line out was noticeably lower than the headphone output even with IEMatch turned on and extremely obviously lower than the headphone out without IEMatch off.

Volume matching by ear is not reliable so for more reliable comparative purposes I turned the volume down in one scenario until I could only just barely hear the song. Unplugging from the line out then plugging into the headphone port or turning off IEMatch instantly made the song clearly audible again.

In terms of if it alters the output impedance of the line out …. if it has no effect on the rear port in terms of volume it seems unlikely that it is altering the output impedance either. I can’t imagine the designers would make it possible to adjust the output impedance to make it technically incorrect for its intended purpose. Of course anything is possible but I am sure the designers understand this stiff better than you or me.

I was testing 2 different cables on my IEM, so I have my LEFT ear with hp out, RIGHT ear with line out. the volume is surprisingly the same (audibly) with iEMatch 4.4.
Because when I swap sides, the differences are migrated.
BUT I'm not saying this is correct way to compare, it does help me to have direct comparison on cable characteristics.

 

[BryceS]

I was testing 2 different cables on my IEM, so I have my LEFT ear with hp out, RIGHT ear with line out. the volume is surprisingly the same (audibly) with iEMatch 4.4.
Because when I swap sides, the differences are migrated.
BUT I'm not saying this is correct way to compare, it does help me to have direct comparison on cable characteristics.

Except the output from each port is quite different so you are not comparing apples with apples, likely leading to assumptions able effects of cables that are not real.

 

[zhuhang]

Except the output from each port is quite different so you are not comparing apples with apples, likely leading to assumptions able effects of cables that are not real.

i swapped sides and the differences swapped too, so at least I'm getting somewhere consistent.
For me personally, plugging and unplugging is long enough to wipe my auditory memory.

 

[Infoseeker]

Any chance to get a battery-saver mode that keeps the Gryphon at 50% battery? So I can keep the device plugged in long term?

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Any chance to get a battery-saver mode that keeps the Gryphon at 50% battery? So I can keep the device plugged in long term?

The Gryphon already has this built-in - our recent launches all limit their battery to 80% when plugged in long term.

 

[text]

I have been on the signature site from page 1 through to the end & the only thing that concerns me with the signature is the reported channel imbalance & low listening level problems. How much better is the signature sound & bass+/3d over the gryphon do you know. Semi portable is all I need such as taking it in the caravan & laying on my bed listening rather than sitting at a desk.
Bluetooth is a plus but I have my sp1000m astell&kern to work with the dac/amp.
Walking around i just use my not9 Bluetooth to utws5 iems or my qudelix 5k. Thanks for your help.

I am now returning my two-day-old Signature due to channel imbalance AT HIGH VOLUME LEVELS. It's perfectly centered at 12 noon on ECO mode after turning past 9 o'clock--but guess what, it's sold with two more power modes. On Turbo, if I turn it up well past halfway on my 300 ohm Senns or inefficient AKG K712s, the center is still off, like nailed to 11 o'clock at best, and that's too uncomfortable a volume for me anyway (and I'm sure for many).

 

[text]

Signature is a significant improvement in sound. It also has 3 power levels. I would turn my phone down and turn power up. No imbalance. No super loud volume, but you don't even need to do that. If you are using iems just use the lowest power output. It was never an issue for me. Again if you don't need ro out it in your pocket, get it. Ita worth the extra 150. I actually regret selling mine.

If you've solved the imbalance issue, maybe I should sell you my like-new, open box Signature for $550. I really wanted to love it and am returning it, but I'd rather give it a happy home than have it bouncing around to future unhappy owners.

 

[text]

@Lightspeed12 I would choose the Gryphon if I were to only use IEMs for the following reasons:
- it has 3.5mm; I mostly use the 3.5mm with IEMs as all I have are sensitive;
- there is plenty of power on the Gryphon, even on the 3.5mm;
- has Bluetooth, which for portability is essential in my opinion;
- has USB-C connectors which is a big plus compared to the non-typical male USB-A used on the Signature (which from what I have read only works with supplied cable);
- the Gryphon also has a LINE IN (both 3.4mm and 4.4mm), meaning you can use it as a headphone amplifier only; I use it this way with DAPs or other older devices.

Note that the Signature does have 4.4mm balanced, but lacks 3.5mm single ended (which is by far the most common connector).
You will need a 6.3mm to 3.5mm adapter, which will make the overall length a bit larger and also more risk of breaking the 3.5 if used in a pocket.

In my view, the Signature is more suitable for desktop use, as
- you have the RCA connectors which can be connected to an external power amplifier;
- you have significantly more power, which for over-ear headphones (especially high impedance and planar magnetics) is a big plus;
- you have the 6.3mm jack, which will work with many studio-type headphones, which already have that as standard;
- given it has 2 x DAC chips, I would expect it to sound better, as @JoshG1217 has already mentioned;

It works fine with different USB female to USB-C cables. I've been using a short Amazon Basics one. But the included blue one is a good length for handling your phone away from the Signature.

 

[text]

Would this be better suited to iem use rather than the signature ?
I like the bluetooth & 4.4 balanced which the signature doesn't have.
Also are the unbalanced & lower volume listening issues that some had on the signature when using iems been fixed on the xdsd Gryphon.
I only use iems so this is why I ask.
I will be either buying the Gryphon or signature depending on advice given.

It doesn't have Bluetooth, but you can find a new Ultrasone Panther cheap on eBay. Similar power as the Gryphon, a little more on the SE output. You can check out the review on Headfonics.

 

[zhuhang]

So far, I noticed two potential bugs on Gryphon:

1. The Gryphon displays DXD instead of PCM for sampling rate 352/384/705/768. I've contacted iFi support as well as mentioned in this thread, but haven't receive any useful respond.

2. MIN filter is louder than other filters by 2~3dB on DSD sources.


And, I have question:

1. Does Gryphon support 48k-based DoP(up to 256) via USB input? It's not mentioned in the specsheet. Reason I asked is because I managed to upsample 48000 to DoP256 via ASIOProxy with Foobar, iFi control panel on Windows reports 768kHz (PCM mode) which is the PCM channel used by DoP256. But, no sound can be heard. Or maybe Foorbar configuration is not right?

up

 

[HansBarbarossa]

ifi xDSD Gryphon with Vision Ears EVE20 lovely sounding pair

 

[Lightspeed12]

I am now returning my two-day-old Signature due to channel imbalance AT HIGH VOLUME LEVELS. It's perfectly centered at 12 noon on ECO mode after turning past 9 o'clock--but guess what, it's sold with two more power modes. On Turbo, if I turn it up well past halfway on my 300 ohm Senns or inefficient AKG K712s, the center is still off, like nailed to 11 o'clock at best, and that's too uncomfortable a volume for me anyway (and I'm sure for many).

I had my sennheiser ie600 paired to my signature using eco mode & iematch off & noticed the channel imbalance was a slight problem at low volume but now using eco mode & iematch on hi sensitivity all is good.