[agrosash]

So I'm getting a new setup going for listening to music while working in my home office. Most of the time I'm sitting/standing at my desk. I do want to get up and walk around the condo without stopping my listening session. Here's what the setup will definitely entail:

* iFi xDSD Gryphon
* Vision Ears VE8 Custom IEMs
* Apple Music Lossless

My question is about the Bluetooth connection. Apart from having more choice when it comes to BT codecs, would it make sense to run a Fiio BT30 Pro together with the Gryphon, loosing the VolumeSync function? Also, has anyone used the Gryphon with the new "Alternate BT Driver" (for Windows) that does LDAC? Anything else I should be mindful of?

 

[Simon Patten]

The BTR30 (Pro is similar) works well with the Gryphon and the range is OK when using LDAC. I haven't worried too much about quality with this combination as it's more of a convenience thing but it sounds fine. IMHO losing VolumeSync is a good thing as, from what I understand, digital volume controls work by dropping the least significant bits so if you turn down the volume at the [digital] source you also lose quality, albeit barely noticeably, so I always set the volume to max on my sources and just use the Gryphon and its lovely analogue volume control.

I can't help with the "Alternate BT Driver" as my motherboard doesn't have Bluetooth but I don't think Windows supports LDAC? Or is that the point of it.

 

[Simon Patten]

TL;DR - Are you using the 3.5mm SE output on your Gryphon? Let me persuade you to buy a balanced cable.

I've had my Dusks for around 8 months and was using them with a Qudelix 5K until I upgraded to the Gryphon about 6 weeks ago. I had replaced the Dusk's horribly microphonic cable with one from Tripowin but stayed with the 3.5mm connection for compatibility. A friend recently suggested I should try the balanced output so I ordered the same cable but with a 4.4mm plug from AliExpress (20UKP) so that I could do a direct comparison.

I'd been listening to the Dusk/Gryphon for a couple of hours yesterday morning when I remembered that the new cable was due to be delivered. I checked and it had just arrived so, in the middle of a track, I swapped cables and carried on listening.

Wow, I wasn't expecting much but it delivered more of everything that makes the Dusk so great. The sound was cleaner and crisper, there was more detail, more 'air', a lot more bass and it was tighter and more controlled, voices sounded even more natural with more emotion conveyed, the sound stage and separation between instruments was clearer, and I was literally hearing things that I'd never heard before in tracks that I've been listening to for decades. All that and I was just using Bluetooth (LDAC) from my 'phone, I haven't even tried a direct USB connection yet. (Edit: Just tried it - OMG that bass really slams now!)

I'd assumed that the 'S-Balanced' technology that iFi promote would mean that the two outputs were close but they are far from it. Doing a straight comparison like this showed me that the balanced output is A LOT better than the SE. My only complaint is that there's a bit too much bass for my liking now but I can tone that down.

So, if you are still using the 3.5mm output I urge you to buy a 4.4mm balanced cable and try it out unless there's a good reason not to. It's an upgrade that is worthy of the name and the results far outweigh the price. The Tripowin cable is pretty good but this makes me want to try a better one so if you can recommend a 4.4mm/2 pin balanced cable for around 50USD/UKP I'd love to hear about it.

Let us know what you think if you try it?

 

[agrosash]

The BTR30 (Pro is similar) works well with the Gryphon and the range is OK when using LDAC. I haven't worried too much about quality with this combination as it's more of a convenience thing but it sounds fine. IMHO losing VolumeSync is a good thing as, from what I understand, digital volume controls work by dropping the least significant bits so if you turn down the volume at the [digital] source you also lose quality, albeit barely noticeably, so I always set the volume to max on my sources and just use the Gryphon and its lovely analogue volume control.

I can't help with the "Alternate BT Driver" as my motherboard doesn't have Bluetooth but I don't think Windows supports LDAC? Or is that the point of it.

Thanks. I have been testing things with the BT30Pro and also started trialing the new Creative BT-W5 Bluetooth dongle that does AptX Adaptive HQ, even with 96kHz if supported by the other device. In addition, I've gotten the Go Blu as well to see if I can hear a major difference between the various combinations with the xDSD Gryphon. After a few days of testing I'm seriously considering to go with AptX Adaptive (better latency and connection/range, with comparable quality) functionality of the Creative dongle and the iFi Go Blu. It seems to be a sweeter package overall that saves me a few hundred bucks and is way more portable.

Yes, the "Alternate Bluetooth Driver" for Windows is a newly developed piece of software that adds LDAC support to your connection. It's actually pretty solid, but only does the middle ground quality ("SQ" / 660kpbs) on my machine. Pair that with the weak range and instability and it's an easy win for the Creative dongle and AptX Adaptive, which sounds great as well and even has lower latency.

 

[BS5711]

TL;DR - Are you using the 3.5mm SE output on your Gryphon? Let me persuade you to buy a balanced cable.

I've had my Dusks for around 8 months and was using them with a Qudelix 5K until I upgraded to the Gryphon about 6 weeks ago. I had replaced the Dusk's horribly microphonic cable with one from Tripowin but stayed with the 3.5mm connection for compatibility. A friend recently suggested I should try the balanced output so I ordered the same cable but with a 4.4mm plug from AliExpress (20UKP) so that I could do a direct comparison.

I'd been listening to the Dusk/Gryphon for a couple of hours yesterday morning when I remembered that the new cable was due to be delivered. I checked and it had just arrived so, in the middle of a track, I swapped cables and carried on listening.

Wow, I wasn't expecting much but it delivered more of everything that makes the Dusk so great. The sound was cleaner and crisper, there was more detail, more 'air', a lot more bass and it was tighter and more controlled, voices sounded even more natural with more emotion conveyed, the sound stage and separation between instruments was clearer, and I was literally hearing things that I'd never heard before in tracks that I've been listening to for decades. All that and I was just using Bluetooth (LDAC) from my 'phone, I haven't even tried a direct USB connection yet. (Edit: Just tried it - OMG that bass really slams now!)

I'd assumed that the 'S-Balanced' technology that iFi promote would mean that the two outputs were close but they are far from it. Doing a straight comparison like this showed me that the balanced output is A LOT better than the SE. My only complaint is that there's a bit too much bass for my liking now but I can tone that down.

So, if you are still using the 3.5mm output I urge you to buy a 4.4mm balanced cable and try it out unless there's a good reason not to. It's an upgrade that is worthy of the name and the results far outweigh the price. The Tripowin cable is pretty good but this makes me want to try a better one so if you can recommend a 4.4mm/2 pin balanced cable for around 50USD/UKP I'd love to hear about it.

Let us know what you think if you try it?

I have tried the same test using my Shanling ME700 with a GUCraftsman 4.4mm cable and a ddhifi 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter so that change took only a few seconds. I figured out the volume change needed to get as close a volume match as I could and I intentionally listened at lower and higher volumes to try and highlight anything that could just be a volume mismatch.

My experience was the polar opposite, there was no “a lot” of difference with any part of the sound. The tonality didn’t change even remotely and the only change I think I heard was a very subtle improvement in pinpoint location of individual sounds in the stage but frankly the difference was subtle at best and could easily have been entirely due to expectation bias.

I suspect if you are hearing a change that you would genuinely describe as “ a lot” I suspect it was a perceived change due to a volume increase that wasn’t properly allowed for.

Try the test against with an adapter so the change is fast and turn the volume down with the balanced set up so it is obviously just a hair quieter than the 3.5mm, I bet the changes disappear.

Better yet have a willing assistant help do it blind.

 

[Simon Patten]

Interesting. It is also possible that my 3.5mm replacement cable was bad, the difference was that stark. All I can say is that replacing the cable from 3.5mm to 4.4mm balanced was like listening to a different IEM. I'll be interested to hear of others' experience.

 

[povidlo]

British connection: green mamba with cl2 planar iem

 

[AlexxxAA85]

British connection: green mamba with cl2 planar iem

Wow!

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

Gryphon users...

Please see this new thread posted by @iFi audio on our news about expanding our App world!

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/crowd-design-for-ifi-app.967869/

Please post any comments and suggestions there for us to see!

Cheers!!

 

[andlopper]

Hello everyone. Thank you for your comments and advice on the hifi world. You see, I recently bought the Meze 109 pro and in the store in Spain (Supersonido) they recommended that I invest in a dac/ headphone amplifier to get the most out of it. In addition to this headset I have the Sennheiser 660s and the Focal Elegia (with balanced output). I have doubts about ifi gryphon and chord mojo 2 and I would like you to give me your impression regarding the battery and what sensations you have after the year or so that it has been on the market. Thank you very much.

 

[Edon]

Hello everyone. Thank you for your comments and advice on the hifi world. You see, I recently bought the Meze 109 pro and in the store in Spain (Supersonido) they recommended that I invest in a dac/ headphone amplifier to get the most out of it. In addition to this headset I have the Sennheiser 660s and the Focal Elegia (with balanced output). I have doubts about ifi gryphon and chord mojo 2 and I would like you to give me your impression regarding the battery and what sensations you have after the year or so that it has been on the market. Thank you very much.

I had Mojo 2 and Gryphone for about 8 months and don't have any issues with them. Battery is not a strong side of both units. For me Gryphone overall is a better device - balanced output, Bluetooth, volume regulation by knob. Main advantage of Mojo is good EQ but I'm not a fan of EQ adjustments so I use it only to check how it's working. And it working well.

 

[Hinomotocho]

Highly likely I'm not doing something right, but what are the steps to engage line-out please?

 

[BS5711]

Plug something into the appropriate line out port on the rear, connect that to the receiving amplifier and turn the volume up to 100.

 

[Hinomotocho]

Plug something into the appropriate line out port on the rear, connect that to the receiving amplifier and turn the volume up to 100.

One of those glitchy moments because it wasn't working before.
Finally got a 3.5mm cable to connect to my TA-ZH1ES to use bluetooth and take advantage of the XBass and XSpace.

 

[agrosash]

Heads up for anyone using LDAC with the Alternate Bluetooth Driver for Windows: the software got updated and now supports Adaptive Bit Rate LDAC, which works way more smoothly than before. I can now set the quality to HQ and the codec actually scales gracefully between the lowest bit rate and the highest. All of that from the system Bluetooth on my Z790 mainboard. Really awesome with the Gryphon, it stays at the highest quality for what feels like 98% of the time on my desk. If I get up, the SQ scales down without cutting out.