[Voxata]

I opined the same on ieMatch. I felt that enabling ieMatch for 4.4 reduced the dynamic range too...

Edited my review, I was foolish for not listening to the 3.5mm and writing it off. It's much more IEM friendly.

 

[Tachikoma]

I'd rank the 3.5mm performance xDSD Gryphon>WM1A>iDSD BL>Fiio BTR5 - I like the 4.4 on the WM1A much better than 3.5 which is why the Gryphon pulls ahead in this scenario.

Is this ranking strictly between 3.5 mm outputs? or the best output of each device?

 

[Voxata]

Is this ranking strictly between 3.5 mm outputs? or the best output of each device?

Strictly SE and strictly my very sensitive IEM that doesn't take much power to shine. This is a really good performance here considering the topology is supposedly aimed towards balanced. The 4.4 noise is the only thing that sets the Gryphon back IMO. It's the additional detail and separation that keeps Gryphon ahead of the iDSD BL but the BL is warmer, more musical - more euphoric. It's also more forgiving. This scale is my personal preference and not to be considered set in stone because this is all subjective from me. You might like the BL better or WM1A less. I recommend the Gryphon, just wish they had ditched maybe the turbo and gotten low volume performance in check without needing to use IEmatch from 4.4. Given everything this can do and the form factor I wouldn't think people with overly power hungry headphones are thinking to themselves "Hey I need to get a gryphon for these!" instead of going for a desktop setup.

 

[Tachikoma]

I already own a unit, just haven't had a chance to hear it >_< hope the 4.4 mm isn't so noisy that it flat out refuses to work with all IEMs.

I found the BL's warmth somewhat annoying when I auditioned it (as a DAC only), so the fact that the Gryphon doesn't have that bodes well for me.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

****THIS PART IS EXCLUSIVE TO 4.4BAL****
Things took a strong spiral downwards when the Solaris OG came out though. The hiss scale goes as follows xDSD Gryphon >> WM1A >(slight) iDSD BL > BTR5 -- this is without IEmatch. Enabling IEmatch on the first setting with iDSD BL made it just about silent but SQ took a little hit. Second setting added more veil. The Gryphon's IEmatch 3.5mm impacts the BAL output and 4.4MM setting is like extreme on the BL. 3.5 IEM didn't sound quite right so I figure this was not meant to be used for the BAL port. Still, IEmatch extreme & 4.4 squashes the dynamic ability and really killed the sound for me. I did some demoing without IEmatch and it was just too noisy on the Gryphon and too low in the pot for the BL. The BAL output from the rear is pretty quiet though, but the SQ wasn't much of a step up. In all testing with the Solaris the Gryphon finished back of the pack. I think Ifi is using IEmatch as a crutch to have the device managable and this to pulls Gryphon from the stars. Keep in mind though, the Solaris is incredibly sensitive so your less than sensitive IEM may work fine without the IEmatch and if so this device would be a knockout for you. In terms of sound quality with Solaris OG things ended up as so: WM1A > iDSD BL > BTR5 > Gryphon. The BTR5 does much better with IEMs as far as SQ goes, still a little veil though.

So, we've got some great and...well not so much. Unfortunately I don't know if the Gryphon will really have a place in my stable because my hopes was for it to be a device that could do everything - as it is advertised right? I LOVE that it outperforms the BL for my full sized cans and it's a great upgrade for my laptop setup in that regard. This performance alone made me think it's a keeper. It's really that good! As soon as that high noise floor reared it's ugly head (This floor was still present after switching to BT) on the Solaris OG I was set back to reality. The sound wasn't bad, I could live with it - but it was inferior to the BTR5 with incredibly sensitive IEMs with IEmatch engaged. Another positive is that it didn't get hot when charging/listening at the same time. So there is that..

I opined the same on ieMatch. I felt that enabling ieMatch for 4.4 reduced the dynamic range too...

In regards to IEMatch affecting dynamic range, I would refer to this review by @goodyfresh, the most relevant part quoted here.

I haven't been able to word it better, so here's a copy-paste of a great description of what IEMatch does and why it may sound this way.

"I now want to say something very, VERY important: Reviewers who say that this product "alters" the sound-signature are people with a poor understanding of audio science. I mean no offense towards them, but before making such a complaint, they should learn the truth about output-impedance and how it relates to impedance-graphs for headphones and IEM's. On the "high" setting (less than 2.5ohm output impedance), the iEMatch might indeed slightly "alter" the sound-signature if your IEM's are very low-impedance, in that it may add a tiny bit of bass-bloat, slightly narrow the soundstage, and possibly attenuate the treble a little bit. However, this is in no way a flaw with the iEMatch itself; it is simply the natural consequence of an output-impedance above 2ohms! A device which "alters" sound-signature would be something like an equalizer. The iEMatch does no such thing, it simply has certain impedance-levels which are clearly stated by iFi in its specifications. While my IEM's have a supposed/stated impedance of 26ohms, they are hybrid dual-driver IEM's and as a result likely have some large dips in their impedance graph, possibly to as low as 10ohms, in the frequency-range for the driver-crossover. As a result, any source with output impedance above 2ohms or so may slightly bloat the bass and attenuate the treble when compared to my Hiby R3 which has an output impedance of less than 1ohm."

Full review a bit down: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ifi-audio-iematch-headphone-travel-accessory.22072/reviews

 

[Tachikoma]

@Sebastien Chiu I'm sorry, but you really shouldn't be trying to argue this. The iematch is a resistor network, and there is no such thing as a perfectly transparent resistor network.

Reviewers who say that this product "alters" the sound-signature are people with a poor understanding of audio science.

Clearly we should be listening with frequency and THD+N graphs instead of our ears.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

@Sebastien Chiu I'm sorry, but you really shouldn't be trying to argue this. The iematch is a resistor network, and there is no such thing as a perfectly transparent resistor network.


Clearly we should be listening with frequency and THD+N graphs instead of our ears.

Not my intention to come off as arguing, just providing a different perspective with some backing info from other sources.

IEMatch is our product and I have a right to provide our thoughts on this.

Yes, you have a right first and foremost to your ears and what you hear, but I encourage you to see where we are coming from too.

Graphs by @antdroid are provided as additional examples.

 

[emilsoft]

In regards to IEMatch affecting dynamic range, I would refer to this review by @goodyfresh, the most relevant part quoted here.

I haven't been able to word it better, so here's a copy-paste of a great description of what IEMatch does and why it may sound this way.

"I now want to say something very, VERY important: Reviewers who say that this product "alters" the sound-signature are people with a poor understanding of audio science. I

Full review a bit down: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ifi-audio-iematch-headphone-travel-accessory.22072/reviews

Now this is absolutely false - not only does it alter the tonality especially in very sensitive IEMs such as Andromeda due to the output impedance change (it's the relationship), it also manages to somehow crush dynamics and soundstage. Even with OI independent headgear, it still does this so it's not just output impedance that somehow affects the sound. This sound impact is well documented across many forums, it's not just a select few with dog hearing.

This is not to say I'd rather not have the iematch, it's just that I try other options first and only use it if I really have no other choice.

 

[Arcayne]

Now this is absolutely false - not only does it alter the tonality especially in very sensitive IEMs such as Andromeda due to the output impedance change (it's the relationship), it also manages to somehow crush dynamics and soundstage. Even with OI independent headgear, it still does this so it's not just output impedance that somehow affects the sound. This sound impact is well documented across many forums, it's not just a select few with dog hearing.

This is not to say I'd rather not have the iematch, it's just that I try other options first and only use it if I really have no other choice.

Of course. What happens when you reach such a low damping factor, is that the audio signal coming from the amp loses power, and most power is lost where the impedance is lowest. So with a variable impedance curve, you get an inconsistent loss of power resulting in both changes in the FR, plus a loss of perceived dynamics.

 

[antdroid]

Now this is absolutely false - not only does it alter the tonality especially in very sensitive IEMs such as Andromeda due to the output impedance change (it's the relationship), it also manages to somehow crush dynamics and soundstage. Even with OI independent headgear, it still does this so it's not just output impedance that somehow affects the sound. This sound impact is well documented across many forums, it's not just a select few with dog hearing.

This is not to say I'd rather not have the iematch, it's just that I try other options first and only use it if I really have no other choice.

I'm just a bystander in all of this but I was tagged because my graphs were used. I don't exactly know what you are arguing about. The quote Sebastien used literally talks about how Andromeda is affected by impedance changes, and that the IEMatch changes the output impedance. You cleverly deleted that part of the quote in your response to i guess argue but agree with him? I'm confused.

Anyway, IEMatch typically can add 2-3 ohms of impedance to your output. Some IEMs are very very sensitive to this due to their variable impedance curve. Campfire, Vision Ears, and a few others are notorious for changing their sound signature by very very small amounts of change. See my graphs above. The Andro is the perfect example. With IEMatch, the midbass decreases quite a bit. In the Solaris graph, you can see the bass level drops with IEMatch (high) enabled. Ultra is closer to 1ohm vs 2.7 ohm impedance. If you have less bass levels, you could potentially feel like you loss some dynamics (psychoacoustically speaking).

So yes, the sound is altered, in some niche cases, when you enable IEMatch. I wouldn't turn it on unless you need to. Its great for hissy sources, or if you want to tailor your sound, like in the case of Andromeda, I prefer it with IEMatch because it want less bass.

 

[qsk78]

iDSD Diablo is juts perfect in that regard - no IEMatch, no xBass, no 3D feature - just a pure sound as it is!
Hope to see the similar approach in some future portable products too.

 

[emilsoft]

I'm just a bystander in all of this but I was tagged because my graphs were used. I don't exactly know what you are arguing about. The quote Sebastien used literally talks about how Andromeda is affected by impedance changes, and that the IEMatch changes the output impedance. You cleverly deleted that part of the quote in your response to i guess argue but agree with him? I'm confused.

Anyway, IEMatch typically can add 2-3 ohms of impedance to your output. Some IEMs are very very sensitive to this due to their variable impedance curve. Campfire, Vision Ears, and a few others are notorious for changing their sound signature by very very small amounts of change. See my graphs above. The Andro is the perfect example. With IEMatch, the midbass decreases quite a bit. In the Solaris graph, you can see the bass level drops with IEMatch (high) enabled. Ultra is closer to 1ohm vs 2.7 ohm impedance. If you have less bass levels, you could potentially feel like you loss some dynamics (psychoacoustically speaking).

So yes, the sound is altered, in some niche cases, when you enable IEMatch. I wouldn't turn it on unless you need to. Its great for hissy sources, or if you want to tailor your sound, like in the case of Andromeda, I prefer it with IEMatch because it want less bass.

I don't mean to be arguing just wanted to disagree with the shared comment. I noted outside of the impedance impact on sensitive IEMs there's something else too, a blunting of transients, some smearing and dynamics decrease - maybe with more detailed spectral analysis something might be observed perhaps. It's just that the measurements we have nowadays don't always tell the story; rme adi 2 and chord qutest measure very similar (excellent) but have distinct audible difference in sound for example

 

[Johnfg465vd]

In my experience, IEMatch does change the sound a bit. In my iDSD Signature it's much more noticeable with IEMatch Off vs High, less so with Off vs Ultra. Hiss reduction is great though.

It would be nice if iFi can reduce the Amp noise without having to use IEMatch. I'm no expert so don't know if it's possible.

Can someone compare the Gryphon with the iDSD Sig?

 

[Voxata]

In my experience, IEMatch does change the sound a bit. In my iDSD Signature it's much more noticeable with IEMatch Off vs High, less so with Off vs Ultra. Hiss reduction is great though.

It would be nice if iFi can reduce the Amp noise without having to use IEMatch. I'm no expert so don't know if it's possible.

Can someone compare the Gryphon with the iDSD Sig?

The Sig and BL are said to be pretty close in performance.

 

[joshnor713]

Feel like I have to chime in. I've always heard a slight difference in SQ with IEMatch. This is both with the feature in the micro idsd BL and with the iFi's separate dongle (with all kinds of headphone, not just sensitive ones). You can push graphs at me all day, I hear what I hear. Glad others are confirming the same.

Am I the only one wondering why there's so much power in a portable? Why should we have to scale it down, which adds complication? I just feel like manufacturers have lost their way, or I am the wrong one? Just seems crazy to me to take hard-to-drive headphones on the go. Most headphones aren't hard to drive. I can understand it for a product like the micro idsd, which is transportable. But isn't the Gryphon a pocketable DAC/amp?