xDSD Gryphon: birth of a ‘head-fi’ legend
Aug 8, 2022 at 3:52 PM Post #2,491 of 3,828
Aug 10, 2022 at 12:49 AM Post #2,492 of 3,828
Does anyone here have noticed discoloration on the frontal gryphon screws? Can you check yours with a a flashlight?

I bought one used And It has some discoloration in the frontal screws, around the corners, I do not noticed until I saw the gryphon with good light, This one was supposedly like 6 months old... I wonder what happened.
Back screws are ok, full black screws.

Pretty weird but it happened here.
 
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Aug 10, 2022 at 2:12 AM Post #2,493 of 3,828
Does anyone here have noticed discoloration on the frontal gryphon screws? Can you check yours with a a flashlight?

I bought one used And It has some discoloration in the frontal screws, around the corners, I do not noticed until I saw the gryphon with good light, This one was supposedly like 6 months old... I wonder what happened.
Back screws are ok, full black screws.

Pretty weird but it happened here.
I'm probably not the person to ask, mine has been apart at least 10 times but yes I have used looking screws front and rear. I don't worry about it though as when its in my pocket playing music it doesn't affect the sound.

Perhaps the original owner had taken it apart a few times too?
 
Aug 10, 2022 at 2:20 AM Post #2,494 of 3,828
I'm probably not the person to ask, mine has been apart at least 10 times but yes I have used looking screws front and rear. I don't worry about it though as when its in my pocket playing music it doesn't affect the sound.

Perhaps the original owner had taken it apart a few times too?
Interesting, But why you have taken apart the gryphon?
I only think in battery change... is there something more that would make you disassemble the gryphon apart from looking at the circuit or try to fix something?
 
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Aug 10, 2022 at 5:35 PM Post #2,496 of 3,828
I own both, sound quality is better on the Signature, not by much but still it's more refined and authoritative. I prefer warmth in my music and the Signature adds just that while the Gryphon is more Neutral & Smooth (too smooth at times with my gear, GTO helps but not much) which might pair better with some gear.

Reasons to get Signature:
1. Power/Drives Headphones better.
2. Sounds Better
3. Looks
4. Battery Life

Reasons to avoid Signature:
1. Large (never found it an issue personally)
2. Channel Imbalance at lower volume
3. No Pre-Out or Line-Input

Reasons to get Gryphon:
1. Portable
2. Bluetooth
3. Looks
4. Sound (with IEMs)
5. Decent Power
6. Noise with sensitive IEMs

Reasons to avoid Gryphon:
1. Battery
2. Bugs & Minor Issues (many have been fixed now)
3. Noise with sensitive IEMs

For HE1000 get the Signature.
Do you have tried Gryphon VS Signature ONLY as DAC?
Supposedly Gryphon should be better as DAC but what do you think?

if some of you have made Gryphon VS ZEN, HIP or Signature only as dacs to an external amp, would be really appreciated if you could comment what you found =)
 
Aug 10, 2022 at 6:54 PM Post #2,497 of 3,828
Do you have tried Gryphon VS Signature ONLY as DAC?
Supposedly Gryphon should be better as DAC but what do you think?

if some of you have made Gryphon VS ZEN, HIP or Signature only as dacs to an external amp, would be really appreciated if you could comment what you found =)
Nope, tried them as a combo. Even DAC only, I think Signature will be better because of the Dual DAC chips and pure Line-Out, but like I mentioned, haven't tried the DAC part. Sadly, I don't have them with me anymore to try.
 
Aug 10, 2022 at 8:47 PM Post #2,498 of 3,828
Nope, tried them as a combo. Even DAC only, I think Signature will be better because of the Dual DAC chips and pure Line-Out, but like I mentioned, haven't tried the DAC part. Sadly, I don't have them with me anymore to try.
I read in Facebook (head fi) that one guy compared the Gry to the micro signature and as DAC the gryphon had clearly superior DAC.

The Gryphon supposedly has the same chip as the flagship(but one instead of 4) which does not mean it will be automatically better as dac to other ifi products but of course it could mean something.
It is just a shame very few people have used the gryphon as DAC only, almost 0 comparisons.

Personally is when it surprised me the most, as Dac/amp it is not impressive to me but has ok tuning( I would like a little more body in female vocals but that's personal)
 
Aug 10, 2022 at 9:33 PM Post #2,499 of 3,828
I read in Facebook (head fi) that one guy compared the Gry to the micro signature and as DAC the gryphon had clearly superior DAC.

The Gryphon supposedly has the same chip as the flagship(but one instead of 4) which does not mean it will be automatically better as dac to other ifi products but of course it could mean something.
It is just a shame very few people have used the gryphon as DAC only, almost 0 comparisons.

Personally is when it surprised me the most, as Dac/amp it is not impressive to me but has ok tuning( I would like a little more body in female vocals but that's personal)
I did not try Signature vs Gryphon as DAC only but did try Zen DAC vs Gryphon DAC only connected to A30 Pro. Overall Gryphon sounded somewhat better, it has better layering, Imaging and sounded a bit more refined (less distorted). It's not triple the price better, not even double the price but it is better.

Downgrading from Signature to Gryphon, I wasn't impressed by the Gryphon either, it was not bad, just wasn't as good sounding as the Signature. Gryphon or Sig for that matter, wasn't intended to be a replacement for a dedicated DAC, so most people won't be trying to pair and compare their DAC performance.

If you are primarily using IEMs, then give RU6 a try. R2R gives good body to vocals and it might be what you are looking for. If not, between Gryphon & Signature, Sig has tiny bit more body/weight to the overall sound and will drive demanding Headphone better with less hiss.
 
Aug 10, 2022 at 10:27 PM Post #2,500 of 3,828
I did not try Signature vs Gryphon as DAC only but did try Zen DAC vs Gryphon DAC only connected to A30 Pro. Overall Gryphon sounded somewhat better, it has better layering, Imaging and sounded a bit more refined (less distorted). It's not triple the price better, not even double the price but it is better.

Downgrading from Signature to Gryphon, I wasn't impressed by the Gryphon either, it was not bad, just wasn't as good sounding as the Signature. Gryphon or Sig for that matter, wasn't intended to be a replacement for a dedicated DAC, so most people won't be trying to pair and compare their DAC performance.

If you are primarily using IEMs, then give RU6 a try. R2R gives good body to vocals and it might be what you are looking for. If not, between Gryphon & Signature, Sig has tiny bit more body/weight to the overall sound and will drive demanding Headphone better with less hiss.
Interesting, I'm using the Gry to feed a Burson Soloist 3xp, because my lg v30 or Hrt DAC do not get a good matchup with the Soloist.

As dac/amp im not impressed by the gryphon, but it pairs well with Soloist due to being warm as a dac and it is cleaner, less diffuse than a HRT dac /amp I have, significantly cleaner , but stage detail and dynamics are close as dac/amp, and I would give vocals to the HRT

Honestly I can live with my HRT for portable (189usd) it sounds close to the gryphon but less clean in dark background , the real purpose for me of the Gry is feeding the Soloist, I wonder if I should swap it for a cheaper Warmer dac.

I really like my modded AD2000X+Soloist+Gryphon , But I wonder if I could optimize and swap it for a warm -500usd desktop dac...
 
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Aug 10, 2022 at 10:45 PM Post #2,501 of 3,828
I really like my modeed AD2000X+Soloist+Gryphon , But I wonder if I could optimize and swap it for a warm -500usd desktop dac...
If you like the setup, just enjoy it. Swapping DACs won't make a big difference.

If you still wanna give something else a try, around 500 USD, Warm sounding, all I can think of is the Topping D30 Pro. Purely as a DAC, it's a step up over Zen Dac & Gryphon. Zen DAC Sig DAC might also be a good budget pick but I have not heard that one, hopefully someone hear will share their recommendation.

If you are using Single-Ended Line-Out on the Gryphon, try Balanced Line-Out, the increased voltage and channel separation will give you better dynamic range and a wider soundstage.
 
Aug 10, 2022 at 11:04 PM Post #2,502 of 3,828
If you like the setup, just enjoy it. Swapping DACs won't make a big difference.

If you still wanna give something else a try, around 500 USD, Warm sounding, all I can think of is the Topping D30 Pro. Purely as a DAC, it's a step up over Zen Dac & Gryphon. Zen DAC Sig DAC might also be a good budget pick but I have not heard that one, hopefully someone hear will share their recommendation.

If you are using Single-Ended Line-Out on the Gryphon, try Balanced Line-Out, the increased voltage and channel separation will give you better dynamic range and a wider soundstage.
Interesting, In what you find the D30 pro as better to the Ifi Gry and Zen?

I had the D90 But I could only use it with L30 which it was not a good matchup at least with my headphones.

D90 had speed, dynamics and bass control no other dac I have heard has.

I think the Gryphon could be better in bass control, at least that is when using my ATH A1000Z/2000Z( closed), but using AD2000X I'm happy.

Also maybe it's because the ifi is warmer and has more bass it gives the illusion of being less controlled but mmm, I still think D90 had better slam and so...
 
Aug 10, 2022 at 11:54 PM Post #2,503 of 3,828
Interesting, In what you find the D30 pro as better to the Ifi Gry and Zen?

I had the D90 But I could only use it with L30 which it was not a good matchup at least with my headphones.

D90 had speed, dynamics and bass control no other dac I have heard has.

I think the Gryphon could be better in bass control, at least that is when using my ATH A1000Z/2000Z( closed), but using AD2000X I'm happy.

Also maybe it's because the ifi is warmer and has more bass it gives the illusion of being less controlled but mmm, I still think D90 had better slam and so...
Yes D30/A30 Pro combo was better than Gryphon/A30 Pro combo for me. I did not like Toppings previous products (E30, D10 B...) but D30 Pro was a decent DAC.

So you sold the D90? I was going to purchase D90 or Qutest but ended up buying the EF400 instead after liking R2R sound from RU6.

For me, with my gear, Gryphon sounded a bit too soft, I would have liked it to be a bit more dynamic (slam as you called it) and a bit energetic up top. With the Signature, I did not have this problem, it managed to sound exciting without any fatigue and had more control over my Headphones.

It's a good product, versatile, stacks well with my phone (stacks better than Mojo or XD-05 BAL) and overall not a bad sounding device just did not wow me interms of sound.
 
Aug 11, 2022 at 12:39 AM Post #2,504 of 3,828
Yes D30/A30 Pro combo was better than Gryphon/A30 Pro combo for me. I did not like Toppings previous products (E30, D10 B...) but D30 Pro was a decent DAC.

So you sold the D90? I was going to purchase D90 or Qutest but ended up buying the EF400 instead after liking R2R sound from RU6.

For me, with my gear, Gryphon sounded a bit too soft, I would have liked it to be a bit more dynamic (slam as you called it) and a bit energetic up top. With the Signature, I did not have this problem, it managed to sound exciting without any fatigue and had more control over my Headphones.

It's a good product, versatile, stacks well with my phone (stacks better than Mojo or XD-05 BAL) and overall not a bad sounding device just did not wow me interms of sound.
Interesting, yeah I Sold my D90.
And by the way I do not use balanced because it requires another cable that ifi sells (4.4mm to XLR) and I don't know if I will keep the gryphon.
AD2000X+Soloist+Gryphon is awesome but A1000Z does not sound as good for me( I imagine it could sound better with D90 but I don't have it anymore), and I love that headphone.
 
Aug 11, 2022 at 8:29 AM Post #2,505 of 3,828
Does anyone here have noticed discoloration on the frontal gryphon screws? Can you check yours with a a flashlight?

I bought one used And It has some discoloration in the frontal screws, around the corners, I do not noticed until I saw the gryphon with good light, This one was supposedly like 6 months old... I wonder what happened.
Back screws are ok, full black screws.

Pretty weird but it happened here.
I bought Gryphon from the official distributor in pre-sale. The box hasn't been opened before and the front screws are discolored. The back ones are ok. Perhaps the pre-sale units have been improved or additionally tested in some way? I don't know. I didn't notice any problems with my device.
 

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