[Ichos]

Would Ifi Gryphon be suitable enough for Meze Elite?

It is suitable and gets the job done but not sufficient enough.

 

[electronicsdesign]

Do the Gryphon has some hiss with IEM?

It really depends on how sensitive your IEMs are and what type of music do you listen to.
For the most part, I'd say it's not a major concern, although the noise floor is indeed higher than on other portable DACs.
IEMatch will render the noise floor to a complete black background, however some say it changes the sound a bit (I have the same perception).

So if you listen to music with a lot of quite passages, then IEMatch will become necessary. Otherwise you can live without it.

For me, the Gryphon is good because of its flexibility: it can work both with IEMs and with big over ear headphones as it has enough power reserve to drive most headphones out there.
Then it is also portable, so I can use it both as a desktop DAC/amp and portable with Bluetooth.
That is the major advantage of Gryphon, of course apart from looks, which include the OLED display.

If I were to want it for IEMs only, over ears only, there are better options for each usage scenario, both from iFi and other companies.
It comes down to personal preference at the end of day of course, so others may disagree.

 

[psawjack]

Does the Gryphon have 1000mw total or is it 1000mw per channel?

Thanks

 

[boromcom]

It really depends on how sensitive your IEMs are and what type of music do you listen to.
For the most part, I'd say it's not a major concern, although the noise floor is indeed higher than on other portable DACs.
IEMatch will render the noise floor to a complete black background, however some say it changes the sound a bit (I have the same perception).

So if you listen to music with a lot of quite passages, then IEMatch will become necessary. Otherwise you can live without it.

For me, the Gryphon is good because of its flexibility: it can work both with IEMs and with big over ear headphones as it has enough power reserve to drive most headphones out there.
Then it is also portable, so I can use it both as a desktop DAC/amp and portable with Bluetooth.
That is the major advantage of Gryphon, of course apart from looks, which include the OLED display.

If I were to want it for IEMs only, over ears only, there are better options for each usage scenario, both from iFi and other companies.
It comes down to personal preference at the end of day of course, so others may disagree.

Thx!

 

[MarkParity]

Does the Gryphon have 1000mw total or is it 1000mw per channel?

Thanks

Interesting question, I had never considered it was rated as 1W total but now you mention it, yes I suspect it is 1W total or 500mW per channel @ up to 6.7V but then the question is the 6.7V rating per channel or total so it may be 3.35V per channel.

We do know that these ratings are peak and not RMS though.

Its probably best to ask will it drive x headphone that you own or plan on owning and someone will let you know.

 

[electronicsdesign]

Interesting question indeed. In my opinion, the voltage rating doesn't make sense to be per channel.

That's the problem with such specs, because you really don't know in which exact conditions they were measured.
Went back to the measurements I did on my Gryphon and they are the following (only done on 3.5mm port as I did not have a 4.4mm adaptor):
- With 33Ω load (close enough to 32Ω spec) I obtained ~2.85Vrms which means a power of ~250mW RMS. The sepcification is >320mW.
- With 330Ω load (a bit higher than the 300Ω spec) I obtained ~1.28Vrms which means a power of ~5mW RMS. The specification is >40mW.

* Note that 32Ω values were obtained at 105 volume, as at 106 the signal is clipping on the negative peak. So in practice they are a bit higher, but
given how the waveform looks on the oscilloscope, the THD is likely in the 10% range (haven't measured it) at 106 (so not really usable in my opinion).
** Note I measured one channel (both measure the same).

It is to be noted the voltage spec we don't know if it is RMS, peak-to-peak, peak or whatever. Given what I measured, I can tell it's certainly not RMS.
I will probably do some other measurements at other loads in between 33Ω and 330Ω and update, but this can give a ballpark idea.

I attached a screenshot of an old service manual (SONY WM-D6C walkman), where the power specs are clearer in some regards.
The fact they say 30mW + 30mW clearly means the spec of 30mW is per channel. They also say that power is obtained at 10% THD, so not really
usable in practice. But at least you can get an idea of: "Ok, if at 30mW I get 10% THD, I can likely obtain 20-25mW with a much lower distorsion".
Btw, also note these are RMS figures, hence why they are so low compared nowadays specs.

To draw a conclusion, given how close the measurements are to the spec, it's very likely the specs are per channel. However do note the power does
drop significantly at higher impedances, the 1W (peak) spec being valid only at 32Ω.
The highest impedance headphones I have tried are 120Ω and the Gryphon is able to drive these without a problem, however going at 300Ω is very
likely to require the use of balanced port and even that one is likely to only get you a moderate SPL.

For its size, I'd say the Gryphon does very well actually. I certainly won't expect the performance of a desktop amplfier.
If I would want more power, I'd go for something like the Signature or the Diablo.

 

[psawjack]

Interesting question indeed. In my opinion, the voltage rating doesn't make sense to be per channel.

That's the problem with such specs, because you really don't know in which exact conditions they were measured.
Went back to the measurements I did on my Gryphon and they are the following (only done on 3.5mm port as I did not have a 4.4mm adaptor):
- With 33Ω load (close enough to 32Ω spec) I obtained ~2.85Vrms which means a power of ~250mW RMS. The sepcification is >320mW.
- With 330Ω load (a bit higher than the 300Ω spec) I obtained ~1.28Vrms which means a power of ~5mW RMS. The specification is >40mW.

*Note that 32Ω values were obtained at 105 volume, as at 106 the signal is clipping on the negative peak. So in practice they are a bit higher, but
given how the waveform looks on the oscilloscope, the THD is likely in the 10% range (haven't measured it) at 106 (so not really usable in my opinion).

It is to be noted the voltage spec we don't know if it is RMS, peak-to-peak, peak or whatever. Given what I measured, I can tell it's certainly not RMS.
I will probably do some other measurements at other loads in between 33Ω and 330Ω and update, but this can give a ballpark idea.

I attached a screenshot of an old service manual (SONY WM-D6C walkman), where the power specs are a lot clearer and there's no guessing around.
The fact they say 30mW + 30mW clearly means the spec of 30mW is per channel. They also say that power is obtained at 10% THD, so not really
usable in practice. But at least you can get an idea of: "Ok, if at 30mW I get 10% THD, I can likely obtain 20-25mW with a much lower distorsion".
Btw, also note these are RMS figures, hence why they are so low compared nowadays specs.

To draw a conclusion, given how close the measurements are to the spec, it's very likely the specs are per channel. However do note the power does
drop significantly at higher impedances, the 1W (peak) spec being valid only at 32Ω.
The highest impedance headphones I have tried are 120Ω and the Gryphon is able to drive these without a problem, however going at 300Ω is very
likely to require the use of balanced port and even that one is likely to only get you a moderate SPL.

Thanks for the info.

An interesting note is that another product of ifi, the xCan does list the output at 1000mw per channel clear as day but not the Gryphon. That's why I asked, I don't need the dac I need the power.

 

[electronicsdesign]

I sometimes have the impression that technical specifications on the website are not written by someone with knowledge in electronics, but rather by a marketing person.
Have seen some errors before where they were specifying the noise floor in percentage (it was THD they were reffering to) and other stuff.
Would prefer not to write this (I don't like being critical, but sometimes I have to), but it is how I feel towards those specs.

I did write here on the forum as a suggestion to correct those mistakes, but they don't seem to care.
Do note that there are differences between how different units' specs are written (differences that obviously should not be there).

Have seen SNR expressed as a negative value (it should be named "noise floor" if it's a negative value), despite the signal-to-noise ratio is always positive.
For the average user these might not seem like a big deal, but it's best if they are written correctly in order to not create confusion.
And then specs should be written in a standard format for all devices a manufacturer makes, so I (the customer) can compare 2 devices with ease.

EDIT: To be clear (cause I don't want this post to be mis-interpreted), I'm NOT reffering to all product pages specifications, just to some in particular.
The vast majority of the specs are written correctly and without any errors. However, given iFi is a high-end manufacturer, attention to details is something I do expect.
At the end of day, of course our customer experience (which is good to very good for the most part) won't be changed signfificantly by this, it's more about
the potential confusion when comparing 2 units as said above.
And of course I'm only talking about comparing 2 iFi products, as how other manufacturers do it is obviously out of iFi's control.

 

[Jluftig]

I'm frustrated. A cleaning person threw out my Gryphon box with the interconnects. I need those. I spoke to a person from Ifi and made two tickets. The person I spoke to said they would take care of me. I still have not heard back after a week or more.
Watch out for their customer service. You can't call, and will get no response from online tickets.
I would even be willing to pay for those interconnects, but there's no way to do that.

Thank god my device isn't broken.
Quite disappointing, as I thought Ifi was reputable company.

 

[Jluftig]

I'm frustrated. A cleaning person threw out my Gryphon box with the interconnects. I need those. I spoke to a person from Ifi and made two tickets. The person I spoke to said they would take care of me. I still have not heard back after a week or more.
Watch out for their customer service. You can't call, and will get no response from online tickets.
I would even be willing to pay for those interconnects, but there's no way to do that.

Thank god my device isn't broken.
Quite disappointing, as I thought Ifi was reputable company.

If anyone wants to sell me their interconnects, shoot me a DM.I'll pay above market price.

 

[Pashmeister]

Does the Gryphon have 1000mw total or is it 1000mw per channel?

Thanks

It is suitable and gets the job done but not sufficient enough.

I have the Gryphon which I enjoy with the Elites for a transportable solution. I listen comfortable at -20db volume (good headroom available). Gives me lovely rumble from XBass when I want it, which makes the amp sound more powerful than it is, and feels like cheating.

My main rig is a TT2 into a Soloist GT with pimped out op amps, so Elites definitely sound better there. But the Gryphon IMO is sufficient and highly enjoyable for the transportable job.

 

[Pashmeister]

If anyone wants to sell me their interconnects, shoot me a DM.I'll pay above market price.

What exact interconnects did you lose?

I previously had a problem with the stock iFi interconnects (the USB-C ones). I got Fiio connections as a replacement and they work perfectly and have better ergonomics too.

 

[Jluftig]

I wrote this to Ifi today after submitting a ticket six days ago. I willl report on what happens, if anything. If not, are there any recommendations for replacement interconnects that are not too expensive?
Incidentally, nobody seems to rep Ifi on Head Fi anymore. Sebastian is gone.

"My Gryphon box with the interconnects was discarded by a cleaning person. I spoke to an Ifi rep. who told me my issue would be taken care of, and I wrote a ticket 6 days ago. .I offered to pay if necessary, but I haven't heard back for nearly a week. This is very frustrating."

 

[Jluftig]

Just heard this from Headhons.com:
:
"I believe currently iFi might be going through a bit of a transitionary phase with their support so we apologize for any delays so far. I would say possibly two ways forward is waiting on a reply from iFi. Have a friend that recently had to send more than a few emails to get a replacement USB board for his DAC.

The second possible option is to possibly just to purchase some similar interconnect cables on the aftermarket while you await a reply from iFi on the cables. The Lightning to USB C cables are probably least readily available but the C to C and A to C cables are quite available on Amazon I saw"

 

[Pashmeister]

are there any recommendations for replacement interconnects that are not too expensive?

Fiio