To our newcomers welcome, to the old crew welcome back The IFI Gryphon case is a separate purchase from the unit. If interested along with the device, both links will be in the description
More than a review, I feel like I have just completed a graduate level course in portable DACs. Thank you so much for the thorough review, and best of luck with your channel growing forward.
I love iFi’s implementation of the BurrBrown chips and the sound. The Gryphon’s XBass II and the XSpace makes it even better. I mostly listen to wired open-back headphones at my desk so I use Gryphon as a DAC, paired with iFi Pro iDSD Signature. May try it as a portable DAC/amp one of these days although I don’t use IEM.
Thank you high quality review as usual from you, I have the xduoo balanced with the opp amp upgrade and am just about to get the mojo 2 for nomadic round the house, I am tempted by this gryphon but for my use cases already having the xduoo which is 1W constant and with a current boost and the mojo 2 I don’t see a slot for this
Thanks for the comparison. I would love to see a comparison between the Mojo 2 vs IFI Micro iDSD Signature (dark blue one) when you can get your hands on one of them! Thanks!
Truth be told, I run mine balanced for the bulk of my IEM’s. Also I run mine at work in Bluetooth mode and given my 60 year old ears it sounds wonderful. Thanks again for the review 🥃
ifi go blue I sent back, I believe a had one ot the original batch however so may buy again when m5 btr5 dies, guess it moment it would be between the quidalix and the ifi and what headphones I am main ng for that use case at the time, isn't it amazing we have such a wealth of choice though.
When I connect mt Dan Clarks in to the ifi Gryphon via 4.4 Balanced, I always get distortion. Whats going wrong. Also, is there any DAC / Amp better for those Headphones? Thanks
Thanks for the video. Can't seem to decide between Gryphon and GoBlu on the portability vs sound quality scale.. What would you recommend? I plan to have it in my bag hooked up to an iphone driving the Variations for commute and maybe office listening.
If it’s going to be in a bag and the portability is not an issue, I would go with the gryphon It is far more versatile and definitely better sound quality and more powerful
@@amanieux hey mate, this is actually incorrect, and I don’t recommend taking the signal out of the output from a DAC to an IM and controlling it digitally Not only are these not designed for this operation with every DB of attenuation. One DB of dynamic range is lost, and you will never see the potential of your IEM by going down this road. So I recommend picking up questyle m15 This will cover all of your bases, including some light to drive Headphones for later, and you can use it with your phone as well. You do not need to exceed this for now and it will get you incredible sound quality for that price point. I recommend checking out the review on the channel
I am banning on buying any more Bluetooth devices at the moment, as a heavy Apple user I want to see if they do launch their new losless high bandwidth protocol that would outperform in concept any narrow band protocol. Knowing Apple it may be some time before non Apple devices have access to it though. I’m just going to bide my time for the next few months. Mind you if you will hear the difference between the new aptx a losless, LDAC and the new protocol is to be seen. I have an issue in that without using an intermediary LDAC/APTX adapter I am limited to AAC if I want to use my Apple iPhone, MacBook, iPad as the wireless source
Yeah with iPhone's I'd just get either of the apple headphones and call it done. The apple ecosystem is all about simplicity and their headphones sound fine, dive into audiophilia behind closed doors 🤪 👍 😆
Apple maybe great but you slap a DAC amplifier it bypasses the phone hardware and all tha clean signal is coming from the external DAC amplifier but since apple is using a weak sauce codec I rather sick to android lol
@@jonathanoxlade4252 thanks both, I have no desire to go Apple headphones but my world is quite white so as a comprise is Airpod pros and v2 when they crash but me Hifiman, and DCO’s plus others I have arer keeping me free for now
Thanks. I'm considering buying one of these and looking at all the videos. Most are just short of orgasmic about it so it's good to hear that it does have some small weaknesses. My only concern is its sound quality compared to my other choice - the Hifiman EF400 which will go well with my XS headphones but I would like the portability too.
It’s currently with my editor, it’s going to be in the next batch of reviews that are being edited for October, which contains Quads utopia, Diana, PHI, DAC3B and one other review that I can’t remember right now
Can the bluetooth be used as an input (from an LG aptX HD phone used as a music server to drive a power amplifier) or is it strictly for a wireless headphone output ? Thanks
Hi and thanks for the video! So have you tried it with focal headphones? I like the sound of my celestee's but with most portables (for example RU7 cayin) units the highs tend to be sibilent and bass untextured flat and behind. Have you noticed any sibilence in the highs ? I am very sensitive to them
With that line of headphones, I don’t recommend the synergy apart from the go blue for STELLIA maybe something slightly warmer sounding these are almost neutral bright And the synergy tends to not play favourably to the focal line of headphones
The portable unit? I’ve not had it for review yet To compare, but I do have the pro IDST signature here And obviously that’s in a completely different league
Is the sound difference between gryphon and go blu very important or is it subtle ? You said gryphon is not 3 times better... but it cost 3x more ! So... I know you said it's better, but how much better ? That's the question.
Remember, this unit has so much more functions and features, far more powerful, as well But I think sound quality was the next step up at the time it came out I’ll be honest with you I recommend waiting for my IFI GoPod review it’s going to destroy everything in this sort of category of Bluetooth things
Definitely a super flagship, I just need more time with it, I only had those couple of days and it’s very difficult to say, I will try and get it back in for review
Could you do a Chord Hugo 2 review? I’m considering it as an ultimate source for high-end IEMs and I’m curious how it does in comparison to eg Gold Touch
@@ConvinceMeAudio ah ok. Well that’s the setup I currently have. over usb it’s fantastic and over Bluetooth it’s actually good enough but obviously much less resolving but you know how it is we always wonder if there is more performance we can get from our cans. One big problem I have is considering non IFI dac amps due to xbass and even x space which the gryphon takes both of them to the next level in analog performance.
@@untitledwebm yes it’s definitely considerably better but in this hobby you’re not going to get multiple exponential upgrades. Every time the higher you go up the category, the lower the percentage
Hey, I've returned gryphon because I thought it's not worth it's price also not much better than BTR5 2021, does BTR7 sound as good as gryphon? Or are there other options even a DAP that acts like every bluetooth dac/amp. I've excluded dethonray Pegasus sg-1 and topping G5 because G5 lacks functions and sg-1 units are having battery issues.
@@beyondtheuniverse999 hmmm I think you should look for a used pa6000 but that might be a little hard, Genuinely apart from the dongle is below 200. We are looking at some very sparse landscape Maybe something from? FIIO m11 plus
Pretty decent actually, the IFI products do a very good job with the STELLIA Obviously, as you know that you and it really does scale up anyway if you’re going up the chain but it does a good job below 1000 Would love to try it with the Diablo
@@ConvinceMeAudio Ok, any other suggestions? It sounded like you weren't so happy with stellia and mojo2? Which amps would you recommend with stellia? I am currently looking for a pairing for stellia. Does stellia scale far up?
@@ConvinceMeAudio I was first looking in the sub 1k category but I mean to use these as my only high end headphones and I don't really want to cheap out and end up with a subpar pairing, I want them to shine - so I'm willing to go up to perhaps 1,5k, max 2k if that is the necessary thing to do to achieve this. I'm not gonna have any sleepless nights over the money if the result makes a lot of sense. I was also looking at FiiO K9 Pro ESS too, but I have no experience with it
Suggestion - take a look at the Moon Audio video of this unit - see how they present the I/O at the beginning - not able to view ports in close up takes away all the fun of watching the video - which is why I stopped watching. Hope this will help you make better videos in future
To our newcomers welcome, to the old crew welcome back
The IFI Gryphon case is a separate purchase from the unit.
If interested along with the device, both links will be in the description
Koji, so what do you prefer iFi Gryphon or Mojo2?
@@Nuevo_El_Nagual for sound mojo 2
Gryphon it’s extremely useful it’s got everything but the kitchen sink
Another great review, all I have to say is I miss the “let me paint you a picture” segment like you had in the past.
More than a review, I feel like I have just completed a graduate level course in portable DACs. Thank you so much for the thorough review, and best of luck with your channel growing forward.
Thank you for the kind words
glad you enjoyed the review,
welcome to the fam 🐅
I love iFi’s implementation of the BurrBrown chips and the sound. The Gryphon’s XBass II and the XSpace makes it even better. I mostly listen to wired open-back headphones at my desk so I use Gryphon as a DAC, paired with iFi Pro iDSD Signature. May try it as a portable DAC/amp one of these days although I don’t use IEM.
Thank you high quality review as usual from you, I have the xduoo balanced with the opp amp upgrade and am just about to get the mojo 2 for nomadic round the house, I am tempted by this gryphon but for my use cases already having the xduoo which is 1W constant and with a current boost and the mojo 2 I don’t see a slot for this
I think you are set mate tbf
@@ConvinceMeAudio that's what I was thinking, it is a lovely unit thought the Gryphon that is, just depends on what you already have and plan to get
Thanks for the comparison. I would love to see a comparison between the Mojo 2 vs IFI Micro iDSD Signature (dark blue one) when you can get your hands on one of them! Thanks!
Great review as always, thank you 😊
Love my S12’s on the IFI Go Blue 🔥🔥
Truth be told, I run mine balanced for the bulk of my IEM’s.
Also I run mine at work in Bluetooth mode and given my 60 year old ears it sounds wonderful.
Thanks again for the review 🥃
ifi go blue I sent back, I believe a had one ot the original batch however so may buy again when m5 btr5 dies, guess it moment it would be between the quidalix and the ifi and what headphones I am main ng for that use case at the time, isn't it amazing we have such a wealth of choice though.
@@adrianmorrish8494 It amazing what is out there 😊
I had xdsd for 2 month I when to a shop to do mojo 2. Compare .. just love xdsd in sound and features.. mojo 2 no way
You prefer the mojo 2 ? Why ?
Excellent! Thank you.
With the LCD and sunglasses on you resemble Richard D James
For Sundara headphone would you prefer this or Diablo? I am not interested in BT. Will I miss Xbass and Xspace feature with Diablo?
Thank you for the video.
When I connect mt Dan Clarks in to the ifi Gryphon via 4.4 Balanced, I always get distortion. Whats going wrong. Also, is there any DAC / Amp better for those Headphones? Thanks
Thanks for the video. Can't seem to decide between Gryphon and GoBlu on the portability vs sound quality scale..
What would you recommend? I plan to have it in my bag hooked up to an iphone driving the Variations for commute and maybe office listening.
If it’s going to be in a bag and the portability is not an issue, I would go with the gryphon
It is far more versatile and definitely better sound quality and more powerful
@@ConvinceMeAudio thank you!! Really like your reviews. Subbed!
@@salamander1782 glad you like the content
Welcome to the fam 🐅
Would you bother using this with the Mark Levinson 9505 since they have a built in DAC is there any point? Thanks!
Sadly, and unfortunately, I’m not too familiar with those, so I’m not sure where the level of DAC is at personally
what affordable dac would you recommend for iem exclusively ? thanks
How much would you like to spend
and what is your use case? Do you require an amplifier and all in one or just a DAC by itself?
@@ConvinceMeAudio iems don't require power so dac by itself should be enough, use case is on a desk connected to pc, maximum price $200, thank you
@@amanieux hey mate, this is actually incorrect, and I don’t recommend taking the signal out of the output from a DAC to an IM and controlling it digitally
Not only are these not designed for this operation with every DB of attenuation. One DB of dynamic range is lost, and you will never see the potential of your IEM by going down this road.
So I recommend picking up questyle m15
This will cover all of your bases, including some light to drive Headphones for later, and you can use it with your phone as well. You do not need to exceed this for now and it will get you incredible sound quality for that price point.
I recommend checking out the review on the channel
I am banning on buying any more Bluetooth devices at the moment, as a heavy Apple user I want to see if they do launch their new losless high bandwidth protocol that would outperform in concept any narrow band protocol. Knowing Apple it may be some time before non Apple devices have access to it though. I’m just going to bide my time for the next few months. Mind you if you will hear the difference between the new aptx a losless, LDAC and the new protocol is to be seen. I have an issue in that without using an intermediary LDAC/APTX adapter I am limited to AAC if I want to use my Apple iPhone, MacBook, iPad as the wireless source
Yeah with iPhone's I'd just get either of the apple headphones and call it done. The apple ecosystem is all about simplicity and their headphones sound fine, dive into audiophilia behind closed doors 🤪 👍 😆
Apple maybe great but you slap a DAC amplifier it bypasses the phone hardware and all tha clean signal is coming from the external DAC amplifier but since apple is using a weak sauce codec I rather sick to android lol
@@jonathanoxlade4252 thanks both, I have no desire to go Apple headphones but my world is quite white so as a comprise is Airpod pros and v2 when they crash but me Hifiman, and DCO’s plus others I have arer keeping me free for now
Thanks. I'm considering buying one of these and looking at all the videos. Most are just short of orgasmic about it so it's good to hear that it does have some small weaknesses. My only concern is its sound quality compared to my other choice - the Hifiman EF400 which will go well with my XS headphones but I would like the portability too.
What happened to the Quad ERA-1 review. I'd be interested how it pairs with the Gryphon.
It’s currently with my editor, it’s going to be in the next batch of reviews that are being edited for October, which contains
Quads utopia, Diana, PHI, DAC3B and one other review that I can’t remember right now
Can the bluetooth be used as an input (from an LG aptX HD phone used as a music server to drive a power amplifier) or is it strictly for a wireless headphone output ? Thanks
The unit receives Bluetooth mate, and you can send a signal via line out or via the control pre-to your amplifier
Hi and thanks for the video! So have you tried it with focal headphones? I like the sound of my celestee's but with most portables (for example RU7 cayin) units the highs tend to be sibilent and bass untextured flat and behind. Have you noticed any sibilence in the highs ? I am very sensitive to them
With that line of headphones, I don’t recommend the synergy apart from the go blue for STELLIA maybe something slightly warmer sounding these are almost neutral bright
And the synergy tends to not play favourably to the focal line of headphones
If you are very sensitive to the treble region
thanks a lot for awnsering. So you think the mojo 2 could do the job for me? maybe with an EQ touch?@@ConvinceMeAudio
@@amadismusic_SWORDFISH yes, definitely,
@@amadismusic_SWORDFISH questyle m15 should be on your radar as well
How would you compare the Gryphon to the iDSD Signature? I feel like they have a lot of similar features and what not.
The portable unit? I’ve not had it for review yet
To compare, but I do have the pro IDST signature here
And obviously that’s in a completely different league
Is the sound difference between gryphon and go blu very important or is it subtle ? You said gryphon is not 3 times better... but it cost 3x more ! So... I know you said it's better, but how much better ? That's the question.
Remember, this unit has so much more functions and features, far more powerful, as well
But I think sound quality was the next step up at the time it came out
I’ll be honest with you I recommend waiting for my IFI GoPod review it’s going to destroy everything in this sort of category of Bluetooth things
@@ConvinceMeAudio thank U for your advice !
How did you find those anima iems? I’m considering them at the moment
Definitely a super flagship, I just need more time with it, I only had those couple of days and it’s very difficult to say, I will try and get it back in for review
Could you do a Chord Hugo 2 review? I’m considering it as an ultimate source for high-end IEMs and I’m curious how it does in comparison to eg Gold Touch
Currently I’m reviewing the Dave, TT2, M-Scaler, I will do Hue go one and two I have access to hue go one hopefully he’llgo to soon afterwards yes
@@ConvinceMeAudio thanks! No rush, but will appreciate it:)
@@ConvinceMeAudio how would mojo 2 pair with Letshuoer S12 and DCA Noire?
@@spector175 Perfectly adequately
@@ConvinceMeAudio Thanks :)
Thoughts on this with the Arya stealth ?
Unfortunately, not yet, they have not come in for review just a v2
@@ConvinceMeAudio ah ok. Well that’s the setup I currently have. over usb it’s fantastic and over Bluetooth it’s actually good enough but obviously much less resolving but you know how it is we always wonder if there is more performance we can get from our cans. One big problem I have is considering non IFI dac amps due to xbass and even x space which the gryphon takes both of them to the next level in analog performance.
Hey, does this sound 3x better than BTR5 2021?
It’s a completely different category with skill set and capabilities, worth is very subjective, but I think so
@@ConvinceMeAudio I mean forgetting the features and other stuff purely in terms of sound quality I wanna know if it is better by atleast 3x.
@@untitledwebm yes it’s definitely considerably better but in this hobby you’re not going to get multiple exponential upgrades. Every time the higher you go up the category, the lower the percentage
Hey, I've returned gryphon because I thought it's not worth it's price also not much better than BTR5 2021, does BTR7 sound as good as gryphon? Or are there other options even a DAP that acts like every bluetooth dac/amp. I've excluded dethonray Pegasus sg-1 and topping G5 because G5 lacks functions and sg-1 units are having battery issues.
Questyle m15
Chord mojo2
IFI Diablo
Paw 6000
@@ConvinceMeAudio I'm looking for something with bluetooth LDAC capability and under $700.
@@beyondtheuniverse999 hmmm
I think you should look for a used pa6000 but that might be a little hard,
Genuinely apart from the dongle is below 200. We are looking at some very sparse landscape
Maybe something from? FIIO m11 plus
How was it with stellia?
Pretty decent actually, the IFI products do a very good job with the STELLIA
Obviously, as you know that you and it really does scale up anyway if you’re going up the chain but it does a good job below 1000
Would love to try it with the Diablo
@@ConvinceMeAudio Ok, any other suggestions? It sounded like you weren't so happy with stellia and mojo2? Which amps would you recommend with stellia? I am currently looking for a pairing for stellia. Does stellia scale far up?
@@thor_86 yes it does its scales up a great deal, give me a price point
@@ConvinceMeAudio I was first looking in the sub 1k category but I mean to use these as my only high end headphones and I don't really want to cheap out and end up with a subpar pairing, I want them to shine - so I'm willing to go up to perhaps 1,5k, max 2k if that is the necessary thing to do to achieve this. I'm not gonna have any sleepless nights over the money if the result makes a lot of sense. I was also looking at FiiO K9 Pro ESS too, but I have no experience with it
@@thor_86 ferrum OOR later by the HYPSOS
Questyle CMA fifteen
Suggestion - take a look at the Moon Audio video of this unit - see how they present the I/O at the beginning - not able to view ports in close up takes away all the fun of watching the video - which is why I stopped watching. Hope this will help you make better videos in future
Lol iphonr 13 mini is tiny. Everything is bigger than that.
gr prob the 'easiest', always been vsonic strength
yeah, very good for toilet listening, my dave(14000$) sound much better than this 590$ device
Are you blind or do you just wear sunglasses for fun
Pretty much, yes, and the studio lights really does a fucking number on your eyes too, if you’re sensitive