I just took the plunge on the Gryphon when I saw it was back in stock. My first major Dac/Amp purchase. Will probably need advice on this one! I’m an old guy newbie.
Adding to my recent purchases at Headphones.com:
iFi GO BLU
Campfire Comet
RevoNext QT2 IEM w/ Linsoul Altea 2 pin/3.5 cable (not purchased here…sorry!)
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What cables are recommended for a decent connection/cables using an iPhone 13 Pro Max and HP laptop (has USB A and USB C), and M1 MacBook Pro?
My next pick; decent headphones (closed back).
I just took the plunge on the iFi Gryphon when I saw it was back in stock. My first major DAC/Amp purchase. Will probably need advice on this one! I’m an old guy newbie.
What decent quality cables and other types of connections are needed or recommended to connect:
M1 MacBook Pro
HP Laptop w/ usb-C and A
iPhone 13 Pro Max
I’m using 2 IEMs and a iFi GO BLU now.
And will be looking at ordering a decent closed-back headphone in the future.
Thanks!
You will likely find that the included cables will meet your basic needs. Should you want to upgrade, Audioquest, Pangea, and Belgian make specialized digital USB cables.
I have cables from all three, and also use Blue Jean Cables for optical connections.
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Congrats on picking one up! What do you think of it so far?
I will let you know when I start using it. I’ve been out of town, getting over covid (Omicron) and so busy catching up, I haven’t had time! I want to be able to sit and really spend time with it without interruption!
Of course! Look forward to your updates!
Folks, our xDSD Gryphon XMOS firmware V1.43 is now available with release notes below (this is NOT Bluetooth firmware):
- Added maximum Volume Limiter option (60%, 80%, 95%, OFF). Default is OFF with maximum volume set to 100%.
Go to Settings (hold down GEAR button for 3 seconds), turn VOLUME knob to Volume Limiter, press VOLUME button to select, then turn VOLUME knob to select a percentage. Press GEAR button to exit settings.
To use: turn VOLUME down to Mute (minimum volume), short press VOLUME button once to unmute.
- When Volume Limiter is set at 60%, the maximum volume is 66db. To use, set to Mute, volume jumps to 49db after a short press on the VOLUME button.
- When Volume Limiter is set at 80%, the maximum volume is 86db. To use, set to Mute, volume jumps to 64db after a short press on the VOLUME button.
- When Volume Limiter is set to 95%, the maximum volume is 100db. To use, set to Mute, volume jumps to 75db after a short press on the VOLUME button.
- When Volume Limiter is set to OFF, the maximum volume is 106db. To use, set to Mute, volume jumps to 79db after a short press on the VOLUME button.
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Added volume synchronization option in Settings.
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Added volume soft ramp option in Settings.
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Added volume lock function. To lock/unlock volume control, short press VOLUME button and XSpace/XBass button simultaneously.
When volume control is locked, a small lock icon appears on the screen. -
Fine tuned volume stepping. Volume level below 100: low gain. Volume level above Turbo 101+: high gain.
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Updated volume LED light indicator: blue: 1 ~ 21, purple: 22 ~ 41, magenta: 42 ~ 61, green: 62 ~ 79, yellow: 80 ~ 97, red: 98 ~ 106
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Optimized battery full charge voltage detection. Charging time is about 2.5 hours with a high-power charger.
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Updated menu display.
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Updated Screen Brightness Setting as follows:
- High: Screen is displayed in high brightness. If no key press after 10 minutes, display will be reduced to low brightness. Press any key to restore high brightness display.
- Low: Screen is always displayed in low brightness.
- Off: Screen is displayed in low brightness, if no key press after 10 seconds, screen will be turned off. Press any key to restore low brightness display.
Please feel free to try it out, thanks!
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When you say its not a BT firmware do you meant it doesnt upgrade the BT or that it makes the BT not work?
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The xDSD Gryphon was very kindly sent to me by iFi Audio for me to try and to post this review. They did not request anything specific, not even the inclusion of links, however, as always in these cases, I will leave the link to the official iFi Audio page below.
I need to add a bit of a spoiler alert as I have already reached out to iFi Audio in order to pay for the Gryphon. This is actually the first time that I have done this. I have had items loaned to me for review that I have purchased at a later date but I have never actually decided to keep the device before I even got to the point of reviewing it.
Anyhow, the official page for the Gryphon can be found here: xDSD Gryphon by iFi audio - The ultra-res hi-fi system in your pocket
Intro…
Just as a word of warning, all of my iFi reviews usually turn into long ones, in this case, the Gryphon has so many things going on that it will probably become even longer than usual and even then I may miss something, so forgive me if that is the case.
Before diving into the Gryphon, I want to jump back a year, to March 2021, when I reviewed the iDSD Diablo, a device that changed my opinion of what portable devices can do. Since then, I have been on a search for a device that was close to the Diablo in sound quality but with less power and a few extra options that I found missing on the Diablo for its price point. To be fair, the Diablo is more about hardcore power and SQ, it’s not really something that is built to multifunctional, it is something that is built to run almost any set of headphones you can throw at it while not being tied to a power socket.
In this time I have come across a few devices that I liked, although none of them have been perfect. My favourites (coincidentally the ones that I have actually kept) have been the Aune BU2 and the iFi Go Blu. Both of these devices are very good at what they do but aren’t devices that cover all of my needs. They serve specific functions (which they are very good at) but are not quite versatile enough to be my only portable device.
Basically I want a device that can become my reference setup for testing and reviewing, enabling me to have the same setup at home, in the office and in a hotel room while travelling. Being totally honest, I don’t need the power that the Diablo offers when outside of my home my difficult to drive stuff stays at home, at the side of my full size rig. So, I needed something that would run most headphones, except for very hard to drive models, and IEMs.
This is where the Gryphon comes in. A device that covers all of my needs and then some.
The Gryphon is not perfect, there is always room for improvement, but it is a lot closer to perfection than I thought I would be able to obtain from device of this size.
So, let’s see what makes the Gryphon special and, more importantly, worth its 600€ price tag.
Presentation…
The packaging is the usual iFi Audio standard. Packaging that is simple but elegant and well thought out.
Inside a white box that shows an image of the Gryphon on the cover, along with specs and other details around the outside, we find the Gryphon, a bag to protect it, 3 cables (USB-A to USB-C, USB-C to USB-C and Lightning to USB-C), the usual iFi warranty card and an instruction booklet.
Everything that is needed is included (even for the Apple users) so I will keep this section short and just say that, as always, the iFi presentation is more than adequate.
Build and aesthetics…
Both the build quality and the aesthetics of the device are great, in my opinion of course. The unit is made of metal with a small portion at the back being made of plastic (something that is usual on a device that has BT connectivity, as BT has issues transmitting/receiving through metal).
There are smooth ridges along the top and bottom of the unit which make it a bit more aesthetically pleasing than if it was just smooth, along with a gunmetal grey style finish and a screen on the top of the unit, make the Gryphon look rather good, again, in my opinion. I like the fact that iFi are one of those companies that always try to be a little different, you might love or hate the result, but they are never run of the mill and bland.
As far as connections, there are plenty, along with plenty of dials and buttons for those of us who like to play around with settings etc.
On the front of the unit, from left to right, we get a 3.5mm unbalanced headphone output, a 4.4mm balanced headphone output, two small LEDs that show kHz and input status, a volume wheel with a coloured led and led ring (more on that in a moment) that is also a push button, two more LEDs that show status of Xbass and XSpace, a push button that controls XBass and XSpace, along with access to the menu, and finally one more push button that selects input.
Both sides of the unit are curved and free of controls, while the bottom has a switch that controls IEMatch and 4 rubber feet and the top sports an oled screen that illuminates behind a mirror finished panel.
Finally, on the back (again from left to right) we get a toggle switch that allows us to choose the effect of the XBass (more on that in functionality), a USB-C charging port with status LED, a USB-C data port (which can also be used for charging), a an optical and coaxial input, a 4.4mm balanced input/output and a 3.5mm unbalanced input/output port.
As you can see, there is no shortage of connections and controls on the Gryphon. Now lets get into what can actually be done with all these connections and buttons/switches.
Power and specs…
Before getting to the functionality, just a quick mention of the specs. According to iFi, the Gryphon is capable of putting out 1000mW at 32 Ohms, with a max of 6.7v. Now, after looking at something like the Diablo with 3500mW, this may not seem a lot. I can assure you that it is enough to drive the vast majority of headphones unless we are talking about very hungry headphones.
They also state that it uses a hybrid Burr-Brown DAC chipset which is the same as the one used in their Pro iDSD Signature (that comes in at over 3000€).
The gryphon can decode PCM up to 768kHz, DSD512, DXD768 and is also an MQA decoder. I think that should cover almost any file format you may be using especially while on the go.
It also sports Bluetooth connectivity with support for SBC, AAC, aptX, LHDC, LDAC, aptX HD and aptX Adaptive. Again, this should cover everyone’s Bluetooth needs (unless you need a mic of course, one of the few things that the Gryphon doesn’t have).
Functionality…
There is so much going on with the Gryphon that I am not sure I can cover everything, at least not in detail, but I will try to cover everything at least in basic form.
Let me say that I did use the Gryphon “as it came” for a couple of days before updating to the latest firmware, however, as I strongly suggest that anyone who gets the device does the update as soon as they open it, my usage is based on the latest firmware at the time of publishing this review (v1.43).
So, starting with the basics, to turn on or off the device, press the volume dial for a couple of seconds. Depending on whether you have activated the hidden function or not, you get an animation of a Gryphon flying across the screen.
The same push of the volume knob once the device is on, serves to control playback. A single press is play or pause, a double press is next track and three presses is previous track. This works not only via Bluetooth but also via USB, at least on windows. Obviously this is not going to work when using optical/coax or analog line in.
The button just to the right of the volume, as said, is to turn on XBass, XSpace or both, with each press making the next step in the cycle. While the XSpace is the usual iFi function of adding perceived space to the sound, on the Gryphon, the XBass can actually be set to do different things. This is done by means of the three way toggle switch on the back of the unit. By setting the switch to bass, the XBass is just a bass boost. If set to presence, XBass becomes a boost of the higher mids, and when set to bass+presence, it boosts both bass and the upper mids. This gives the Gryphon more sound options than are usually found on iFi units. These EQ changes are done in the analog realm, as always with iFi, and also affect the analog outputs on the back of the unit, so can be used with speakers or other amplifiers etc.
The same button also gives us access to the menu by means of a long press. This brings up the menu on the screen and allows us to set certain parameters of the device. The options are as follows.
Digital Filter: This changes the filter used in the DAC portion of the device, allowing a selection of Standard, Bit Perfect or GTO. There is also a fourth filter option, Minimum Phase, that can be unlocked by a combination of buttons. I am not sure why iFi chose to hide it (it was available on older firmware versions), but they did.
Screen brightness: This obviously controls the brightness of the screen and can be set to High, Low or Auto, with Auto turning the screen off automatically after a few seconds.
Volume Limiter: This allows us to set a maximum volume level that the Gryphon will not go past. When the unit was first released (on older firmware) there was an issue with volume jumping to high levels by accident, this function stops this from happening accidently. It can be set to Off, 95%, 80% or 60% of maximum volume.
Volume Sync: The Gryphon can sync with the volume of the device it is connected to. However, there was an issue where the volume could be accidently changed in Windows (for example) sending the device to Max suddenly. This option can be set to Off, so that it is no longer sync’d with the source volume.
Volume Soft Ramp: To be honest, I am not sure what this does as I haven’t used it but my understanding is that it makes the intro to playing smoother, with a sort of fade in (I could be wrong, please let me know if I am!).
BT Voice Prompt: This can turn on or off the voice notifications when connecting to Bluetooth.
USB Dual Port Charge: This lets you decide if you want both ports on the back to serve as charging ports for the device or not. In other words, you can turn this off when connected to a phone and it will avoid the battery discharge of your phone.
Factory Reset: I’m sure I don’t need to explain this one.
All of those functions are available in the on screen menu, however, there is one more function that is accessed by the toggle switch underneath the device, the IEMatch. This is something that iFi sell separately and is to change the impedance of the output of a device so that extra sensitive IEMs can be used without and background hiss (something that I mentioned on the Go Blu).
The IEMatch can be set to 4.4 or 3.5, with each of them being designed for the 3.5mm or 4.4mm output. However, the 4.4 also affects the 3.5 and vice versa. This means that there are 2 extra settings that may come in handy for some.
But those are not all of the tricks that the Gryphon can perform. It can also be used as a DAC only device or even as an amplifier only device.
Apart from the digital inputs on the back of the unit, with a selection of USB, Coax or Optical (by means of an adapter for the last two), there are also 2 input/output ports, one balanced and one unbalanced.
These ports, when the device is being fed from a digital source, are automatically outputs, allowing the Gryphon to be used as a DAC to feed another amplifier or powered monitors, be these balanced or unbalanced.
However, these can also be used as balanced or unbalanced inputs, allowing the device to become an analog only amplifier, being fed from another DAC, or even another analog source such as a turntable (as long as the turntable has a built in preamp or you connect one to it).
When used as a DAC only or Amp only, the XBass and XSpace still work as they are in the analog path before the outputs, so you still maintain all the functionality.
I think I have covered everything but I have probably missed something, as there is just so much functionality packed into this device.
Sound…
So, the million dollar question, how does it sound? Well, that depends.
I could just say that it sounds great, because it does.
However, as I believe I have said many times before, the differences between the sound of various good DACs, or various good amplifiers, is minimal. Yes, there are some differences, and some things just seem to “vibe” better with certain things (the so called “synergy”) but to be totally honest, they are not night and day differences, although some of us like to think so.
Yes, I found things like the S9 Pro to be overly sharp in the treble, yet I don’t hate the THX789, an amplifier that is “sterile” or “sharp” depending on who you talk to. This, in my opinion, is a combination of multiple things. There are minimal differences between (good) equipment, there are also differences in how we interpret sound, we have personal preferences and biases that make us hear things that may or may not be real. But again, all we need is for our brain to like the sound, who cares whether it is due to the different brand of capacitor, the pixie dust cable or simply a figment of our imagination, as long as we like the result, it sounds good.
And again, the Gryphon sounds great to me.
But honestly, there are so many things that can be tweaked on the Gryphon, such as filter settings, XBass, Presence, XSpace, IEMatch, balanced or unbalanced outputs, that the only thing that it can’t change is personal bias. If we don’t want to like the sound of the Gryphon, be it consciously or not, then we are not going to like it, no matter how many things we tweak.
However, for those that are open to loving it, I think that there are enough tweaks to suit anyone’s needs and preferences.
As far as how I like it? Well, I already said that it sounds great to me and I also said that I have reached out to iFi to pay for it and keep it, I don’t think I need to say anymore than that.
I have tried it with almost everything I have on hand, well, maybe not everything as I have far too many IEMs to test them all, but I have tried at least 10 different sets of IEMs and most of my headphones. I haven’t found an issue with any of them.
I do find that, as with the Go Blu, that I prefer the single ended output for IEMs. There seems to be just a touch more warmth (all else equal) on the SE output, but this could just be me imagining. The SE output also allows me to use most of my IEMs without engaging IEMatch to account for any background hiss. I don’t have anything against IEMatch, I think it is a great idea and I applaud iFi for including it in the Gryphon (something that I thought the Diablo should have either included or at least shipped with), but it can result in a slight change in the lower frequencies on low impedance IEMs.
As far as headphones, I think I could live with just the Gryphon and the Arya v3. It drives them beautifully and even sounds good with them out of the SE. I do think that the balanced output suits the Arya more, especially the v2, but even out of the SE, the combination sounds better than many balanced options I have heard.
I also spent some time with the HD6XX, the headphone that I can love or hate depending on the time of day, and I must say that it was a very pleasant experience. The same goes for, well, anything I have plugged into it. I haven’t come across a situation where I thought “eww, this doesn’t sound good together”.
Is it the best sound I have ever heard out of a headphone, well no, but it is good enough for me to have been happy with it. There is a nice touch to the sound that reminds me a lot of the Asgard 3, somehow very detailed but not overpowering. Yet, switching over to balanced, bitperfect filter and with IEMatch off, I struggle to notice any difference between the cleanliness and detail of the THX789 and the Gryphon.
Using it as a DAC only, it sounds glorious feeding the Asgard or the P20. I must say that I really like the DAC stage paired with other things.
When using it as an Amp only, fed from the Modi 3+ (or the SU-8), it is clean and articulate, easily replacing the Atom in my usual test chain.
What else can I say without repeating myself? I just find it sounds great.
Conclusion…
I guess that by this point you know I am not going to say that I hate it 
Is it perfect? No.
Is anything I own perfect? No.
Is there anything that can beat it at the same price tag? Not as far as I know.
I am not just referring to things that I have heard, I am actually referring to things that I know exist, and I really can’t think of anything that offers what the Gryphon does, especially at this price point.
There are desktop options that can compete but they are obviously not portable. There are portable units that may be able to compete as far as sound (for example, I like the neutral “no frills” sound of the BU-2), but they severely lack in options in comparison. There are DAPs that may have the same functionality with the added benefit of onboard playback, but I am not sure that DAPs in the 600€ price bracket are “better” in sound terms than the Gryphon. They may be of similar characteristics as far as sound or even power, but they can’t be used as Amp only, nor have multiple digital inputs, nor can they feed multiple outputs at the same time. If any of them come close to this, I can assure you they are not 600€.
If all you want is sound quality, then I am fairly certain that you can find something that competes for the price, especially if you are going the desktop route, but if you want all the functionality of the Gryphon, in a portable format, then I don’t think there is anything out there.
As I said, it is not perfect. I would like a way of bypassing the battery for example, as I would use this a lot with my laptop, so it would be great to avoid the stress on the battery. But then we get into the “clean battery power” discussion, which works in favour of the Gryphon.
I would have loved an onboard mic also, like on the Go Blu, as it would be great to be able to take conference calls on my laptop or phone without swapping devices/headphones.
I could probably find more things that I would “like”, which would probably turn the Gryphon into the car designed by Homer Simpson, but it is really so close to perfect, I really can’t complain.
My plan is that the Gryphon will now become my reference source for review also. Until now, even though I listen on multiple setups, I always did my final “detailed” listening via the JDS Labs Atom (unless otherwise noted in a review due to power requirements etc). The Gryphon will replace the Modi 3+ & Atom setup, giving me a solution that offers me the same sound, no matter where I am.
And I guess I should leave it there. I am sure that this review reads more like an ad than a review but it really is nice to review a device (or headphone) that I really like. It makes my time spent with the unit a lot more enjoyable and, in the case of this device, as it is a DAC/Amp, I get to use any headphone or IEM that I want!
As with all of my reviews, this is also available in Spanish both on my blog (here) and on YouTube (here)
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Very nice review. As an owner of the original xDSD, which I used extensively but is now relegated to occasional duty, I look at the Gryphon and dream of a use case, or at least an upgrade path. If I aspired to be a regular reviewer that would be one thing. But the original did yoman service and is still good enough for the occasions I need portable.
What changed for me was upgrading my 2014 Mac Mini to the MacBook Pro 14 making my ROON core portable. So I carry the Mac with me when I travel and VPN to work rather than an iPad which benefited more from an external DAC/Amp. I rarely travel with hard to drive headphones.
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It does not upgrade the BT at all - that is a separate process.
Thanks so much! Appreciate the time you put into this review and glad you loved it enough to buy it.
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I appreciate that you’re keeping around and still finding uses for it where it is warranted!
My review from another forum:
Disclaimers and purpose of my purchase : I am greying about the muzzle and don’t hear a whole lot over 12 KHz. I picked up the Gryphon because I wanted a portable amplifier that could fill several use cases should I have to return to a traditional office. My home gear is in my profile, but I will mentioned that I prefer IEM with a V-shaped or dark tilt, and a more neutral desktop headphone system with considerable synergy. Shout-out to Bloom for helping out with the purchase.
I wanted a device that offered more than the various DAC dongles I’ve tried (Headroom Total Bithead, Lootoo Paw S1, or Dragonfly Red). I had problems getting the Paw S1 or Dragonfly Red to pair with my iPhone and iPad, regardless of whether I used the camera USB adapter or provided lighting to USB cables. These dongle DACS also lacked the power to drive full sized headphones to their full potential. My idevices magically recognize the Gryphon with the included cables and I have successfully used the USB camera adapter with a longer USB cable at home. The battery likely helps with this as the Gryphon isn’t relying on the i-device for power.
Minor gripes:
I added an aftermarket case which makes it easier for me to distinguish the two rear USB ports. Otherwise I couldn’t plug in the charging cable just by feel.
hiss without IEmatch on sensitive Campfire IEM. I guess that’s why IEmatch exists.
Now for things I like, in no particular order:
The Gryphon is an audio Swiss army knife. I can use IEmatch to eliminate the hiss on sensitive IEMs with a slight loss of fidelity. (If I’m on a train or in a noise environment, I leave IEmatch off. The hiss is barely noticeable in a normally noisy office environment). I can use the onboard filters (Bit Perfect, Standard, and GTO) to shape the sound just as I often do with Roon and/or HQPlayer DSP on my home system. I can use Bluetooth, USB, or optical inputs to use the Gryphon with my home setup fed from either my Roon Core or embedded HQPlayer.
The unit seems sturdy, the controls are intuitive, and for my aging eyes I can read it without my reading glasses.
The unit can drive sensitive IEM or headphones up to my 600 ohm Beyer DT880. I haven’t tried it with my HE560 and doubt I would enjoy the pairing because the HE560 love power. I also haven’t tried it yet with my Auteur. If others are interested, please ask but know I’m not great at describing what I’m hearing beyond what I like.
The battery life is long enough that I have no doubt I could reasonably recharge it at work and never have to worry about having enough battery life to cover a commute to or from the office on the train.
Others have described XSpace and XBassII. XBassII can enhance presence, bass, or both. I find that the XBassII presence setting works kinda like an EQ for the Campfire Vega and gives the appearance of adding back in some mids that I otherwise miss. The bass extension can add even more intensity to IEM such as the Timeless 7hz. Overall these two settings enhance what a particular IEM already has. The Vega remains my favorite bass canon for the quality, texture, and impact of the natural bass. The XSpace and presence settings don’t bring the Vega up to the same mid-range sound signature as the Timelss 7hz, but the settings do make the Vega listening experience more pleasant for me. XbassII adds intensity to the bass on the Timeless 7hz, but they will never sound the same as the Vega’s superior bass texture.
I can feed it Qobuz at the office with USB from my iPad, local iPhone files while on the train, or bypass the onboard DAC with a line in at home.
Portable ability to drive full size headphones really sells the Gryphon for me. Sure, a desktop amp offers a better solution for full size cans, but the Gryphon is smaller than a paperback book and I can easily throw it in my bag. Whether I’m commuting, at the office, or traveling for work, I will gladly take the Gryphon with me.
If you’ve read this far, I hope you have found my ramblings helpful. What the Gryphon offers in one product suits my use cases. The Gryphon isn’t perfect, as Jexby and I highlighted, but what it does offer in a multi-use portable platform is remarkable.
My strongest endorsement is that if I were to lose the Gryphon, I would immediately buy another. It just works for me and allows me to take most of the capabilities of my desktop system on the road.
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Thanks so much for this awesome write-up! Can I share it internally with our team?
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Does anyone else have a constant clicking sound going on using sensitive IEMs? I hear it in the right channel with the DUNU SA6. Even with IE Match.
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iFi Audio has released New Bluetooth firmware for the xDSD Gryphon. Download Hub | Software and firmware for your iFi audio devices (ifi-audio.com)
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Moving to the Gryphon thread.
@CarterK_iFi Can you elaborate on the “Car-Fi setup”? I wasn’t sure what you meant.
I have a 20 year old Honda Odyssey with aftermarket speakers and sub that were custom-installed, and the audio unit has an aux in. At the time, I decided that if I had to drive a minivan, it was at least going to be a minivan with great sound. When I’m driving, I connect the line out of the Gryphon to the aux in, playing Amazon HD on my iPhone, and it sounds great. It’s our spare car that normally sits in the driveway, but I actually look forward to driving it when my wife has the other car.
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That’s how I setup my xDSD Gryphon when taking it on rides in my car. iPhone connected via USB or BT to xDSD Gryphon, then 3.5mm from xDSD to Car stereo. I was very careful to keep the volume low when initially testing, especially with XBass/XSpace features, but otherwise, it really made a difference.
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