Audiophilepure

https://www.hifinews.com/content/ifi-audio-xdsd-gryphon-headphone-ampusb-dac

However, until Qualcomm releases a chipset with lossless support – apparently in the works – Bluetooth will remain a lossy experience. At least iFi Audio seems determined to make it as high quality as possible, utilising the current top-spec QCC5100 silicon, and – crucially – the xDSD Gryphon supports an exceptional range of compression codecs. AptX HD and LDAC are the main, high-performance options, but even the HWA/LHDC codec, which supports (lossy) 96kHz/24-bit, is included. Of course, this last one is only relevant if you happen to own a Huawei smartphone, which is a rarity nowadays in Europe and the US.

There are plenty of other input options – USB caters for hi-res audio from a computer or network transport, and there’s an S/PDIF input too. If you want to use the device purely as an amp, a third-party DAC can be hooked up via single-ended or balanced 4.4mm Pentaconn rear-panel connections. This is another departure from the past, as the earlier xDSD sported only digital ins. Around the front there’s a similar dual-port arrangement of 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs.

https://www.hifichoice.com/content/audioquest-dragonfly-cobalt

The DragonFly Cobalt might at first appear to be an odd addition to the range on paper, and if you need support for very hi-res PCM and DSD you will need to look elsewhere. In more real-world terms, though, this is a fantastic DAC that elevates the go-anywhere, work-anywhere abilities that the more affordable models do so well, providing an extra level of performance

With the XBass II setting disabled, it was rather clear that the xDSD Gryphon has very impressive low end performance; bass notes have strong definition, impact, and a lot of texture. The clarity in the low end was also excellent and when I used headphones that could show it off — it was clear that the unit is capable of letting you hear the differences between bass guitars and percussion instruments.

That is not very common with portable units like this and I was happy to hear that the performance did not fall off as we moved into the mid bass and upper bass regions; the impact remained very strong but with excellent linearity and texture.

There was no bleed into the lower midrange and it keeps things very clean in this range; even turning the XBass II on did not cause the bass to overwhelm the rest of the music.

iFi GO Bar has the classic iFi Audio sound in a small footprint. It’s clean sounding with good clarity, resolution and stereo imaging. The unit is a bit dry in the bass and midrange, which is not surprising from a device from iFi Audio. It’s somewhat a bit sterile, light in the bass and mids, and crisp in the treble region.

It does nothing in an aggressive manner though, it’s not too bright, but it’s not muffled or veiled either. It’s a well-balanced and well-controlled device, with excellent background blackness. The sound-stage is reasonably good, with very good imaging and separation.

The bass is a bit light but with very good pace and decay, the midrange is clean with good tonality and clarity, and the treble is crisp with good air and extension. I can also say that the midrange is a bit forward.