Short answer
Both are portable amplifiers, $750 against $599.
The FiiO Q7 reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here, the iFi xDSD Gryphon on 565.
| Specification | FiiO Q7 | iFi xDSD Gryphon |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 550 mW | 320 mW |
| Power into 150Ω | 123 mW | 73 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 65 mW | 40 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 33 mW | 20 mW |
| Output impedance | 1.2 Ω | 1.0 Ω |
| Output noise | 2.8 µV | not published |
| Price | $750 | $599 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 567 | 565 |
Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.
| Balanced | FiiO Q7 | iFi xDSD Gryphon |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | 4.4mm | 4.4mm |
| Power into 32Ω | 1.5 W | 1.0 W |
| Power into 300Ω | 260 mW | 125 mW derived |
| Output impedance | 2.2 Ω | 1.0 Ω |
| Output noise | 4.5 µV | not published |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 567 | 566 |
Through the balanced sockets the FiiO Q7 reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here and the iFi xDSD Gryphon on 566. Derived figures are worked out from the loads the maker did publish.
| Load | FiiO Q7 | iFi xDSD Gryphon |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Published | Published |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 300 Ω | Published | Published |
| 600 Ω | Derived | Derived |
Both makers publish a power rating. FiiO Q7 publishes at 32 Ω and at 300 Ω; iFi xDSD Gryphon at 32 Ω and at 300 Ω. The other rows are worked out from those.
The two publish at the same loads, which is the one case where the rows of this table can be read straight across.
2 headphones reach 100 dB on the FiiO Q7 but not on the iFi xDSD Gryphon — Moondrop PARA, Symphonium Titan.
23 headphones are left alone by the iFi xDSD Gryphon under the one-eighth rule but coloured by the FiiO Q7 (64 Audio Ocean, 64 Audio U18s, 64 Audio U6t, 20 more).
565 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both.
Headroom is at a 100 dB SPL peak.
The widest gap on the list is the Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020: FiiO Q7 has +20 dB of headroom there against +14 dB. 7 dB is about 4.7 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
The hiss columns are empty for iFi xDSD Gryphon because that maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | FiiO Q7 headroom | iFi xDSD Gryphon headroom | FiiO Q7 hiss | iFi xDSD Gryphon hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +40 dB damping | +34 dB | 23 dB | not published |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +20 dB damping | +14 dB | 3 dB | not published |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +25 dB | +23 dB | 1 dB | not published |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +21 dB | +19 dB | -3 dB | not published |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +19 dB | +15 dB | -4 dB | not published |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +14 dB | +12 dB | -10 dB | not published |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +10 dB | +8 dB | -14 dB | not published |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +8 dB | +5 dB | -16 dB | not published |
The FiiO Q7 costs $151 more than the iFi xDSD Gryphon. Out of the 567 models here, that difference buys 2 more models driven to 100 dB.
It does not run one way only: the cheaper iFi xDSD Gryphon leaves 23 models alone under the one-eighth rule that the FiiO Q7 does not, which is the part worth checking against your own headphones before paying the difference.
Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.
Each in full: FiiO Q7 and iFi xDSD Gryphon.