This is my review of the iBasso P2. Some months ago I have been given a T2 by a fellow headfier and liked the sound, which brought me to buy the well advertised P2 and enter the portable amp craze again.
My previous portable amps have been a Xin Supermacro LE, Xin Supermini III, JMT Portable Pimeta, iBasso T2, iBasso P2. The P2 is my 5th portable amp.
Being a "portable" guy, I have listened to the P2 with three IEMs: a difficult to drive one (Apuresound ER4S); a crappy one (JVC FX-55); a good sounding, bassy one (Superfi 5 Pro recabled with Westone ES cable).
The review
I received the P2 at the beginning of January. I won't spend much space to describe its beautiful finish, as it has been done already by everyone, and you have already seen pictures.
I have burnt in the P2 for a month, mostly listening to music, but also leaving it playing overnight. I've always used the 100 ohm Ety ER4S as load. Total number of hours is 250, and I keep playing with it.
This review has been done using the Apuresound Etys, apart from some experiments with the other two IEMs.
The P2 does its best with ER4S. Sound signature-wise, the iBasso is warm, full sounding, has pronounced midbass and slightly subdued highs. This frequency response matches incredibly well with Etymotic, which by themselves are bright, thin sounding and enormously detailed.
My P2 started to show its warm character after about 150 hours, while earlier it sounded more neutral and didn't settle yet to its definitive tone. Regardless the subdued highs, the overall detail this amp can provide is awesome. There are so many layers in music, that it's like listening to many different songs at the same time. This feeling of an "orchestra" is improved by the extreme sense of space and instrument separation the P2 is able to provide. The ER4S, thanks to their own speed and ability to separate instruments, do a their part in underlining iBasso's qualities.
I've listened to rock, jazz, classical, and each of these genres were very good with the P2-ER4S combo. The P2 makes even '60s-'70s rock music very pleasant, and has a forgiving attitude to the recordings, so that Etys are hardly harsh with any albums.
The album I had most trouble with is Charles Mingus' The black saint and the sinner lady, which is very difficult to follow and sometimes shrill sounding.
Depth of soundstage, instrument separation and imaging are enormous.
The bass boost switch is very well implemended and tight (at least with Etys, which don't have any midbass to start with). Bass is very clear and detailed. Bass can't be "felt" with Etys, like with Triple fi, but it has enough presence to became one of main characters of a "rock orchestra".
With JVC FX-55, the iBasso outputs tons of midbass, but I think this is the behaviour of the JVC's by themselves.
Using the P2 with the recabled Superfi 5 Pro improves warmth and bass presence (bass boost is off).
Overall, I think the P2 is great bang for the buck, and it's a monster when matched with neutral cans. I intend to buy an AKG K500 and try it with the P2. The P2 is so organic it will help enormously the neutral K500 to sound more "fun", and bassy.
Bassy IEMs might find a better match in Headamp Pico or Lisa III (which I have not heard), while neutral IEMs like Etys, Shure SE310, Q-Jays and such are a great match for the P2.
I plan to try more neutral opamps and see how the P2 behaves: different opamp choice might make the P2 so flexible that I won't need any other amps in future.
For the record, I find the P2 to be much more awesome with ER4S than the two Xin amps I've had. The P2 is more clear and spacious sounding, making the songs bigger and richer of details and tunes. The three position bass boost also adds a lot of options to play with.
P2's only limit for me is battery life, which being rated 10-14 hours leaves something to be desired. Anyway, since I don't have to change AAA batteries (the P2 has an integrated lithium battery), to plug it into the charger overnight is not a big deal.
The most fun feeling I had with the P2 is that it really makes a difference in sound, while I have never felt this before. I always preferred to try different players and headphones, but wasn't a believer of sq improvements with portable amps - mostly because I use IEMs.
Tony
__________________ "My means of compensation should be small enough to fit my waist pouch"
Tony '08
Thanks for the review. I am glad to see the P2 back on this forum.
I have had mine for a few weeks hooked up to an iBasso D1 using a Sony D-EJ2000 and its digital out as a source and AKG 501s (gain set at 2 and bass boost at 3) as headphones listening to classical music. Your characterizations of the P2 as very detailed in its output, good spacing, and instrument separation, imaging and soundstage is exactly what I am hearing, especially with classical music. The AKGs really need some power (and the P@ does that!) and always pick up a lot of detail in a recording, especially in instrument placement. Really good snergy to this combination.
When I use the P2 with my 4th Gen. 60gb photo iMod, I get very similar results, except a CD linked to the DAC in the D1 via an optical out is clearer and excentuates much of what you describe about the P2. A plus plus here! And, as you say, a really bang for the buck.
Got to try this with some jazz.
By the way, my P2 batteries are running about 13-14 hours and have never drained completely.
Thanks for the kind words, and good to know you are using a K501. How do you think the P2 is able to power it, compared to a good (but not the best) home amp?
Quote:
Originally Posted by kiwirugby
Thanks for the review. I am glad to see the P2 back on this forum.
I have had mine for a few weeks hooked up to an iBasso D1 using a Sony D-EJ2000 and its digital out as a source and AKG 501s (gain set at 2 and bass boost at 3) as headphones listening to classical music. Your characterizations of the P2 as very detailed in its output, good spacing, and instrument separation, imaging and soundstage is exactly what I am hearing, especially with classical music. The AKGs really need some power (and the P@ does that!) and always pick up a lot of detail in a recording, especially in instrument placement. Really good snergy to this combination.
When I use the P2 with my 4th Gen. 60gb photo iMod, I get very similar results, except a CD linked to the DAC in the D1 via an optical out is clearer and excentuates much of what you describe about the P2. A plus plus here! And, as you say, a really bang for the buck.
Got to try this with some jazz.
By the way, my P2 batteries are running about 13-14 hours and have never drained completely.
Thanks for sharing your impressions.
__________________ "My means of compensation should be small enough to fit my waist pouch"
Tony '08
Great review, thanks much.
I also got a P2 myself yesterday. As I tried it, it didn't give me the impression I wanted. But maybe my headphones isn't good enough (SportaPro) or the P2 is not well burned in. Maybe I'll give it some time and try again. Hopefully I will be more satisfied.
Tony your review is absolutely spot on! I got the the P2 at the start of the New year, works wonderfully with HD 650 and is a brilliant match with PX 100's. The best bit of audio gear ive bought for many years!
Great review, thanks much.
I also got a P2 myself yesterday. As I tried it, it didn't give me the impression I wanted. But maybe my headphones isn't good enough (SportaPro) or the P2 is not well burned in. Maybe I'll give it some time and try again. Hopefully I will be more satisfied.
Yaaa, your headphones leave to wish for much better =]
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Thanks for the kind words, and good to know you are using a K501. How do you think the P2 is able to power it, compared to a good (but not the best) home amp?
I don't have a home amp, but if you read about the 501s, it is a falrly common judgement that these need a lot of power. But the P2 does just fine. With the gain set at three, my pot is at 12 o'clock. Not bad.
Yaaa, your headphones leave to wish for much better =]
I think Malos is right, if I interpret his words correctly, you may need a slightly better headphone. Not that SportaPros are bad....biut I am not sure they typically pair well or show off an amp, especially one of this quality.
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