Hi hi. I grew interested in the Minibox E+ after having ditched my previous iQube, and talked with a few reputable members about it. vorlon1, MrArroyo and Boomana's impressions on the board convinced me to try the Minibox as my main amp for portable use.
I've received my Minibox about 2 weeks ago and listened to it extensively until now. The amp was presented to me as "overall neutral, but with forward mids", a combination that should have been to die for with both Triple.fi and ESW9.
My review will cover the sinergy of the Minibox with the following headphones: Triple.fi 10 Pro and ATH-ESW9 immmediately. ER4P, ER4S, Head-direct RE1 are on the way. I'll add a Yuin OK1 paragraph after the CanJam.
Source used
I've been using my diy iMod (4th gen dac, vvs_75 made Sonicap dock, cardas interconnects).
THE MINIBOX E+
The Basics
As even stones know (thanks to previos dedicate threads), the Minibox E+ has a bass boost switch, a PtoS switch, and a soundstage switch. It has a very nice look and very small size. Thickness is around 1 cm, footprint is larger than a Supermacro/Reference/Sonicap dock case. Battery life is long (around 40-60 hours if I remember correctly).
The minibox is not isolated from radio waves. The circuitry near the front panel is more sensitive. I have my mobile phone in the left pocket, and the iMod in a waist pouch, so the Minibox has to face towards right in order not to pick mobile phone's activities.
Overall sound impressions
Minibox E+ and Triple.fi 10 Pro
The first heapdphones I tried with the Minibox E+ are the Triple.fi 10 Pro. The Triples, which have been my most loved IEMs and I owned for two times, have a generous mid-upper midrange recession, which mostly translates in forgiveness to sibilance. The frequency response of the Triple.fi shows a hill from the very upper part of midrange to lower treble (starting from 6-7kHz). The Triples usually behave very well with all my music. Some people consider them warm, but they don't approach Shure E500's warmth, while retaining some strength in the midbass. For this reason, they are not the best pairing for amps like the iBasso P2 or Xin's, warmish on their own.
The Minibox E+ indeed is neutral, not adding power to Triple fi midbass, but representing very well the deeper bass notes. Though not being as transparent as the iQube, it doesn't cover the Sonicap iMod goodness. The iMod + Minibox + Triple.fi experience can be described by the listening of Jeff Buckley's Dream Brothers (album: Grace). Imaging and clarity are so good good that you hear notes sparkling and dancing all around your head. The firs t time I listened to Dream Brothers with this setup was like listening to it for the first time.
I didn't try the iQube with the Triple.fi, since I had the Super.fi 5 Pro at the time. I remember having been overwhelmed by the level of upper frequency detail, but I didn't like the overall timbre of instruments: many sounded like unreal. Drums, especially, sounded like they had a slight plastic tone. This, stretching at the extreme, made the twacks sound more like a brick being hit by Super Mario in its early '90s games. Before iQube fans jumping against me, this is what I felt with more than a few songs with the Super.fi. Sibilance of that combo was unbearable, since the Super.fi are very sibilant to start with. I know Triple.fi and UE11 owners didn't have such problem with their iQube, but it sure isn't a good combination with the the Super.fi and their >6 dB peak at 8kHz. I know a few people consider the iQube quirky in its presentation, even if I haven't read the details.
The Minibox has the right timbre on all instruments. It sounds great with Jazz and classical especially. Though, I felt it had some issues with the Triple.fi when listening to old rock recordings, and sibilant ones. Lots of artists (Van der Graaf Generator, Captain Beefheart, Jeff Buckley, and the list goes on and on) sounded unpleasant because of the sharp "s", "ch", "sh" with vocals. The Minibox and the Triple.fi seem to have some upper midrange forwardness at the same frequency range. I know sensitive to sibilance is higher in young people, and I'm extremely sensitive to it, so older people might not feel the same. I know Skylab found some harshness in the the 5-8 kHz too.
Before people start asking, I've tried different sources before stating sibilance issue comes from the Minibox E+, at least using the Triple.fi.
I need to say also that the Minibox at normal listening volume with the Triple.fi doesn't hiss at all. It's VERY quiet.
Minibox E+ and ATH-ESW9 (and short ESW9 review)
Well, let's start by saying there have been reports of different sounding ATH ESW9. My pair, after extensive listening, is strong at midbass and has very recessed upper midrange, making for a very romantic sound, and extreme forgiving to sibilance. In this regard, the Minibox E+ pairs with them a lot better than using the Triple.fi. The Minibox + ESW9 combo doesn't have the least harshness, no matter what rock recording I am using with them. Sinergy is the key, and the ESW9 are the best mate I have found for the Minibox E+.
The ESW9 give less of impression of hyperdetailed sound compared to the Triple.fi. I find the Triple.fi to scale better with a better source, at least in terms of clarity. The in-your-face detail I found with the Triple.fi and Sonicap iMod is less apparent with the ESW9, probably for their pronounced midbass and body and recessed upper midrange. Soundstage is about the same width of the Triple.fi, but with more height. They are intimate sounding, just not at the level of IEMs intimacy. They are not as big sounding as HD650, either, but that has to be expected since the Senns are open cans, and very good in that regard.
The ESW9 (paired with the Minibox E+) are very relaxing. A warm amp would add too much midbass for my liking, while the Minibox doesn't.
***UPDATE***
Frequency response of the ESW9 (thanks to Andrew_WOT):
http://www.geocities.jp/mister_terch/img019.gif
Translated version of http://www.geocities.jp/mister_terch/audiotechnicaATHESW9.html
(see also the attached file)
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A few more things about the ESW9: I learnt not to use them at the highest clamping force, because my ears started aching soon. The wooden earcups are three notches distant from the leather headband (they are kept together with a metal band). This way my ears don't hurt anymore.
Isolation: the ESW9 are a very good and warm listening, but they lack the necessary isolation to be used on a train. You'd be hear the train engine, as well as people talking too loud using a mobile phone.
The way I enjoyed them most is at home (for example today, while cooking my lunch
), so they should be GREAT for office and similar uses, but not enough for commuting, until you want to get angry at any car running too close to you on the road.
For walking, the ESW9 are not great either because they are very tight around your neck if you want to stop listening for a while. If it weren't for conveniency and isolation issues, I'd be using them as my main portable gear.
Other IEMs
After having talked with Fang about the sibilance issue using my Triple.fi, he told me that the Minibox was especially designed for Etymotic ER4P/S and Yuins, so I have both on their way to me, and I'll add how they pair with the Minibox.
Thank you for reading. This is my opinion and I am sure not everyone will agree with it, both because of different listening preferences and different ears.
Tony
Review Cauldron: Minibox E+ and sinergy tests (with ESW9, Triple.fi, ...)
Linear Mode
