Ibasso D4 / T3 Review Thread - Page 9

Mine should be here within the next 48 hours. If the bass impact isn't significantly better than either of those amps after the first 100 hours, it will be going straight into the trash and I wont buy anything else from iBasso.

Wow! Awesome stuff! I'll be holding my breath for a few days! =D

I should clarify -- by 'reboot' I don't mean the whole OS, just the application generating audio. I've had the same experience with Rhapsody and also a Web site with a Flash embed.

Here's what happens -- the D4 is not plugged in, an app is playing audio, and the audio is coming out the PC -- I plug in the D4, and the audio continues to come out the PC -- I quit the app and restart it -- only now does it come out the D4.

Similarly, if I now unplug the D4, the audio doesn't start coming out the PC -- and if I plug the D4 back in, no audio -- I can only get audio again by quitting/restarting the app as above.

Nobody has that same experience? What OS are you using?

And to triple-check the imbalance -- I'm using sensitive IEMs (UM3X) -- and I have the D4's gain switch down -- if you have a similar setup, and turn the D4 down to a very low volume (ie, just loud enough to hear) -- you get NO imbalance?

Thanks!

Man, you're so against the T3 that I'm gonna wait until you say it's worth buying before I commit myself... I trust that you will be quite free of any bias or preconceptions, seeing how badly you actually want to throw the thing in the trash...

And the T3D is a while away to begin with... 2-3 days to go, plenty of time for you to burn in and stuff...

I'm not 'against' the amp or iBasso - what I am wary of is the Head-Fi FOTM phenomenon. This is a toe in the water for me - I admit that I am still sceptical, but that doesnt mean I am not prepared to give this amp a hearing. If I didnt own the X, I would probably be less willing to accept that something so small could have a decent amp inside.

fwiw, iBasso just emailed to tell me I will need to restart audio applications whenever I attach/detach the D4 -- others here don't have to? (perhaps you picked up on my use of the word 'reboot' -- I don't have to reboot my OS, but I do have to quit/restart audio apps whenever I attach/detach the D4 -- and iBasso says that I should have to -- so, to be sure, you don't even need to quit/restart audio apps? What OS are you using?)

Thanks, -Scott

Oh well, I for one am prepared to give him a chance... Skeptics turned believers are always a good way to know if something is really good, or not...

Though the hijacking thing is kinda... well... :s

Wow, surely you exaggerate.

If not, I have the perfect trash can at my place. I'll give you the address.

Folks, there is no need for such scepticism with regards to the T3. Listen to what the members that have a wide reference field of listening to other portable amps are saying about this amp. You will not be disappointed.
At this moment i have both the JSeaber BB cmoy and the penguin ultra sitting next to me- the cmoy is a great introduction into the portable amp world, but the bass boost function makes the music too bloated and flabby in the the lower frequencies for me. The penguin is a fine amp, with the bass boost and the gain setting both working admirably. But the T3, with the various gain setting option does what it is designed to do very well.
I am more than happy with both the T3 and the penguin, i would keep the T3 as an ultra portable on the go amp and the penguin as a workplace or at home driving larger 'phones amp, they both sound mighty fine and with Robert no longer making the penguin, to me, it will become a portable amp design classic.
The T3 is Gold.

PB, any chance of you getting a grip ? I have no interest in hijacking your thread - if someone asks me my opinion, I am going to give it to them.

'fickle and unsure' ? 'unable to be satisfied' ? Satisfied with *what* ? The rantings of an iBasso fanboy ?

The value of scepticism is that you don't go into an experience with an 'OMG ! This is gonna be great !' attitude. If you read any of the HPA/Skylab reviews, you might notice that they mention the cons alongside the pros for each amp they review, and they allow sufficient time for initial impressions to gel before posting a review. Objectivity is always a challenge, but particularly here.

I regularly see posts from Head-Fiers who have paid for headphones/amps based on what they have read on Head-Fi, only to find that it didnt live up to the expectations they had when they tore the packing off the thing. Clearly, I wouldnt have bought this if I wasnt prepared to believe *some* of what I've read, but the main attraction is simply that its so cheap. I look forward to having my scepticism eroded by the performance of the latest FOTM portable.

You've already ordered, so you might as well just let it drop and wait for the package to arrive.
When it arrives, THEN post what you feel about the product!

EDIT:
Talking extensively about how already-released product may perform when you don't own one is usually frowned upon at Head-fi.
When you own it, listened to it, and you don't like it, then fine post away.

Please ask PB what the timeline was for the following:

1. the creation of this thread
2. the arrival of his T3
3. the point at which he had clocked 100 hours up on said amp and was in a position to make a critical evaluation of it that went beyond 'OMG ! Its sooo awesome, peeps !'

If you want to come out in support of another Head-Fier, go right ahead, but it would be great if you had something resembling the facts in front of you when doing so.

Again, I have no issue with the T3, or iBasso, or senior member of Head-Fi : I *do* have an issue with FOTM, bandwagon-jumping and folk for whom any criticism of their equipment choices is taken as a personal attack. My caution to ANYONE considering an amp or headphone purchase is to try to find a review such as that written by Skylab or HPA and work from there - this thread has had little comparison with anything other than another iBasso product : it simply isnt a review, IMO. I will repeat what I said earlier - if Jamato hadnt endorsed the T3, I wouldnt have ordered it.

It's fine to be sceptical, I sure don't like FOTM stuff.
As I said before, you've already ordered it so please post your thoughts on how T3 perform WHEN it arrives, whether it's good or bad and why, and that will be a lot more helpful for others.