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T3 vs Mini3

post #1 of 13
6/13/10 at 9:22pm
Thread Starter 

 

Sooo, I was originally waiting for the D4 so I could listen to music out of my laptop, but I decided for portable use, I'd rather have the Fuze>LOD>portable amp>DBA-02...

 

So, really the question is simply which would be better, the T3 or Mini3...I was considering the D2 Boa, but doubt I'd use the DAC very much, not sure if it would be worth the extra $50...

 

I've heard both the T3/Mini3 are great value for the money, and will probably cost the exact same amount...I won't be able to test either one, so all opinions are appreciated, thanks! 

 

Also, does the digital volume control of the T3D have any advantage over the regular T3?

 

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post #2 of 13
6/14/10 at 7:50pm

*subscribed

 

Definitely interested in this one. I am considering the same thing except iphone 2g/iphone 4 (when it comes out)>LOD>portable amp>IE8/TF10. A question is how thin can the Mini3 get? The thickness is a priority as I want to keep it as portable as possible ie jean pocketable without a massive bulge.

 

usf09, I have heard the digital version has less of a channel imbalance due to it being a digital volume control. I am sure someone will chime in here about that though. The question is the T3D still available from ibasso? I would be interested in it as I have read a comparison that the T3D is better for when cell signals come through and create that noise then the T3.

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post #3 of 13
6/15/10 at 6:02am
Thread Starter 

Really, nobody has compared the two? I see that the T3 is in a lower tier, according to the "37 Portable amp review" but it looks like a lot of people say it's definitely the amp they would buy in that price range...really want to get some head-head comparisons, but I guess maybe people aren't trying both...

 

ab111, the site says temporarily out of stock, so you may want to email them and get an estimate of when they'll be back. I won't be using a phone with the amp, so I guess I don't need the T3D, unless the channel imbalance is really bad. I wasn't even aware that was a problem...

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post #4 of 13
6/16/10 at 4:20pm


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by ab111 View Post. A question is how thin can the Mini3 get? The thickness is a priority as I want to keep it as portable as possible ie jean pocketable without a massive bulge.


The mini3 isn't getting any thinner, within reason anyway. Don't get your hopes up for that one.

 

I've got a mini3, but don't have and haven't heard a T3/D. FWIR, the mini3 might sound a little better, but I can't confirm it. The T3 will certainly have a smaller form factor, be more pocketable, and have longer battery life than the mini3. The mini3 high-performance edition (what I have) only gets about 6 hours or so of battery life and it takes a long time to charge to (overnight, and sometimes it's still not fully charged). Keep that in mind.

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post #5 of 13
6/18/10 at 12:55am

Pushing IEMs I think the mini3 can do 10 hours no problem. I can't speak for the T3 since I don't have one, but I love the sound my mini3 produces. The mini3 can be used when it is charging, so for me I just have it plugged in when I'm in the house and 10 hours on the road isn't really that bad for me.

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post #6 of 13
6/18/10 at 2:20am
Thread Starter 

More likely than not, I'll be back by a computer/power outlet within 10 hours, except on really long trips of course, but those are few and far between anyway. My Fuze doesn't exactly have great battery life anyway, so I'd likely be charging it semi-daily at least. But the T3 still wins in terms of size/portability...

 

It looks like the big portable amp review thread puts the Mini3 a tier above the T3, but the T3 review says it's still a great choice...so I guess it depends on SQ vs portability...

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post #7 of 13
6/18/10 at 4:06pm

usf09 I just went for it and bought the T3. It is the portability I am looking for so I figured why not. I will let you know what I think of it when I receive it. I currently don't have any portable amps but I just traded my RSA Hornet M so that sound is still pretty fresh in my mind as well as a Penguin Caffeine Ultra.

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post #8 of 13
6/18/10 at 4:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by usf09 View Post

It looks like the big portable amp review thread puts the Mini3 a tier above the T3, but the T3 review says it's still a great choice...so I guess it depends on SQ vs portability...


IIRC, there was a post in that thread that said there's not a huge amount of difference with "good" amps. I don't have a whole lot of amp experience, but it seems the law of diminishing returns is even more prevalent with amps. So, the tiers are probably much closer than one may think.

 

If you do go with a mini3, make sure you get a charger. Changing batteries (and making them fit...) is kind of a pain. Got mine fairly cheap from MisterX. Other than the rather short (but still decent) battery life, I really like my mini3.

 

Unless you're going to be using the amp with full-size cans, maybe you should go with a T3 or T3D? Or save up for a Shadow . Or maybe you could ask Skylab about the differences in the tiers of amps in his thread?

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post #9 of 13
6/18/10 at 8:16pm
Thread Starter 


Quote:

Originally Posted by bba1973 View Post




IIRC, there was a post in that thread that said there's not a huge amount of difference with "good" amps. I don't have a whole lot of amp experience, but it seems the law of diminishing returns is even more prevalent with amps. So, the tiers are probably much closer than one may think.

 

If you do go with a mini3, make sure you get a charger. Changing batteries (and making them fit...) is kind of a pain. Got mine fairly cheap from MisterX. Other than the rather short (but still decent) battery life, I really like my mini3.

 

Unless you're going to be using the amp with full-size cans, maybe you should go with a T3 or T3D? Or save up for a Shadow . Or maybe you could ask Skylab about the differences in the tiers of amps in his thread?


Ha, I wish I could get the Shadow, but I'm trying to keep expenses down before med school (200K+ in loans )...I have a set amount that I want to spend right now, and with my recent purchases of a Fuze 8GB +16GB uSD + DBA-02 + LOD + (mini-mini + amp), I'm getting dangerously close to my portable limit...

 

I've heard RSA amps are awesome, and I'd love to buy one, but it won't happen for a while...I don't have any full size cans besides the HD650, which wouldn't really be portable anyway, so I don't need an incredible amount of power, just enough to help the DBA-02 open up a bit more.

 

ab111, that would be great if you could post your thoughts about the T3, and considering you're coming from a high-end portable in the Hornet, it would be good to know how it stacks up to high end equipment. Thanks for offering, that'd be much appreciated!

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post #10 of 13
6/19/10 at 9:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by usf09 View Post


Quote:


Ha, I wish I could get the Shadow, but I'm trying to keep expenses down before med school (200K+ in loans )...I have a set amount that I want to spend right now, and with my recent purchases of a Fuze 8GB +16GB uSD + DBA-02 + LOD + (mini-mini + amp), I'm getting dangerously close to my portable limit...

 

I've heard RSA amps are awesome, and I'd love to buy one, but it won't happen for a while...I don't have any full size cans besides the HD650, which wouldn't really be portable anyway, so I don't need an incredible amount of power, just enough to help the DBA-02 open up a bit more.

Ouch. I certainly see your concern.

 

FWIR, the mini3 is a "poor man's RSA," if that means anything. Also, solder_monkey says he used a mini3 with his HD650s for a while. The mini3 will probably put out more power than the T3(D) if you want to use it with your HD650s, but the T3 will certainly be more portable.

 

I've got a Fuze too (just migrated from Clip+ to Fuze v2), and it sits almost perfectly flush on top of the mini3. The whole rig is about as thick as 3 to 3 and a half Fuzes. Well, with cables sticking out too. It's pocketable (not in most jeans pockets though), and portable, but not ultra portable.
 

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post #11 of 13
6/19/10 at 3:03pm
Thread Starter 

I suppose I don't really NEED a pocketable setup, I can just use the HPO when walking and at the gym, it's really for the library, sleep, studying, etc...I carry all my stuff in a case otherwise (not sure if the Mini3 will fit, but I'll find something)

 

I do love that the Fuze/Mini3 match in size (I actually took a ruler and drew out the Fuze size compared to different amps...very unimportant, all things considered, but still nice...the T3 just looks really good because it's so small (it would fit in my case), seemingly good value for the money...

 

I guess I'll wait for ab111's review to get another opinion on the T3...luckily, there's no shortage of Mini3 builders out there, so even if I miss out on solder_monkey's offerings now, they'll be available soon...

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post #12 of 13
6/26/10 at 1:18pm

I received the T3 yesterday so I haven't used it much nor has it burned in much but my initial impressions are that this tiny amp is great. I feel it has great synergy with the IE8's. This thing was even smaller than I thought but it was able to tighten up the bass considerably. I listen to my IE8's with the bass port to full. (look at the headroom graphs with IE8 full bass vs MTPC nearly identical) The IE8's sound flabby and boomy without the amp. This was the biggest thing I noticed with my brief time with it so far. I will update later once I have had more time with it.


Edited by ab111 - 6/26/10 at 10:50pm
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post #13 of 13
6/26/10 at 9:51pm
Thread Starter 

Cool thanks for the update, good to hear there is a difference even without any burn in...look forward to your thought

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