They do very well with OTL tube amps thanks to that high impendance, currently watching movies with them, paired with the xDuoo TA-26 and some 1940s RCA tubes. These are very clean sounding, with a low noise floor and have a nicely displayed 3D stage that fits my liking but at the same time, everything feels natural and not overdone. You won't find an exceptionally huge stage with lots of air like in the Aryas but you get the clarity those provide without feeling overdone. It's a thumbs up for me.
As far as comfort, they aren't bad at all. Would've liked to see bigger ear pads so that my ears don't touch the insides of the pads but thats a minor issue that I'm used to dealing with on the smaller headphones. I can fit three knuckles of my hand on the SR3 earpad, in comparison, I can fit 4.5 knuckles on the Aryas which is a loooot of extra space for comfort. My only other dislike so far is the stock cable, never got to try the previous one used on the other SR models. The material they used here for the stock cable sounds great and all but it's not the best one to handle due to the thickness of each core, they are flexible enough but less pliable and don't like the odd turn here and there. The storage solution for the stock cable isn't the best either because it the way you have to bend it will eventually force a specific pattern onto it. Got a custom pure silver cable recently so I'll be using that one for all my devices instead of the stock cable.
The pads are reportedly the same as supplied with the SR2. I have the iBasso balanced 4.4mm cable, CB17, that was created for the SR2, which is very flexible. That cable is no longer listed on the iBasso website, but the SR2 and SR3 are also missing from the site.
I'm incredibly tempted to order one, but my SR2 is already so good. Do I need both ? I'm really trying to hang on until some reviews and comparisons surface. Testing my willpower for sure.
In general, I'm not a tube guy. I'll probs use my DX300 MAX, but I also have the DX300 and the DX320, together with the majority of the amp modules for those two.
Also, I have the SR2 which will allow me to do A/B comparisons. Since I have a brand-new SR2 with very little listening time, I will be able to compare two headphones 'accurately', two headphones that have not been broken in, that is.
Absolutely amazing. I've been using them for the last couple of days paired with an iFi Zen Can Signature (HFM variant) and a custom pure silver cable. I have 0 complaints. I think I prefer these over the Moondrop Venus. Those have more air and soundstage but they don't feel as natural. The bass is really detailed yet controlled, may be a tad lacking for some but it rumbles when it needs to. The treble and the mids for me feel right, still controlled but right. Nothing goes overboard like other headphones do to create more stage. This one still has the proper depth of sound, a good soundstage with very nice separation. The volume difference between bass, mids and treble feel natural. Aside from music, watching movies also feels natural. The lower volume details feel at a proper level and displayed as they should to reinforce what I'd describe as a natural feeling. You won't hear details three rooms over like the Aryas, not as clean anyways, but they will be present in a more realistic distance. At least that's my perspective so far. iBasso made a really nice headphone, enough for me to quote Jules Winfield (Samuel Jackson) on Pulp Fiction, "This is some serious gourmet s hit". Unsure if I prefer them with the solid state amp or with the otl tube amp. Either way, it's good.
Absolutely amazing. I've been using them for the last couple of days paired with an iFi Zen Can Signature (HFM variant) and a custom pure silver cable. I have 0 complaints. I think I prefer these over the Moondrop Venus. Those have more air and soundstage but they don't feel as natural. The bass is really detailed yet controlled, may be a tad lacking for some but it rumbles when it needs to. The treble and the mids for me feel right, still controlled but right. Nothing goes overboard like other headphones do to create more stage. This one still has the proper depth of sound, a good soundstage with very nice separation. The volume difference between bass, mids and treble feel natural. Aside from music, watching movies also feels natural. The lower volume details feel at a proper level and displayed as they should to reinforce what I'd describe as a natural feeling. You won't hear details three rooms over like the Aryas, not as clean anyways, but they will be present in a more realistic distance. At least that's my perspective so far. iBasso made a really nice headphone, enough for me to quote Jules Winfield (Samuel Jackson) on Pulp Fiction, "This is some serious gourmet crap". Unsure if I prefer them with the solid state amp or with the otl tube amp. Either way, it's good.
Do you find them bassy? I love the bassy feeling from my SR2's. Not basshead 'phones in any way, but a nice change from my beloved Grado's. I used them all day yesterday for classic rock and they were wonderful. Today it was all jazz and near the end I even ran them on my RebelAmp. Nice combo.
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