I have been asked in a PM which is the better IEM between the Earsonic Velvet and the iBasso IT03, and although there are much better qualified and more seasoned Head Fi members that could do this more justice, I thought it may be helpful for others to hear my impression as it may help them in future so I am posting this in the thread. This is of course my thoughts and should not be used as a definitive guide, and as always YMMV and probably will.......
I'll start by saying this is going to be rather difficult. This is probably not what you want to hear and it starts everything with a negative, but there is a rather large price and age difference between the two and this needs to be kept in mind at all times.
Highs - The IT03 highs are fantastic (once burnt in), they extend very well and offer a great sparkle which does not fatigue, and all of the detail is there and it is well presented. However, the Velvet appears to extend further but is smoother, this is quite a feat in my mind, and I have to give this battle to the Velvets. They simply sound more 'professional' (probably not the best way to describe them) but the extra money is well spent here and it is what most of my friends comment on first when they listen to the Velvet. Earsonics have nailed the treble in this price category as far as I am concerned. Yes, there could be more, but it would be difficult to listen to dependant on the track and quality of your recording. By this I mean that they reveal everything you need and want, but never make the music sound harsh.
Mids - This is a closer call as far as I am concerned. Neither are mid forward and both sound great with every genre, but I think this one goes to the IT03's. I can't quite put my finger on it, but going between them, and once my ears adjust for a few minutes to each, the iBasso's just squeeze the Velvets out. It's not by a large margin at all and both have their merits, but there is something with the IT03 mids that appeal to me more. This is likely to be the area that is more specific to each persons ears so please take my impressions on this with a pinch of salt.
Bass - Both are equally great, and at first there is no clear winner, though there is quite a difference. I assume this is down to one being dynamic and the other a BA, but the IT03's concentrate more on sub bass whilst the Velvets have more mid bass. Don't get me wrong, they both extend way down low and I guess have the same quantity of sub bass, but because of the Velvets more pronounced mid bass they do have more slam, though on the flip side this gives the perception of a better quality bass on the IT03's.
However, and this is the one major hook of the Velvets, the tuning dial can adjust this by a huge margin and with a few tweaks the Velvets can go from monstrous to nicely controlled, and for this fact, I pass the Velvets the medal on this occasion. There is something very addictive with the Velvet bass, to me anyway, and they never fail to make my jaw drop with certain tracks.
Price to performance - This one definitely goes to the iBasso's. At a third of the price they are a fantastic purchase and come close to equalling much more expensive phones.
Both of these IEM's are beautifully musical and I have enjoyed them with everything I listen to. But if I had to choose one to live with forever (and this is a close call) it would be the Velvets. Does the difference in price justify this? Probably not. But price aside, they are the better IEM to my ears and I would not hesitate in buying them again. But I am pleased I have both
