IBasso Audio IT03

[Richsvt]

I guess I have been pretty lucky, none of the mmcx connectors I have have ever exhibited this kind of weird cut-outs.
I have been using the CA Tinsel cable on the IT03 for the last couple of days and have not had one issue.
 
All of the MMCX connectors I get from Trevor at Norne have never had an issues either.
Call me blessed?

 

[davidcotton]

Is Penon still the best place to order these from?  Any uk stockers yet or is that too much to ask for?
 
Thanks

 

[twister6]

  Is Penon still the best place to order these from?  Any uk stockers yet or is that too much to ask for?
 
Thanks

 
As far as I can tell, Penon is still the most reliable and the best source to buy these from.  Also, I heard from iBasso that they barely keeping up with demand because IT03 are hand made and the shell can only be produced in smaller lots since it's the same process as CIEMs.  That's a reason why you don't see yet US/UK distributors.

 

[nmatheis]

They'd better start 3D printing these bad boys, so they can keep up with demand!

 

[Cloudtastrophe]

However these are being produced the sound quality is just sublime. I am finding that they get more head time than most of my other iems and full sized sets, especially on the go. The isolation is phenomenal. still yet to hit that 150 hour burn in target so the sound is still a bit vshaped and bass emphasized though. I even have a nice custom built cable coming in

 

[Paul - iBasso]

They'd better start 3D printing these bad boys, so they can keep up with demand!

We tried that and did not like the results. They work fine but want the best quality appearance we can get so our valued customers have an exceptional UIEM. We do not cut any corners.

 

[H20Fidelity]

However these are being produced the sound quality is just sublime. I am finding that they get more head time than most of my other iems and full sized sets, especially on the go. The isolation is phenomenal. still yet to hit that 150 hour burn in target so the sound is still a bit vshaped and bass emphasized though. I even have a nice custom built cable coming in

Yup, 100% H20Fidelity sound quality approved when their price to performance ratio is taken into account.

I'm using IT03 from the tour unit Cayin i5, they pass all tests including complicated tracks with a breeze.

 

[Jackpot77]

Been running these off against a pair of Noble 5Us I picked up recently to see which one would be a keeper for a commuting IEM - suffice to say these are now getting most of my ear time and the Noble are on the FS boards. Great sound for the price.

 

[denox]

   
Thanks for the response. Yes, I'm fully aware regarding the incompatibility issue. Can't do anything about that. I just posted my question for those who had issues with their stock cables even with the IT03 itself. Just wanted to know if they sent the defective back or iBasso just sent a new one as replacement.

Anyways, I'll try the stock cable with the IT03 again for a longer time to observe if there will be any issues as well.

I have an issue with my IT03, it spinds freely and cutting out on left side when I move my head. I contacted Paul very helpful and responsive guy, he is sending newly manufactured cable that should solve the issue.

 

[jmills8]

I have an issue with my IT03, it spinds freely and cutting out on left side when I move my head. I contacted Paul very helpful and responsive guy, he is sending newly manufactured cable that should solve the issue.

weld it.

 

[Cloudtastrophe]

Yup, 100% H20Fidelity sound quality approved when their price to performance ratio is taken into account.

I'm using IT03 from the tour unit Cayin i5, they pass all tests including complicated tracks with a breeze.

The only thing I would want improved would be the depth of the soundstage. Otherwise it is tall and wide. The Sony XBA Z5 still beats these in terms of holographic presentation and low treble/high midrange smoothness. Theres also less of an issue with glare on the Z5 side as well.

 

[Paul - iBasso]

  The only thing I would want improved would be the depth of the soundstage. Otherwise it is tall and wide. The Sony XBA Z5 still beats these in terms of holographic presentation and low treble/high midrange smoothness. Theres also less of an issue with glare on the Z5 side as well.

Please try various tips. I can change the sound a lot for different types of music with tips and how far the tip is pushed onto the nozzle.

 

[Cloudtastrophe]

 
Please try various tips. I can change the sound a lot for different types of music with tips and how far the tip is pushed onto the nozzle.

Thank you for the suggestion. Actually Ive spent days doing this, even to the extent of A/Bing several different ones for several hours including the 3 stock tips, complys(not a fan on these, the insertion process is too long), noble red/grey silicone tips, sony hybrids, ttpod tips, and spinfits, and monster supertips. (there was even a failed attempt to use them with the Yamaha eph100sl tips). 
 
Ive since settled on the Spinfits and the short cap wide nozzles as being my two favorites, however the spinfits insert deeper, improve the imaging a bit, and lessen the v-shape sound sig a bit as well. It even smooths out the treble a bit. Nothing mind blowing but the difference is there. Comfort goes to the stock tips.
 
Note: One thing that i did notice was that shallow insertion tips DO improve the soundstage, lessen the isolation, and lower the bass. By shallow insertion, i mean that the tip must fit on the iem so that the mesh is flush with the front of the tips. Usually this results in a need to use larger tips since they kind of just "cover the ear hole" instead of "plugging into" it. I've taken a set of the shallow insertion tips to work and ill be using it for the rest of the day to see what kind of changes they make. Caveat: since the IT03 seems to be designed as a deeper insertion iem and has very long nozzles, wearing the iem this way makes it so they dont sit flush in the ear. They only kind of just float in place, anchored by the shallow insertion tips.
 
[when i talk about changes to the sound I only mean about a 5-10% change, so take it with a grain of salt.]
 
The big thing though is that soundstage and depth did not really change. The z5 has this great ability to present the music about a couple inches in front of you and all around so it feels like the music is surrounding you, and although the IT03 is good at height and width, center imaging places the music just at the skin of my eyeballs, which is a bit more intimate than i would prefer. They also have a tendency to place the music higher a lot of the time. This means somtimes it sounds like the center imaging is coming from between my eyebrows. Actually, the center imaging is a little fuzzy, not as precise as I would like, but I AM comparing it to $700 Z5's. Who knows, the Sony's magnesium housing may actually be doing something to the sound P:

 

[isnoto]

Someone has a backlash on the left side, where it connects to the MMCX connector? Is this normal or defect? On the right side everything is fine.

 

[Jackpot77]

Not had any issue with the MMCX connectors on my set yet after a few weeks of daily use - compared to the implementation from brands like Aurisonics, these feel rock solid.

A point on the tip rolling - my two favourite configurations so far are wide bore tips which sit just in line with the end of the nozzle for shallow insertion, and some red-stem Spinfits in ML size. The wide bore gives a more neutral and diffuse or airy sound with slightly less bass impact for me, whereas the Spinfit give more presence down low and a more focused and vibrant sound. Interesting to see how insertion depth affects these - imagine ear geometry plays a similar role too.