[Jackpot77]

That would be helpful for those of us here who might consider upgrading from the IT03.  Thanks a lot mate!

Just grabbing some quick A/B - Dorado is slightly warmer, easier to drive (but not by much) and feels slightly more forward overall compared to the more neutral sounding IT03.

Bass presence is fuller on the Dorado, with similar characteristics and extension into the sub bass. Soundstage appears slightly wider on the Dorado, with more width to the sound than the more "centred" IT03. IT03 sounds a little airier due the relatively thinner (but not thin) overall presentation.

Detail retrieval seem similar- not enough time to make a proper assessment now though.

Not a huge jump in audible quality between the two, but I would just lean towards the Dorado if you are looking for a more "V" shaped tuning - it reminds me more of an upgrade to the A83 rather than the more neutral tuning of the IT03.

Hope this helps?

 

[pr0b3r]

Just grabbing some quick A/B - Dorado is slightly warmer, easier to drive (but not by much) and feels slightly more forward overall compared to the more neutral sounding IT03.

Bass presence is fuller on the Dorado, with similar characteristics and extension into the sub bass. Soundstage appears slightly wider on the Dorado, with more width to the sound than the more "centred" IT03. IT03 sounds a little airier due the relatively thinner (but not thin) overall presentation.

Detail retrieval seem similar- not enough time to make a proper assessment now though.

Not a huge jump in audible quality between the two, but I would just lean towards the Dorado if you are looking for a more "V" shaped tuning - it reminds me more of an upgrade to the A83 rather than the more neutral tuning of the IT03.

Hope this helps?

 
Absolutely helpful mate!  Sometimes I'm getting confused if I should consider the IT03 warm or not.  I feel it is warm maybe because of the i5 I've been using it with in the past months.  Now that I've got an Opus#1, I suddenly felt the neutral character of this IEM.  Soundstage is huge with the Opus#1 as it is not like that with the i5.
 
So we can say that the Dorado sounds like the meatier sibling for the IT03.  If it's not a big jump in SQ considering the huge difference in price then maybe I'm just gonna keep my IT03.
 
I asked about the Dorado because of a plan in future upgrade.  I'm thinking of getting one from Campfire Audio and since the Dorado is also a hybrid like the IT03, I asked first about it.  I like the how the IT03 goes around the neutral zone and I would probably pick something close to this sound, only with more enhanced treble sparkle (like the Andromeda) and more bass presence but not overpowering (like Dorado).
 
I'll just save up for now and will see how the market will flow eventually.  I'm pretty satisfied with my IT03 as of the moment so just I'm gonna keep it this way for a while.  Thanks again for your impressions mate!  I appreciate it a lot.

 

[Jackpot77]

Absolutely helpful mate!  Sometimes I'm getting confused if I should consider the IT03 warm or not.  I feel it is warm maybe because of the i5 I've been using it with in the past months.  Now that I've got an Opus#1, I suddenly felt the neutral character of this IEM.  Soundstage is huge with the Opus#1 as it is not like that with the i5.

So we can say that the Dorado sounds like the meatier sibling for the IT03.  If it's not a big jump in SQ considering the huge difference in price then maybe I'm just gonna keep my IT03.

I asked about the Dorado because of a plan in future upgrade.  I'm thinking of getting one from Campfire Audio and since the Dorado is also a hybrid like the IT03, I asked first about it.  I like the how the IT03 goes around the neutral zone and I would probably pick something close to this sound, only with more enhanced treble sparkle (like the Andromeda) and more bass presence but not overpowering (like Dorado).

I'll just save up for now and will see how the market will flow eventually.  I'm pretty satisfied with my IT03 as of the moment so just I'm gonna keep it this way for a while.  Thanks again for your impressions mate!  I appreciate it a lot.

No worries - always glad to help and both IEMs are pretty special so you can't go wrong with either IMHO.

The SQ thing says more about the quality of the IT03 than any deficiency in the Dorado - the Campfire is fuller and slightly cleaner overall, but we are definitely well into the diminishing returns bracket rather than the night and day bracket.

If you are looking for neutral with more bass and treble sparkle, sounds like you might want to look at the Andromeda or Vega if you are thinking about Campfire. Not heard the Andro so just going on descriptions, but I have the Vega at the moment and it is like the signature you describe, just on steroids...

 

[Paul - iBasso]

Remember that how far you have the tips pushed onto the nozzle can make quite a bit of difference. I like the end of the nozzle nearly flush with the tips. I find this changes the size of the soundstage and frequency response. Also the fit of the tip to the ear canal has a big impact on the sound.

 

[pr0b3r]

No worries - always glad to help and both IEMs are pretty special so you can't go wrong with either IMHO.

The SQ thing says more about the quality of the IT03 than any deficiency in the Dorado - the Campfire is fuller and slightly cleaner overall, but we are definitely well into the diminishing returns bracket rather than the night and day bracket.

If you are looking for neutral with more bass and treble sparkle, sounds like you might want to look at the Andromeda or Vega if you are thinking about Campfire. Not heard the Andro so just going on descriptions, but I have the Vega at the moment and it is like the signature you describe, just on steroids...

 
I've heard the Andromeda countless times since one of my friends have them.  Actually, the reason behind the sig that I described (and partly why I purchased the IT03 which I did not regret) was because of the many occasions I've heard the Andro.  I just love how they tuned the treble and bass on that green monster.  Only thing why I still doesn't have one is the price.  I know they're worth the money but I'm currently out of budget.  Surely, once there's a nice offer for Andro (like the B stock from ALO website), I will consider getting one.  Thanks for the advice man.  I was not that aware about those brackets you mentioned.
 

  Remember that how far you have the tips pushed onto the nozzle can make quite a bit of difference. I like the end of the nozzle nearly flush with the tips. I find this changes the size of the soundstage and frequency response. Also the fit of the tip to the ear canal has a big impact on the sound.

 
I'm using the stock wide bore tips and did push the nozzles deeply to have an almost flushed appearance.  I liked this better than the Spinfit tips.  I feel that the overall sound is not much suppressed and the treble extends better with this setup.  You should try the IT03 with Opus#1.  The soundstage is noticeable wide but still giving the mids a good presence.
 
Sorry @Paul - iBasso for talking about this other brand here in your thread (the IT03 is still a winner for me especially for the price that's why I've recommended these to my friends countless times as well).  Thanks for making this wonderful hybrid IEM.  I will definitely keep a heads up for more IEMs from you guys.  Thanks for the advice regarding the tips!

 

[Jackpot77]

I've heard the Andromeda countless times since one of my friends have them.  Actually, the reason behind the sig that I described (and partly why I purchased the IT03 which I did not regret) was because of the many occasions I've heard the Andro.  I just love how they tuned the treble and bass on that green monster.  Only thing why I still doesn't have one is the price.  I know they're worth the money but I'm currently out of budget.  Surely, once there's a nice offer for Andro (like the B stock from ALO website), I will consider getting one.  Thanks for the advice man.  I was not that aware about those brackets you mentioned.


I'm using the stock wide bore tips and did push the nozzles deeply to have an almost flushed appearance.  I liked this better than the Spinfit tips.  I feel that the overall sound is not much suppressed and the treble extends better with this setup.  You should try the IT03 with Opus#1.  The soundstage is noticeable wide but still giving the mids a good presence.

Sorry @Paul - iBasso
for talking about this other brand here in your thread (the IT03 is still a winner for me especially for the price that's why I've recommended these to my friends countless times as well).  Thanks for making this wonderful hybrid IEM.  I will definitely keep a heads up for more IEMs from you guys.  Thanks for the advice regarding the tips!

Pretty sure Paul - iBasso will be happy that his $250 IT03 is being A/B'd with a $1000 IEM from one of the most talked about brands on Head-Fi at the moment and holding its own (which it definitely does). Great piece of gear.

 

[pr0b3r]

This is how I use the stock wide bore tips.

 

[pr0b3r]

Pretty sure @Paul - iBasso will be happy that his $250 IT03 is being A/B'd with a $1000 IEM from one of the most talked about brands on Head-Fi at the moment and holding its own (which it definitely does). Great piece of gear.

 
Almost forgot about that!  Hahaha!  IT03 definitely stands up against the giants!  ^__^

 

[mashuto]

So after some searching and seeing that they were available on amazon, I decided to order them over the weekend. Wasnt expecting them to show up until at least Friday, potentially next week, but just checked my usps tracking and they are 15 minutes away so I am hopeful that I will have them tomorrow.
 
I have read that these scale pretty well with various sources, I tried searching through the thread to see if anyone had used them with the fiio e17k, I know its a lower end dac/amp, but thats what I have for my portable setup right now. Just wondering how they pair, though I guess I will find out one way or another tomorrow (hopefully).

 

[Lucif6r6th]

I've gotten these when they came out. Very impressed with them however its left side is failing on me ;_;
Tested it out with multiple cables and even daps
I've gotta wait 2-3weeks for new stock for replacement *sigh*

Side note: Ibasso's cb12 balanced cable selling in singapore now for SGD149 at lazada

 

[chungjun]

iBasso IT03 is also my choice.
 
I had the chance to listen to it and test it out along with other IEMs available. Suffice to say, at one juncture, the IT03 was subjected to (for the lack of better word) "unfair" comparison/competition (price wise). But IT03 came through for me as the choice for my listening pleasure.
 
While reviews of IT03 may be 'qualified' or regarded as 'value for money' or 'bang for the buck' but for me, ditching aside pricing, IT03 is simply a wonderful product and iBasso team did well. In other words, if it was a blind test (price wise) for me, IT03 is certain to be standing tall.

 

[nuxos]

This is how I use the stock wide bore tips.

​Those tips give me more bass than stock short bore, but I loose a bit in isolation.

 

[Sound Eq]

for this price i am willing to give them a try
 
but i am reading bit conflicting reviews so i have few questions
 
1- is there any harshness in the highs or peaks, for example ref1 was amazing except its peaky highs which i had an issue with, which is strange as i also own the ie800 and some people say its harsh although to me, the harsh one was the ref1
 
2- are mids thin, as i like full blown rich mids that are not taking a back seat, that was also the issue i had on ref1 with mids sounding a bit thin 
3- sound stage, does it have a nice sound stage
 
as for bass i assume it is the one thing you all agree on so i guess no need to ask about anything related to bass
 
i want to give it a try but i appreciate you guys help in answering and i will using my fiio x7 and mojo for listening

 

[egzbuen]

Tried the ibasso it03 with my x7 last night. Not a good combo. Tried it with the teac DAP also last night. That was the perfect combo.

Sounded like heaven. Perfectly balanced highs lows and mids.

Sent from Nokia 3210

 

[listen4joy]

i really want these iems, and VSONIC GR07X as well! maybe i will buy them both