IBasso Audio IT03
Apr 9, 2019 at 7:22 AM Post #3,302 of 3,344
Hey guys,

DT 1770 is my go to. Looking for an iem equivalent. Everything I've tried sounds tinny and shallow. Just returned UE900s, for example. Someone suggested the T04, but those are a bit pricey @$500. Would the T03 fit the bill? Never been an iem guy and don't want to compromise quality, but want something more gym friendly and more portable.

Wants: high detail, strong bass slam, full sound, wide soundstage. This is why I love Beyer. The Amiron Home are my other pair.

Thanks
Then you should look at the Fearless S6 Rui. Check out @Hawaiibadboy YouTube channel. He gives a great review of this fantastic IEM. Similar price point, but i can't whole heartily recommend the IT03 as I had terrible quality issues with my set... YMMV
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIw1An1OUp4XIv_h6si2etQ
 
Apr 9, 2019 at 7:40 AM Post #3,303 of 3,344
Then you should look at the Fearless S6 Rui. Check out @Hawaiibadboy YouTube channel. He gives a great review of this fantastic IEM. Similar price point, but i can't whole heartily recommend the IT03 as I had terrible quality issues with my set... YMMV
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIw1An1OUp4XIv_h6si2etQ

Looks good for the money, but does it really have "strong bass slam"? Bass is handled by "1 Sonion Dual Bass BA Driver" which I've never heard, if it does that would be a great achievement.
 
Apr 9, 2019 at 7:45 AM Post #3,304 of 3,344
Early on the IT03 had some issues but I have had mine now for quite some time with no problems at all. Very good sound overall and solid bass.
 
Apr 9, 2019 at 8:29 AM Post #3,307 of 3,344
Looks good for the money, but does it really have "strong bass slam"? Bass is handled by "1 Sonion Dual Bass BA Driver" which I've never heard, if it does that would be a great achievement.

I trust the opinions of others who are far more experienced than myself, which is why i bit the bullet and bought the BGVP DM6's. I predominantly listen to EDM, hip hop, etc and the DM6's were bought to compliment my FH5's (which themselves sounded as good as the IT03'S). I assumed the full BA set up of the BGVP's wouldn't produce as much bass as the FH5's but would be more suitable for vocal and acoustic style music (I have an eclectic taste!). But boy was I wrong! The DM6's have incredible bass response, and I haven't picked up my FiiO's in months. So if @Hawaiibadboy says the s6 are better still, I've got no reason not to try for myself at some point ..
 
Apr 9, 2019 at 8:32 AM Post #3,308 of 3,344
I have no idea what that is, can I have a clue? :)
Screenshot_2019-04-09-08-31-45.png
 
Apr 9, 2019 at 8:40 AM Post #3,309 of 3,344
I trust the opinions of others who are far more experienced than myself, which is why i bit the bullet and bought the BGVP DM6's. I predominantly listen to EDM, hip hop, etc and the DM6's were bought to compliment my FH5's (which themselves sounded as good as the IT03'S). I assumed the full BA set up of the BGVP's wouldn't produce as much bass as the FH5's but would be more suitable for vocal and acoustic style music (I have an eclectic taste!). But boy was I wrong! The DM6's have incredible bass response, and I haven't picked up my FiiO's in months. So if @Hawaiibadboy says the s6 are better still, I've got no reason not to try for myself at some point ..

I agree. I watch Bad Guy Good Audio content on Youtube too. I won't comment further, as we are in danger of drifting too far off topic.
 
Apr 9, 2019 at 10:43 AM Post #3,310 of 3,344
Really it comes down to to this: can I get sound as good as my DT 1770 with a $500 or less Iem? That's ultimately what I care about. Like I said, tried the UE900s that have strong reviews and everyone saying how good the bass is, and I found them to have abysmal isolation and pretty weak bass. I could EQ more on power amp than the ZX 300 would allow, but even the mids just sounded hollow and sharp by comparison. They lacked the fullness and depth of sound that I am used to. I don't know if this is because I need to try better iem's, or if it is just how iem's sound compared to over ear, especially a good overear like the 1770 or Amiron Home. Those are both $600 headphones, so does $600 iem mean equal in quality? Is it up? Down? IDK. I though the Ibasso might be good because of the hybrid design, and I would love to try all of them, plus the S6, but they just aren't around anywhere in person to try. Best buy and Target are the places one can try headphones and that's about it.

Just to give a sense of what iem's I have liked (and maybe I mentioned this), but the Bose Sound Sport Free are the only I have heard that I actually enjoyed listening to, and they had great bass response, but they were open. I need closed. Anyone heard those compared to the IT03? I would thikn the latter would be far more refined, given that they are wired vs wireless, but this is new territory for me.
 
Apr 9, 2019 at 12:58 PM Post #3,311 of 3,344
Really it comes down to to this: can I get sound as good as my DT 1770 with a $500 or less Iem? That's ultimately what I care about. Like I said, tried the UE900s that have strong reviews and everyone saying how good the bass is, and I found them to have abysmal isolation and pretty weak bass. I could EQ more on power amp than the ZX 300 would allow, but even the mids just sounded hollow and sharp by comparison. They lacked the fullness and depth of sound that I am used to. I don't know if this is because I need to try better iem's, or if it is just how iem's sound compared to over ear, especially a good overear like the 1770 or Amiron Home. Those are both $600 headphones, so does $600 iem mean equal in quality? Is it up? Down? IDK. I though the Ibasso might be good because of the hybrid design, and I would love to try all of them, plus the S6, but they just aren't around anywhere in person to try. Best buy and Target are the places one can try headphones and that's about it.

Just to give a sense of what iem's I have liked (and maybe I mentioned this), but the Bose Sound Sport Free are the only I have heard that I actually enjoyed listening to, and they had great bass response, but they were open. I need closed. Anyone heard those compared to the IT03? I would thikn the latter would be far more refined, given that they are wired vs wireless, but this is new territory for me.

Just from my, admittedly limited experience, IEM'S are super fickle beasts when it comes to tips. And more often than not, if they have poor isolation and, especially poor bass, 9 times out of 10, it's a mismatch of tips to your ears. I had to tip roll a lot with both my FiiO FH5's and BGVP DM6's. My FH5's especially sounded terrible at first, literally no bass and really hollow. It's really important to try a variety of tips, both foam, silicone and hybrid to find which give you the best sound signature, and the level of isolation you require. Just being a half size out will make a massive difference. For example the M size JVC Spiral Dots didn't sound quite as good as I hoped, but the ML size were perfect, and sounded incredible ... I know it sounds a faff, but it'll be well worth it. Hope this helps
 
Apr 9, 2019 at 1:17 PM Post #3,312 of 3,344
I went through all of that with the UE 900s. Tried 6 different tips, and I landed on owns I felt fit and sounded better, but the sound was never good enough when doing an A/B.
 
Apr 9, 2019 at 3:08 PM Post #3,313 of 3,344
I went through all of that with the UE 900s. Tried 6 different tips, and I landed on owns I felt fit and sounded better, but the sound was never good enough when doing an A/B.

Two things to note:

1. Some people just don't get on with IEM's and prefer headphones.
2. IEM's will always give a more intimate, more closed in, smaller sound-stage and more often than not, less bass than a good headphone at least all the ones I've tried.

For these reasons I wouldn't A/B compare any Headphone and IEM, its almost like comparing apples to oranges.

I do still believe and recommend, you at least try the IT01s. Have a look at some of the reviews @Layman1 for example posted a review just recently:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ibasso-it01s.23511/reviews#review-21892
 
Apr 9, 2019 at 6:36 PM Post #3,314 of 3,344
I went ahead and ordered the it04. Feels like I can EQ them. Clarity is top concern. S6 and dm6 both have me curious, but since the DT 1770 was the first headphone I was satisfied with, I thought I'd start there.
 
Apr 25, 2019 at 2:32 AM Post #3,315 of 3,344
Hi @JoshG1217,

I doubt you be disappointed with IT 04, especially if clarity is important to you, as CLARITY & DETAIL are it's strongest points, in my inital impressions post in the IT 04 thread (not sure where the link is any more but easy enough to look up), that was & still is the strongest point(s) which leapt out at me which continue to this day & beyond.
I suggest not EQing anything until you have had a week to listen to the IT 04, especially with well recorded, quality sources.

Hope you have a great day !
 

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