[ddr]

Has anyone tried any balanced cables that cost less than the actual iems? Anything below this price range seems like a downgrade...

 

[cshong615]

Has anyone tried any balanced cables that cost less than the actual iems? Anything below this price range seems like a downgrade...

I'm using the iBasso CB12 balanced cable with the IT01s and like them a lot so far. They're $89 so technically less (by $10). =)

Also tried a cheaper cable that actually sounded fine to me from Amazon US. I liked the sound quite a bit compared to the SE standard IT01 cable on an N5ii and DX200.

 

[kukkurovaca]

Has anyone tried any balanced cables that cost less than the actual iems? Anything below this price range seems like a downgrade...

Also tried a cheaper cable that actually sounded fine to me from Amazon US. I liked the sound quite a bit compared to the SE standard IT01 cable on an N5ii and DX200.

I tried that same cable with my IT01, and it was fine, but I did not find the balanced connection beneficial with my particular devices (Shanling M3S, ALO CDM, Walnut F1). Noticeably increased hiss, even with the M3S, and didn't seem to be worth the trouble in this case.

The cable subsequently stopped working (due to mechanical wear and tear; it's a pretty thin cable). Not in a hurry, so I joined the recent Masdrop for a balanced VE cable. Have a couple VE cable already, and they're generally good value. I may also pick up a 2.5mm iFi IEMatch to have more flexibility in trying sensitive IEMs with balanced gear.

 

[PopZeus]

Has anyone tried any balanced cables that cost less than the actual iems? Anything below this price range seems like a downgrade...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077GLL1BZ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought this cable just a little while ago and it's excellent for the cost. The MMCX connector fits nicely within the contours of the IT01's shell. The wire's a bit thin, but it sounds pretty good (stock wire is obvs better). And the ear guides are very comfortable and actually keep the cable tucked behind my ear instead of besides it. Even though the wire is thin, it doesn't get too stressed at the plug joints, so maybe points for ergonomics and longevity?

Drats! Too bad it's currently unavailable. Maybe it'll be restocked soon.

 

[kukkurovaca]

Drats! Too bad it's currently unavailable. Maybe it'll be restocked soon.

Or an excuse to get an FH1 to compare with the IT01

 

[loomisjohnson]

hello loomis and everybody else ,

first post - new to this forum, and unfortunately... my english is really bad .

I read about the MusicMaker TK-12 on your website for the first time and was immediately "in love" because of your excited review ... but then i came across this thread and the IT01 seems to be the "new star" if one is looking for an IEM for about 100 bucks. Well, now i don't know if i should get the TK-12 or the IT01.

One important point for me is the big soundstage the TK-12 can deliver, though I am a little unsure if it has to much bass for me. Highs are important to me too, why I even thought about the Kinera HD 3, but I don't mind to use an EQ to "boost" the highs if they are to quiet for me (or to tame the bass if it is to loud for me).

Usually a listen to "easy" music like Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Nick Cave, Tori Amos or Eva Cassidy, but I like stuff like Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana or Marilyn Manson also very much.

If it is possible, could you please explain the sonis differences between the TK-12 and the IT01??? It would be very helpful for me.

Until recently I had the Dunu Titan 1, really nice, but someone "convinced me" in a rude way I should give it to him . (The main reason why I like the TK-12 is becaouse I hope that the soundstange could even be better then from the Titan 1.)

wilkommen. both the it01 and tk12 have large, holographic soundstages; i consider the tk12 to be bassier and "bigger" sounding than the it01 in the sense of having thicker note texture and more energy; the mids on the tk12 are also more forward. the it01 sound a little more natural and coherent and perhaps less fatiguing. i'd venture that nirvana will sound better on the tk12 and nick drake better on the it01, but you won't go wrong with either.

 

[stimuz]

does iBasso offer the IT01 stock mmcx cable anywhere? Love the way its made but dont wanna wear my connectors out swapping them constantly

 

[Richsvt]

well, I went away as I 'donated' my IT01 to my younger son and needed a replacement. I purchased a CA Comet but couldn't get used to the fit. Returned them and got another IT01. Just love its sound and for the price, just can't go wrong...

 

[Elecroestatico]

That is one of the main things that has made me hold off on buying them. I had that experience with the KEF M100s. The nozzle is thick, and I had to use the smallest eartips- 10-11mm instead of my usual 13-14mm- to get them to stay in my ears, and I could feel the nozzles to the point of pain.

Trust me, the nozzle in the ibasso is not nearly as think as the kef iem. I have both and I had the same problem with the kef, besides their ridiculous nozzles kef still has a long way to achieve great sound with iems. IT01 will blow the kef out of the water in every aspect. Later Im going to try to shoot a pic of the 2 iems so you can compare, but I would say the nozzle in the ibassos are at least half as think so for most people wont be a fit issue like the kefs, that btw also cant fit them in my ears and other have tried them and had same problem.

 

[PlantsmanTX]

Trust me, the nozzle in the ibasso is not nearly as think as the kef iem. I have both and I had the same problem with the kef, besides their ridiculous nozzles kef still has a long way to achieve great sound with iems. IT01 will blow the kef out of the water in every aspect. Later Im going to try to shoot a pic of the 2 iems so you can compare, but I would say the nozzle in the ibassos are at least half as think so for most people wont be a fit issue like the kefs, that btw also cant fit them in my ears and other have tried them and had same problem.

Thanks, I'd appreciate that a lot.

 

[pr0b3r]

Balanced mode using the original cable is even better.

 

[harry501501]

I just recently had a series of pm asking me to compare the PX and B400 and I added the IT01 to the mix. I've grabbed the relevant bit from the exchange and it follows. The comparison was specifically about mids and treble for classical music and violins so it isn't a complete comparison but one with a specific area of concentration.

Saw you own both PX and B400?

Can you share your thoughts on how they compare? I'm wondering how the mids and treble work for things like classical music and violins.

Yes I own both. Initially I was very underwhelmed with the PX. I later purchased the B400. I've been mostly dealing with the more inexpensive Chi-Fi market (<$100) and have been spoiled by the hybrid designs that combine the bass and sub bass from the dynamic driver with the tonality of the balanced armature driver(s). So I found the B400 to be way too weak as far as bass response. Add in a bit more time, some other IEMs and listening to the different types. Finish with a Burson opamp I received a review sample of that is making me go back and re-listen to other IEMs so I can get a good feel for exactly what the opamp does to the sound. So when I went back to re-listen to IEMs I hadn't for a month or longer I found that I liked the PX and really liked the B400. So as just a not well thought out just off the top of my head opinion I'd say either would be OK for what you're looking for. Both have smooth and polite treble versus the shrill extended type that's typical, especially of Chi-Fi hybrids, of the fun, consumer oriented V or U shaped tuning. I'd describe either as good for listening to performances versus those fun tuned ones which are nice for playing music if you understand what I'm trying to describe.

… I have this new to me CD I just ripped to flac yesterday of a recording by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra with period instruments of Handel's Water Music I've been wanting to listen to. So I will. And I'll specifically swap between the PX and B400 and let you know what I hear.


My primary source for the comparison is: Water Musick, George Frideric Handel, Nicholas McGegan (Performer), Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
Secondary: Clemencic & His Flutes, Rene Clemencic. I own both on vinyl and purchased CD copies. Both on the Harmonia Mundi label. CD ripped to 16/44 flac. Both horribly multi miked but at least unlike major labels at the time didn't have the microphone shoved inside the instrument (or at least a bunch of recordings from then sound that way) so each instrument or group of instruments have their own sense of air and placement in space. But the mixing without concern for physical placement ruins any possibility of getting an aural image of the performance. It just isn't possible to talk soundstage with these recordings. These are both recordings using period instruments so natural horns versus French horns and trombones. Strings with a more mellow edge than modern instruments. Wooden woodwinds as opposed to metal flutes and piccolos. Even more unusual with the Baroque Clemencic music choices.

The primary reason for the comparison is to decide which if any would be good for listening to classical music and especially strings and more especially voilins.

I could call this piece "A tale of 3 linear IEMs" and not be too far wrong. The iBasso IT01, Massdrop Mee Pinnacle PX and Brainwavz B400. I was initially thinking of 3 flat IEMs instead but the IT01 isn't flat but my mind was thinking absent the more typical consumer frequency response with boosted and reduced responses. The IT01 is linear but is tilted with a bass and sub bass extension that lessens throughout the midrange until it is truly flat through the treble range. Both the PX and B400 are tuned to have a flat linear response. I used my Shanling M1 as a transport for my Xduoo XD-05 which has a Burson V5i opamp installed.

The PX are the least efficient of the group needing additional volume to get the same sound levels and the IT01 the least but all. None required me to select the high gain setting on the M1 so I think all 3 can be driven sufficiently by whatever source you use.

I could make this very short and say that they all sound the same and I wouldn't be completely wrong. But there are differences. In fact once I realized one I could go back and listen again to music I'd already listened to and I could identify that difference there but to a lesser degree. So by the time I was done I listed to short segments of the same music and could assure myself that any given difference was there to hear.

The PX has the most 'boring' sound of the group. It doesn't really do anything wrong. It reproduces the music its given and does it consistently. It neither adds things not there nor takes anything away. It provides the least sense of bass oomph or bump but then there really isn't amazing thumping bass in the music choices I was listening to. Similarly my music doesn't have atmospheric piercing highs and the PX never got shrill nor fatiguing. The upper bass and entire midrange is reproduced well. Instruments sound like what they are. You can tell there are voilins and larger bodied strings playing at the same time. But you can hear that they're different instruments and there isn't just a mush of strings but instead there are small ones and mid sized ones and large ones. You can hear the bodies of the large woodwinds. You can hear the odd Baroque percussion. You can hear that any given instrument or grouping that was mic'd together played in a physical space. You get a sense of the walls, floor and even the shuffling of feet on the floor of the musicians not currently playing. Frustratingly you can't get any sense of the whole ensemble playing in that same space but that the recording engineer's responsibility not the IEM. You want to hear what your music sounds like and these will let you do just that.

The B400 sound very similar yet very different. The Balanced Armature design makes each instrument (or group recorded with the same mic) have its own sense of presence. I mean sonically not spatially. Everything just sounds unique for lack of a better term. But I don't want to give the impression that this means that when the entire ensemble is playing that there isn't a sense of a group but just individuals. Visually I'd describe it by saying that you could see the individuals but that you could still clearly see they are in a group. This difference in perception provided is what I think is the biggest sonic difference between dynamic drivers and balanced drivers. There isn't so much bass in my music choices that there is too much of a chance of the bass effecting the midrange and I never felt that occurring. The Baroque percussion had an amazing amount of uniqueness in the sonic sense. You could hear the movement of a hand or striker across a membrane or instrument body. Similarly the strings had a separate unique yet part of the whole reproduction that was the best of the group. The choice of all BA drivers might be of concern for bass reproduction but there was no deficiency to hear with the B400. Again my music selection only had a string bass, bassoon and Baroque percussion providing a need for low bass and sub bass.

I decided to add the IT01 to the comparison because it has a reasonably linear response and is only a few dollars less expensive than the PX. And it has the biggest sub bass and bass of the group in terms of potential and tuning with its elevated low end response. I was curious how much it might change the sound of the bass providing instruments I mentioned above. One thing that surprised me was just how much more body the horns had with these. I tend to think of brass as being in a slightly higher register than they are in this music. And I think I'd be correct if I was talking about a modern trumpet. But even a modern French horn, the sibling of the horns in this recording, has plenty of lower frequency sound. Bodies of all sorts of instruments, horns, Baroque percussion, big strings and big woodwinds, all sounded fuller. There just was more of a sense of a physical thing producing the sound versus just magic creating the sound compared to the others. Instrument groupings are still distinct as with the PX but not at the level from the B400. There were times when I was just about to think that the elevated bass was effecting the midrange and changing what an instrument sounded like but it never happened. The loudness of the passage or choice of instruments would change right before it would happen. I'm not sure if a fuller classical music selection like a full 100+ instrument orchestral symphony would produce the effect. The increased bass and lower midrange added to each instrument grouping's sense of a physical location and made the production sound more frustrating than the others. This provided the most fun sound of the group but still managed to be mostly behaved. Some instruments including strings had a slightly larger than life quality. Fun as I mentioned. Yet still obviously what they were supposed to be.

So to answer the question: does either the PX or B400 have enough of a reduced or colored upper midrange and high end make instruments particularly violins sound thin or just generally wrong?

The answer is no that they both sound good and either would be an acceptable choice. Both do a good job of reproducing the music they're given without adding or changing it. Even the IT01 which I added to the mix to see if more bass and lower mids would reveal a shortcoming in either of the comparison IEMs didn't show any such issue. In fact it did better than I expected because of its more fun tuning but the linear frequency response kept it in the pack. And it might be a better choice if you'll additionally listen to rock, EDM and other categories that want extra bass and sub bass.

Even tho a couple weeks old... I have to say that this post is excellent... gives a clear impression of all three. Thanks

 

[bsoplinger]

Even tho a couple weeks old... I have to say that this post is excellent... gives a clear impression of all three. Thanks

It was easy enough to write it out because the question was specific. That is it asked about a comparison dealing with midrange with emphasis on strings like a guitar and specifically on classical and acoustic music.

A general review and comparison gets more difficult because of the plethora of music styles, areas of sound like lows, soundstage or layers, different listening situations like when exercising or on the subway or relaxing at home. It just seems that there are too many areas to cover. Especially when its a generic request of the form can you tell me how this (xxx) compares to yyy. Then you see a few weeks later something like I got the yyy because I was told that it had better zzz yet when I listen to my EDM it was awful. Because unfortunately the person who did the comparison using a completely different style of music.

 

[originalsnuffy]

Balanced mode using the original cable is even better.

Interesting. Did you modify the termination yourself or have someone else do it? I also like you adaptor; did you have that done custom also?

I have been enjoying these. My critical listening pair is the FLC8S; but just for daily knocking around I have been using these lately. Kind of pushed aside my old standby, the LZ-A2. I keep the LZ-A2 around though, as they represent the first Chi-Fi units that I purchased that were downright amazing compared to what I thought I would receive. The IT01 are like that also, surprisingly good for the price.

 

[Almazbek]

I've read a lot, and still can decide between this or Gr07 be. I have eph100, which one is a better upgrade?