[phthora]

Guys does the ibasso it01 need a good amp to get most of it or can get the same sound quality with a smartphone too?

As with nearly every headphone or earphone, your smartphone will probably drive it loud enough, but you will notice improvement in sound if you get a better quality amp.

Any eartip rolling recommendation for the best matching for it01?

I tried out several options, but generally I liked wide bore the best and specifically I liked JVC Spiral Dots the best.

 

[Dobrescu George]

I’m rocking mine with Q5 and iPad through Bluetooth. It sounds great and convenient.

Convenience is a golden word when it comes to Q5

 

[bowei006]

Just got mine in. Stunned at the value of these. 12 sets of tips, sweet looking braided cable, high quality connector (typically found on even more expensive sets), and a fantastic sound signature for the price.

I wish these existed back when I got back into headphone audio. Wait...maybe not. If these existed than I may have never continued my journey

 

[kukkurovaca]

My (totally superfluous at this point) thoughts:

• Bass is great and will accept an extra 6-9db of eq very gracefully if needed
• Rest of the frequency range is okay, but I feel like it's congested or grainy? Or maybe those aren't the correct terms. (Sorry, I'm not that technical a listener)
• The cable is nice, but I wish it was about two inches longer, or a little lighter, or both. If I've got my DAP in my pants pocket, the cable tends to tug and chafe at the back of my ears. A shirt clip helps with this problem, somewhat. I like the "cloop" magnetic/silicone ones. (I'm between 5'10" and 5'11", FWIW)
• I definitely get some background hiss in some situations (Walnut F1, ALO CDM, and when running balanced on the M3S but not when running SE on the M3S)
• Definitely better with an amp, but b/c it's pretty sensitive, can run into channel balance issues on analog volume controls. (I kind of wish I had an ALO Rx to try these with.)
• Soundstage: meh
• Isolation: pretty good
• Tips:
  • Spiral dots open up the soundstage a little bit for me, which is nice, but they change something in the mids or treble that makes things sound slightly wonky to me. But this may just be a matter of adjusting.
  • Spinfit CP-155 work surprisingly well. The narrow the soundstage and increase the bass. I don't have any regular Spinfits in the right size to try. CP-230 dual flange has too wide an internal diameter.
  • Foam tips (Comply, New Bee) work well and are probably more balanced, but I end up using the IT01 in situations where I wind up having to take them out of my ears and put them back in a lot, which makes foam tips kind of fussy

 

[bsoplinger]

My (totally superfluous at this point) thoughts:

• Bass is great and will accept an extra 6-9db of eq very gracefully if needed
• Rest of the frequency range is okay, but I feel like it's congested or grainy? Or maybe those aren't the correct terms. (Sorry, I'm not that technical a listener)

From what you've described I'd guess you need more burn-in time. I found the rest of the spectrum removed compared to the sub bass and bass initially. Highs moved forward, were less veiled, first with the midrange at the vocal frequencies the last to move forward at around 200 hours of burn-in.

I've heard much milder forms of burn-in that I wasn't certain if it was completely imagination or expectation until the iBasso IT01. There was a definite change every other day (approx 50 hours at a time) when I'd listen a bit before reconnecting them to the DAP I was using for burn-in.

 

[kukkurovaca]

From what you've described I'd guess you need more burn-in time. I found the rest of the spectrum removed compared to the sub bass and bass initially. Highs moved forward, were less veiled, first with the midrange at the vocal frequencies the last to move forward at around 200 hours of burn-in.

I've heard much milder forms of burn-in that I wasn't certain if it was completely imagination or expectation until the iBasso IT01. There was a definite change every other day (approx 50 hours at a time) when I'd listen a bit before reconnecting them to the DAP I was using for burn-in.

They've got over 200 hours by now, pretty sure.

 

[hydroid]

I definitely get some background hiss in some situations (Walnut F1

Walnut F1 has this annoying hiss specially on the balanced out. Tried the IT01 on several sources and fortunately I'm not hearing any hissing sound.

 

[SciOC]

They've got over 200 hours by now, pretty sure.

I feel much the same way, minus the complaints about the cable... I have 300 hours plus on mine. They aren't the most detailed in mid-range and the soundstage is good but not great. I think congested was a good word. The separation isn't the greatest. For the price they are excellent in all those aspects though, I think these might be legitimate criticisms when comparing them to 150-300 dollar IEMs...


I'd expect the it04 will be an upgrade especially in these areas.

 

[CoiL]

I wonder how some here say IT01 is congested and meh about soundstage, even after burn-in?
Some say that soundstage is great and with mids laid back in the mix sounding even "hollow". Then some say that soundstage is congested and not so good detail/separation.
Why such different opinions?

1. IT01 is too overhyped and price expetation bias (for those who come from chi-fi gear)?
2. Some here are overly harsh judging over IT01? Personal signature/perception preferences/differences (higher-end gear owners)?
3. Fit issues?
4. bad match with source gear?

hmmm.... I hope I won`t be disappointed with IT01 when they arrive. I trust some users words here saying that sound great more than negative opinions so far.

 

[hydroid]

I wonder how some here say IT01 is congested and meh about soundstage, even after burn-in?
Some say that soundstage is great and with mids laid back in the mix sounding even "hollow". Then some say that soundstage is congested and not so good detail/separation.
Why such different opinions?

1. IT01 is too overhyped and price expetation bias (for those who come from chi-fi gear)?
2. Some here are overly harsh judging over IT01? Personal signature/perception preferences/differences (higher-end gear owners)?
3. Fit issues?
4. bad match with source gear?

hmmm.... I hope I won`t be disappointed with IT01 when they arrive. I trust some users words here saying that sound great more than negative opinions so far.

You be the judge when you received it..but majority of people here and even outside this thread are mostly impressed with the IT01 (as far as I have seen/read). It all boils down to preferences, source, tip rolling, fit and so on. I don't have any high-end gears to compare it with but I was never disappointed spending $109 by how it satisfies my listening sessions plus a nice looking cable that comes with it.

 

[Ivan TT]

Walnut F1 has this annoying hiss specially on the balanced out. Tried the IT01 on several sources and fortunately I'm not hearing any hissing sound.

I added 2 resistors and hiss is all but gone.
PM for details/photos if you want to give it a go.

 

[mffl41]

I LOVE my IT01s and I don't own a DAP and usually listen to my music though my S8+, or on my computer. I use a FiiO Q1 Amp when paired with my phone and listen to my music through Tidal. When I'm on my computer I plug my headphones and IEMs into my Objective 02 DAC/Amp and listen to music through Tidal.

My question is, will it be pointless for my to upgrade to the IT04s if those are my current sources? I don't have a problem spending the money on the 04s, but I don't want them to be limited if I need something like a DX200 to make them sound the best.

If I buy the IT04s, will I be fine with what I am running now, or what specifically will I need to upgrade?

 

[artpiggo]

I LOVE my IT01s and I don't own a DAP and usually listen to my music though my S8+, or on my computer. I use a FiiO Q1 Amp when paired with my phone and listen to my music through Tidal. When I'm on my computer I plug my headphones and IEMs into my Objective 02 DAC/Amp and listen to music through Tidal.

My question is, will it be pointless for my to upgrade to the IT04s if those are my current sources? I don't have a problem spending the money on the 04s, but I don't want them to be limited if I need something like a DX200 to make them sound the best.

If I buy the IT04s, will I be fine with what I am running now, or what specifically will I need to upgrade?

I think you can upgrade step by step. Investing in earphone is the first priority until you feel it is satisfied enough between your need and your money then if you want upgrade in future, you can gradually upgrade additional DAP/DAC.

I think it is all about how satisfied you are.

 

[CoiL]

Well, I`m also super-satisfied with my DX5X+ZS5v1 but we all know how it ends up... h-fiers are like babies, want new toys

 

[SciOC]

I wonder how some here say IT01 is congested and meh about soundstage, even after burn-in?
Some say that soundstage is great and with mids laid back in the mix sounding even "hollow". Then some say that soundstage is congested and not so good detail/separation.
Why such different opinions?

1. IT01 is too overhyped and price expetation bias (for those who come from chi-fi gear)?
2. Some here are overly harsh judging over IT01? Personal signature/perception preferences/differences (higher-end gear owners)?
3. Fit issues?
4. bad match with source gear?

hmmm.... I hope I won`t be disappointed with IT01 when they arrive. I trust some users words here saying that sound great more than negative opinions so far.

I think it's a bit of over hype. When I criticize I'm looking at it from a non-budgetary standpoint. For 99 dollars these are a straight up freaking steal. Can they truly compete with more expensive IEMs? In some ways yes, in some ways no. Nothing's perfect after all.

They are wonderful for 100 dollars and set the bar pretty high, which should shame some other companies for their pricing...