[PaganDL]

The included cable is definitely one of the reasons the IT01 seems to be getting plaudits and to me it shows that they’ve thought about the whole package.

The reason for upgrading is I want a 2.5mm TRRS balanced cable for my DAP because it’s got a balanced output. That’s also one of the reasons I am going for an earphone with removable cables.

I have no idea how much of a difference it will actually make but that’s half the fun of this hobby init!

Hi @mellowjamie,

It is nice to be surprised when tuning changes with cable rolling are favourable, aren't they?

Hope you continue to enjoy your cable rolling...

Hope you have a great day !

 

[PaganDL]

Cool, cool,

I hadn’t seen your previous post about the penon cables.

As mentioned I have the os849 and I find it be a nice cable, just not an everyday use one due to it’s thickness. I use it on my ibasso iT03 normally but it has also been used on my other iems.

I like my cables and I’m forever buying iems and cables, swapping etc, but the 4 oc819 cables I have, 2 are mmcx and 2 are 2 pin 0.78mm, and I find them be the perfect cable for wearing outside or at work etc. I also had to use some to replace busted cables. I only bought 3 of them, I got the 4th free.

Penon also sell a OS819, avoid it unless you just want to cut the connectors off them to use on a home made cable, as the connectors are nice. The OS819 does not compare to the OC819, as it’s 4 core not 8.

Iem cables are like crack to me, but I mainly buy them for the looks rather than sq changes, and that was one of the reasons I bought 3 os819s in various formats, as it looks MUCH nicer in real life compared to the photo on penons site.

Cables will always come in handy for me, example, my sennheiser hd800s cable just split, and it was the only thing that I don’t have a replacement cable for. Ok it does have an xlr spare cable, but I dont use xlr

HI @Amberlamps,

The important thing is you're happy with your cables & that's the whole point...

Anyway, if you want to use the XLR, I recommend VE Clan again as they make good adapters so you should be more than fine with that too.

Hope you have a great day !

 

[PaganDL]

Hi @PaganDL

Thanks for the reply.

Definitely seems to be a common theme that you get a lot for your money with the IT01 and being a Yorkshire man I like a bargain!

I've had a mixed experience of IEMs / in ears. The problem is it's much more difficult to try them compared to on ears and over ears. I had some Fidue A73 and the sibilance gave me fatigue, I've tried the RHA 750 and found the sound signature far to mid centric and a bit boring, I had a couple of pairs of Rockjaw and both of them had really weird tuning (the Arcana v2 were far too bright and the Hydra v2 sounded congested in the mid bass area), I had the Sony 650 and they were excellent but the cable isn't removable. So my daily cans are some B&O H6. I know a lot of hifi enthusiasts might turn their nose up at B&O but I spent months looking for a pair of headphones (including driving down to the Hifi Lounge in Bedfordshire). Tried everything - left no stone unturned (Audeze, Hifiman, Sennheiser, Beyer, Mr Speakers, and Stax). In the end it was the Hifiman Edition X with a Questyle amp I was most happy with and was ready to buy them when the money had to go elsewhere! So with the budget cut I started looking again but I was always going to struggle to find a £300 headphone as good as a £1000 open back planar. had pretty much given up and only tried the B&O because I walked past the B&O shop one day - I was blown away by the B&O H6. What Hifi (who I am convinced give better reviews to stuff Richer Sounds sell) reckoned the Sennheiser Momentum is better - but every Momentum I've listened to has been dreadful in my opinion - a proper consumer product. Anyway, I work in software design and I regularly have to get up and walk around to talk to devs (or they come over to me) so the over ears aren't practical. They're also for home for my turntable set up which has a Graham Sell phono stage and Graham Slee headphone amp, so I wanted some IEMs for work.

The Black Friday deal was AdvancedMP3 - bought stuff from them before, the've always been reliable. It was them or FiiO FH1 or Westone UM1.

Source wise, similar story. Had an iBasso DX50 which I loved and regret selling. Then I had a Fiio X5ii, which I also loved. Now I have a Pioneer XDP-30R (which isn't a Pioneer at all, its a rebadged Onkyo), which I was dubious about before buying but on paper it seemed impressive (twin Sabre ES9018C2M and twin ESS9601K amps) and gets good reviews. It's definitely on the next level compared to the FiiO, far more balanced sound signature, much more revealing. The FiiO did suffer with sibilance with almost every earphone I used, but I am overly sensitive - however I don't get that with the Pioneer. I completely disagree with WhatHifi's review of it, and I don't know why they are comparing it to the A&K AK70 which is £150 more. The reason for the balanced cable is that the Pioneer has that twin architecture and I'd love to hear what difference it makes if any.

Regarding burn in - I know some people don't believe in it but I most certainly do. Everything I've owned has sound different after several days use.

Really looking forward to the IT01. I am hoping that because it has a single dynamic driver and not a balanced armature set up that the treble won't be fatiguing. I'll let you know when it arrives and I've had a chance to burn it in.

No problem, @mellowjamie,

On an unrelated note, I miss the UK I am well aware you Yorkshire men like a bargain so very chuffed you're well pleased !

I agree, to a certain extent, IEMs can be messy & a good fit is paramount so I would suggest don't be afraid to experiment with different tips, perhaps you may be among the rare few which need different sizes in each ear or you may need smaller or bigger than you realise. I also suggest if you haven't seen these around already, try looking into Crystaline Audio tips, they are a UK based company so they should be easy at least, to contact.
Otherwise using IT 01 as an example, Comply 500 fit well & do Spin Fits if you require a potentially odd fit foams may not give you.
One day I should write a help guide on tip selection & the like though it will probably be somewhere else first then archived on Headfi, I will certainly let you know if that happens...
I hate to say but you haven't had the best of luck so far with your IEMs as all the reasons you outlined are pretty much general concensus...
So you should be more than happy with IT 01 when you get them though I would suggest rolling the stock tips if they don't seem right.
In general, a good measure to see how well an IEM/headphone fits &/or sits is to just wear them with no sound playing & see how they feel, if you can be comfortable for at least 10 minutes this way, then you should be good.
Also as a final note on fit, it is important to remember don't shove the tips too hard into your ear, just gently push them in till they can go no further.
Be interested to know how you go, if you have any issues, feel free to PM me if necessary...

Sadly, I agree with you regarding B & O, as they are treated much like Bose, both make decent but all subjectively depends on taste.
I don't mind either though personally & subjectively, it's not something I would choose given the choice but I can certainly appreciate them & wouldn't snub them just because...
I demo as much as possible myself, I believe in a demo for any audio gear, hence why it's in my tag but I digress...
Basically, on stuff unable to be auditioned, it all comes down whether one wants to take a chance or not but good to hear you did take the guantlet, so to speak, it is the only way to know what you & only you will be happy with.

Nice home set up with the Graham Slee, I almost considered them at one stage but they had really limited stock where I am & outside the UK, GS can be pricey for no reason which is why it didn't sell for very long.
Also no demo...

What Hifi is a crock, I am not a fan of pretenious BS & frankly I think most of the reviewers are not only deaf but have no clue how to review any sort of gear, let alone audio gear & there are a lot of things they said were terrible but I thought close to the dogs bollocks or at least very enjoyable.
I am not a fan of pretentious audio idiots by any measure but that's another story & I digress...

Source Synergy with IEM/Headphone/Cable is ridiculously important, glad you like your current set up.
By the way, I believe Pioneer owns or at least has business interests in Onkyo so I am not surprised they are basically rebadged...

Burn in is so subjective & personal & more often than not, when manufacturers recommend the process, it is more to make sure all components are working as they should, if there are any changes, it is usually more subtle than not though there have been few exceptions which are actually obvious.
Sound Perception Bias plays a part but that's a whole other discussion.
In case you're not aware, IT 01 has a recommended burn in/ initial play time of 100 hours to 'settle in'.

IT 01, personally & subjectively has among the best single DD I have come across, that is partly due to the DD being made from Graphene but more just tuned 'correctly' though that is subjective in itself.
You won't be disappointed with the sound.
I am sensitive to high frequencies myself, I have quite a number of songs which actually reach into not just the high frequencies but the higher frequencies & I can tell you there are no issues when they are played through the IT 01.
As before, I suggested Penon GS 849 cable if you want more control over the tuning if the stock cable does not quite suit your tastes but you should be fine.
Balanced Amatures only have a high frequency issue if they are not tuned to a 'neutral' &/or 'balanced' sound though that is hard to say in itself as everyone has different preferences.
If you're curious on what a good BA can do, especially value for the money, I suggest the Audio Technica E 70 (pro audio shops will have good deals on this), was my go to for 3 + years & now semi retired though slowly coming back into my weekly rotation.

 

[mellowjamie]

No problem, @mellowjamie,

On an unrelated note, I miss the UK I am well aware you Yorkshire men like a bargain so very chuffed you're well pleased !

I agree, to a certain extent, IEMs can be messy & a good fit is paramount so I would suggest don't be afraid to experiment with different tips, perhaps you may be among the rare few which need different sizes in each ear or you may need smaller or bigger than you realise. I also suggest if you haven't seen these around already, try looking into Crystaline Audio tips, they are a UK based company so they should be easy at least, to contact.
Otherwise using IT 01 as an example, Comply 500 fit well & do Spin Fits if you require a potentially odd fit foams may not give you.
One day I should write a help guide on tip selection & the like though it will probably be somewhere else first then archived on Headfi, I will certainly let you know if that happens...
I hate to say but you haven't had the best of luck so far with your IEMs as all the reasons you outlined are pretty much general concensus...
So you should be more than happy with IT 01 when you get them though I would suggest rolling the stock tips if they don't seem right.
In general, a good measure to see how well an IEM/headphone fits &/or sits is to just wear them with no sound playing & see how they feel, if you can be comfortable for at least 10 minutes this way, then you should be good.
Also as a final note on fit, it is important to remember don't shove the tips too hard into your ear, just gently push them in till they can go no further.
Be interested to know how you go, if you have any issues, feel free to PM me if necessary...

Sadly, I agree with you regarding B & O, as they are treated much like Bose, both make decent but all subjectively depends on taste.
I don't mind either though personally & subjectively, it's not something I would choose given the choice but I can certainly appreciate them & wouldn't snub them just because...
I demo as much as possible myself, I believe in a demo for any audio gear, hence why it's in my tag but I digress...
Basically, on stuff unable to be auditioned, it all comes down whether one wants to take a chance or not but good to hear you did take the guantlet, so to speak, it is the only way to know what you & only you will be happy with.

Nice home set up with the Graham Slee, I almost considered them at one stage but they had really limited stock where I am & outside the UK, GS can be pricey for no reason which is why it didn't sell for very long.
Also no demo...

What Hifi is a crock, I am not a fan of pretenious BS & frankly I think most of the reviewers are not only deaf but have no clue how to review any sort of gear, let alone audio gear & there are a lot of things they said were terrible but I thought close to the dogs bollocks or at least very enjoyable.
I am not a fan of pretentious audio idiots by any measure but that's another story & I digress...

Source Synergy with IEM/Headphone/Cable is ridiculously important, glad you like your current set up.
By the way, I believe Pioneer owns or at least has business interests in Onkyo so I am not surprised they are basically rebadged...

Burn in is so subjective & personal & more often than not, when manufacturers recommend the process, it is more to make sure all components are working as they should, if there are any changes, it is usually more subtle than not though there have been few exceptions which are actually obvious.
Sound Perception Bias plays a part but that's a whole other discussion.
In case you're not aware, IT 01 has a recommended burn in/ initial play time of 100 hours to 'settle in'.

IT 01, personally & subjectively has among the best single DD I have come across, that is partly due to the DD being made from Graphene but more just tuned 'correctly' though that is subjective in itself.
You won't be disappointed with the sound.
I am sensitive to high frequencies myself, I have quite a number of songs which actually reach into not just the high frequencies but the higher frequencies & I can tell you there are no issues when they are played through the IT 01.
As before, I suggested Penon GS 849 cable if you want more control over the tuning if the stock cable does not quite suit your tastes but you should be fine.
Balanced Amatures only have a high frequency issue if they are not tuned to a 'neutral' &/or 'balanced' sound though that is hard to say in itself as everyone has different preferences.
If you're curious on what a good BA can do, especially value for the money, I suggest the Audio Technica E 70 (pro audio shops will have good deals on this), was my go to for 3 + years & now semi retired though slowly coming back into my weekly rotation.

Hi PaganDL,

Appreciate the in depth reply - I will reply properly later, this is just a quick one to say that the IT01 have arrived!

First impressions - obviously they're not burned in - but they have a very laid back presentation, no issues with sibilance or fatigue. I'll obviously experiment with tips but just as a quick one I tried the foam tips and they completely changed the sound signature - when from being very laid back and warm to a much brighter almost reference signature. Not sure which I preferred!!!

 

[mellowjamie]

Oh yes, I like a bargain. Thing is, I don’t mind spending a lot of money on something if it is worth it. Can’t abide spending money on something and it not being worth it. For example, I liked the OnePlus phones when they first came out – high spec and well made for the money and then as they started gaining traction the prices started going up and now they are just like any other phone.


As for What Hifi - the last place I worked, a couple of lads bought some on ear Momentums. They obviously liked them, and they were nice looking and well built. However, I tried them, and I couldn’t understand what the fuss was about. I tried a couple of different sources, lots of different genres of music, but they didn’t have good bass, they weren’t particularly detailed, the soundstage was narrow, they weren’t at all neutral but at the same time I struggled to decide what was prominent – I just didn’t understand what the point of them was. Read What Hifi and they rave about them like they are the greatest thing in the world and appear to be their reference for everything else. So straight away it makes me not trust a single review What Hifi write, because if they think the Momentum is good then I’m not going to agree with anything they say. When I got my B&O I did a comparison, and the difference between the 2 is incredible.


I think what we’re missing is a good, down to earth, honest review site aimed at people on a budget and have no idea what they’re looking for. I’d love to afford some of the stuff you see on Headfonia and Headfonics but realistically the IT01 were my max budget at the moment. If you google “£100 earphones” all you see is high street brands.


As for the home set up, it’s a Rega Planar 3 hooked up to the Graham Slee kit, but I also have a Marantz PM6006 UK Edition and Q Accoustic speakers. I’ve not got the turntable set up well though – but I’m not an expert and need someone to come round and set it up properly.


Thanks for the advice on the tips – like I said before I used the stock silicone tips out the box and then swapped to foam just to see, the sound signature completely changed. Going to mess on with what came with them, maybe invest in some other tips as per your recommendations.


Going to spend some time with these IT01 and burn them in – but so far I am well impressed. There’s no single part of the sound that I don’t like, which I usually discover within seconds of starting to listen. I knew straight away with the RHA and Rockjaws that they weren’t for me – the Fidue took a little longer as the sibilance started to fatigue me.

 

[PaganDL]

Hi PaganDL,

Appreciate the in depth reply - I will reply properly later, this is just a quick one to say that the IT01 have arrived!

First impressions - obviously they're not burned in - but they have a very laid back presentation, no issues with sibilance or fatigue. I'll obviously experiment with tips but just as a quick one I tried the foam tips and they completely changed the sound signature - when from being very laid back and warm to a much brighter almost reference signature. Not sure which I preferred!!!

Hi @mellowjamie,

No problem, happy to help.

Look forward to hearing what you think once you had some time so no rush...

Most of all, enjoy the sound !

Hope you have a great day !

 

[PaganDL]

Oh yes, I like a bargain. Thing is, I don’t mind spending a lot of money on something if it is worth it. Can’t abide spending money on something and it not being worth it. For example, I liked the OnePlus phones when they first came out – high spec and well made for the money and then as they started gaining traction the prices started going up and now they are just like any other phone.

@mellowjamie,

I wholeheartedly agree, bargains are the way to go or at least good sales in my book.
What you say about spending significant ready on something which is worth it is very true.
Though I find sometimes that is a relative term as different things are worth different monetary values to different people though the actual value they bring is highly subjective & personal.
So as long as something is worth it to you & you can swing, by all means, go for it, only you will know you will be happy at the end of the day or not, no one else.
Phones in general are a perfect example of ridiculousness where price vs real value is concerned, based on having the next best widget only just because...
Much like a lot of IEMS / Headphones too which is line with your next point...

As for What Hifi - the last place I worked, a couple of lads bought some on ear Momentums. They obviously liked them, and they were nice looking and well built. However, I tried them, and I couldn’t understand what the fuss was about. I tried a couple of different sources, lots of different genres of music, but they didn’t have good bass, they weren’t particularly detailed, the soundstage was narrow, they weren’t at all neutral but at the same time I struggled to decide what was prominent – I just didn’t understand what the point of them was. Read What Hifi and they rave about them like they are the greatest thing in the world and appear to be their reference for everything else. So straight away it makes me not trust a single review What Hifi write, because if they think the Momentum is good then I’m not going to agree with anything they say. When I got my B&O I did a comparison, and the difference between the 2 is incredible.

There is a large misconception especially in this hobby particularly though it also suits & extends to consumer audio in general as well, there is an expectation by pretentious audiophiles(don't like this word at allso never use it)/idiots if something is a certain pricepoint & /or quality, it must be cracking or the business which as you pointed out is a load of bollocks which I readily approve.
I also believe most if not all these idiots are deaf to some degree or totally deaf so as my tag at the bottom goes 'always demo with quality sources' & I have said in other threads, trust your own ears & no one else's, no one can tell you what to like either...
There is also a large misconception among the idiots as well for what a 'reference' sound is too, along with what tracks &/or genres 'must' be used to test gear, etc...
Not a Sennheiser fan myself for various reasons & the Momentums are a perfect example of that, (they are certainly not the dogs bollocks) personally, there is better for less & more but that's a whole different conversation.
I had the opportunity last year to demo the 'fabled' Orpheus, put it this way, I liked the tubes & materials which went into it more than the sound...now that is certainly not worth the ready...
The only Senn I have come across I do like the 820 for various reasons...
But would I ever shell out the ridiculous ready for either, hell no but that's also another story in itself.
There are also many other 'popular' brands most rave on headfi about I am not a fan of either but that also, is a whole different conversation.
This reminds me of various idiotic conversations regarding the Sony DAPs I sometimes read about or come up during conversations in others threads I participated in.
I always find it amusing when some idiot just raves about how good their particular player is but if the IEM/Headphone sounds 'boring' then it is the IEM/Headphone's fault, not the thing in between the head gear.
Great example, Sony 1A M2 (great headphone by the way, my main reference headphone) apparently sounds 'boring' & 'lifeless' with the Sony NW WM 1Z / WM 1A (Essentially same DAP but 1Z is blinged out & slightly 'better spec' though really no difference sonically) but sounds 'fantastic' with the Sony MDR Z7 M2...
Certainly everyone is entiltied to their opinion but in this case, as the Z7 M2 & 1Z are in similar pricepoints while personally & subjectively, the 1A M2 has better sound especially for the value by itself, I rather just have the 1A M2 over something which is supposedly 'better' just because it is a certain price.
Overall, a lot of these idiots, especially in the review world, don't understand gear synergy or what their gear actually does, let alone how to actually 'review' it either.
Usually, these don't either demo all that often to at all or just deaf...

I think what we’re missing is a good, down to earth, honest review site aimed at people on a budget and have no idea what they’re looking for. I’d love to afford some of the stuff you see on Headfonia and Headfonics but realistically the IT01 were my max budget at the moment. If you google “£100 earphones” all you see is high street brands.

Not to necessarily single out Headfonia either but I have had issues with some of their reviews as well, especially anything to do with custom IEMs &/or giving greater exposure to audio gear people may actually interested in & potentially never heard of, eg newer &/or lesser known brands...
Well, your hopes for the kind of review site are well founded, it may eventually come to pass, the community will just have to wait & see...
I would blame google for that, though any search engine also has that issue, so it's not really surprising, just a question how much one is willing to dig around.

As for the home set up, it’s a Rega Planar 3 hooked up to the Graham Slee kit, but I also have a Marantz PM6006 UK Edition and Q Accoustic speakers. I’ve not got the turntable set up well though – but I’m not an expert and need someone to come round and set it up properly.

As said, nice set up, especially your speaker set up, especially the 6006, I have the 5005 hooked up to PMC DB 1 Golds for non headphone listening.
For a more ambient experience, I have Genelec 8010's working with the DB 1's.
I just like good sound so I have no real preference in the headphone/IEM vs speaker debate, so as long as it sounds good to me, I'm all for it.
Just curious, what cartridge are you using with the RP 3?
Also define why your RP 3 isn't set up well enough, while an' expert' would certainly be helpful, it's not all that difficult to do yourself though just might be a bit more fiddly.

Thanks for the advice on the tips – like I said before I used the stock silicone tips out the box and then swapped to foam just to see, the sound signature completely changed. Going to mess on with what came with them, maybe invest in some other tips as per your recommendations.

Glad to help, as said, this is an ongoing process & you have to keep trying till you're comfortable, that's the whole point & if you can find a good Headphone/IEM place which is willing to let you experiment, all the better...
Feel free to PM me if you need more help on tips or anything else audio related.

Going to spend some time with these IT01 and burn them in – but so far I am well impressed. There’s no single part of the sound that I don’t like, which I usually discover within seconds of starting to listen. I knew straight away with the RHA and Rockjaws that they weren’t for me – the Fidue took a little longer as the sibilance started to fatigue me.

IT 01 is very hard to dislike, as long as your source is good, you will have no issue with them, look forward to hearing how you progress.

Hope you have a great day !

 

[Zeo-Gold92]

Bringing up an old thread but, would the Fiio LC-2.5B be okay with this for 2.5mm? Wanting to order my it01s when I order my DX150 but I wanna also order a cable to take advatage of 2.5.

 

[PaganDL]

Hi @Zeo-Gold92,

No problem, happy to answer.

Fiio cables are a good 'mass market' alternative which most can get access to, so generally speaking, yes...

That being said, I haven't tried the LC 2.5 B with the IT 01 so I can't say how that particular synergy will go.

Honestly, some will argue this but balanced cables, at minimum, provide a stronger audio signal, whether this is 'better' is a highly debatable & highly personally subjective point heatedly discussed on headfi but I digress.
Whether there are any real benefits will depend on your own hearing so I suggest you decide for yourself so a demo is much recommended.
Adapters are an even cheaper alternative to getting another balanced cable terminated in 2.5 mm so I would suggest looking into that, in your case, 3.5 mm to 2.5 mm.

As a final note, iBasso themselves have their own balanced cables, which handily come with adapters if you want to fully change the cable to balanced.
Sure, they are certainly more pricey compared to Fiio cables but definitely 'more worth it' though unless you have a few IEMS with MMCX connectors then only real option to choose is CB 13s as CB 12s comes stock with IT 04 & I believe the exceptional cable which comes with the IT 01s can be purchased separately though is not listed anywhere unless by direct contact with iBasso.

Hope you find what you need.

Hope you have a great day !

 

[ace5000]

Hello all,
What is the part number of the original IT01 cable and where can I get it? Thanks!

 

[Anth. S]

Hi
I wanted to show a colleague how the iBasso It01 cable is removable and as I tried to connect them back up I couldn't. Looked on the floor and there was a tiny piece of copper, obviously from the connection point, so my question is.......
Anyone else had the same problem and do I just buy a replacement cable or go for a new balanced cable.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Thanks