iBasso T3D Review - early impressions

[shigzeo]

Picture: iBasso T3D side view

iBasso T3 will be up for grabs in a TMA headphone amp giveaway. Follow me @shigzeo on Twitter for more details.

Review forthcoming, but let me firstly mention the important facts: the T3+ has a GREAT balanced digital volume attenuator. It also is able to spread great resolution to even the hardest to drive of IEM earphones. I did NOT expect this from a 135$ portable headphone amplifier, and one that is so small.

Both it and the T3 have a couple of problems though: one is hiss. The T3D and T3 are not horrid hissers, and hiss overall less than a lot of portable players out there, but it is noticeable if you have very sensitive iems such as the FitEar Private 333.

The T3D is perfectly balanced, but its volume doesn't go to zero. Very sensitive eared listeners may find the volume bordering on loud. I do very well with volume of about 6 steps above ground zero.

The FitEar 333 is a hard to drive earphone and can suffer high-mid suckout with a portable player like an iPod, Cowon, Meizu, Zune, and even the pretty good Fuze. But, attack this TINY amp and suddenly, the FE333 goes full on Ultrasone fun!

Full review forthcoming, but I will give my full recommendation to this amp.

Below are Right Mark Audio Analyzer (RMAA) tests to prove what I am saying. Overall, for a 135$ amp, it is great. Not as smooth as the D4 or the FiQuest, but for iems, a better amp in some ways.

The RMAA tests compare the T3+ unloaded and loaded by a FitEar Private 333 custom earphone @16Ω

I concur with the RMAA test - BASS is full, and mid-highs are lovely. This badboy outdoes a lot of amps which swear they can drive iems.

Piccies:





If you'd like to see the entire photo set, head to the iBasso T3D flickr set page.

[shigzeo]

I should be finishing another review, but alas, my mind is wandering. The T3D is a good little amp, but it is bright and energetic. There is a pretty good bottom end, but this little bugger has exciting treble which makes live music really live; at the same time, studio recorded music, too is pretty peaky. We will see how it comes along in a few weeks when the review is ready for publish, but for now, it is a bright bargain.

Again, I want to organise my thoughts a bit better: BASS is fully resolved as are mids and treble, but overall, it is a brighter amp than say, the P3+ Heron. For IEM usage, it is very close to perfect.

Full review in several weeks.

[shigzeo]

The T3D or T3 will also be featured in a giveaway later next month, so keep an eye out for the review and a pretty heavy requirement giveaway!

[Lilydog]

I'll be sure to check out your review (new member from Philadelphia).

[shigzeo]

Welcome Lilydog - nice to have another face at TMA. The review is still a couple of weeks away, but I am pretty confident that at this price, the iBasso T3 and T3D are the best performers for IEM earphones.

[shigzeo]

Well, time to update this review.

The T3D is probably one of the best buys on the market. The other (which I've not tried) may be the Headstage Arrow. The T3D has one real weakness: a low level hiss which is audible to sensitive earphones. It is lower (as I said) than the ALO Rx, but could stand to be lower. But there is so much space, so much detail and while not perfectly smooth, perfectly beautiful in other ways.

The best part is that it is small. My wife has been taking it for spins, saying that she could imagine using it, but will not touch any other amp of mine - ever!

Pics and full review expected soon, but I can guarantee it is... amazing, and will be given away at TouchMyApps (T3 version) - keep an eye out on this thread!

[shigzeo]

Updated with more pics.

[joshb3]

Nice pics!

I've been interested in getting a T3 or a T3D, but I'm not really sure which would be better for me. From what I understand, the difference between the two is that one has analog volume control and the other has digital. I'd rather not spend another $16 for the same basic amp if it's a feature I don't need. What is the real benefit of getting a digital volume control? Less prone to accidental volume changes?

Also, that's a nice low-profile line-out on the iTouch. Where could I get one like that, or is it custom made?

[shigzeo]

Thank you for the kind words. The low profile dock is Twisted Cables' low profile dock and is a very nice product.

The benefit of the T3D, especially for iems, is perfect channel balance even at low volumes. The analogue T3 has a quieter low volume, but it favours one channel (left) over the right while the T3D is perfect from its lowest volume to its highest. It is also less prone to accidental volume changes, but the T3 isn't easy to accidentally turn.

The T3 gets louder though so hungry headphones can be run at much clearer volumes. But each performs really well and is worth the dosh. When my T3/T3D review is done, I will be giving one away, so if you can hang on for another week or so, you may get lucky. I will sign up a main page and forums list of contest potentials and it will be a tourney of sorts to find the winner.

[joshb3]

Awesome, thanks for the info!