iBasso P3+ Heron review early impressions

[shigzeo]

Not the best photo of the P3 - but it shows how it works with the touch.

What a great amp - despite its size and power, it can be tailored for great IEM usage. I dropped in the AD2111 into the L/R channel, the 2X BB 634 in the buffer channel, and bypassed the virtual and grounds with dummy buffers and there is a very very low noise floor for even the most sensitive of iem earphones.

If you want more power for large headphones - it is ready for you with great battery life and the tweaking kit is great.

Great resolution, great build quality, and overall, what a great amp. TMA review is forthcoming, so get your thumbs ready to go way up!

[Ron]

it can be tailored for great IEM usage. I dropped in the AD2111 into the L/R channel, the 2X BB 634 in the buffer channel, and bypassed the virtual and grounds with dummy buffers and there is a very very low noise floor for even the most sensitive of iem earphones.

Can one "plug-n-play" amps or do they all require this setup?

[shigzeo]

This headphone amp comes in a 'drag and drop' hardware setup. If you want to use large headphones or iems, there are happy-medium setups, but I prefer to 'roll' or find the best setup for iem users and for headphone users. iBasso's headphone amps are mostly this sort where you can play around. The other amps I've reviewed have sometimes had the ability to change the drive op-amp, but iBasso is the first I'll be reviewing which allows buffers, drive, ground and virtual ground to be LEGO'd with.

The ALO Rx has no such capability, the Firestrone Fireye I and Fireye II both lack this feature, but the FUBAR IV amp/dac/pre amp allows a minimum of rolling. Travagan's Red is also rollable. The Graham Slee Voyager, however can swap input and output op amps, but has stricter requirements. It is quite fun, and you can actually change the amount of bass, output power, stability and even tailor battery life to last a long or short time.

iBasso for the win?

[Ron]

iBasso for the win?

YES!

[shigzeo]

Well, not to mention that for the price, the iBasso series punches a hundred dollars higher than their asking price for every one of their models - they are FTW! There will be a giveaway of the T3 or T3D (small iem amp they make) later next month or so, so keep an eye out!