Sound analysis.

As suggested by manufacturer, I started to analyze IT01 sound after 100+ hours of the initial burn in. I found these IEMs to have V-shaped sound signature with a fast, articulate bass, brighter revealing tonality and crisp airy treble. It has an excellent retrieval of details and a good level of transparency. While the tonality is not exactly smooth organic, it’s not too harsh or artificial either.

Soundstage is very wide, extending far left and right, while the depth is not bad but more on an intimate level, maybe a few rows in front of you. With such width, you can expect a good imaging with an excellent placement of instruments and vocals, where every sound is easy to pin point.

The sound is dynamic with a good level of separation and transparency though it could have been a little better if mids were more forward.

Bass really stands out in this tuning with a deep lifted sub-bass rumble and a fast well controlled articulate mid-bass punch. Bass hits hard, but quantity is not too overwhelming. If you prefer more neutral bass, these might not be for you. The speed of the bass is surprisingly fast for a single DD.

Lower mids are neutral, maybe even a little south of neutral, not as much body, and upper mids are very detailed, transparent, bright, though also a little colder and thinner, and pulled a little back. Despite v-shaped tuning, upper mids still have a rather good definition, just less organic tonality.

Treble is crisp and sparkly, with a nice extension and plenty of airiness. It’s not harsh or splashy, and no signs of sibilance, and it does have plenty of energy to compliment the bass at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Comparison.

Without a doubt, many will be interested how IT01 compares to its bigger brother, IT03.

IT01 vs IT03 – starting with a soundstage, they have nearly similar width, maybe with 01 being a touch wider, and 03 having more out of your head depth while 01 is closer to a stage with more intimacy. The upper hand in bass belongs to 01 with more sub-bass rumble and stronger mid-bass impact, and, while 03 bass is north of neutral, 01 still dominates without overpowering the sound. With mids, the table is turned around where I hear 01 being more recessed and with more neutral lower mids and a little pushed back upper mids, while 03 has more body in lower mids and more organic upper mids in comparison to thinner upper mids of 01. With treble, it changes again, now 01 resumes the dominating position with more sparkle and crunch, leading to a perception of more airiness, while 03 has a great definition and extension, but smoother in comparison to 01.

Here how it stacks up against other IEMs.

IT01 vs Simgot EN700Pro – 01 has a wider soundstage while EN has a little more depth, extending a little further out. With a more balanced signature, EN has a tastefully elevated level of sub-bass rumble and mid-bass impact, while 01 goes deeper and hits harder when it comes to the bass. With mids, EN pulls more forward with more body in lower mids while 01 is more neutral, and more forward upper mids while 01 pulled a little more back. While being more recessed in comparison, 01 mids are more revealing with better retrieval of details, and EN mids are smoother and more organic. With treble, 01 has more sparkle and crunch while EN is smoother in comparison. Both have a well-defined treble, but that extra sparkle in 01 gives it a perception of more airiness. But the main difference here is 01 being more v-shaped tuned, while EN is more balanced.

IT01 vs HiFiMan RE600 – 01 soundstage is wider by a noticeable margin here, while RE has only slight advantage in soundstage depth, though closer to 01. Also, RE bass is a lot more neutral in comparison, with sub-bass being the most noticeable difference where 01 goes deeper with higher quantity. Both have a fast, mid-bass punch, but 01 hits harder. Both have neutral lower mids, perhaps with 01 being a little more south of neutral when compared to RE. Upper mids are more forward, smoother, more natural in RE while 01 is pulled a little back, thinner, and brighter in comparison. Both have a well-defined crunchy treble, but 01 still has more sparkle.

IT01 vs Oriveti Basic – 01 soundstage is wider, while they both have a similar depth, with Basic being just slightly further out. With bass, finally 01 has a match where Basic goes as deep and hits as hard, but the difference is that 01 bass is tighter, faster, and more articulate, while Basic is slower and more relaxed in comparison. Basic also has more body in lower mids, while 01 is more neutral, and Basic’s upper mids are more forward, warmer, and smoother in comparison to more recessed, thinner, brighter, and more revealing 01 upper mids. When it comes to treble, Basic has as much crunch but nowhere near the same level of sparkle as 01 which sounds brighter and airy in comparison to Basic.

IT01 vs ATH-CKR10 – 01 soundstage is wider, while CKR has a noticeably more depth with a sound being more out of your head. While CKR has a nice sub-bass rumble and north of neutral mid-bass punch, it does not go as deep or has as much mid-bass impact as 01. Both have a similar neutral lower mids, while upper mids is where I hear the most difference. Besides CKR upper mids being more forward, they are brighter and less natural in tonality versus 01 being slightly pulled back with an equally brighter yet more natural, smoother tonality. Treble is nearly identical between these two.

IT01 vs IT03.

Pair up.

Based on the spec with 16-ohm impedance and 108 dB sensitivity, IT01 should be easy to drive from any source. Thus, I wasn’t expecting any surprises.

Cowon Plenue 2 – very wide expanded soundstage. V-shaped sound signature with a slightly elevated deep sub-bass rumble and a fast, articulate strong mid-bass punch. Neutral lower mids, slightly pushed back brighter revealing upper mids, and crisp sparkly treble. Black background.

Lotoo LPG – very wide soundstage with a little more depth. The sound has a little deeper v-shaped signature due to a stronger mid-bass impact, with the same deep sub-bass rumble, and a little more energy with more sparkle in treble. Upper mids are very resolving with excellent retrieval of details, and at the same time a little thinner and brighter. Very faint background hissing.

Sony WM1Z – very wide holographic soundstage with a little more depth. The sound is still v-shaped but has a little smoother tonality now. Bass still hits hard with a deep rumble and fast mid-bass, lower mids have a touch more body, upper mids are a little smoother and more organic, while treble has a lot more energy with more crunch and better definition, but it’s not harsh or splashy. I can hear treble being wider in its presentation. Black background.

iBasso DX200 w/amp4 – very wide holographic soundstage with a little more depth. The sound keeps it’s v-shaped sound sig, with tonality being a little more revealing. Bass is fast and very articulate, sub-bass rumble is nicely textured, mid-bass hits hard and fast. Lower mids are a bit south of neutral, upper mids are revealing, transparent, highly resolving. Treble is crisp, airy, well defined. Black background.

Galaxy Note 4 – soundstage is still wide, but not to the same extent as with DAPs above. Bass hits hard with the same level of sub-bass rumble and mid-bass punch, but it’s a bit slower and not as tight. Mids are pushed slightly more back, still being bright and revealing, while treble is crisp and well defined.

Conclusion.

When I received IT01 and started my testing, I was curious to find out if iBasso cut any corners to bring down the price of IT01, but I couldn’t find anything to nitpick about. We are talking about premium quality packaging, premium removable cable and other accessories, unique graphene driver with a fun v-shaped tuning, and a compact durable shell with a metal nozzle. All this for about $100 makes it quite an impressive value.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to a personal sound preference. If you prefer a neutral signature with a more balanced sound and tamed down bass impact, these are not for you. The same, if you are looking for a more soulful mid-forward performance with a focus on vocals, these are not it. IT01 delivers a fun v-shaped signature with a clear detailed sound, a wide soundstage expansion, a punchy bass, and a crisp treble for modern audiophiles on the go. And, IT01 won’t break your wallet and doesn’t require a pair up with high-end sources to make it sound great. Perhaps, IT01 won’t replace its older brother IT03, but it surely compliments it nicely! The next stop, IT04!