This is going to be a very difficult review for me to do.The reason why is that the IT00 has very little ‘character’ of its own. To my ears they’re ruler flat, detailed throughout the frequency range, fit really well, are pretty efficient and appear to be very well made. Perhaps you can see why I’m struggling. What I have basically described is the perfect in ear monitor.
Obviously there are better IEM’s out there - it would be foolish to describe these as the best you can possibly get as this simply isn’t the case. However, once you take their price into account, it’s not hard to see just why the iBasso IT00 is such a good headphone and, in my opinion, you would have to spend considerably more money before you would see any appreciable return on your investment.
Slick packaging seems to be all the rage at the moment. I think that iBasso is definitely one of the up and coming brands who are desperately trying to compete with the likes of Sony and Apple - and they're succeeding. The IT00’s come in a nicely printed box and also comes supplied with a large array of replacement tips, a rather nice branded round zippered carry case and a couple of replacement filters (really nice touch iBasso). The IEM's are supplied with a rather nice black coated, braided cable that's just the right length for portable use. The jack is high quality and right angled for strain relief. This is a really nice overall package and certainly wouldn't be out of place for headphones costing several times the price of the IT00's. After a bit of tip rolling, I found the right size to ensure a nice seal and was good to go.
Whilst I’m not overly keen on white earphones although I have to say that these do look good. If they were made by Samsung the colour would be described as something like Pacific Pearl White or perhaps Arctic Wind Grey - basically they’re white. They feel very solid and look like they could survive a fair amount of abuse. The MMCX connection is nice and tight - I haven’t had the cables accidentally disconnect on me yet. The stem goes a little deeper into the ear canal than some (which for me is always a welcome feature and definitely helps ensure you get a good seal) and the IEM’s feature a replaceable filter (also supplied with a spare set). The glossy finish will help with keeping the IEM’s clean. With most of my IEM’s I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time faffing around trying to get the perfect seal - I kinda got used to the triple flanges used with the Etymotics - and they go deeeeeep! My experience with the IT00’s is very positive and I have no problems pretty much just ‘plopping’ them into my ears, a quick wiggle and I’m sorted. Nice touch iBasso. The cable is nice and flexible and doesn’t appear to easily get tangled.
I have to say it. These remind me of the Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10’s. This is one hell of a compliment because I rate those headphones very highly indeed. To my ears, the IT00's are essentially flat - perhaps a slight bass ‘bloom’ over the UE’s but not enough to describe them as ‘bassy’. I’ve been driving them from my Sony NW-A55 Walkman (uncapped) and there’s no problems driving these headphones to very high levels with this player. They actually make a really good combination although you shouldn’t have any problems driving these from most portable devices.
I suppose if compared to the Etymotic ER4P, the sound character of these could be described as ‘V’ shaped although this certainly doesn’t come across as exaggerated. Mids come through clearly - perhaps not quite in your face mids. The sound stage is perhaps ‘medium-sized’, but there’s nothing in that sound stage that appears overly artificial - it stays nicely focussed. There’s a wonderful amount of micro detail to the sound and the imagery remains nicely rock solid - I feel that this is always the sign of good quality headphone/earphones as it shows that their drivers are well matched. Whilst I have been listening to the IT00’s for a good few days now, I very much doubt that they have ‘broken in’ yet. To be honest I wasn’t much of a believer until I tried the Tronsmart Apollo Bold’s - they really changed their character over the first couple of days usage. So now, I’m a semi-believer - I’m certainly willing to be receptive to the concept - let’s put it that way.
I’m very sensitive to harsh highs and I’m very pleased to say that you won’t find any of that here. The highs on the IT00’s are perhaps what reminds me the most of the UE TF10’s. Super impressive when you consider that these are using a single dynamic driver rather than multiple driver balanced armatures. Cymbals have a nice ‘shimmer’ to their sound but the top end isn’t overly bright and doesn't fatigue you after long listening sessions. There’s could perhaps be just a tad more detail on the highs - but I personally really like their fatigue free sound character.
I did notice some significant ‘driver flex’ in both of these earphones but it only shows itself when you’re pushing the headphones into your ears - the rest of the time it’s fine. Many in-ear monitors in my collection suffer this phenomenon - especially the bluetooth ones however this has never appeared to have a negative effect on the sound quality.
What the IT00’s clearly show to me is just how far high-quality IEM’s have come. The original retail price for the Triple Fi 10’s was significantly more than the IT00's but both sound remarkably close to each other in my opinion. In comparing the IT00's to perhaps their closest rival, the Fiio FD1's I think they're very close. For me, the Fiio's sounded very slightly more mellow with slightly more forward mids and slightly recessed treble whereas the IT00's sound more engaging and appear to offer a deeper bass as well as slightly more detail in the top end. Both can be highly recommended as their differences really boil down to your own personal preferences. I personally would choose the ibasso IT00's but I still do enjoy the FD1’s (how’s that for sitting on the fence). Great sound. Great Fit. Great value. Very highly recommended.