I have already reviewed both the IT00 IEM’s and the CF01 MMCX bluetooth adaptors as separate items but I thought it would be a good idea to review this combination as one unit as it’s quite likely that they could be sold together. I personally think that this combination makes for a very cost effective high quality bluetooth headphone which can easily hold its own with the very best bluetooth headphones currently available.
At the moment I’m using the CF01’s in combination with my Magaosi K3 Pro IEM’s as this combination offers a really nice sound quality, good fit and a slightly elevated bass which is ideal for portable listening. The IT00’s offer the same degree of clarity, sound quality and fit but are a little ‘flatter’ in their sound profile than the Magaosi’s.
The IT00’s do make for an excellent pairing with the CF01’s though. The MMCX connection is nice and tight and, thanks to the slightly different position of the MMCX socket on the headphones, the fit is actually slightly better than with the Magaosi’s - it’s almost as if they’re made for each other.
Actually putting them in is a lot easier than you would think. Simply pop the IEM into your ear, tuck the electronics behind your ears (the stiffness of the cable helps to maintain a good seal) and you're good to go. The CF01's automatically power up and connect as soon as you take them out of the case and by the time you've put them in, they're connected.
Putting them back in the case is a lot easier than you would think as well. The CF01's feature pretty strong magnets which help draw the electronics to the charging pins. This works remarkably well and it's just as easy to put these back as any pair of TWS headphones in my opinion. Another really nice feature with the case is the internal space they've created to help house some of the larger IEM's out there. What's more, the case features a spring-loaded button which helps keep the case closed even with a slight bit of outward pressure from using larger IEM's or tips. The case also features USB Fast Charging and wireless charging which is truly excellent.
I won't bore you with the details regarding pairing - Needless to say it was straightforward and painless. Bluetooth range appears to be pretty good - certainly no dropouts under normal use. I like the physical buttons - touch controls are so difficult to get right - only Apple and Sony have really pulled it off in my experience. iBasso's single button on the top of each earphone works really well. It's easy to find, doesn't ever suffer with accidental button presses and has a nice, positive action. Unfortunately you can't control the volume remotely - good job I have a Samsung Smartwatch which makes this issue redundant.
This is actually quite a difficult product to review in some ways. Obviously the overall sound quality is going to be defined by whichever IEM's you end up connecting to the CF01's. To my ears, what the CF01's bring to the table is a really nice 'platform' to attach your IEM's to. There's no significant electronic noise, there's plenty of volume and the sound character is essentially ruler flat. There's really not much more you could ask from a player.
The IT00's also have a pretty flat sound character in my opinion. Compared to the Fiio FD1's they has perhaps a slightly more elevated midrange and perhaps slightly more bass, but still essentially flat. This means that when you pair the IT00's with the CF01's the end result is a truly remarkable bluetooth headphone. As an ex-owner of the Etymotics ER4P's I recognise the analytical character this combination exhibits. I genuinely feel that from a pure sound quality perspective this combination could be used for those listening sessions where you're in a more analytical mood and really want to hear the details as they were meant to be.
The sound is crisp, dynamic and non-fatiguing. I suspect that this could be one of the few bluetooth headphones where you could actually run the battery down in one listening session. Now, in all fairness I have to point out a couple of things. Bluetooth headphone tend to pretty much cut off the ultra high frequencies that are at the threshold of human hearing - something that wired headphones can reproduce (whether you can actually hear them or not) and the CF01's are no exception. To my ears this really doesn't change the 'musicality' of these headphones and, at the age of 58, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't hear them anyway.
In my opinion the CF01's are not a solution looking for a problem. The improvements in sound quality from simply being able to use your own IEM's is a revelation. Even the best true wireless headphones out there tend to rely on DSP processing to 'shape' the sound to overcome limitations in their drivers. Whilst I love Sony's sound character and recognise that this is due to effective digital signal processing rather than things like esoteric driver materials, multiple drivers/balanced armatures and careful driver matching. The 'Flat-Earther' in me will always recognise factors like build quality and materials used, careful manufacturing and sound quality being the primary driver motivating the manufacturer - not bells and whistles, features and fancy colours.
The combination of the CF01's and the IT00's is truly a match made in heaven. I honestly haven't heard a Bluetooth headphone offer the detail and clarity that this combo brings to the table. Whilst it's true that there are some features that would have been nice to see such as LDAC, Active Noise Cancelling and remote volume controls, this really is nitpicking. This is bluetooth headphones for the purist. I love this cost-effective and fabulous sounding combination and very highly recommend it. Easily the best sounding bluetooth headphone in my collection so far. An easy five stars.