Quick Look: iKKO Heimdallr ITB03 Portable DAC/Amplifier

[VSG]

iKKO adds to its portable DAC/amplifier line with the new Heimdallr ITB03 that offers both wired and wireless connectivity on top of 3.5 mm SE and 4.4 mm BAL outputs. It also sports an OLED screen with physical buttons to make for a complex but rich menu system with digital filters and operating modes alike.

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[bug]

Looks like a very decent offering for the asking price. Frequency response looks perfect in HiFi mode. Other modes seem just whacky, but I suppose I shouldn't judge before hearing it first.

 

[VSG]

Looks like a very decent offering for the asking price. Frequency response looks perfect in HiFi mode. Other modes seem just whacky, but I suppose I shouldn't judge before hearing it first.

Movie mode reminds me of the free IEMs you get on planes:

Basically emphasizing vocals over the rest, which I suppose makes sense for planes where you mostly care about the dialogue. These IEMs sound absolutely terrible on the ground with anything else though

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

Yeah, not sure what's going on with those modes. Screen is a nice touch though. The size is getting close to the "we mean portable as in you can take it from A to B, or use it if you are in a winter coat" territory.

 

[VSG]

Yeah, not sure what's going on with those modes. Screen is a nice touch though. The size is getting close to the "we mean portable as in you can take it from A to B, or use it if you are in a winter coat" territory.

It's the biggest of these still pocketable DAC/amps I have here, I was in half a mind to photograph it next to the FiiO Q7.

 

[he_found_you]

can it decode DSD and output PCM over the optical output? Asking since it would be the holy DD grail for cheap (not DAC, just digtal to digital) especially if its a low jitter optical out (nowadays all should be such)

 

[VSG]

can it decode DSD and output PCM over the optical output? Asking since it would be the holy DD grail for cheap (not DAC, just digtal to digital) especially if its a low jitter optical out (nowadays all should be such)

Should be fine, most of these smaller sources can decode DSD256 or even DSD512. Comes down to the USB bridge and the DAC chipset itself.

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

can it decode DSD and output PCM over the optical output? Asking since it would be the holy DD grail for cheap (not DAC, just digtal to digital) especially if its a low jitter optical out (nowadays all should be such)

What optical?

 

[VSG]

What optical?

I assume he meant analog output haha

 

[he_found_you]

the 3.5mm TRRS combines optical and analog out. I used similar optical output from my X-Fi Extreme Gamer to the Sony ES receiver for native decoding of DTS/etc in the Sony instead of the PC.
However, that card lacked the ability to send DSD over the optical and was decoding it internally to PCM which is then sent as ~4mbps stream to the receiver. However 10 years passed so I am wondering if this IKKO can output DSD over the optical out. This would make it perfect digital-to-digital interface as the only ones that do output over optical cost twice more.