IKKO Zerda ITM03 - The Night King

IKKO Audio (IKKO Technology Co. Limited) is a relatively new Chinese brand that designs & develops Hi-Fi components like In-Ear Monitors, DAC/AMP. The IKKO Zerda ITM03 is a DAC/AMP Dongle with a pretty small form factor. For review I have received the USB-C variant of the dongle, but it is also available with Lightning connector. The body is made up of aluminium alloy sandblasted oxidized shell with monster OCC Silver-Plated silicone fully wrapped cable and weighs only 12 grams. Overall, it feels like a rugged product to hold. It offers 3.5mm audio as well as optical out.

The IKKO Zerda ITM03 features the CS43198 Chip featuring high impedance of 600 Ω, a 130 dBA dynamic range, a THD+N rating of -115 dB, and inter channel isolation of >110 dB and support sampling rates upto 384kHz and Native DSD x128. The Zerda ITM03 is compatible with operating systems like Android, Windows PC’s, MacOSX and iOS. It supports plug-and-play which means you doesn’t need to install any drivers.

As IKKO claims, Zerda ITM03 is a very powerful DAC/AMP for the size and has according to IKKO official specs a power rating of 1V – 32mW and can drive up to 600-ohm headphones. And to my surprise it did drove my Beyerdynamic T1Gen2 quite well. The background of the Zerda ITM03 is clean and dark thanks to the low THD+N of 0.0015.

Disclaimer:

I have received IKKO Zerda ITM03 as part of review circle from Hifinage in exchange of honest reviews. All impressions of sound are subjective to my own listening and my sources and is based on my experience with IEMs of similar hardware configurations and price range. During my testing I was not able to test optical out, so all the impressions are in perspective direct single-ended output of DAC/AMP. One can purchase same from the following link.

Sources:

For this review the unit has been paired to LG V30+ and Vivo X50pro and tested on CatEar Mimi, Fiio FH3, T1 Gen2 and Focal Clear


Pros:

1. Warmish and Musical Sound Signature
2. Powerful and Clean Output with Dark Background
3. Optical Out Support
4. Price to Performance Ratio

Cons:

1. Average Depth
2. Average Sub-Bass

Sound Impressions:

The IKKO Zerda ITM03 has a slightly warm. The sound signature of the Zerda ITM03 shows a slightly forward vocal and mids. 

The mid bass has a punchy slam and slightly forward presentation but that too in a very controlled manner so that it doesn’t interfere with the lower mid spectrum. The mid bass is quite smooth and relaxing and warm tonality makes it quite musical. On the other hand, sub-bass rumble is average I would say in terms of extension and quantity. 

The mid-range is again slightly forward; it is transparent and has a hint of warmness in it. The male vocals sound fuller and same is the impact with the female vocals as well and warmer presentation adds quite a lot emotion to it. The clarity and detailing are also top notch as per price point of view. Talking about instruments, they feel quite airy and precise. There is a lush in whole mid-range.

Now coming towards the treble region, that I felt is toward neutralish side. Instruments like flutes, violins are having a lush and will say not bright at all with enough extension. Treble is not harsh or sibilant at any point of time and is suitable for a wide range of genres. 

Last but not the least, talking about the soundstage, it has a wide stage that is suitable for a fairly precise separation of instruments and vocals although the depth has felt quite average.

Final Verdict:

IKKO Zerda ITM03 is definitely a good upgrade to the traditional sound driver of phone/tablet/pc and also quite versatile in terms of optical output that is one of its kind as per my knowledge for a dongle. The overall sound signature is warmish and musical with decent soundstage and imaging give a bit forward presentation with quite elegant and rugged looks and feel making it an interesting quite value for money gadget to have.

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