iBasso’s portable DACs have proven to be some of the most popular options in the audiophile space, with products like the DC-Elite becoming an industry standard. iBasso’s portable amps have always been good options, but they haven’t released anything quite like PB6 Macaw. Priced at $499, and offering tube desktop power in a sleek design, PB6 Macaw looks like the perfect portable amp solution, but can it live up to that promise?

Build and Design

PB6 Macaw has a simple design, with a metal chassis and a window to see the mini tubes. For inputs and outputs, you have 3.5mm and 4.4mm for both. The device can charge via USB-C or with a 12V power adapter. With the 12V power adapter, you can also use desktop mode, which increases the maximum power output from 1.6W at 32 ohms, to 2.3W.

There are three control switches on the rear of the unit:

• Gain: H/L (High/Low), sets the base output level for the amp.

• BW: H/L (High/Low), increases the power bandwidth for the power transformer, lowering distortion and increasing dynamics.

• Mode: Tube/AB, switches between tube and class AB solid state amp mode.

Using Class AB mode with low gain, and low bandwidth, you can get over 13 hours of playback time on battery with PB6. But 9 hours is going to be a more realistic estimate if you’re using tubes or over-ear headphones that require high gain.

In the box, you’ll find short 3.5mm and 4.4mm interconnects along with a standard USB-C charge cable and the 12V DC adapter. Everything is wrapped up nicely with velour cloth bags, and packaged in a wood box.

Sound

Despite its small footprint, the PB6 Macaw delivers sound that rivals desktop amplifiers, with impressive power and dynamics, with low distortion. In solid-state mode, the sound is clean, transparent, and dynamic, maintaining some softness to the treble and warmth to the sound. Switching to tube mode introduces more warmth and stronger note weight without really coloring the sound much.

In testing, PB6 handled power-hungry headphones like the HEDDphone 2GT and HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled with surprising authority. At the same time, it keeps that power under control when used with IEMs. I did catch a bit of interference with IEMs when used with a DAP that’s using WiFi for streaming, but other than that PB6 handled everything we threw at it really well.

The different modes give you a number of options that determine sound quality and power output, with a little bit of space for preference as well. Tube mode is a little warmer, but also offers a touch more maximum power, while the high bandwidth mode improves the dynamics of the sound, with the only sacrifice being heat and battery life. High and low gain, doesn’t have any impact on the specifics of the sound, just the volume and headroom.

Comparisons: Cayin RU9, Xduoo XD05T, iBasso PB5

There aren’t a lot of portable pure headphone amps in the $500 price range – most are DAC/Amp Combos – but there are some items that make for a good comparison. Cayin RU9 ($449) is  a DAC/Amp in similar price range and features tube and solid state modes. xDuoo XD05T ($549.99)is another DAC/Amp, but it has a deeper similarity in that it can be used purely as a amp, bypassing the DAC portion. And finally, it’s worth comparing PB6 to its predecessor the iBasso PB5 Osprey($1799.)

Starting with the PB5, I found PB6 to actually have a more neutral overall tonality, but PB5 had stronger dynamics and a bit more detail. What’s most surprising was that PB6 is both smaller and produces more output power. With all this in mind, along with the price, PB5 becomes a really tough sell next to its more compact, more powerful, and less expensive successor.

RU9 doesn’t make for an exactly apples to apples comparison, since it’s specifically a DAC/Amp, but for those looking to add tubes to a portable setup it’s another strong option. Basically, it terms of sheer sound quality and power, PB6 has a clear advantage over RU9, while RU9’s smaller size and DAC component mean that it’s a true portable all-in-one solution, and even if you’re not sure if you need the DAC, the smaller size, and features like magnetic attachment are a strong win. It’s really just a matter of the exact use case you need.

Comparing specifically the amp-only performance, xDuoo XD05T offers a more “tube-forward” sound with a slightly warmer tone. The bass-boost feature lets you lean into that sound even further. The trade-off is more noise with IEMs and less maximum output power. So PB6 has the edge in clarity and transparency, along with being usable for a larger range of headphones and IEMs, which makes it a stronger choice, unless you prefer the warmer, more colored sound, or need the DAC component as well as powerful portable tube amplification.

Final Thoughts

PB6 Macaw is an impressive piece of engineering: a portable amplifier with desktop power for $499. The hybrid solid-state/tube design, level power output, and switchable modes add a high degree of versatility and make it appropriate for the vast majority of headphones and IEMs out there. Whether you’re using demanding full-size headphones on the go, want to add more power to your DAP, or building a compact desktop rig, with its combination of clean technical performance and subtle analog character, it’s hard to think of anything that’s better than PB6 at what it does.