Art on Stage

 

Ratings

 

 

Pros

 

• Wide soundstage.
• Clear and very detailed sound.
• Construction.
• Possibility of use on ear.
• MMCX connection.
• Presentation and packaging.

 

Cons

 

• Lightweight bass.
• Its thickness penalizes the adjustment.
• The sound can vary a lot depending on the placement, even the preception of the lower zone.

 

Purchase Link

 

https://penonaudio.com/ourart-ti7.html

 

Link to the Store

 

https://penonaudio.com

 

Introduction

 

The Ourart Ti7 are almost revolutionary earbuds, with their shape inspired by sports car wheels and their MMCX connection. The design is unique and its shape very bold, at the limit of comfort and versatility.

All the information I’ve read previously indicates that the Ti7 are mid-centric earbuds, with good resolution, specific for pop music, vocal styles and relaxed. In addition, there is also talk of their analog sound. What is true in all of this, in my humble opinion?

 

 

 

Specifications

 

• Driver: 14.2mm custom titanium crystal diaphragm dynamic driver
• Frequency range:  20Hz-25000Hz
• Sensitivity: 118dB
• Impedance: 32 ohm
• Cable: 1.1m
• Jack connector: 3.5mm in L, gold plated
• Type of capsule connection: MMCX

 

 

 

Packaging

 

The box is almost cubic, dimensions 100x100x75 mm, completely black, with the logo of the brand and letters in silver. Once the cardboard cover is removed, a box lined in shiny black appears. Its upper part is the same as the cardboard cover, but is slightly padded. On the bottom there is a sticker with the specifications and the name of the model.

When the box is opened, the earbuds are embedded in a thick foam mould. They come with donut foam. Cables are also connected. It is a braided black wire of acceptable thickness and robustness. In my case they didn’t come with ear guides, which can be seen in the instruction and warranty booklet. The connector is large, in L, of 3.5mm.

 

 

All other accessories:

 

• A zip bag with 4 full black foams.
• A zip bag with 4 black donut foams.
• A zip bag with 4 grey full foams and 4 red donut foams.
• A particular and great clip for the clothes.

 

The presentation transmits the care and mime with which these spectacular earbuds have been manufactured and presages a sound at their height. The quality of the packaging is excellent, well above the selling price.

The only drawback is, as always and in my opinion, the lack of a rigid transport box.

 

 

Construction and Design

 

The design requires a special mention: the face on which the sound is emitted is reminiscent of an antique car rim. Its large openings give a glimpse of a silver braided cable spiral. Indeed, they are wide car rims and donut foams are their tyres.

No less shocking is the back of the drivers: a completely rectangular box of the same material and color. On the underside are the gold-plated MMCX connections. On the outside, the mark is read in fine black letters.

The ensemble is unique, impressive, spectacular and very daring.

The cable is not at its level, the MMCX connectors coated in black plastic are not to match the refinement of the capsules. At least the Jack connector is saved from this odious comparison.

 

 

Adjustment and Ergonomics

 

The fit and ergonomics are just as bold as the design. The thickness of the capsules does not make it very suitable for all ears. And I think it’s the main culprit of its sound, for better or worse.

Thanks to their shape and connection, the Ti7 can be used in a traditional way, downwards or over the ear. Personally, for use over the ear, I recommend cables with guides, as they favor a better fixation of the earbuds in the ears.

As I said, the thickness of the capsules prevents, in my case, an optimal fit and sealing. This is something that does not change, regardless of the position, either traditional or on the ear. This wide shape can also cause some discomfort during long listening sessions.

 

 

Sound

 

Profile

 

The profile is clearly mid-centric. But it’s not the driver’s fault, in my opinion, the special shape of the Ti7 totally favors the sound that is perceived: light and colored basses towards the bright side, close and somewhat cold mids, very detailed and enormously open, soft but perceptible trebles.

In this case, although I’ve always been very skeptical about the burning of the headphones, the overall sound of the Ti7 has improved after hours of burning.

 

 

Bass

 

The consequence of its thick shape, favors the lack of sealing. Thus, the bass are light. The use of different types of foam does not significantly alter the presence of this area. But it can help, as can its use on the ear. In my case and contrary to what other users have read, the use of double foams, or complete foams with doughnuts on top, slightly enhances the lower zone, but more so if the position is on the ear.

The perceived basses are fine, shallow, in my opinion, insufficient for a lover of the lower zone like me. They have a light and soft texture, a very compact body, an extremely fast and dry blow, but reduced. They also lack warmth, rather suffer some cold coloration, which still has a little more depth and generates a sense of hollow sound.

But I refuse to believe that the Ti7 drivers are incapable of providing a more clearly perceptible bass. What you see in the frequency response graph does not indicate that smooth bass. That’s why I attribute the lack of forcefulness in this area to the adjustment caused by its design. You just have to peel the capsules out, so that they are more frontal to the ear holes and the farthest part presses more the shell of the ear, to clearly notice the power of its bass. In this way, the sound gets to change a lot and for good.

 

 

Mids

 

However, this is where the capsule design proves particularly successful: the mids are deliciously delicate, clear, very concise and concrete, detailed but sweetly soft. The area is not musically particularly close. But the voices do receive a special treatment, which makes them sound with an almost isolated projection, closer to the listener. They are not warm, on the contrary, they feel slightly cold, fine and subtle, without too much body, but beautiful and enjoyable.

The instruments in the middle zone sound with a declared relaxation, without any aggressiveness or roughness, characteristics that make it extremely suitable for very prolonged listening. The width of the sound, the certain remoteness of its presentation and the moderation at the extremes of the frequency range also help in this sense.

 

 

Treble

 

The treble sounds quite balanced, with no peaks, no stridency, no excessive presence. They are clear but not extremely extensive or sharp, rather soft and with that delicate and sweet look already characteristic of their sound. But even so, they manage to bring a great amount of air and detail to the music, maintaining abundant naturalness and richness of tones.

Finally, it should be noted that there is no trace of wheezing.

 

 

Soundstage, Separation

 

Once conveniently burned, the scene is immense. The opening sensation of the sound is vastly perceptible. If the lower zone were deeper and slightly more emphasized, the three-dimensionality of the sound would reach stellar heights. The speed of the notes gives it a capacity for concretion and detail in the very high sound. The sound is very dry and compact, excellently controlled and executed in a highly precise way.

The space between frequencies is great. The sensation of air is such that there is no congestion, only light in the notes and abyssal darkness between them.

I have not heard other earbuds that produce the same sensation in this section as the wonderful Ti7.

Here is the great attraction of these earbuds, a unique sensation of ethereal and gaseous sound.

The only downside is that so much scene and separation dilutes the music a little, sometimes warning a certain distance, could even become a certain darkness.

As an additional piece of information, the soundstage can be increased using thin foams and higher quality cables.

 

 

Comparisons

 

Ty hi-z HP-150s MKII

 

The HP-150s are earbuds with a marked V sonority, with present and deep basses, distant voices and crisper highs. They offer a sound almost opposite in profile to the OurArt, starting from a darker and denser presentation, far from the centered, more detailed and relaxed clarity of the Ti7. The sensation of opening, distance even more the profiles, in favor of the Ourart, without the separation is bad in the Ty. But the sound is so clearly inverse, that the comparison is even curious, as far as frequency range is concerned, what one gives, the other not.

 

 

Yincrow RW-9

 

The Yincrow, despite their price, I like them quite a lot. I’ve enjoyed them a lot, due to their more balanced sound than others. Warm, with a good presence in the bass, a little far away in the middle, but not so much. Voices also warm, with body, halfway between darkness, softness and distance. Treble in general, nuanced, but with a sharp point of joy. The scene is clearly smaller than in Ti7, less clarity, much more presence in the lower zone, more diffuse and closer, without the precision, resolution and detail offered by Ourart. Ti7s are comparatively cooler and more analytical, with a more relaxed presentation and that point of distance that still separates them from the more frontal Yincrow sound. The high mids in the Ti7 feel more emphasized than in the RW-9, so the sound can vary greatly between the two, depending on the musical style reproduced.

In terms of separation and scene the Ti7 are at another level.

Again, many differences between the two profiles to keep the comparison.

 

 

Conclusion

 

The Ouart Ti7 is pure art on stage, both in design and sound. Their unique shapes give them a value superior to their price, due to the sense of exclusivity they produce, along with their level of construction. Their appeal is undeniable and they will probably never go unnoticed. And the question asks itself: Will the sound be at its height? You try to imagine it by its shape and it’s really hard to get it right. After a design that could be aggressively sporty, clearly sound sweet, soft, with great opening and soundstage, purely focused on mids, detailed, extreme content and very suitable for prolonged listening. Add to this the possibility of changing the cable, thanks to its MMCX connection and its use over the ear, it is extremely difficult not to succumb to all its charms.

A lot of art!

 

 

Sources Used During the Analysis

 

• F.Audio S1
• Fiio M9
• Burson Audio Playmate