Specifications
- Freq. response: 20-16000 HzSensitivity@500HZ: 106dBSPL/mVAImpedance@500HZ: 6 Ohm(Cable: 2DualOFC)Terminal: 3.5mm -- MMCXCord length: 1.2m
Price: U$169. (Or $129 without cable?)
Unit provided by OEAudio for review. Official Tita BA-1Ti product page
Design
The Tita BA-1Ti has a very compact and very well built design. The straight tubular shape may look simple but it is actually more complex. The main body is made of a mix of plastic and metal. The main outer shell is of very solid plastic, semi-translucent that allows to see the inner small armature driver and part of the nozzle. The other half consists of the metal nozzle, made entirely of titanium with the advertised ‘horn’ design. It is very rare to see titanium applied on in-ear monitors, even more at this price range. The nozzle body is installed inside the front half of the plastic shell, while the rear holds the BA unit and its cabling.
At the top of the rear half part is where the exchangeable back covers should be installed, and the Tita includes three different sets. They not just differ in material (and color) but also in the opening port at the back side, which, in theory, should affect the overall sound tuning. Changing the covers is done by unscrewing the small screw placed at the inner lateral side of the earphone. Not the quickest way but yes safe enough as you won’t be losing the covers. The only part of the process that needs extra care is the placement, or alignment, of the tiny dampers that need to be meticulously done, and only reason you won’t be exchanging the shells frequently.
With all the different metal materials the Tita has premium ‘air’ on it. More importantly, with the compact design the fit is very easy and proves to be very comfortable, reminiscent of the Final Audio E series earphones, being much less compromising than tons of ‘over-ear’ shaped IEMs. Isolation is average and quite acceptable with this kind of design.
The included cable continues the good quality and comfortable use as the earphones themselves. Do note that the version here is the one that includes the 2DualOFC cable, sold separately for around U$50. As its name suggests, this is an oxygen-free copper wire cable, which consists of two main strands, one for each channel. Each strand holds two inner wires twisted together as can be seen through the transparent TPU coating. In practice, the cable itself is very lightweight and comfortable to use, and presents no noise when moving around. logically, as it is made for the Tita IEM the cable has no ear hooks installed on it and can be worn easily with the cable down or up around the ears.
Sound Quality
Clearly, the Tita presents a very BA type of sound, though it is similar to the few Sonion based IEMs rather than the many Knowles I’ve tried, and more specifically at the $100~200 range. Ultimately, while the sound may depend on the metal rear shells’ covers applied, the changes are mainly at the low-end area and very slightly affect the rest of the sound.
Other IEMs tried with tuning systems were all hybrid types where the tuning kit altered the lows, mids or highs. On the Tita, probably being a single BA full range earphone, the tuning covers are just much less critical. (Usually on BA drivers the tuning is applied at the nozzle area, affecting the mid/high region; though, on the Sonion driver here it may have some logic to be set at the rear part of the housings and to change the bass balance).
Now, the overall sound is fairly even with a kind of warm tonality on it that gives that extra fullness to the sound, at least as what a single BA can get at this price level. I could not describe the Tita being ‘balanced’ nor it is neutral, but does not put too much emphasis on a very specific region. That said, technicalities are on the average level and the presentation is a bit narrow. Extension on both ends is limited as well; you certainly hear the roll-off at the upper highs and a lack of reach to the sub-bass. But as to compensate, the sound is very smooth, fatigue free with zero treble peaks and no heavy mid-bass lift.
The low-end gives a warm tuning, much more focused on the mid-bass area, rather than the sub-bass which is shy and limited. The mid-bass is punchy, fairly full and well-bodied, but not aggressive. Softer when compared to what many dynamic drivers can provide. Tight but not the cleanest and layering is lacking. It has that kind of fun factor to it with the BA characteristics of being fast, snappy in attack and just short in decay.
Transition from bass to the lower-mids is smooth and clean. The rich and warm tonality is present through the whole midrange giving more body and weight to both vocals and instruments. Balance between low and upper-mid is very even, and it is being more forward than neutral. The use of different covers can add a little bit extra fullness to either the low or high area, highlighting low or upper vocals more, but overall female vocals tend to have better texture and detail on the Tita. Transparency and air are about average; it is more of an intimate and smooth presentation.
Treble is smooth and forgiving. More centered into the low-treble region, while the rest of the upper frequency is limited and quickly rolls-off. It doesn’t sound dark or muddy, but due its laid-back character it can be missing the needed sparkle and energy. The level of detail is decent, though the Tita is not suited for finding micro-details. The positive side is that it is never harsh or sibilant, good for a more relaxed listening.
With the warmer and midrange centered tuning, soundstage is about average at best. Still acceptable if compared to previous single BA I’ve tried at this price point, but quickly loses next to hybrid or single dynamic based sets. Yet, compared to many hybrid/tri-brid IEMs the sound is cohesive having a full-range single driver.
Regarding the tuning cover shells, they do not provide any real impact to the frequency response. The stainless steel and brass are pretty much identical. On a very critical listening, the brass cover may sound a tad warmer/fuller, but I found that paired with different sources it is even harder to tell them apart. Physically, the brass has a wider opening at the back, but even so it doesn’t add a significant gain to the low end or extra air to the upper region. The aluminum is the one that presents a very slight drop on the bass/mid-bass region. Instead, trying different ear tips will give more positive results and those who can try some quick mods, may play with the installed dampers to improve the sound even further.