Pros
Great all-rounder and daily driver
Good price vs performance ratio
Premium Build with metal shell
Very nice Cable
Highly recommended for Rap and EDM music lovers
Non-fatiguing sound
Cons
Not for treble heads
ARTTI R1 REVIEW
I am an audiophile from sunny South Africa and no I do not have Lions or Elephants walking in my backyard. We have a very thriving audiophile scene and we even have our own High end audio show in Cape Town. However, the portable audio scene and especially in ear monitors and dac/amps is vastly unknown here and that is why I do these reviews to create awareness for these wonderful little monitors that are giant killers in price vs performance ratio. Today I have some killers here named the ARTTI R1.
These in-ear monitors were sent to me by Arrti as part of the Audio Geek Reviews South Africa tour. This review is totally my own opinion and I receive no compensation in any way from the company as my integrity and name are much more important than any financial gain. The R1 was delivered to my door very fast. I think it was 2 weeks and the package was at my local Post Office.
Unboxing
These monitors sell for ZAR1,383.43 in my country and the packaging reflects the price. The monitors came in a sturdy light green cardboard box with a white thin cardboard wrapper showcasing a nice photo of the R1’s and for all the Audio Geeks a High-Res Audio logo. When you open the box these beautiful monitors with metal shells in I call the color Astin Martin green peeking at you. When you lift the sponge up that holds the monitors you get two bank bags with three sets of tips each. The tips come in White and a transparent black. Next up you get a very cool denim material carrying case and on the bottom there is the usual user manual and warranty card peeking at you. Overall this premium packaging and I am highly impressed.
Specs
Model- R1
Driver Unit- Triple dynamic drivers/side
Impedance- 20.4Ω±1% (@1kHz)
Total Harmonic Distortion- ≤3% (@1kHz)
Sensitivity- 102dB/mW (@1kHz)
Frequency Response- 20Hz-20kHz
Cable Length- Plug- 3.5mm
Connector- 0.78PIN
Cable- Four-strand 216-core * 0.05mm Australian high-purity copper wire
Connectivity
The R1 was sent with a 3.5mm single ended cable but with the Nicehck upgrade cable I used it gave me the ability to use the R1 with dongles like the EPZ Tp20 and Hidizs S8 Pro Robin. I listened to these with many sources like my Astell & Kern Dap and Hiby M300 as transport with the dongles providing the amp and dac functions and it was so pleasant and tranquil having this relaxed sound on all the mediums I hooked it up to. I connected these to my Oppo, Lg and Samsung Cellphones and I have to admit these need an amp if you are looking for exponential sound delivery.
Look & Build
I am a sucker for metal faceplate monitors so these R1’S with the Aston Martin green metal faceplates impressed me ever since I took them out from the box. They feel good quality and heavy which says quality to me. One thing I also think would add some awesome aesthetics and maybe an audio gain is Penon Lacquer Orange tips. I think the orange and green together would look insane. Unfortunately, my Penon tips have not arrived yet at the time of writing this review. I asked on one of the many groups I am on and a good friend was so kind to send me a photo as he owns both and I include the photo with his permission in this review. Man I liked these so much that for the first time I used an upgrade cable on an in ear monitor. Nicehck sent me an upgrade cable to review and I hooked it up and man the synergy is so good I wish the R1 came standard with this cable. It’s called the Four mix and it is Lime green in color and so nice and thick but not in a heavy way. It also came in 4.4mm Balanced so I knew I could get the R1 enough juice. The fit was just the way I like it. With the metal shells you can actually feel you have a good piece of audio quality in your ear.
Sound
There is a thickness to the sound and even though the set is treble boosted this thickness creates the atmosphere for long hours of non fatiguing listening. All bass instruments sound extra thick to and was very apparent on Sault- Wildfires, the bass line so smooth and warm and a pleasure to listen to while I am writing this review. The treble really amazes me because it's really very prominent but not in an eardrum hurting way. It's a warm treble and there is a fullness to the sound that my ears really like. I think this set will perform very nicely as a monitor for bass too. I think this might suit bass players on stage.
I have to say something about the soundstage because it's as if it's a bit toned down in the center but the right and left sides are expansive and wide and it's very apparent on the song Ifrikya by Lambess and the Bongo’s sound is so surreal. Other than that it is very holographic and a treat to place the various instruments.
I listened to vocals and while I was trying to depict discrepancies in Freddie Mercury’s voice in Barcelona with Montserrat Caballe the trumpet really stood out and it felt like a fat man was blowing that trumpet with huge breaths.
Also while being in my Queen playlist my eye caught the song Fat Bottomed Girls and I think this is the perfect nickname for these R1’s. From now on I shall call them the Fat Bottomed Girls because of this thick warm sound especially the drums. The baseline was so smooth that it started a fat baseline search within my gallery and landed me on Creedence ClearWater Revival Chronicles album and immediately jumping to Heard it through the Grapevine and instantly when that bass line hits my foot started tapping and I knew this was an album I need to listen through with these R1 girls.
This set is made of three dynamic drivers per side and I have to say the crossover is done so flawlessly that the timbre between the three drivers is world class. This is not an analytical set to evaluate your most high res and audiophile albums but more for musical enjoyment as in get your 70’s rock albums out and just enjoy the ride with Uriah Heep- Lady in Black or Led Zeppelin- Bron-Y-Aur Stomp and guaranteed it will get your foot tapping. As I am writing this a Bob Segar song called Old time rock and roll comes on and man this takes me back and that trumpet in the later part of the song is such a treat.
For my loudness brothers, you can crank these up and they will not hurt your ears and even though with a good sensitivity and impedance these are easy to dry however II encourage using them with the balanced port of your dongle/dac or dap as giving these power makes those three drivers dance in tune even more and your ears will thank me later.
This is absolutely the best I have ever heard rap music sound on an in ear monitor. It is as if these R1’s were made for Rap music. The 50 Cent song “Many Men” had me listen to it three times on repeat. These R1 had me revisiting my Rap Favorites folder on Tidal often. Everything from 2Pac right through to Akon sounded sublime and took me back so many years when I was in high school and my whole east vs west side vibe was in full swing. From the Blade Soundtrack the song Gangsta Bounce by Wolfpak hits so low and the sub bass rumble comes through and makes you feel like you are sitting in a car with a subwoofer in the boot.
For overall sound enjoyment I rate these pretty high and what a refreshing listen in a world with a plethora of Harman tuned sets.
Conclusion
This is a win for me, ticking all the boxes for me and everything I would want in an everyday use in ear monitors. It’s also the type of monitor I would want to modify to bring out the best in it. Artti knocked this out the park for me and I highly recommend everyone to buy a pair. Arrti is setting the bar high here for competitors and I thoroughly enjoyed this set and I recommend it to any one who loves rap and edm music especially. You are getting a three driver excellently turned for musical enjoyment monitor that has room for improvement with tips and cables so it's perfect for the DIY guys too.
