OURART ACG Earbud Review

THE ART OF METAL

Introduction:

OURART is a boutique Chinese brand that is producing In-Ear Monitor cables, earbuds and In-Ear Monitors.

The OURART ACG is the second earbud model of the company and is featuring a 14.2mm diameter ultra-thin titanium crystal diaphragm dynamic drive.

Disclaimer:

I would like to thank OURART for providing me this sample via Penon Audio for review purposes. I am not affiliated with OURART and Penon Audio beyond this review and these words reflect my true and unaltered opinions about the product.

Price:

The OURART ACG is available on Penon Audio for 65,00 USD under the link below:

Purchase Link: https://penonaudio.com/ourart-acg.html

Package and Accessories:

The OURART ACG is coming in a black hard box that is wrapped with a black cardboard sleeve that features the product branding. The box features an open-close action that we know from jewelry or watch boxes.

The box is containing the following items:

• 1 pair x OURART ACG Earbud monitor
• 3 pairs x Full foam Tips
• 3 pairs x Donut foam Tips
• 1 piece x Cable Clip

Design, Fit and Build Quality:

The OURART ACG has a solid metal shell with a very different design language compared to all other erabuds (Yuin, MX500 etc.) on the market.

The shape of the front housing is inspired by the running wheel hub and is eye catching.

The titanium diaphragm in silver color is visible under the openings on the front side and has a nice appearance.

On the back of the erabud shell is the laser engraved OURAT branding.

They are a several numbers of vents around the monitor shell.

At the back of the earbud shell is the MMCX female connector that is allowing you to upgrade to the cable of your preference.

The OURART ACG is coming with a detachable cable that features MMCX connectors.

The MMCX connectors have a transparent plastic housing with Left (blue) & Red (right) indicators.

The cable is made of copper-silver hybrid wire and has a soft rubber coating. The cable features a metal chin slider in silver color.

The copper-silver hybrid wire cable of the OURART ACG features a microphone with remote control functions.

The cable of the ACG has a 45 degree profiled headphone jack with a 3.5mm TRS (unbalanced) connector.

Technical Specifications:

• Drive Unit                   : 14.2 mm ultra-thin titanium crystal diaphragm dynamic driver
• Freq. Response          : 20~32000Hz
• Sensitivity                   : 122dB
• Impedance                 : 35 ohm
• Distortion                    : less than 0.5% (1 kHz)
• Cable Interface          : MMCX

Drivability:

The OURART ACG is an earbud with an impedance of 35ohm and sensitivity of 122dB @1kHz. It can be driven pretty well with relative weak sources like smartphones, tablets, but shows its true potential if you pair it with more powerful sources like a Portable Amplifiers or DAP’s.

Equipment’s used for this review:

IEM’s              : OURART ACG, TY Hi-Z 150s,
DAP&DAC’s  : QLS QA361, Cayin N5II, Astell&Kern SR15, xDuuo Poke

Albums & tracks used for this review:

• Jeff Buckley – Last Goodbye (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Leonard Cohen – You Wnt it Darker (Flac 24/192kHz))
• Dave Gahan – Kingdom (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• B.B. King – Riding With The King (Flac 24/192kHz)
• First Aid Kit – My Silver Lining (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• London Grammar – Interlud (Live) (Flac 24bit/88kHz)
• Laura Pergolizzi – Lost On You “Live at Harvard and Stone” (Wav 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Rush’s – Leave That Thing Alone (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Opeth – Damnation (Wav 16bit/44kHz)
• Metallica – Sad but True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Megadeth – Sweating Bullets (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Slayer – Angel of Death (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Otto Liebert& Luna Negra – The River (DSF) – Binaural Recording
• Future Heroes – Another World (MP3 320kHz)
• Vivaldi – Le QuarttroStagioni “The Four Season” (Wav 24bit/88kHz)
• Portishead’s – It Could Be Sweet (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Lorde – Team (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Tom Player – Resonace Theory (16bit/44.1kHz)
• Massive Attack – Angel (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Portishead – It Could Be Sweet (MP3 320kHz)

The Sound:

The OURART ACG has an slightly warmer than neutral tonality, with a nice amount of bass for an earbud (especially compared to those of the OURART Ti7), a musical and transparent midrange and a treble range that is pretty crispy/lively.

Please note that the sound performance of earphones may vary from user to user as the fit and ear anatomy greatly affects the overall performance.

Bass:

The general bass character of the OURART ACG is on the linear side with a slightly coloration in the midbass area.

The subbass area of the ACG is fairly flat in response and shows an average depth and extension, while the overall intensity und rumble is enough for genres like jazz or acoustic music.

The OURART ACG shows some coloration in the midbass area that has more presence than the subbass region. This frequency area is adding the ACG earbud a nice amount of warmth and body and is very detailed for this price category. The intensity and speed of this frequency region is on a good level, especially for a sub 100 USD erabud, while the extension is on an moderate level.

They are no negative situations like a muddiness or a bass bleed that could affect the clarity and clarity and detail retrieval of the ACG.

A warmer and thicker than neutral source would be the ideal pairing for the OURART ACG.

Midrange:

The first noticeable character of OURART ACG’s midrange is the clarity that is presented while listening to my favorite tracks. The tonality is not analytical only a bit warmish but not very thick in its presentation.

When it comes to the vocal performance, I can say that both male and female vocals are represented in a quite clean, detailed and emotional way. Male vocals benefits from the lower midrange depth, while female vocals are vivid and crisp.

The OURART ACG performs pretty well and is showing a very nice timber with instruments such as guitars, violins or the pianos. The ACG is also quite good successful in terms of detail retrieval, clarity and for the separation of each note.

The nice out of the head presentation of the OURART ACG makes the listen to vocals and instruments very pleasant, especially for an earbud in this price region.

Upper Midrange and Treble:

The upper midrange of the OURART ACG is detailed and is showing good extension. The extension and emphasis shows a good performance from female vocals to the instruments. The 3 kHz range sounds pretty controlled without to show any unwanted sibilance and harshness.

When it comes to the treble range I can say that it performs pretty well for an earbud in this price range. It is detailed, is well presented and is adding a nice feeling of sparkle and air to the sound. Instruments such like cymbals, bells or flutes are well extended and don’t sounding metallic or unnatural, while the overall treble presentation stills quite controlled.

Soundstage:

The OURART ACG is one of the earbuds which has a quite suitable soundstage for a precise separation of instruments and vocals. The stage is spacious and airy and is showing a nice “out of the head” presentation. When it comes to the width and to the depth of the stage, the ACG is showing more wideness than its depth which is on an average level.

Some Short Comparisons:

OURART ACG versus TY Hi-Z 150S

The TY Hi-Z 150S is an earphone with good subbass amount and depth. The OURART ACG on the other hand shows less subbass quantity, but sounds more controlled in this area. The ACG’s midbass are superior to those of the 150S in terms of details and extension, which sounds somewhat veiled in this region.

The midrange of the OURART ACG shows slightly more clarity and detail than those of the TY Hi-Z 150S which sounds a bit warmer and fuller. The OURART ACG is superior in terms of female vocal performance, especially in areas like clarity and extension, while the TY Hi-Z 150S has the upper hand for male vocals due to its lower midrange depth.

The treble region of both the ACG and the 150S are detailed, while the OURART ACG has the slightly edge in terms of treble extension. It is showing a slightly more airy presentation has also a more natural sparkle in the upper treble region. The TY Hi-Z 150S is a bit sharp and prone to sibilance compared to the OURART ACG that shows better control in this region.

Both the TY Hi-Z 150S and OURART ACG are representing a “headphone like” experience when it comes to the soundstage. The main difference is that the soundstage of the OURART ACG has the upper hand in terms of depth, while the TY Hi-Z 150S has a slightly deeper stage.

OURART ACG versus TY Hi-Z F300M

The TY Hi-Z F300M has slightly more subbass quantity, depth and extension than those of the OURART ACG. The midbass area is showing similarities in terms of intensity and detail retrieval, while the ACG has the slightly edge for control.

The midrange of the TY Hi-Z F300M sounds a tad fuller compared to those of OURART ACG that shows otherwise slightly more clarity. Both earbuds are quite successful in terms of vocal and instrument presentation, while male vocals and instruments such like guitars or violas are more emotional with the F300M. The ACG on the other hand sounds more natural and emotional with female vocals and instruments like violins and pianos.

The upper midrange of the OURAT ACG shows a better and more natural extension compared to those of the TY Hi-Z F300M.

The treble range of both earbuds is well presented, while the ACG sounds more natural and controlled in this area. The OURART ACG has also the upper hand in terms of upper treble extension and detail retrieval. The TY Hi-Z F300M is somewhat sharp and a bit prone to sibilance.

The TY Hi-Z F300M and the OURART ACG are quite successful earbuds when it comes to the separation and accuracy of instruments and vocals. The soundstage of the ACG is wider, while the F300M has slightly better depth.

Conclusion:

The OURART ACG is a solid earbud that is made of metal, which has a very stylish and industrial look that separates it from other erabuds on the market. The amazing clarity and detail retrieval and the possibility of cable rolling making the ACG to a real bang for the buck.

Pros and Cons:

• + Clarity and detail retrieval
• + Treble and Midrange tonality
• + Upper midrange control
• + Build like a Tank
• + Cable is Removable

• – The quality of the stock cable is average (but quite acceptable for the price)