Periodic Audio Ti Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Periodic Audio Ti Review

 

Introduction:

Periodic Audio is a US company located in Oxnard, California which was established in 2016 with the vision to make high quality portable audio products, with the focus only on the products.

There motto is “Don’t spend money on anything that didn’t add to the central promise of an in-ear monitor: great music wherever you go”.

Periodic Audio has released 3 IEM’s that are using different type of driver materials. The naming scheme of this In-Ear Monitors is inspired by the material shortcut listed on the periodic table. The Mg is using Magnesium, the Be is for Beryllium and the Ti is for Titanium foil diaphragm, which are all manufactured in-house.

 

 

Periodic Audio Official Website: http://periodicaudio.com/

 

Disclaimer: 

The Periodic Audio Ti was provided to me by Periodic Audio as a review sample. I am not affiliated with Periodic Audio or any third person beyond this review and these words reflect my true, unaltered, opinions about the product.

 

 

Price and Warranty:

The Periodic Audio Ti is available on Periodic Audio’s e-shop under the following link for $199.00. The limited warranty for theis In-Ear Monitor is five (5) years, which I find gorgeous.

 

Purchase link: http://periodicaudio.com/Ti.html

 

Package and Accessories:

The Perodic Audio Ti is coming in a simple white cardboard box, which contains the following items;

  • 1 x Periodic Audio Ti  IEM
  • 3 x pairs of double flange ear tips
  • 3 x pairs of Bi flange ear tips
  • 3 x pairs of foam ear tips
  • 1 x 3.5mm to 6.3mm Adaptor
  • 1 x flight adapter
  • 1 x Golden tin case

The Periodic Audio Ti comes with loots of silicone (bi and double flange) and foam ear tips that all are quite soft and comfortable to wear.

The package is also including a flight and 3.5mm to 6.3mm adaptor.

There is a also tin case in golden color which sports the Periodic Audio logo. The inner side of this case has a velvet coating which should protect the Periodic AUdio Ti from any scratches.

 

 

Design and Build Quality:

The Periodic Audio Ti has a very minimalist bullet style housing which is made of polycarbonate plastic material for high strength and zero resonance, which looks and feels durable.

The back of the monitor sports the Periodic Audio logo which is the only part on the monitor that is made of metal. On the top of each monitor shell is one bass vent.

On the front of each nozzle is a dust filter, which serves also as left and right indicator due the red (right) and black (left) color combination.

The Periodic Audio Ti has non detachable cables, which means you have no upgrade option. The cable has a length of 1.5mm and is protected by a soft TPU coating.

They strain reliefs are made of butyl rubber, which should protect the cable and the five (5) years of limited warranty is a good addition. The cable is a bit thin and makes a very minimalist appearance.

The 3.5mm headphone jack has a straight profile and sports a single ended, gold plated connector.

 

Fit, Comfort and Isolation:

Each monitor of the Periodic Audio Ti has a weight of 2.8gr and a total weight of 9.3gr (inclusive cable) that makes is very to a very lightweight In-Ear monitor.

The Periodic Audio Ti is comfortable to wear with and above average isolation, which should be good enough to use it in the public.

 

 

Features:

The Periodic Audio Ti utilizes a pure titanium foil for the diaphragm material. All components inside the In-Ear Monitor are 100% designed and tooled in-house by Periodic Audio.

The Periodic Audio Ti features polycarbonate body for high strength and zero resonance, custom front-and-rear tuned volumes, MIM logo caps, butyl rubber strain reliefs, and N48H grade magnets.

 

 

Technical Specifications:


a) Performance:

  • Frequency Response  : 16 Hz to 30 kHz
  • Impedance                 : 32 Ohms nominal
  • Sensitivity                   : 96 dB SPL @ 1mW in ear
  • Power Handling          : 200 mW continuous
  • Peak SPL                     : 117.5 dB
  • THD                            : Less that 1.5% THD @ 1mW

 

 b) Material Properties:

  • Melting Point              : 1941 Kelvin
  • Speed of Sound          : 5090 meters/second
  • Young’s Modulus        : 116 Gigapascals (for information wikipedia)
  • Brinell Hardness          : 2770 Megapascals (for information wikipedia)

 

 c) Physical Properties

  • Cable Length              : 1.5m
  • Mass                           : 2.8 / 9.3 g (IEM/Set)
  • Op. Temperature       : -20 to +50° C
  • Operational Humidity : 0-95% Relative Humidity
  • NRR                           : 31.3 dB (foam eartip)
  • Overall Length            : 21mm
  • Body Diameter           : 12 mm
  • Nozzle Diameter        : 6 mm

 

Some Graphics:

Drivability (Impedance):

The Periodic Audio Ti  In-Ear Monitor  is quite sensitive, which make is to an easy to drive gear. The nominal impedance is 32 Ohm and is suitable for the use with portable sources like mobile phones, tablet’s or DAP’s without the need of any amplifier.

 

 

 

Equipment’s used for this review:

  • In Ear Monitor          : Periodic Audio Ti, Brainwavz B400, Campfire Audio Comet
  • DAP/DAC                  : Sony WM1A, Cayin N5II, Fiio M7, Audirect Beam, Chord Mojo

 

 

Albums & tracks used for this review:

  • First Aid Kit – My Silver Lining (Spotify)
  • London Grammar – Interlud (Live) (Flac 24bit/44kHz)
  • Laura Pergolizzi – Lost On You “Live at Harvard and Stone” (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Minor Empire – BulbulumAltinKafeste (Spotify)
  • Leonard Cohen – You Wnt it Darker (Spotify)
  • Dave Gahan – Kingdom (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
  • Vivaldi – Le QuarttroStagioni “The Four Season” (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Alboran Trio’s – Cinque Lunghissimi Minuti (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Otto Liebert & Luna Negra – Up Close “Album” (DSF) – Binaural Recording
  • Lorde – Team (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
  • Massive Attack – Angel (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Portishead – It Could Be Sweet (Spotify)
  • Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain (Spotify)
  • Opeth – Damnation (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Metallica – Sad but True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
  • Megadeth – Sweating Bullets (Tidal Hi-Fi)

 

 

The Sound:

Please note that this review is written after a burn-in process of approx. 80 hours. I have use the double flange eartips that where included to the package.

The Periodic Audio Ti is an In-Ear Monitor with a V shaped sound signature, which has pretty forward and deep bass, recessed and slightly veiled midrange and a bit bright treble presentation. All this characteristics making the Periodic Audio Ti to an warm and fun focused In-Ear Monitor.

 

Bass:

The bass is one of the main attractions of the Periodic Audio Ti. The bass quantity and punch will satisfy most bass-head’s, while the quantity can be a bit too much for those who prefer a more balanced bass presentation. The Ti sounds very pleasant end exiting with genres like Rap, hip-hop, pop, edm or trance.

The sub-bass of the Ti has good extensions and are going to a pretty low register and you can both hear and feel the power of the bass, which is produced by the single dynamic Titanium diaphragm driver.

The midbass of the Periodic Audio Ti have slightly less emphasis than those of the subbass, but it’s covering a quite large area in the sound spectrum. It is pronounced and is hitting pretty powerful, while I have noticed that there is a small midbass hump and that it can sometimes bleed in to the midrange, especially in bass heavy songs.

The bass is punchy and hits hard and shows a warm texture. One of the positive points of the bass that is produced by the Periodic Audio Ti is that it is punchy but not very hard in its character.

When it comes to the bass speed, I can say that the Periodic Audio Ti has an average speed which is pretty enough for example genres like pop, rock etc. but is not very ideal for faster genres like metal music.

 

 

Midrange:

The midrange of the Periodic Audio Ti is due to the V shaped sound signature positioned behind the treble and bass, which means a noticeable recessing of the midrange.

The midrange is sounds a bit veiled and tick in tonality.

 

Vocals:

The Periodic Audio Ti has a quite soft, sweet and musical vocal presentation. Male vocals are sounding quite successful and musical due to the lower midrange tuning, which makes the listening to vocals such as Dave Gahan, Eric Clapton or Jeff Buckley to a joy.

Female vocals are sounding soft and warmish without any remarkable harshness or sibilance.

Female vocals are sounding a bit veiled / muffled because there is not enough space for a clean presentation, while the Periodic Audio Ti is quite successful and entertaining with vocals in genres like EDM or Trance such as Emma Hewitt.

 

Instruments:

The Periodic Audio Ti has a soft, musical and slightly veiled instrument presentation with pretty high fun factor. There is no harshness and no ear piercing brightness while listening to instruments such as flutes or violins. Guitars have a lush, a bit bassy and fairly thick tonality.

The pianos are quite soft, slightly warm and lightly bright in its presentation, while the notes are not very pronounced and detailed.

The violins have a soft and warm presentation and there is no unnecessary harshness, while it sounds a bit too dark and hot while listening to this instrument. The Periodic Audio Ti is missing some extension and detail while presenting instruments such as violins or pianos.

 

Upper Midrange:

The upper midrange structure of the Periodic Audio Ti is not very upfront and shows a soft presentation. The upper mid emphasis is not high, it is a bit thick and warm sounding. There is a slightly lack of airiness and extension, which makes the presentation of instruments such as pianos, flutes or violins a bit veiled and muffled.

The general presentation of the Periodic Audio Ti is not very airy and transparent.

 

Treble:

The treble area of the Periodic Audio Ti is a bit polished to give refreshment to the overall presentation and sounds in general thinner compared to the bass and the mids. The treble range is positioned slightly behind the bass and is missing a bit of extension and air.

Metal and Rock listeners will may find it a bit hard to define instruments such as cymbals, while EDM listeners will may find it a bit too dark; as a result the treble performance of the Periodic Audio Ti slightly behind its price level.

 

Soundstage:

The Periodic Audio Ti is a warm sounding In-Ear Monitor with an average soundstage expansion. The soundstage depth is slightly higher than the width, while the separation of instruments is on an acceptable compared to other IEM’s in this price level.

 

 

Comparisons:

Brainwavz B400 versus Periodic Audio Ti 

The Brainwavz B400 shows slightly less warmth and a brighter presentation compared to those of the Periodic Audio Ti. The Periodic Audio Ti is a quite warmer and darker/veiled sounding In-Ear Monitor than the Brainwavz B400.

The Periodic Audio Ti is superior to the Brainwavz B400 in terms of subbass depth, emphasis and punch, while the midbass quantity of both IEM’s is nearly identical. The main difference is that the midbass of the Ti shows greater hits than those of the B400.

The Brainwavz B400 has the upper hand in terms of bass control, tightness and speed.

When it comes to the midrange presentation, Brainwavz B400 has a more forward presentation compared to Periodic Audio, which sounds more recessed in this area. The Periodic Audio Ti is more suitable for male vocals than the Brainwavz B400 that performs better with female vocals due to the more pronounced upper midrange presentation.

The Brainwavz B400 sounds slightly warmer the Periodic Audio Ti with a bit more detail and natural presentation. The B400 shows also more space and air between instruments, while both of those IEM’s sharing a soft upper midrange presentation. The upper midrange of the Brainwavz B400 shows more emphasis and slightly better extension than those of the Periodic Audio Ti.

The treble range of both In-Ear Monitors is slightly recessed, while the treble of the Brainwavz B400 is a bit more pronounced and shows slightly better extension than those of the Periodic Audio Ti. The B400 has a bit more clarity and definition in this area.

The Soundstage presentation of the Brainwavz B400 is slightly more expansive and airy than those of the Periodic Audio Ti, while the Ti is superior in terms of soundstage depth.

 

Campfire Audio Comet versus Periodic Audio Ti

The Periodic Audio Ti shows a warmer tonality than those of the Campfire Audio Comet, which is slightly more airy and life like in its overall presentation than the Ti.

The sub-bass of the Ti goes noticeable lower and shows also more rumble than those of the Comet, while it is missing a bit extension. The Comet has less quantity in the midbass region but has the upper hand in terms of speed and control. The bass of the Periodic Audio Ti has a higher fun factor and makes it more suitable for genres like Pop, Rock or EDM, while the Comet is the better choice if you listen to bass guitars in faster genres like metal music.

The Periodic Audio Ti sounds warmer and fuller in the midrange area, while it is missing some transparency and clarity that the Comet has. When it comes to the vocals, I can say that I prefer the Ti for male vocals, while the Comet is the better choice if you listen to female vocals due to the more pronounced upper midrange.

The upper midrange of the Campfire Audio Comet is more pronounced and shows more clarity than those of the Periodic Audio Ti, while the Comet sounds softer, thicker and warmer with a slightly roll-off, which makes it ideal for those who are looking for a sibilance fatigue free presentation.

The treble range of the Campfire Audio Comet sounds more airy and shows also a bit more sparkle than those of the Periodic Audio Ti. The Campfire Audio Comet is slightly better in terms of speed, control and extension in this frequency region.

When it comes to the soundstage performance, the Campfire Audio Comet has the upper hand for soundstage width, while Periodic Audio Ti is better in terms of soundstage depth.

 

Conclusion:

The Periodic Audio Ti is a very lightweight and comfortable to wear In-Ear Monitor, which will satisfy many users who are looking for an IEM that has an entertaining sound signature with high fun factor. The powerful bass response and the fatigue free, warm sound signature is very suitable for genres such as Pop, EDM, RnB Trance and Rock music.

 

Pros and Cons:

  • + Comfortable Fit
  • + Powerful Bass
  • + Warm & Fatigue Free Presentation
  • + Five (5) year limited warranty
  • + Lots of ear tips

 

  • – Missing of Clarity in the Midrange
  • – Packaging is a bit simple
  • – Cable is not detachable

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *