iT7 Audio iT7x review

New brand of headphones excels at Bluetooth connectivity Tested at £150

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

When hard-wired the iT7xes are good-but-not-great. Wirelessly, they’re fully impressive

Pros

  • +

    Nicely built

  • +

    cheerfully upfront, generally balanced listen

  • +

    very effective wireless sound

Cons

  • -

    Hefty, enthusiastic bass can squeeze the midrange and rob some detail

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

These iT7 Audio iT7x over-ear headphones sit at the top of the fledgling iT7Audio range. Your £150 buys a sturdy plastic-and-padded-leather design that owes more than a little to the ubiquitous ‘Beats by Dre’.

They're the brainchild of former Premier League footballer Ian Taylor, who has teamed up with technology firm Bluechipworld to create the iT7 range of Bluetooth sports headphones and music systems.

The left-side ear-cup houses the rechargeable lithium-ion battery; on the right there’s a power button surrounded by volume up/down/mute and skip-forward/backward controls. There’s also an integrated microphone – the iT7xes have wireless 2.4Ghz Bluetooth connectivity.

iT7 AudioiT7x: Sound quality

Hard-wired to our iPod Touch and with a 1411kbps WAV file of Little Dragon’s When I Go Out playing, the iT7xes sound as their looks suggest they’ll sound: they’re punchy, up-front and attacking, with a tangible enthusiasm for the lower frequencies. Tonally they remain commendably neutral, and the soundstage is broad and explicit.

The low frequencies are absolutely as confident as they want to be, though – they’ve a definite tendency to crowd the midrange a little, as if they’d never heard it’s possible to have too much of a good thing.

iT7 Audio iT7x

What really sets the iT7xes apart is the way they sound when wirelessly paired to an iPhone or the like. Our experience of Bluetooth headphones hasn’t been wildly successful, but these pair quickly and robustly, and deliver a sound every bit as confident and full-figured as the hard-wired equivalent.

They sound almost exactly the same as when they’re hard-wired, which is by no means typical of Bluetooth designs. We were able to wander a fair distance from our iPhone: the connection remained stable and the sound remained consistent.

Verdict
So while the iT7xes aren’t perfect, they are among the best-sorted wireless ’phones we’ve heard at this sort of money.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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