[moedawg140]

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Empire Ears recently announced their lineup, and the Athena is the 8 driver variant, which is an updated version of EarWerkz Legend Remastered.
 
The Athena is available for purchase right now.
 
Empire Ears Athena description: The Empire Athena showcases wisdom, depth, and power. It gracefully abducts your attention by delivering lush, intimate vocals while showcasing ultra high levels of micro-detail resolution. Athena is extremely immersive, producing nuances around the front and center to deliver a true 3D listening experience. Baring 8 precision balanced armature drivers in an advanced 5-way crossover network; Athena is a clear choice for those who prefer to be in the front row seat of the action.
 
My impressions of the Athena are below, as it is also a part of my review of the entire Empire Ears lineup.
 
 
Build Quality
 
Simply amazing!  The Empire Ears Universal IEMs that I have listened to use a swirl with glittery colors design, but more exotic materials are available.  Different types of woods, carbon fiber, abalone and other beautiful materials are custom-created for you.  The build quality, internal components used, and aesthetics are at the summit of bestoke in-ear monitor companies.
 
 
Source Impressions
 
Before starting any critical listening, I made sure to burn in Athena – it has at least 200 hours of burn-in; as a result this takes burn in or not burning in with regards to possible or not possible perceptible sound differences out of the equation.  My impressions will be based on listening via Questyle Audio QP1R.  With regards to the sound differences, overall, the QP1R accentuates the treble and bass regions compared to the Grace Design x Massdrop m9XX DAC/Amp, as the m9XX sounds more natural and expresses a slightly smooth sound compared to the QP1R.  The iPhone 6 embodies more bass emphasis compared to the QP1R and m9XX, but the Athena is easy to drive, and I didn’t experience hiss with any of my sources.  Also, equalization is not utilized.  The Athena that I listened to is a universal model (not a demo model), and all IEMs in the lineup are available as custom IEMs as well.
 
 

Athena – 8 Drivers​

 

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The Athena’s fit is comfortable, and the drivers contain the next larger sized housing (medium - same size as the Hermes).  Insertion and fit aren’t issues and I can wear both small and medium sized SpinFit tips, but for the Athena and Hermes sized housing, I most prefer the medium sized SpinFit tips.  This is one amazing sounding IEM.  First off, this updated 8 driver IEM overall sounds more coherent and resolving than my own Legend Omega.  I’ll share more about that later.  The Athena produces a balanced with slight bass tilt sound signature.  The detail retrieval and coherency are the stars of the show.  The treble is extended and transparent.  I do not detect treble-fatigue; however I can see how people may think it has a treble presence since the bass isn’t accentuated egregiously.  The midrange is vibrant and thoroughly detailed.  Transparent and full of sweet texture are two descriptive midrange terms attesting to the marvelousness of the Athena’s detail retrieval.  The bass is well controlled, not bloomy, with slight weight.  The bass is quick, and does stay too long to reverberate from your eardrums.  Alright, back to the comparison with my Legend Omega.  The detail retrieval, coherency, midrange and especially treble are more apparent listening to the Athena compared to the Legend Omega.  The Legend Omega emits more bass than the Athena, and that is about all the Legend Omega is able to do with regards to handily trouncing the Athena.
 
The Athena is an immaculate-sounding IEM and one of my favorites of the lineup. 
 
For those that are seeking a detail-plentiful and overall immensely adequate sound signature, the Athena is a great choice.
 

 
Empire Ears Athena Specifications
 
Athena-VIII – $1299
INPUT SENSITIVITY: 118 dB @ 1mW
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
IMPEDANCE: 15 Ohms @ 1 kHz
NOISE ISOLATION: -28 dB +/- 2
INPUT CONNECTOR: 1/8" (3.5 mm) stereo jack
WARRANTY: 1-year parts and labor, 2-years parts
DRIVER SET UP: 2 Low, 3 Mid, 3 High
CABLE: 2-Pin Detachable, Over-The-Ear 
INTERNAL SPEAKER CONFIGURATION: 8 balance armature driver, 4 crossover network
5-way, 3 sound bore

 

[Tony1110]

These are the ones I went for, mainly on the basis of your impressions. Still thinking of changing my mind and getting the Zeus, however.

 

[moedawg140]

These are the ones I went for, mainly on the basis of your impressions. Still thinking of changing my mind and getting the Zeus, however.

Athena is an amazing sounding IEM, one of my favorites of the lineup and one of my favorite 8 driver and below IEM. Zeus is, without hyperbole, the clearest and cleanest sounding BA driver IEM I've listened to. Both are great additions in their price ranges.

You really can not go wrong with either.

Looking forward to pictures and impressions once your IEM arrives!

 

[Tony1110]

Athena is an amazing sounding IEM, one of my favorites of the lineup and one of my favorite 8 driver and below IEM. Zeus is, without hyperbole, the clearest and cleanest sounding BA driver IEM I've listened to. Both are great additions in their price ranges.

You really can not go wrong with either.

Looking forward to pictures and impressions once your IEM arrives!

Went with the Athena. Universal rather than custom. Audiologist messed up impressions. Haven't the patience to go through that tedious process again.

Would you say these have a similar presentation to the Legend R? I was always curious about that earphone but never got round to trying it.

 

[moedawg140]

Went with the Athena. Universal rather than custom. Audiologist messed up impressions. Haven't the patience to go through that tedious process again.

Would you say these have a similar presentation to the Legend R? I was always curious about that earphone but never got round to trying it.

 
If you can, I would go to another audiologist - I met Giselle Flower in the UK and she was nice and courteous - she is highly regarded.  
 
Here's her info: 
 
Address
22 Oakleigh Gardens
Whetstone
London
N20 9AB
 
Phone
+44 (0) 20 8445 6030
+44 (0) 771 8899025
 
Email
giseleflower@aid2hearing.co.uk
 

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It has been a while since I listened to the Legend R, but from my extended listening to my Legend R, notes, review, etcetera compared to the Athena, the Athena sounds extended compared to the Legend R in most areas, especially in the treble region.  
 
What color and style combination are you going for with regards to the Athena?

 

[Tony1110]

If you can, I would go to another audiologist - I met Giselle Flower in the UK and she was nice and courteous - she is highly regarded.  

Here's her info: 

Address

22 Oakleigh Gardens

Whetstone

London

N20 9AB

Phone

+44 (0) 20 8445 6030

+44 (0) 771 8899025

Email

giseleflower@aid2hearing.co.uk

[rule]
It has been a while since I listened to the Legend R, but from my extended listening to my Legend R, notes, review, etcetera compared to the Athena, the Athena sounds extended compared to the Legend R in most areas, especially in the treble region.  

What color and style combination are you going for with regards to the Athena?

I've heard good things about her, but as I live about 300 miles away from where she's located, it's not really an option.

Should have thought about the dearth of competent audiologists in my vicinity beforehand. I'll keep trying as I've already paid and at this price point it somehow doesn't seem right to go for universals where customs are an option. Jack must be finding me quite the awkward customer.

So far as colours are concerned, I'm thinking metallic green.

 

[moedawg140]

I've heard good things about her, but as I live about 300 miles away from where she's located, it's not really an option.

Should have thought about the dearth of competent audiologists in my vicinity beforehand. I'll keep trying as I've already paid and at this price point it somehow doesn't seem right to go for universals where customs are an option. Jack must be finding me quite the awkward customer.

So far as colours are concerned, I'm thinking metallic green.

I would keep trying like you said. If not with your current one (if you can possibly receive a refund if the impressions were really terrible) and use it towards the new audiologist.

Metallic Green should look great. Adding a faceplate would be awesome as well - it's nice to have options.

 

[Cagin]

I've heard good things about her, but as I live about 300 miles away from where she's located, it's not really an option.

Should have thought about the dearth of competent audiologists in my vicinity beforehand. I'll keep trying as I've already paid and at this price point it somehow doesn't seem right to go for universals where customs are an option. Jack must be finding me quite the awkward customer.

So far as colours are concerned, I'm thinking metallic green.

TBH in my case: I'm lucky I live where all the towns around have many audiology centers. One I went to even had 2 right across from one another (competing companies), that town is famed as #1 for the elderIy ^^ They only provided hearing tests and aids and were never asked before to make impressions for monitors for musicians.
I showed the sheet for the requirements and repeated the important points (you know, don't hesitate to go deep as you can with the cotton/foam dam, past the 2nd bend, use more silicone if needed to get a full in depth conchae (cymba+cavum, no damages no holes). My Omega gave a perfect fit and seal. The absolute only motion that I did which gave pain was a wide wide grin smile [insert Willem Dafoe gif]. So if you plan to make such jaw motions, I dunno, if you like growling metal or screamo, then yeah use a big ass mouth block lol ^^
 
these are the ideal quality impressions you should demand to get:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/684787/noble-audio-the-wizard-returns/13560#post_11811604
 
great checklist thread too:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/578855/things-to-consider-before-getting-your-custom-iem-impressions-done-the-perfect-fit

 

[moedawg140]

Great checklist, @Cagin!
 
Make sure to take a look at this when going back for impressions next time @Tony1110 (or anyone else wanting/needing Empire Ears impressions): http://empireears.com/support/ear-impression-requirements-2/.
 
The contents of the webpage are here:
 

REQUIREMENTS

The impressions should display the full contour of both the outer ear and the ear canal, to a sufficient depth. The photos on the right are a perfect example of an excellent ear impression as provided byTheHeadphoneList.com.

Please read the following article for a better understanding on ear impressions: http://theheadphonelist.com/ear-self-impressions-for-custom-in-ear-monitors-what-you-need-to-know/

• Each ear impression must include the full helix, crus of the helix, tragus and antitragus.
  IMPORTANT: The impression must be taken just past the second bend of the ear canal.
• The material utilized to shoot the impression must be made of high-viscosity silicone.
• The impression must be taken with the client’s mouth open. We recommend that a 1-2” bite block is used. Utilizing this method will reduce movement and will result in a more secure fitment as well as an optimum seal for maximum performance from your Empire custom in-ear monitors.

If you have any questions at all or are unsure if your impressions meet the requirements please send detailed photos to our support team at Support@EmpireEars.com

 

IMPRESSIONS:​

Here is what the ideal ear impression looks like.​

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[Tony1110]

Great checklist, @Cagin
!

Make sure to take a look at this when going back for impressions next time @Tony1110
 (or anyone else wanting/needing Empire Ears impressions): http://empireears.com/support/ear-impression-requirements-2/.

The contents of the webpage are here:

REQUIREMENTS

I had the audiologist follow all those instructions and they ended up looking like this





I think he tried his best to get it right, but didn't seem to be very experienced with ear impressions of this nature. I myself thought the impressions looked detailed without any glaring flaws but Jack says a "fuller anatomy" is required to accommodate the 8 drivers - not enough material used.

I may try doing them myself.

 

[moedawg140]

@Tony1110, I would highly advise to not perform a delicate task such as creating your own ear impressions yourself.  I'm finishing up the TH-X00 review right now, but if you PM me where you live and how far you are willing to travel, I can attempt to find an audiologist around your area that may be more suitable for creating impressions in a more suitable manner.

 

[ezekiel77]

Still thinking about whether to go ahead with the Black Friday discount or to test it first before making a decision. Moe would you say the Athena is more "musical" compared to the Zeus more "reference"? That was sort of the impression I got.

And yes, the TH-X00 isn't making this any easier.

So many things to listen to, only two ears...

 

[moedawg140]

Still thinking about whether to go ahead with the Black Friday discount or to test it first before making a decision. Moe would you say the Athena is more "musical" compared to the Zeus more "reference"? That was sort of the impression I got.

And yes, the TH-X00 isn't making this any easier.

So many things to listen to, only two ears...

I would say the Athena is a more stripped down version of the Zeus - not necessarily one being more or less musical compared to each other.

The TH-X00 is an utterly amazing sounding headphone and great for the money. The review is in my profile and signature (currently). Truly a game changer, and I rarely if ever use those words to describe something.

Athena was one of my favorites of the lineup and she is equal parts musicality and reference (but not in a UERM-dry/flat/neutral sounding kind of signature, though).

 

[ezekiel77]

I would say the Athena is a more stripped down version of the Zeus - not necessarily one being more or less musical compared to each other.

The TH-X00 is an utterly amazing sounding headphone and great for the money. The review is in my profile and signature (currently). Truly a game changer, and I rarely if ever use those words to describe something.

Athena was one of my favorites of the lineup and she is equal parts musicality and reference (but not in a UERM-dry/flat/neutral sounding kind of signature, though).

Thanks for that man. I'll most likely await more impressions before taking the plunge. The THX00 however, sounds like an easy purchase decision haha.

 

[moedawg140]

Thanks for that man. I'll most likely await more impressions before taking the plunge. The THX00 however, sounds like an easy purchase decision haha.

That seems to be the consensus these days (at least the posters). Not sure what else other people can say that will sway you to purchase the Athena. Only a few have listened to the Legend R, Legend Omega and Athena and no one who has listened to all three would want to post on this thread (or else they more than likely would have already).

Regarding the TH-X00 - it's one of my favorite headphones I've listened to in my life thus far. However, the Athena is my favorite 10 driver and under IEM aside from my 8 driver Legend Omega.