[Deezel177]

has anyone listened to the Phantom with the new Horus cable? I heard the Phantom at Canjam and from what i remember of the sound and the description of Horus here, sounds like a match made in heaven

I'd ask @flinkenick if I were you, but I'm guessing he'd think the combo's too neutral or clean.

 

[Acemcl]

I'd ask @flinkenick if I were you, but I'm guessing he'd think the combo's too neutral or clean.

What if you pair the combo with the Sony 1Z? Normally I would lean towards a brighter IEM with a warm signature dap but that combo could be interesting.... really kicking myself that i didn't get to try the Phantom with the Horus at CanJam

 

[Deezel177]

What if you pair the combo with the Sony 1Z? Normally I would lean towards a brighter IEM with a warm signature dap but that combo could be interesting.... really kicking myself that i didn't get to try the Phantom with the Horus at CanJam

Nic should be on his way back from CanJam NY as we speak, and he'll tell you himself in due time.

 

[proedros]

deezel , if i owned EA cables i would send you 1-2 cables for free , as a small 'thank you' gesture for taking all this time to answer questions/help people in here

you are a great guy , cheers

 

[flinkenick]

What if you pair the combo with the Sony 1Z? Normally I would lean towards a brighter IEM with a warm signature dap but that combo could be interesting.... really kicking myself that i didn't get to try the Phantom with the Horus at CanJam

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Phantom. I just had my Horus reterminated to 4.4, and it is perhaps my favorite pairing with Legend-X. I'm very fussy about cable pairings with the Phantom, as I find it should retain its timbre. But if you generally prefer a brighter and more detailed sound, Horus can work for you personally of course. Did you enjoy Horus' signature in general?

 

[Acemcl]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Phantom. I just had my Horus reterminated to 4.4, and it is perhaps my favorite pairing with Legend-X. I'm very fussy about cable pairings with the Phantom, as I find it should retain its timbre. But if you generally prefer a brighter and more detailed sound, Horus can work for you personally of course. Did you enjoy Horus' signature in general?

i enjoyed the Phantom so much that i ordered it at CanJam!! I tried the Horus with the Tia Forté and the sound quality def improved. I heard a fuller bodied sound if that makes sense. I am trying to see if Horus pairs well with both the Tia and the Phantom as that would save me the trouble of getting any more cables. Mind you, the effect audio cable that's standard on the Phantom sounded pretty good anyway so maybe i should spare my wallet for a change but that still does not solve my problem with the Forté as the standard cable on that one is less than ideal.

 

[flinkenick]

i enjoyed the Phantom so much that i ordered it at CanJam!! I tried the Horus with the Tia Forté and the sound quality def improved. I heard a fuller bodied sound if that makes sense. I am trying to see if Horus pairs well with both the Tia and the Phantom as that would save me the trouble of getting any more cables. Mind you, the effect audio cable that's standard on the Phantom sounded pretty good anyway so maybe i should spare my wallet for a change but that still does not solve my problem with the Forté as the standard cable on that one is less than ideal.

That's awesome man

Well, if you like Horus regardless for Fourte you could consider it and pair it depending on your mood? Like you could alternate between the stock Ares II for a warmer, more natural sound, and use Horus when you want to energize it a bit. Did you try the new Effect prototype at Canjam? Might also be an interesting option to consider. I will take a listen to Horus and Phantom on the flight tomorrow and get back to you.

 

[Acemcl]

That's awesome man

Well, if you like Horus regardless for Fourte you could consider it and pair it depending on your mood? Like you could alternate between the stock Ares II for a warmer, more natural sound, and use Horus when you want to energize it a bit. Did you try the new Effect prototype at Canjam? Might also be an interesting option to consider. I will take a listen to Horus and Phantom on the flight tomorrow and get back to you.

Thanks Nic, i really appreciate it! The Effect Prototype you are referring to, is that the one they made out of an exotic material?

 

[Gavin C4]

Sorry if I'm late, but between family and work I was not been able to add my impression regarding the new Empire iems at the CanJam NYC.

Was a pleasure to finally meet @flinkenick in person same as @Jack Vang and Dean from Empire, together with Eric and Zou from Effect Audio, like I promised I spent much of my time at CanJam between these 2 booths, with my friend @ctsooner22.

These are my 2 cents.

First of all, let me say the new prototype from EA it’s amazing, 8 wire, palladium plated copper, a piece of art! They bought 2 cables, same material but different geometry and the results were 2 completely different cables. This is a testimonial of the knowledge and know-how of EA and how they master this science.

I tried them both with my Encore and I felt in love with the first prototype I tried, this was the warmer one, what struck me was the sound stage, amazingly wide, 3D, the Encore doesn't have the widest sound stage but this cable was able to stretch it beyond my expectation, being warm it added a nice touch to the bass and mid, I loved how it reproduced vocals, bringing them forward and it had an incredible multi-layer representation. The other prototype was more neutral, vocals were slightly recessed compared to the warmer sibling, may be with a different, warmer iem I would have choose this one.



Moving on the EA...

I didn't take any good pictures of the EA booth, between the lights and my phone, none came out nice.


Legend X

Even if I read some (let's say all of them) the previous reviews/impressions posted in this thread, I knew this would not be my chosen one, still, I was very curious to try it based on the technology implemented.
I was really impressed how the Legend was able to reproduce both the bass and the treble so well, Empire has been able to create an earphone that is both warm and bright, the treble are strong, powerful, full of details.

When you transition your attention to the low-end, this is were you understand how strong and seductive the dark side of the force is.
The bass are extremely powerful (as of course everyone was expecting), fast and clear, the great energy of this bass is the foundation that support magnificently the mid, that are pushed forward but without being overwhelmingly warm.

Even if I would conclude my impression now, I would consider this a great earphone, but there is more.

I usually use "Things That Stop You Dreaming" from Passenger for the male vocals, but what hit me was the sub-bass at the beginning of the song, never experienced anything like this, was like having 2 68-pounder cannonsthat were shooting in my ears, forget the Tia Fourte, I never heard a low-end so powerful and clear .


Phantom

The Phantom is a different beast, after the excitement of the Legend X the Phantom invite you to take it slow and enjoy your journey.
If the Legend is able to cover both extreme in a very powerful way, the strength of the Phantom sits it in the middle, no super-bright treble or pounding bass but the focus is to reproduce the music as it was recorded, could sound boring, but it's not.

The Phantom has an overall neutral/natural sound signature, don't get me wrong, it has bass that is clear, present but never overwhelming. Personally I think the mid is where this iem shine, the vocals are reproduced with marvelous details, and what I like the most, you CAN actually hear the imperfection of the voices in some particular songs, this is something that I always value and makes you appreciate the music even more.
You will enjoy the details of each instrument, the various layers reproduced without overlapping and their natural decay.
The Phantom has the ability to reproduce the treble in an effortless, airy way, it surrounds you but doesn't add any fatigue.


At the end, 2 great earphones for different listeners, I hope you all have the possibility to try them.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/emp...rmerly-earwerkz.786335/page-740#post-14056217



Great impression for the EA cable. Nick saids it pairs really well with the Zeus. Meanwhile got another lovely cable from Effect Audio to pair with my Zeus-XR. I can fully understand why Empire Ears partnered with Effect Audio, their combination is just heavenly made as a pair.

 

[gmahler2u]

Hello.

Has anyone Roxanne (1st gen) and ares II combo?
one more question, does Effect audio respond the email quick?

Thanks

 

[ironpeg]

Hello.

Has anyone Roxanne (1st gen) and ares II combo?
one more question, does Effect audio respond the email quick?

Thanks

They respond to FB chat and Head-fi PM really fast. But they just got back from Canjam NYC probably today so give them some time.

 

[gmahler2u]

Thank you very much

 

[flinkenick]

Thanks Nic, i really appreciate it! The Effect Prototype you are referring to, is that the one they made out of an exotic material?

So I had my Horus reterminated to 4.4, and I actually like it a lot with the Phantom from the balanced output now. The balanced output of the my (modded) Sony is a bit warmer than the single end, so the combination works wonderfully by adding a bit of clarity without becoming bright. I think I will leave the pairing for a while. It was the same on the RW AK380cu, where I preferred it from the balanced output, which is a bit warmer than the single end. So if you are using the WM1Z as main source, I can understand why you liked Horus, as it brings a touch of clarity to the Sony's warmer tone.

As for some brief impressions of the new cable, the thing that striked me most is that this is a new type of sound altogether. Coppers, SPCs, and silvers generally have their own type of signature (although there are of course many variations in their actual sig), and the palladium-plating adds something new. It had a sort of hi-fi sound, but in a cool way. For instance, even though its midrange was slightly warm and bodied, it added a clear and fast sounding treble on top. So not as warm as a regular copper, but also not as clarity-focused as SPC's can be, although the treble itself was detailed. There was a sense of authority in its sound, resulting from it midrange transparency, along with its body. By comparison, Horus sounds a bit leaner and brighter. In addition, its bass offered greater extension, resulting in a powerful sense of impact. I didn't compare or listen enough to get a sense of the quantity of its bass, but it didn't seem lacking or overbearing. There was also another prototype, where the treble was a bit more prominent, resulting in wider but flatter stage. However, I think the majority there preferred the aforementioned one.

Finally, the cable isn't 'just' palladium-plated; they actually played around with some extra materials to refine the sound. It is also a hybrid configuration, but I will leave it to EA to reveal the final details. I also just kinda forgot tbh since it was pretty complicated hehe.

Here are some crappy smartphone pics that do not do it justice, it looked pretty badass.

 

[Acemcl]

So I had my Horus reterminated to 4.4, and I actually like it a lot with the Phantom from the balanced output now. The balanced output of the my (modded) Sony is a bit warmer than the single end, so the combination works wonderfully by adding a bit of clarity without becoming bright. I think I will leave the pairing for a while. It was the same on the RW AK380cu, where I preferred it from the balanced output, which is a bit warmer than the single end. So if you are using the WM1Z as main source, I can understand why you liked Horus, as it brings a touch of clarity to the Sony's warmer tone.

As for some brief impressions of the new cable, the thing that striked me most is that this is a new type of sound altogether. Coppers, SPCs, and silvers generally have their own type of signature (although there are of course many variations in their actual sig), and the palladium-plating adds something new. It had a sort of hi-fi sound, but in a cool way. For instance, even though its midrange was slightly warm and bodied, it added a clear and fast sounding treble on top. So not as warm as a regular copper, but also not as clarity-focused as SPC's can be, although the treble itself was detailed. There was a sense of authority in its sound, resulting from it midrange transparency, along with its body. By comparison, Horus sounds a bit leaner and brighter. In addition, its bass offered greater extension, resulting in a powerful sense of impact. I didn't compare or listen enough to get a sense of the quantity of its bass, but it didn't seem lacking or overbearing. There was also another prototype, where the treble was a bit more prominent, resulting in wider but flatter stage. However, I think the majority there preferred the aforementioned one.

Finally, the cable isn't 'just' palladium-plated; they actually played around with some extra materials to refine the sound. It is also a hybrid configuration, but I will leave it to EA to reveal the final details. I also just kinda forgot tbh since it was pretty complicated hehe.

Here are some crappy smartphone pics that do not do it justice, it looked pretty badass.

Nic,

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to the combination and posting your thoughts! I appreciate it. This is one of the better threads on head-fi with @flinkenick and @Deezel177 among others being incredibly gracious and helpful!

What stood out to me from your review was that you heard the sound as a bit leaner and when i heard it with the Fortè (via balanced o/p from the 1Z), i thought it made the combo sound fuller bodied. Wonder if i am associating the palpable strength of it's sound as body instead of space?

btw, that cable looks legit!

 

[flinkenick]

Nic,

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to the combination and posting your thoughts! I appreciate it. This is one of the better threads on head-fi with @flinkenick and @Deezel177 among others being incredibly gracious and helpful!

What stood out to me from your review was that you heard the sound as a bit leaner and when i heard it with the Fortè (via balanced o/p from the 1Z), i thought it made the combo sound fuller bodied. Wonder if i am associating the palpable strength of it's sound as body instead of space?

btw, that cable looks legit!

My pleasure buddy, thanks yourself!

Well, it depends on what cable the comparison was done in the first place. I assume you are comparing the sound to Fourte's stock cable, where I am comparing to the Ares II, which is warmer and more bodied than both the 64 cable and Horus. Attenuating the treble will almost automatically result in a relatively more bodied (lower) midrange. While Horus has an overall brighter tone, its upper treble is relatively linear and smooth, so it is possible that it is more bodied than the stock cable of 64.

Besides, there is always a factor of specific synergy between cables, daps, and iems. Out of the warmer balanced output of the 1Z or AK, Horus' sound does not feel relatively leaner, compared to when listening with a relatively brighter source. You have been fortunate to try with your own ears, so you can always trust that over others.