[Cagin]

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.

so if understand correctly that last sentence, you prefer the Athena 8ba over the Apollo 10 too?

 

[moedawg140]

so if understand correctly that last sentence, you prefer the Athena 8ba over the Apollo 10 too?

Personally, yes. I can see how people could like the Apollo over the Athena though if their preferences do not quite match my preferences.

 

[Tony1110]

I get the impression that the Apollo is a smoother take on reference with the Athena being brighter and having a more exciting signature. There is not a lot to go by yet so I could be completely wrong.

 

[Semuapunmau]

Auditoned a couple of AAW today but only the Athena had me at Hello...placed my order. Tried the Hermes too but didn't bother with the rest of the range due to budget and time. Now the agonizing wait...

PS:
Auditioned with:
1. AK Jr
2. iPhone 6plus + Oppo HA-2

 

[Tony1110]

Auditoned a couple of AAW today but only the Athena had me at Hello...placed my order. Tried the Hermes too but didn't bother with the rest of the range due to budget and time. Now the agonizing wait...

Custom or universal?

 

[Semuapunmau]

Custom

 

[moedawg140]

I get the impression that the Apollo is a smoother take on reference with the Athena being brighter and having a more exciting signature. There is not a lot to go by yet so I could be completely wrong.

Your impressions aren't very far off, Tony.

Were you going to go for a faceplate as well (what style) or were you going for Athena being the same Metallic Green color all around?

Auditoned a couple of AAW today but only the Athena had me at Hello...placed my order. Tried the Hermes too but didn't bother with the rest of the range due to budget and time. Now the agonizing wait...

Congrats! Color/style choices?

 

[Semuapunmau]

Your impressions aren't very far off, Tony.

Were you going to go for a faceplate as well (what style) or were you going for Athena being the same Metallic Green color all around?
Congrats! Color/style choices?

Thanks...Sapphire/Wood 2 + Ruby/Wood 2.

 

[ezekiel77]

Semuapunmau, hahaha... apa lagi mau?

 

[Semuapunmau]

Semuapunmau, hahaha... apa lagi mau?

Semua, tapi money no enough...

 

[ascension278]

AAW W500 not to ur liking?

 

[Semuapunmau]

AAW W500 not to ur liking?

AAW W500 is ok. Not bad. In fact I quite like AAW A3HPro too. Since I can only afford 1 I have to choose the one I like most. Just that Athena sounds better to me with the music I listen to.

Go with whatever that floats your boat...

 

[shotgunshane]

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 think Athena and Zeus are both going for a musical approach. Neither are reference sigs to me and they employ their color a little bit differently. Both are very musical but Zeus is more revealing. Both Hermes and Athena are what I'd consider upgrades to the Legend R.

 

[moedawg140]

I think Athena and Zeus are both going for a musical approach. Neither are reference sigs to me and they employ their color a little bit differently. Both are very musical but Zeus is more revealing. Both Hermes and Athena are what I'd consider upgrades to the Legend R.

 
Welcome to the Athena thread, @shotgunshane.  
 
I consider none of the IEMs in Empire Ears' lineup to be true reference sigs for the audio enthusiast - none sound anything like the neutral/overall flat-sounding UERM.  Maybe the UERR (unless they change the acronym) has a less neutral sound to it, but I won't know for sure until I am able to listen to it for myself.  The closest to a reference sound would be Hermes to me, and it was agreed upon with my friends (one is a performer in the music industry) who listened to the entire lineup as well.  Hermes would more than likely be the best bet for the singer(s) in the group/band since it doesn't deviate too much on both ends of the frequency spectrum.  Zeus is the closest to reference out of the IEMs that I own because it is a detail deity in every area of the frequency spectrum, and is pretty well extended in all areas of the frequency spectrum as well.  Zeus is a thoroughly entertaining IEM regardless of being called "reference" or "musical".  
 
I would say Athena is a definite upgrade to the Legend R, and not sure/wouldn't say that Hermes is an upgrade to the Legend R, since I didn't particularly enjoy Hermes compared to the rest of the lineup.  It is a great sounding IEM, but it sounded very 'safe'/slightly reference, compared to the rest of the lineup - which is a sound signature that people would most definitely enjoy.  My friends certainly enjoyed Hermes, as well as Athena, Apollo, Zeus - they pretty much enjoyed listening to the entire lineup.

 

[ezekiel77]

I think Athena and Zeus are both going for a musical approach. Neither are reference sigs to me and they employ their color a little bit differently. Both are very musical but Zeus is more revealing. Both Hermes and Athena are what I'd consider upgrades to the Legend R.

Thanks SGS. I'm getting the Angie next. Would you be able to compare it and Athena based on memory?