Empire Ears - Discussion & Impressions (Formerly EarWerkz)
Aug 6, 2019 at 1:20 AM Post #18,916 of 40,345
Personally, I’d rather see more objective measurements, since it points us away from frivolous spending.


I don't usually get in on these types of conversations because people often get upset but that statement seems to me to be so full of value judgements hiding behind the term "objective".
Forgive the slightly simplistic analogy but the machines that "record" the so called objective measurements are like judging the painting based on quantifying the values and saturation etc of colours in that painting. Art teachers sometimes do this...
The mind is the ultimate measurement machine and it just bothers me that those who claim that there is no difference in cables run to science instruments to proclaim their findings "objective' while meaning "correct". The instruments obviously don't tell the whole story.
I recently did this fun little test on pitch recognition:
http://jakemandell.com/adaptivepitch/
I'm not saying that means I can hear cable differences (which I'm sure I can) but it is a fun way to see how subtle a certain part of your hearing is. (by that I mean the ear and brain interaction)
To me this is an "objective" measurement of my hearing machine as much as the usual sound science measurements are of the reproduction "machines".

Again, if you hear a difference (no matter if it’s real or imagined) and it’s worth the price to you, then by all means go for it. That’s not what I’m calling frivolous spending here.

I’m fortunate enough to live somewhere with a lot of audio stores, so I can and have auditioned a pretty wide range of aftermarket cables. However, for those who can’t (and especially those who haven’t tried any at all), I’d say it’s not a great use of resources to throw money at aftermarket cables hoping they’ll result in sound improvements. Objective measurements in audio, whether with cables or amp/dac/daps, help in this regard because they generally err on the side of moderation.

This was posted while I was typing the other and I like your clarification. I agree with much of this. There was a "hyped" iem I bought recently and hated it and sold it immediately (impulse will be the death of my bank account).. Then on the thread there are tons of people saying that you need this or that cable to "fix" the sound or filters and such.. If it's broke, a cable won't fix it but cables can bring out the best of whats there.
 
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Aug 6, 2019 at 1:26 AM Post #18,917 of 40,345
Again, if you hear a difference (no matter if it’s real or imagined) and it’s worth the price to you, then by all means go for it. That’s not what I’m calling frivolous spending here.

I’m fortunate enough to live somewhere with a lot of audio stores, so I can and have auditioned a pretty wide range of aftermarket cables. However, for those who can’t (and especially those who haven’t tried any at all), I’d say it’s not a great use of resources to throw money at aftermarket cables hoping they’ll result in sound improvements. Objective measurements in audio, whether with cables or amp/dac/daps, help in this regard because they generally err on the side of moderation.

Ah, I misunderstood. Certainly throwing significant money at something you haven't evaluated properly is foolish, hence my endorsement of auditions. But, while I think measurements can be as useful as human reviews, it's difficult for me to see them being any more useful, for the same reasons any review should be taken with reasonable skepticism. No two listeners are the same; nor is any listener the same as any measurement setup.
 
Aug 6, 2019 at 2:07 AM Post #18,918 of 40,345
I think an important point here (that I don't think has been explicitly mentioned; I've read all the posts but I could always have missed something) is that:

Speaking as a scientist, the fact that you or I can't explain something doesn't mean that it's not real or not objective. I'm open, a priori, to the idea that cables, DACs, or whatever make a difference. It's not only true, but obvious that placebos exist, and that's not something you can explicitly measure: if the prettier cable sounds nicer to you, or the silver brighter, or the copper warmer, then for you, that's the reality of your experience and that's okay.

Now, when people want to say that a difference exists in general (which I'm not suggesting anybody in particular did), then I'm going to ask that we have some sort of objective metric: ABX, for example, doesn't need any theory to explain the differences between cables; it just objectively states, "can you tell the difference between these if you don't have your brain cluing you in?" ABX is a statement about the cables, or the DACs, or whatever--in lieu of that, "it sounds better to me" is a statement about how good your brain is at talking to itself. Again, that's fine and more power to you, but it's an absolute hole and most people who aren't already knee-deep in it would probably be better off not looking for a new psychoacoustic fix to burn their money in pursuit of.

Tl;dr: there is a difference between "I hear a difference" and "there is a difference", and I think we should be careful about conflating the two when the context doesn't make it clear (e.g. "the Legend X is a boomy mess" or "the Zeus sounds like it belongs on an autopsy table").
 
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Aug 6, 2019 at 2:34 AM Post #18,919 of 40,345
I think an important point here (that I don't think has been explicitly mentioned; I've read all the posts but I could always have missed something) is that:

Speaking as a scientist, the fact that you or I can't explain something doesn't mean that it's not real or not objective. I'm open, a priori, to the idea that cables, DACs, or whatever make a difference. It's not only true, but obvious that placebos exist, and that's not something you can explicitly measure: if the prettier cable sounds nicer to you, or the silver brighter, or the copper warmer, then for you, that's the reality of your experience and that's okay.

Now, when people want to say that a difference exists in general (which I'm not suggesting anybody in particular did), then I'm going to ask that we have some sort of objective metric: ABX, for example, doesn't need any theory to explain the differences between cables; it just objectively states, "can you tell the difference between these if you don't have your brain cluing you in?" ABX is a statement about the cables, or the DACs, or whatever--in lieu of that, "it sounds better to me" is a statement about how good your brain is at talking to itself. Again, that's fine and more power to you, but it's an absolute hole and most people who aren't already knee-deep in it would probably be better off not looking for a new psychoacoustic fix to burn their money in pursuit of.

Tl;dr: there is a difference between "I hear a difference" and "there is a difference", and I think we should be careful about conflating the two when the context doesn't make it clear (e.g. "the Legend X is a boomy mess" or "the Zeus sounds like it belongs on an autopsy table").


.
Just because you can demonstrate with a scientific experiment that something is "objective" doesn't mean that some new experiment won't come along and destroy that "objective" knowledge as many scientific revolutions have demonstrated.

To me it's simple.. if "I hear a difference" then "there is a difference". I've heard expensive stereo systems that don't sound as good as carefully thought out cheaper ones. I've tried aftermarket cables on some Noble products and preferred the sound of their "ugly" black cable. I tried a $400 silver cable on my Phantoms and preferred the sound of an $80 from Linsoul..

I fully agree with you that in the absence of one's only truly "objective data", your own experience through auditions, then science is helpful in making decisions. You can figure out if a DAP will cause hiss with your iems and some other things but it's not going to tell you if you like the sound of that DAP with that iem. I understand the desire for the "scientific" point of view on this but it's a Schrödinger's cat.

Music itself is the root of all this... how can it be scientific.. ? The description isn't the experience.

This line though made me laugh...
"it would probably be better off not looking for a new psychoacoustic fix to burn their money in pursuit of"
I think a lot of the world of "luxury products" is based on this principle... and I'm guilty as charged..:ksc75smile:
 
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Aug 6, 2019 at 3:52 AM Post #18,920 of 40,345
All good points. More generally, especially for newcomers, I think it's very important to audition any audio equipment you're interested in at a price point you're not comfortable potentially dropping for nothing. Find your way to a CanJam, audio store, or local meet; or request a demo unit from a manufacturer/dealer. There's really no substitute for experiencing something yourself.

Indeed... but blind-buys are fun.It feels like opening a self paid surprise gift.

giphy.gif
 
Aug 6, 2019 at 4:21 AM Post #18,921 of 40,345
Well, to get back to EE, do y'all know any DIY repairs I could do on my newly cracked custom Phantom? :triportsad: Like epoxy or something? The shell is solidly in one piece, just with a nasty fissure. I'd rather not drop $300 on a reshell if I can avoid it without damaging the internals or the fit.
 
Aug 6, 2019 at 5:21 AM Post #18,922 of 40,345
Well, to get back to EE, do y'all know any DIY repairs I could do on my newly cracked custom Phantom? :triportsad: Like epoxy or something? The shell is solidly in one piece, just with a nasty fissure. I'd rather not drop $300 on a reshell if I can avoid it without damaging the internals or the fit.

pm @Jack Vang or the rest of the EE gang here , don't think they will not help

i'd rather spend an X amunt for an EE reshell than 50%X for a job done by someone 3rd party

just my 0.02c
 
Aug 6, 2019 at 5:26 AM Post #18,923 of 40,345
Well, to get back to EE, do y'all know any DIY repairs I could do on my newly cracked custom Phantom? :triportsad: Like epoxy or something? The shell is solidly in one piece, just with a nasty fissure. I'd rather not drop $300 on a reshell if I can avoid it without damaging the internals or the fit.

Yeah I’d just go through Empire as well.
I imagine taking it to a third party will also void any warranty and make future service requests (if required) more difficult.
 
Aug 6, 2019 at 5:32 AM Post #18,924 of 40,345
Hi all,

So, I attended London CanJam and would like to share my EE-specific impressions here for your delight or possible annoyance :)
Firstly a big thanks to @ajyagle for pre-CanJam advice and assistance, and to Josh at the EE stand in London for his great service and almost saintly patience during my epic listening sessions!

I should add that at all times, it was like talking with a fellow enthusiast; great banter, great insights, no pressure or sales pitches (the IEMs themselves took care of that part) :wink:

I was there at CanJam with 2 missions:

1) To find the EE IEM that could scratch a certain itch I get from time to tome and provide me with the most rumble and visceral slam.

2) To listen to the whole X-series line-up, plus Phantom and Wraith.

I'm pleased to be able to state: Mission(s) accomplished!

I'll deal with part 2) first. Mostly just brief subjective impressions that have stuck in my head since then; do take them as such and judge accordingly :)
For your reference, I listened to tracks from the genres of Rock, Pop, Hip-Hop, Classical, Blues, Motown, Opera, Acoustic and Jazz.
For those who find the low end of (e.g.) the Legend X to be a tad overwhelming, or are looking for a mid-tier priced entry point, I thought the Bravado was great.
Punchy, detailed, open, balanced.

Vantage: This one, I wasn't so keen on. It wasn't bad, but it just didn't make me go 'wow' in any way.
Conversely, my fellow Head-Fi'er who was sat next to me declared it was his favourite of the whole EE line-up, and loved its powerful vintage sound.

Phantom: only listened to bits of 5 or 6 tracks with this one (albeit of different genres), so I can only give the briefest of impressions.
I'd heard it described as a 'Marmite, love it or hate it' IEM.
I have to say, I found it very enjoyable (but then, I also love Marmite, so perhaps I'm just a contrarian by nature lol).
Timbre, tone, detail, it was all on point. I would LOVE to get the chance for a much more extensive listen.

Same goes for Wraith and Valkryrie, both of which surprised me by confounding my expectations.

Wraith: With FOUR E-stats, I was expecting HUGE soundstage and treble that soared and extended forever, possibly to even piercing levels (I'm somewhat treble sensitive).
But it's a strange one. The soundstage is there, no doubt, but just.. not how I expected. It's more subtle and mysterious, and the highs are indeed extended, but controlled, without any sharpness or fatigue. It's actually really quite enchanting, and I'm still thinking about this IEM daily.

To give my impressions of the Wraith's low end, they seemed to be more focused around the lower/mid areas of mid-bass.
What this meant in practice was that there certainly was a definite low end presence that was (from memory) an increase over the Zeus.
However, this is not WeaponX bass. There isn't that slam and physical tactility.

It's happily present, polite and well-mannered, like a maître d at a 5 star establishment who is expert in directing and controlling, whereas the Legend X's low end would be like a hulking doorman at a nightclub of a certain reputation, sporting a bow-tie whilst projecting the sure knowledge that he has the power to lay the smackdown should the situation require :)
So in this way, I would say the Wraith has a low end that is entirely appropriate to its calling. It's unlikely to be overbearing even to Zeus fans (of which I am one), but neither is it anaemic or lacking.


Valkyrie: The surprise here was that the treble and soundstage were what I was expecting from the Wraith.
Putting these in my ears was like a scene I recall in a disaster movie (Cloverfield, I think?) where a man in a skyscraper opens the door to an office and instead finds himself standing on a precipice at a dizzying height, looking upon the city spread out before him (the building having been sliced in half from top to bottom).
It was really quite astonishing.
Regarding the low end, if we say the Legend X is 8 or 9 out of 10 for rumble, slam, impact and so forth, then I'd place the Valkyrie at 6.5 or 7.
It's more than I expected and well-executed. I enjoyed them a lot, and, as with the Wraith, would welcome the opportunity for a more extensive demo.

This has turned into rather an epic post, so I shall cease and desist here.
For the record, I chose the Nemesis (recall Mission 1) and have placed an order for my first custom IEM, of which more to follow later :)

Many thanks to all the team at EE; I have such love for what you're doing and what you've achieved. Keep at it :)

Just to follow up on my previous post a while back, so I went to London CanJam on a mission to find an IEM that could satisfy a particular craving I had.

I already have the Stealthsonics U9, which offers TOTL sound and which is impressing me more and more as I continue to listen to it.
It's a hybrid IEM with 1 DD for low end, BA's for the rest; 2 mids, 2 highs, 4 super highs (!!).
It's got outstanding soundstage and separation, treble that reminds me of Zeus in detail and extension. The low end is tuned slightly north of neutral with a reasonable amount of impact and sub-bass, but fairly light on the mid-bass, with a slight weakness (relative to the rest of the excellent sound) in male vocals due to the tuning of the mids and low end.
I mention this to make the point about where I'm coming from in terms of existing sound signature.

So, for acoustic, jazz, classical, opera, soul, Motown etc I find it a constant joy to listen to.

However, sometimes I'm in the mood for rock, pop, hip-hop, or generally just want to physically *feel* the basslines in the songs ('Midnight Train to Georgia' is a Motown classic which benefits greatly from this).

So I wanted an IEM that would give the most visceral, physical, tactile slam and rumble to the drums and bass on my favoured tracks that merit such treatment, but which would also tick all my other 'audiophile' boxes too.

From extensive reading on Head-Fi, I was pretty confident that something from EE's X-series would fit the bill, and based on this thread (and reviews), I imagined Legend X would be the one I'd like the most. I'll start a new post momentarily to describe what I tried and what I found :)
 
Aug 6, 2019 at 5:47 AM Post #18,925 of 40,345
Well, to get back to EE, do y'all know any DIY repairs I could do on my newly cracked custom Phantom? :triportsad: Like epoxy or something? The shell is solidly in one piece, just with a nasty fissure. I'd rather not drop $300 on a reshell if I can avoid it without damaging the internals or the fit.


Hmm I would definitely check with ee team first buutt if its urgent you can use transparent nail lacquer applie it on the crack and spread it evenly.
It gets as hard as plastic...
Epoxy is way to much trouble in my opinion.

I did that my self once to fix a crack.
 
Aug 6, 2019 at 6:22 AM Post #18,926 of 40,345
Just to follow up on my previous post a while back, so I went to London CanJam on a mission to find an IEM that could satisfy a particular craving I had.

I already have the Stealthsonics U9, which offers TOTL sound and which is impressing me more and more as I continue to listen to it.
It's a hybrid IEM with 1 DD for low end, BA's for the rest; 2 mids, 2 highs, 4 super highs (!!).
It's got outstanding soundstage and separation, treble that reminds me of Zeus in detail and extension. The low end is tuned slightly north of neutral with a reasonable amount of impact and sub-bass, but fairly light on the mid-bass, with a slight weakness (relative to the rest of the excellent sound) in male vocals due to the tuning of the mids and low end.
I mention this to make the point about where I'm coming from in terms of existing sound signature.

So, for acoustic, jazz, classical, opera, soul, Motown etc I find it a constant joy to listen to.

However, sometimes I'm in the mood for rock, pop, hip-hop, or generally just want to physically *feel* the basslines in the songs ('Midnight Train to Georgia' is a Motown classic which benefits greatly from this).

So I wanted an IEM that would give the most visceral, physical, tactile slam and rumble to the drums and bass on my favoured tracks that merit such treatment, but which would also tick all my other 'audiophile' boxes too.

From extensive reading on Head-Fi, I was pretty confident that something from EE's X-series would fit the bill, and based on this thread (and reviews), I imagined Legend X would be the one I'd like the most. I'll start a new post momentarily to describe what I tried and what I found :)


I think there is 3 iems you should look at in EE line...
LX
has the most bass amount but not as detailed as phantom can do it.Lx has beautiful treble on my mind it sparkles and bliss. Think it was the best treble ever heard in terms of feeling enjoyment and not piercy or fatiguing.

Valkyrie
Not heard it yet but from my gathered search. They are in between Lx and phantom, they have same dd as Lx but 1 not 2 and supposedly less bassy than Lx. The treble is splashy wetty with good extension maybe even thicker then the Lx. The mid probably same as in phantoms but slightly backed up so it has a slight u shaped sig

Phantom is my most loved iem ever in all categories compared vs headphones iems or speakers even.
What phantom offers is pure pleasure its authoritive strong and slightly aggressive on the attacks. Its also fast and responsive I can feel rumble and visceral effects if its there. Of course its not a dynamic driver but its darn good for a ba driver.
Something that phantoms are missing is the airy treble and sparkle. Treble is tamed down quiet a bit compared to totl iem like tia forte even Lx to.

I still love them and for a year now I compared them to tia forte, sennheiser he-1, hdv820+hd800s, hd820, shure 846, u18t, andromeda, Lx.
Phantom is the only iem that I always came back to. No matter what phantom wins down the pathe.
Its a pleasure of refinement in music.
They are also super good in micro details and all fint little subtle touches on notes can be felt with ease.

Now I own phantom ares II 8wires and sony 1z dap. Its all you need to be in highest ever level in audiophile realm in portable gear of course not desktop performance.
 
Aug 6, 2019 at 6:24 AM Post #18,927 of 40,345
Well, to get back to EE, do y'all know any DIY repairs I could do on my newly cracked custom Phantom? :triportsad: Like epoxy or something? The shell is solidly in one piece, just with a nasty fissure. I'd rather not drop $300 on a reshell if I can avoid it without damaging the internals or the fit.

in the past, you could opt for EE to patch the crack instead of getting a full reshell. A year or so ago, it was $45 versus the $300 it would cost to get a full reshell. Hopefully they still offer such a service. @Devon Higgins @ajyagle
 
Aug 6, 2019 at 7:17 AM Post #18,928 of 40,345
Well, to get back to EE, do y'all know any DIY repairs I could do on my newly cracked custom Phantom? :triportsad: Like epoxy or something? The shell is solidly in one piece, just with a nasty fissure. I'd rather not drop $300 on a reshell if I can avoid it without damaging the internals or the fit.
Go to Amazon and search uv resin, basically the same materisl that the shell are made, cheap and fast solution
 
Aug 6, 2019 at 7:17 AM Post #18,929 of 40,345
So at CanJam London, I started with Bravado and worked my way up through the X-series.
All were excellent in their own ways, but it was when I got to the second-from-the-top Nemesis (ignoring the new Valkyrie lol) that my eyes opened wide.
I kept it pretty simple, listening to the same 3 tracks with which I'm very familiar on every IEM (including other tracks later once I wanted to narrow down the differences, strengths and weaknesses). I listened with DX220 AMP1 Mk II on high gain.

The main track is by Norwegian singer-songwriter Marit Larsen (formerly of teen girl group M2M). 'Please Don't Fall For Me' (16/44 FLAC). Shimmering pop music (in this song; she has a broad repertoire!) but with a thumping drum beat at just after 28 seconds in.
That was the key test for me; I wanted to really feel that drum. I knew from previous testing that if I could find something that really rocked my world with that 2 seconds of drum beat, then this would very likely provide the physicality I was looking for on a huge variety of other tracks. So bear this in mind when reading my impressions; although I was also looking for an overall outstanding audiophile IEM, this bass response was the key deciding factor in order to obtain the specific sound signature for which I was searching.

I also listened to The Ataris track 'So Long Astoria' (melodic rock - and acoustic - with good songwriting, 16/44 WAV). Apparently they record all their stuff on vintage instruments and equipment, as well as mastering it all to analogue. So it has a certain sound, but not an especially powerful mastering of the bass and drums, so again, I was just looking for something that could give some extra physical kick and drive to this high energy track.

Finally, Hong Kong opera singer Alison Lau's rendition of "Handel: Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, HWV 46a / Part 2 - Lascia la spina" (rolls off the tongue, don't you know?) :p
(24/96 HDTracks FLAC) I like this for critical listening for many reasons; timbre, soundstage, imaging and separation, female vocals, musicality.
Plus it floods me with tranquility, and restores my senses after a lot of high energy rock and pop :wink:

I'll post links below for anyone interested.


So, moving steadily up the X-series, the Nemesis was the first one that truly made me stop with astonishment. That 2 second drum beat presentation was the most physical, tactile, and satisfying I've ever heard. I checked the other 2 songs too, and was extremely happy with what I heard.

Then went over to the Legend X.
If I say the Nemesis bass was 9 out of 10 in terms of that physicality, slam and rumble, then the LX would be around 8 out of 10.
It's a key distinction here. The LX had a gloriously powerful and impactful low end, but *compared with the low end of the Nemesis*, it just slightly lacked that final 10% that really takes things from 'excellent' into 'jaw dropping'.

I heard the argument from a couple of people that LX has the same amount of low end power and impact, but the overall tuning just means that it's not pushed to the fore and hence I am not perceiving it as much as I do on the Nemesis. Experientially, I'm not sure I agree with this. Because I was specifically focusing on that 2 seconds of low end response with repeated critical listening, I categorically felt a significantly greater low end strength and impact with the Nemesis when A/B testing between the two. Am happy to be corrected, but just saying how I heard it :)

Now, objectively, these are both terrific, TOTL IEMs.
Objectively, I think the LX is overall the superior IEM. When I consider other factors such as soundstage, separation, detail, precision and so on, I feel the LX has the edge in these areas.
However, both IEMs are outstanding in these areas and can hold their own against any other TOTL IEM's I've heard (which is quite a few by now).

The general edge that I feel LX has over the Nemesis is relatively minor though.
In an ideal world, I'd have LX for general everyday listening, Nemesis for when I need that low end hit, and my U9, or Zeus or Wraith or similar for classical, acoustic and so forth.

However, since I had to make a choice (and had already decided I was going to buy customs), I chose to stick to my original mission and thus chose Nemesis.
Not only was the low end exactly what I was looking for, but there was a small difference in the tuning; it seemed like a little more warmth and body coming through.
This just added a delightful extra tinge of richness and musicality to the tracks I listened to.

There's times when I love to just soak in the joy of a true audiophile experience; noticing previously unheard details, revelling in aspects of the sound signature and tuning.
There are other times when I just want to feel the music and emotion (and power, where appropriate).
Comparing LX and Nemesis, I'd say the LX is 9.5 out of 10 for the former and 8 out of 10 for the latter (relative to each other).
Nemesis, 8 out of 10 for the former and 9.5 out of 10 for the latter.

Finally, I spoke with Suyang, illustrious bossman of Effect Audio at the stand next door. I outlined my mission and asked him which alternative cable he would recommend to get an even more ideal result (maximising low end slam and impact). Again, based on prior Head-Fi reading and reviews, I imagined he would suggest the Ares II 8 wire or Thor II (in some variant or other).
However, he proposed the Ares II+, 4 wires with a thicker gauge.
I tried it (as well as the other cables mentioned, which brought their own excellent tweaks to the sound signatures) with the Nemesis and the slam and impact which had been 9.5 out of 10 was now a solid 10. Or even, the dials were turned up to 11 :p
The difference was significant enough to be immediately noticeable, and it was love at first listen.

The same with the LX, but still not quite enough to elevate it for me to the levels of low end power of the Nemesis. With the LX, and bearing in mind the more general purposes for which I'd be buying it in future, I'd probably go for Ares II or Thor II in the 8 wire variants.

It also occurs to me that I haven't tried an Ares II+ 8 wire; must check that out with the Nemesis and LX in future:D

Anyway, I want to finally stress that of course these are my subjective opinions, posted with the intention of helping and informing others who may be curious about these IEMs or looking for what I was looking for (or looking for something more like the LX as I've described it).
All respect to the different opinions out there, and to the giants on whose shoulders I am humbly standing (or rather, continuing to learn at their feet) :)

Music links as mentioned:




Apologies for the size of the post, but I hope it may be of help (or at least enjoyment!) to some :)
 
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Aug 6, 2019 at 7:35 AM Post #18,930 of 40,345
I think there is 3 iems you should look at in EE line...
LX
has the most bass amount but not as detailed as phantom can do it.Lx has beautiful treble on my mind it sparkles and bliss. Think it was the best treble ever heard in terms of feeling enjoyment and not piercy or fatiguing.

Valkyrie
Not heard it yet but from my gathered search. They are in between Lx and phantom, they have same dd as Lx but 1 not 2 and supposedly less bassy than Lx. The treble is splashy wetty with good extension maybe even thicker then the Lx. The mid probably same as in phantoms but slightly backed up so it has a slight u shaped sig

Phantom is my most loved iem ever in all categories compared vs headphones iems or speakers even.
What phantom offers is pure pleasure its authoritive strong and slightly aggressive on the attacks. Its also fast and responsive I can feel rumble and visceral effects if its there. Of course its not a dynamic driver but its darn good for a ba driver.
Something that phantoms are missing is the airy treble and sparkle. Treble is tamed down quiet a bit compared to totl iem like tia forte even Lx to.

I still love them and for a year now I compared them to tia forte, sennheiser he-1, hdv820+hd800s, hd820, shure 846, u18t, andromeda, Lx.
Phantom is the only iem that I always came back to. No matter what phantom wins down the pathe.
Its a pleasure of refinement in music.
They are also super good in micro details and all fint little subtle touches on notes can be felt with ease.

Now I own phantom ares II 8wires and sony 1z dap. Its all you need to be in highest ever level in audiophile realm in portable gear of course not desktop performance.


Hey, thanks for this! Interesting reading! My posts about this have been a bit disjointed for various reasons; I should have posted all 3 of them a week ago!
But in the first one, I gave my impressions of the Valkyrie vs Legend X.

I only had a brief listen to the Phantom, and from reading on here, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I loved it at first listen!
From my brief impression, it just had this enchanting sound signature, dark and rich and addictive.
Definitely one I'd like to be able to sit down with for a week or two and really get to know.

Ditto the Wraith and Valkyrie. My impression is that they each have elements that may surprise some people who are familiar with EE up til now and confound their expectations.
I'd say on balance that they are just both somewhat of a departure from what I'd heard in the EE range up til that point.
However, they each had qualities that hooked me immediately, and made me really want to spend a LOT more time with each of them.
I strongly feel they both are IEMs that will reward extended listening and each become addictive in their own way.

Again, I can only encourage @Devon Higgins and @ajyagle to move heaven and earth to arrange a long-overdue UK/EU review tour for whatever can be sent here.
Or reach out to me in my capacity as a reviewer. I won't say no :p

But yeah, I'm really excited about items in the existing line-up and the new editions; dying for the chance to hear (much) more! :)
 

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