[518013]

Dongle ftw
The Apple dongle USB C is being proofed on audioscience and ive tried it by myself and really impressed. The sound from it is more clean. And in the mean time, samsung releases a new USB C dongle and that dongle sounds fuller, more musical than Apple Dongle. I keep them both for two different signature. All under $30

So you returned the KSE1200? Which IEM are you sticking with?

 

[CANiSLAYu]

That's awesome. How do the Valkyrie compare to legend X?

Thanks. I have a hard time describing sound to begin with and I definitely don't have golden ears, so take anything I say with a grain of salt. Just got it on Monday, but have only been able to listen for a couple of hours. First impressions:

• Dragonhide is stunning. As said on here, the photos don't really do it justice
• Shell is a lot smaller than LX, which I appreciate
• Driver flex is worse for me (with LX I only usually have it when inserting, with Valkyrie I can get it when I yawn and other movements). Both using medium Final E tips. I think they sound the best and are the most comfortable for me.
• A little harder to drive than LX, but not significantly so. I was worried about SR15 being underpowered, but it was unfounded though. On the SR15 balanced and CUBE on low gain (both 4 Vrms), my normal listening volume in a relatively quiet room is ~35 on Phantom, ~65 on LX, ~75 on Valkyrie (on a scale of 1-150, so plenty of room)
• W9 bass still present and lovely (guestimate it to be ~85% of LX). With that, it seems a little more balanced because the bass isn't as dominant
• Definitely more treble energy on Valkyrie and comes right up to the edge the edge of fatiguing for me
• Way too early take, I think the deeper V shape of Valkyrie plays better with pop music and the more potent bass of LX plays better with EDM. Haven't decided what I like better for other genres yet (started with the bass since that's what I like the most ).

Is case is that?

Crossline is the brand. Basically a knockoff of Van Nuys VC820. Astell & Kern also just came out with a collaboration with Van Nuys to give a flavor of how much they charge. $180 and it's even smaller! Seeing that gave me the idea for the little strap to lift up the player though. So a quick trip to the craft store and my wife sewed a couple up for me!

Perfect!!!

I really liked the Eros II 8wire on the Phantoms but not so much on the LX. Did you compare it to the Ares II 8 wire with the LX? I sold my Ares II 8 wire and regret it now that I have the LX as I suspect it would be ba better match.

I haven't tried any cable rolling with my EEs and it's not something that really interests me. I know the caps on these EA 2pin plugs are notorious for coming loose. I bought my LX secondhand and one of the caps was loose and the cable must not have been stored very well because it had some kinks and whatnot, so that's why I sent it in for upgrade to 8 wire. I already had an Eros II (had some Amazon credits to burning a hole in my pocket) so I upgraded that to 8 wire as well after having a good experience with the Ares upgrade and really liking the looks/ergonomics of the 8 wire. I also read lots of impressions/reviews about the Eros II 8 with Phantom and Ares II 8 with LX, so I'm happy to just set it and forget it! Not looking to start a debate, but I'm not sure I really believe in cables making a difference anyways. I'm happy to pay a little for the looks/ergonomics, going balanced and a little peace of mind so I'm not left wondering "what if?"

 

[SBranson]

I haven't tried any cable rolling with my EEs and it's not something that really interests me. I know the caps on these EA 2pin plugs are notorious for coming loose. I bought my LX secondhand and one of the caps was loose and the cable must not have been stored very well because it had some kinks and whatnot, so that's why I sent it in for upgrade to 8 wire. I already had an Eros II (had some Amazon credits to burning a hole in my pocket) so I upgraded that to 8 wire as well after having a good experience with the Ares upgrade and really liking the looks/ergonomics of the 8 wire. I also read lots of impressions/reviews about the Eros II 8 with Phantom and Ares II 8 with LX, so I'm happy to just set it and forget it! Not looking to start a debate, but I'm not sure I really believe in cables making a difference anyways. I'm happy to pay a little for the looks/ergonomics, going balanced and a little peace of mind so I'm not left wondering "what if?"

Thanks.. I felt that I noticed a difference between the Ares and Eros on the Phantom with the latter being mostly better so I kept it there and used the Ares on the Bravado.

 

[Owludio]

Dongle ftw
The Apple dongle USB C is being proofed on audioscience and ive tried it by myself and really impressed. The sound from it is more clean. And in the mean time, samsung releases a new USB C dongle and that dongle sounds fuller, more musical than Apple Dongle. I keep them both for two different signature. All under $30

Samsung? Interesting! If use files. Then Onkio has player with parametric EQ with unlimited points of change. Jet audio has 20 band graphic for extra 2 or 3 $.

 

[twiceboss]

Samsung? Interesting! If use files. Then Onkio has player with parametric EQ with unlimited points of change. Jet audio has 20 band graphic for extra 2 or 3 $.

yes, i do enjoy using both!

 

[twiceboss]

So you returned the KSE1200? Which IEM are you sticking with?

well CL2 is still with me. The pairing with Apple dongle and the spiral dots are quite good. Im just using stock 3.5mm cable. Things about CL2 are genre dependent. Some songs can be crazy good but some songs can be good. Certain can be peaky..

add: the new samsung dongle can sound more lush and make that CL2 non peaky

 

[518013]

well CL2 is still with me. The pairing with Apple dongle and the spiral dots are quite good. Im just using stock 3.5mm cable. Things about CL2 are genre dependent. Some songs can be crazy good but some songs can be good. Certain can be peaky..

add: the new samsung dongle can sound more lush and make that CL2 non peaky

Yeah they are source dependent, and poor mixing in tracks....sounds poor.
I have a ton of DSDs and High res tracks and that is where they earn their money for me...
Hopefully the Samsung works better for you,

 

[xandermaus]

To my ears Fiio DAPs sound muddy and lack of details. I have never ever used EQ in DAPs.

Same here. My phone/amp stack is a boat anchor, and I was really looking forward to using Spotify on a less bulky setup. For me, absolutely everything about the M11 was over the top, utterly wonderful until I listened to music through it. The amp is shockingly terrible to me. It seemed to have trouble driving the 10 ohm Solaris, but it could drive the FH7 just fine, and the M11's amp is the exact opposite of open, airy, and transparent. Complete collapse of soundstage. For me, FiiO is excellent in certain regards (comfort, ergonomics, and the FH7's low end), and I really really want to love them, but I find their stuff too flawed. I like their cables, but I like EA even better. So, I'm also done with FiiO.

 

[fallooffie]

Hello all! I’m very new to the site and recently got into the TOTL IEM game. Have any of you had a chance to compare Valkyrie to CA’s Solaris? Really enjoying Solaris but the Valkyrie sounds really interesting. Guess it’s just the sickness we all share. Thanks and cheers!

 

[singleended5863]

Hello all! I’m very new to the site and recently got into the TOTL IEM game. Have any of you had a chance to compare Valkyrie to CA’s Solaris? Really enjoying Solaris but the Valkyrie sounds really interesting. Guess it’s just the sickness we all share. Thanks and cheers!

You are correct. The Valkyrie sounds more fun and details in all spectrum than Solaris. I didn’t have much time to listen for Solaris at CanJam SoCal but Valkyrie had really drawn my attention at that time. Btw, I will get Valkyrie by the end of this year.

 

[fallooffie]

You are correct. The Valkyrie sounds more fun and details in all spectrum than Solaris. I didn’t have much time to listen for Solaris at CanJam SoCal but Valkyrie had really drawn my attention at that time. Btw, I will get Valkyrie by the end of this year.

Thanks for the reply! I may be misunderstanding your “You are correct” statement so if I am I apologize....I haven’t actually heard the Valkyrie but was just saying that on paper they peaked my interest.

That is very interesting that you find the Valkyrie to be more detailed! I find the Solaris’s detail very satisfying but now you’ve really peaked my interest

 

[BananaOoyoo]

Hello all! I’m very new to the site and recently got into the TOTL IEM game. Have any of you had a chance to compare Valkyrie to CA’s Solaris? Really enjoying Solaris but the Valkyrie sounds really interesting. Guess it’s just the sickness we all share. Thanks and cheers!

If given the choice, I'd probably take the Valkyrie. I think the Solaris beats the Valkyrie in terms of immeasurables (soundstage, detail retrieval, etc.), but the Valkyrie wins in terms of what would show up on an FR graph and just... sounds better?

Empire's W9 DD is a more capable driver than Campfire's ADLC, the Sonion EST in the Valkyrie is actually implemented well unlike in many other EST hybrids, and Solaris mids have been a pretty contentious topic.

Also, Valkyrie is much smaller.

 

[fallooffie]

If given the choice, I'd probably take the Valkyrie. I think the Solaris beats the Valkyrie in terms of immeasurables (soundstage, detail retrieval, etc.), but the Valkyrie wins in terms of what would show up on an FR graph and just... sounds better?

Empire's W9 DD is a more capable driver than Campfire's ADLC, the Sonion EST in the Valkyrie is actually implemented well unlike in many other EST hybrids, and Solaris mids have been a pretty contentious topic.

Also, Valkyrie is much smaller.

Ahh see the soundstage on the Solaris is what grabs me a lot. Seems to be great separation. I love the highs as well. I’ve never had a problem with the mids and female vocals sound great but I’ve also heard there can be some variation from set to set so everyone’s mileage may vary in regards to that.

You bring up some good points though and I very well could find that the valkyries tickles my fancy just that little bit more. A future demo is definitely in order

 

[singleended5863]

A future demo is definitely in order

Empire Ears will have demo tour of Valkyrie and Wraith in USA soon. You must have registered already?!

 

[bflat]

Note on ear tips for universal EE. At least on the Wraith, the nozzle is pinched in the middle so that it it gives some grip to ear tips. I've found both Spiral Tips and Symbio WA to fit nice and snug with no danger of sliding off. On my pair, the pinched area seems more pronounced than the stock photo below. I've settled on Symbio WA without the foam inserts for best comfort and sound.