Empire Ears - Discussion & Impressions (Formerly EarWerkz)
Feb 12, 2020 at 6:47 PM Post #20,701 of 41,372
Hello Everyone! Quick reminder, that if you ever need anything feel free to direct message me here, or email me at austin@empireears.com, I'm always happy to help!

As you all know, CanJam NYC is this weekend, so only a few more days until the fun begins! Be sure to stop by our booth and try out the Wraith and Valkyrie if you haven't already!

There are a couple things I wanted to address publicly.
I have been asked if we are doing impressions at the show, and wanted to inform you all that we will be shooting impressions with purchases, at the show.
Additionally, we will be running show specials at 15% off Custom Models, and 20% off Universal Models. With impressions included and these great deals, it is the perfect time to pull the trigger on that custom set you have been dreaming about!

Who all is going to be at CanJam NYC?
@ajyagle You know I'll be stopping by :ksc75smile: Looking forward to catching up with you and the rest of the EE team!
 
Feb 12, 2020 at 8:06 PM Post #20,703 of 41,372
Feb 12, 2020 at 9:50 PM Post #20,704 of 41,372
Thanks for the info. I JUST ordered a Valkyrie and a Nemesis!

Thanks so much Austin @ajyagle for all the help!
Great combo! I've heard the Nemesis is like a baby LX. Will need to give it a listen this weekend in NYC. Tried the Valkyrie when it came out and really liked it, would definitely recommend it as a first entry into higher end / TOTL IEMs.
 
Feb 13, 2020 at 7:58 AM Post #20,705 of 41,372
Great combo! I've heard the Nemesis is like a baby LX.

Hi there! I've listened extensively to both, and ended up buying the Nemesis.

I've posted about the whole process behind that eventual decision on this thread, and over on the "Flinkenick's IEM shootout" thread, so I won't repeat everything again.
A search will bring it up if interested. Just search for posts on Nemesis in the last 6 months; there won't be that many.

In brief though, I'd say that (in my humble opinion) to call Nemesis a 'baby LX' is to do it quite a disservice :)
Simply, they are both TOTL IEMs, but with different qualities.

I felt that LX had the superior technical performance. LX is usually talked about as 'that bass-cannon IEM', but it's technical performance is at times among the best I've heard.
I think Nemesis is not too far behind though, and with a bit of cable rolling, can probably get pretty close.
Still, I have to say, it wasn't always, all the time, but on some particular tracks ('Hangover' by Gomez, for example), the LX literally made my jaw drop and I've never heard the track sound so amazing.

I found Nemesis to have superior bass impact and rumble to the LX, which may surprise some people who haven't listened to both, since they are both from the same dual-WeaponX dynamic driver bass-cannon range, and LX is the de facto flagship.

LX though seemed to have a bump around the mid-bass region, which meant for me that I noticed an unwanted amount of bass bleed/bloat on some tracks and genres.
I didn't hear that mid-bass hump in the Nemesis, and I found it to be more preferable as an all-rounder because of this.

Also, Nemesis had a welcome extra tinge of warmth and note richness, which I personally found made listening to music on it *overall* more enjoyable and addictive than the LX.

I feel that over quite a few long, multi-genre, listening sessions, LX had moments where it would astound me, and moments where it would just not really suit me with certain tracks.
Conversely, Nemesis was pretty much always suitable (adding gorgeous depth and richness to a classical/opera track, Handel's 'Il trionfo...' for example), and mostly addictively musical. And when I was in the mood specifically for head-shaking bass (on tracks that have the potential to deliver it), the Nemesis won hands down for me.

So there you go.
If this seems like I wasn't a fan of the LX, that's actually not true at all :)
I could only afford to choose one, and the reasons above should make it clear why I settled on the Nemesis.

However, I still think the LX is a stunning IEM and hope to also own it sooner or later. I can't forget how it sounded on some tracks; it's still haunting me :)
All this comes with the usual caveats, these are my subjective impressions, and so forth.. :)

Would be interested to hear the thoughts of anyone else who's tried both! :)
 
Feb 13, 2020 at 9:07 AM Post #20,706 of 41,372
Hi there! I've listened extensively to both, and ended up buying the Nemesis.

I've posted about the whole process behind that eventual decision on this thread, and over on the "Flinkenick's IEM shootout" thread, so I won't repeat everything again.
A search will bring it up if interested. Just search for posts on Nemesis in the last 6 months; there won't be that many.

In brief though, I'd say that (in my humble opinion) to call Nemesis a 'baby LX' is to do it quite a disservice :)
Simply, they are both TOTL IEMs, but with different qualities.

I felt that LX had the superior technical performance. LX is usually talked about as 'that bass-cannon IEM', but it's technical performance is at times among the best I've heard.
I think Nemesis is not too far behind though, and with a bit of cable rolling, can probably get pretty close.
Still, I have to say, it wasn't always, all the time, but on some particular tracks ('Hangover' by Gomez, for example), the LX literally made my jaw drop and I've never heard the track sound so amazing.

I found Nemesis to have superior bass impact and rumble to the LX, which may surprise some people who haven't listened to both, since they are both from the same dual-WeaponX dynamic driver bass-cannon range, and LX is the de facto flagship.

LX though seemed to have a bump around the mid-bass region, which meant for me that I noticed an unwanted amount of bass bleed/bloat on some tracks and genres.
I didn't hear that mid-bass hump in the Nemesis, and I found it to be more preferable as an all-rounder because of this.

Also, Nemesis had a welcome extra tinge of warmth and note richness, which I personally found made listening to music on it *overall* more enjoyable and addictive than the LX.

I feel that over quite a few long, multi-genre, listening sessions, LX had moments where it would astound me, and moments where it would just not really suit me with certain tracks.
Conversely, Nemesis was pretty much always suitable (adding gorgeous depth and richness to a classical/opera track, Handel's 'Il trionfo...' for example), and mostly addictively musical. And when I was in the mood specifically for head-shaking bass (on tracks that have the potential to deliver it), the Nemesis won hands down for me.

So there you go.
If this seems like I wasn't a fan of the LX, that's actually not true at all :)
I could only afford to choose one, and the reasons above should make it clear why I settled on the Nemesis.

However, I still think the LX is a stunning IEM and hope to also own it sooner or later. I can't forget how it sounded on some tracks; it's still haunting me :)
All this comes with the usual caveats, these are my subjective impressions, and so forth.. :)

Would be interested to hear the thoughts of anyone else who's tried both! :)
Thanks for this.... Really helpful. I'm glad I went with the Nemesis. The I love the LX but it's not perfect for my taste. Based on what you said, the Nemesis "fixes" some "issues" I have with the LX signature. Again, same as you... I love the out of the LX but the Nemesis should take it to the next level for me at least. I should have the Valkyrie and Nemesis today. I'll post some impressions.
 
Feb 13, 2020 at 10:42 AM Post #20,707 of 41,372
Thanks for this.... Really helpful. I'm glad I went with the Nemesis. The I love the LX but it's not perfect for my taste. Based on what you said, the Nemesis "fixes" some "issues" I have with the LX signature. Again, same as you... I love the out of the LX but the Nemesis should take it to the next level for me at least. I should have the Valkyrie and Nemesis today. I'll post some impressions.

Thanks for your reply too!
Of course, it's always nice to know that other people might also hear what I believe I've heard, so I know I'm not entirely deluded :)
Look forward to the impressions!
 
Feb 13, 2020 at 1:56 PM Post #20,708 of 41,372
Thanks for your reply too!
Of course, it's always nice to know that other people might also hear what I believe I've heard, so I know I'm not entirely deluded :)
Look forward to the impressions!
Listening to the Nemesis now. Loving it!!! I think the Valkyrie will be a perfect compliment. They are far more neutral than I was expecting.
 
Feb 13, 2020 at 5:30 PM Post #20,709 of 41,372
Nemesis are all I need - 25+ years recording studio engineer & music producer here.
 
Feb 13, 2020 at 5:37 PM Post #20,710 of 41,372
Hi there! I've listened extensively to both, and ended up buying the Nemesis.

I've posted about the whole process behind that eventual decision on this thread, and over on the "Flinkenick's IEM shootout" thread, so I won't repeat everything again.
A search will bring it up if interested. Just search for posts on Nemesis in the last 6 months; there won't be that many.

In brief though, I'd say that (in my humble opinion) to call Nemesis a 'baby LX' is to do it quite a disservice :)
Simply, they are both TOTL IEMs, but with different qualities.

I felt that LX had the superior technical performance. LX is usually talked about as 'that bass-cannon IEM', but it's technical performance is at times among the best I've heard.
I think Nemesis is not too far behind though, and with a bit of cable rolling, can probably get pretty close.
Still, I have to say, it wasn't always, all the time, but on some particular tracks ('Hangover' by Gomez, for example), the LX literally made my jaw drop and I've never heard the track sound so amazing.

I found Nemesis to have superior bass impact and rumble to the LX, which may surprise some people who haven't listened to both, since they are both from the same dual-WeaponX dynamic driver bass-cannon range, and LX is the de facto flagship.

LX though seemed to have a bump around the mid-bass region, which meant for me that I noticed an unwanted amount of bass bleed/bloat on some tracks and genres.
I didn't hear that mid-bass hump in the Nemesis, and I found it to be more preferable as an all-rounder because of this.

Also, Nemesis had a welcome extra tinge of warmth and note richness, which I personally found made listening to music on it *overall* more enjoyable and addictive than the LX.

I feel that over quite a few long, multi-genre, listening sessions, LX had moments where it would astound me, and moments where it would just not really suit me with certain tracks.
Conversely, Nemesis was pretty much always suitable (adding gorgeous depth and richness to a classical/opera track, Handel's 'Il trionfo...' for example), and mostly addictively musical. And when I was in the mood specifically for head-shaking bass (on tracks that have the potential to deliver it), the Nemesis won hands down for me.

So there you go.
If this seems like I wasn't a fan of the LX, that's actually not true at all :)
I could only afford to choose one, and the reasons above should make it clear why I settled on the Nemesis.

However, I still think the LX is a stunning IEM and hope to also own it sooner or later. I can't forget how it sounded on some tracks; it's still haunting me :)
All this comes with the usual caveats, these are my subjective impressions, and so forth.. :)

Would be interested to hear the thoughts of anyone else who's tried both! :)

Thanks for the great words and impressions. I plan to do a more detailed demo of the Nemesis and LX this weekend.

Listening to the Nemesis now. Loving it!!! I think the Valkyrie will be a perfect compliment. They are far more neutral than I was expecting.

Agree, I think the Valkryie is a great compliment to either the Nemesis or LX. If I were starting with TOTL IEMs today, I would start with the Valkryie. I have the Phantoms (my first TOTL IEM) and Bravados and like the variety I can get between those two IEMs depending on the music I'm listening to.
 
Feb 13, 2020 at 5:47 PM Post #20,711 of 41,372
Thanks for the great words and impressions. I plan to do a more detailed demo of the Nemesis and LX this weekend.



Agree, I think the Valkryie is a great compliment to either the Nemesis or LX. If I were starting with TOTL IEMs today, I would start with the Valkryie. I have the Phantoms (my first TOTL IEM) and Bravados and like the variety I can get between those two IEMs depending on the music I'm listening to.
On the Valkyrie being a complement of the LX, I would say that if one wants to keep within EE range and signature, that are other options around the same price that can also be an excellent complement.
 
Feb 13, 2020 at 5:50 PM Post #20,712 of 41,372
On the Valkyrie being a complement of the LX, I would say that if one wants to keep within EE range and signature, that are other options around the same price that can also be an excellent complement.

Agree, there are so many choices in that price range, I was just keeping to the EE family. The nice thing in this hobby is being able to explore all those choices and find what works best.
 
Feb 13, 2020 at 5:54 PM Post #20,713 of 41,372
Agree, there are so many choices in that price range, I was just keeping to the EE family. The nice thing in this hobby is being able to explore all those choices and find what works best.
Totally agree. By the way, if you have a chance, give the Tux5 a try. If you like the Valky you will love it. :)
 
Feb 14, 2020 at 5:23 AM Post #20,715 of 41,372
Thanks. I have recently bought the Thor Silver II+

Hi there, was wondering if you have any impressions you can share yet about your Thor Silver II+ with Legend X (compared with the default Ares II ideally)?
Would be very interested to hear more :)
 

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