[Deezel177]

I own a pair of the ZEUS XR w/ADEL and can attest to its holographic sound stage - deep and wide - a sweet, extended treble, deep sonorous mids and adequate, for my purposes, bass, an absolute pleasure to own and wonderful for classical and symphonic which is my focus, along with some EDM and jazz vocals.

What I meant was there aren't enough out there to form a broad consensus of comparisons between the XRA and these latest IEMs from EE. I never said it wasn't a good IEM in its own right.

 

[CL14715]

While i think LX upper mids sound most natural i have ever hear. I would dare to think that i would prefer that Odins upper mid boost if its not too shouty in reality.

I would probably find it too much on Odin like signature with more balanced bass. But with LX i feel like it would hit the sweet spot.

I am of course nitpicking here. LX is as close to my prefered sound sig as i can wish.

As a major fan of both the LX and Odin... they sound nothing alike. Seriously.

 

[RobSF]

What I meant was there aren't enough out there to form a broad consensus of comparisons between the XRA and these latest IEMs from EE. I never said it wasn't a good IEM in its own right.

Indeed, I'll have my Founder's by mid-Sept. and am looking forward to a significant expansion beyond the ZEUS, assuming that ODIN is what Jack and Dean always envisioned it to be...)

 

[jwbrent]

I spent some time listening to the Odin last night, and my earlier concern about brightness in the middle ranges does appear to be a burn-in issue, it sound noticeably better in this regard. I also for the first time switched tips from the finals to the xelastec, and this may have contributed to the pleasantness of the entire sound.

 

[CL14715]

I spent some time listening to the Odin last night, and my earlier concern about brightness in the middle ranges does appear to be a burn-in issue, it sound noticeably better in this regard. I also for the first time switched tips from the finals to the xelastec, and this may have contributed to the pleasantness of the entire sound.

I did notice the Xelastecs do not distort or change weaken the low end of the Odin either. Sounds a bit more expansive as well.

 

[Giraku]

I spent some time listening to the Odin last night, and my earlier concern about brightness in the middle ranges does appear to be a burn-in issue, it sound noticeably better in this regard.

I second to this.
Initially, I was also surprised by the brightness in the female vocals and some trebles. On some tracks, it was really "shouty" and painful to listen. So I decided to put my ODIN to 120 hours of continuous burn-in process. I did not listen to them during the burn-in process at all. This morning, after the 120 hours of continuous burn-in using various albums of my favorite artists, I was pleasantly surprised that the annoying brightness disappeared. No shouty vocals any more. Throughout the entire frequency range, my ODIN produces gorgeous, cohesive, organic and natural but nicely resolving sound. I am very much satisfied now. It is amazing.
Note: I pair my ODIN with AK SE200, LP P6 and iBasso DX220 Max using the stock PW cable and 4.4mm adaptor (when needed).

 

[sorrick]

Yes, I started listening to xelastecs with the Odins over the weekend and definitely like them more than the final e tips for me. I was initially a little concerned they might attenuate the bass, but I had the same experience as @CL14715 in that I found them to make the overall sound of the Odins a bit more expansive without weakening the bass response at all. This preference was not particularly surprising as I've also taken to using them as my preferred tips on my Solaris 2020s, edging out my previous preferred tips, the sony hybrids.

Also, in case anyone was wondering how Odin's sound on lower-powered dac/amps, I've been listening to my Odins through my Lotoo S1 today (using iphone XI pro max streaming Amazon Music ultra hd songs as a source), and to my ears the S1 drives them wonderfully. The S1 is obviously not at the level of an SP1000M in terms of details or expansiveness/airiness, but within the capabilities of the S1, all of the fantastic qualities of the Odins still shine (clarity, transparency, resolution, separation, powerful bass when called for, lovely highs, etc).

 

[sorrick]

I second to this.
Initially, I was also surprised by the brightness in the female vocals and some trebles. On some tracks, it was really "shouty" and painful to listen. So I decided to put my ODIN to 120 hours of continuous burn-in process. I did not listen to them during the burn-in process at all. This morning, after the 120 hours of continuous burn-in using various albums of my favorite artists, I was pleasantly surprised that the annoying brightness disappeared. No shouty vocals any more. Throughout the entire frequency range, my ODIN produces gorgeous, cohesive, organic and natural but nicely resolving sound. I am very much satisfied now. It is amazing.
Note: I pair my ODIN with AK SE200, LP P6 and iBasso DX220 Max using the stock PW cable and 4.4mm adaptor (when needed).

That's a heck of a stable of DAPs you have there! What have you found to be to have the best synergy with your Odin's?

 

[reeltime]

Also, in case anyone was wondering how Odin's sound on lower-powered dac/amps, I've been listening to my Odins through my Lotoo S1 today (using iphone XI pro max streaming Amazon Music ultra hd songs as a source), and to my ears the S1 drives them wonderfully. The S1 is obviously not at the level of an SP1000M in terms of details or expansiveness/airiness, but within the capabilities of the S1, all of the fantastic qualities of the Odins still shine (clarity, transparency, resolution, separation, powerful bass when called for, lovely highs, etc).

I had a lot of that Odin brightness -- I have mild tinnitus at times and it really triggered it. I moved to a tube amp and it sorted out that top end tremendously. I can't recommend tube amplification enough on the Odin. I ran the output of a Hugo TT to a McIntosh C2600-- it became the best in-ear I've ever heard.

Direct out of the SP1000 (balanced) or the Hugo2 it was almost unusable because of that bright top end. It left my ears ringing.

 

[gLer]

I had a lot of that Odin brightness -- I have mild tinnitus at times and it really triggered it. I moved to a tube amp and it sorted out that top end tremendously. I can't recommend tube amplification enough on the Odin. I ran the output of a Hugo TT to a McIntosh C2600-- it became the best in-ear I've ever heard.

Direct out of the SP1000 (balanced) or the Hugo2 it was almost unusable because of that bright top end. It left my ears ringing.

I'm.glad you found your sound Mike! Except...chaining an IEM to a desktop amp and tube pre pretty much nullifies the whole point of IEMs for me: mobility. If I wanted to be chained to a desk I'd just put on my headphones, which do things no IEM (physically) can. I switched to IEMs to get away from the desk and take high-end sound wherever I go.

Just my own use case.

 

[reeltime]

Except...chaining an IEM to a desktop amp and tube pre pretty much nullifies the whole point of IEMs for me: mobility.

Right? The Fourte and U18 Tzar both sound terrific direct off the DAP or through a Hugo2, so I'm set. But maybe something like the Woo WA8 is worth considering down the road. Or maybe as everyone is saying-- once it gets 100 hours or so the treble will settle.

I've said this before-- IEMs are where it's at right now. There's very little happening in the on-ear world that's exciting. It seems like each offering from Empire Ears or 64audio, Campfire or Sony bring some new level of wow to the IEM world.

 

[gLer]

Right? The Fourte and U18 Tzar both sound terrific direct off the DAP or through a Hugo2, so I'm set. But maybe something like the Woo WA8 is worth considering down the road. Or maybe as everyone is saying-- once it gets 100 hours or so the treble will settle.

Try some Xelastec tips as well. I really like them. Works well for shallow insert too.

 

[cr3ativ3]

I'm.glad you found your sound Mike! Except...chaining an IEM to a desktop amp and tube pre pretty much nullifies the whole point of IEMs for me: mobility. If I wanted to be chained to a desk I'd just put on my headphones, which do things no IEM (physically) can. I switched to IEMs to get away from the desk and take high-end sound wherever I go.

Just my own use case.

Maybe something like cayin N8 with tube out ? for the portable tube sound

 

[twister6]

Maybe something like cayin N8 with tube out ? for the portable tube sound

Portable tube sound can also scale down from N8 to N3pro:

 

[cr3ativ3]

Portable tube sound can also scale down from N8 to N3pro:

Looks like a pocket heater for winter times