Second that. Savage 9 has been available for about 6 months(non Adel) but very little information about it and none on the Empire website. I know we can just contact Empire directly but it would be nice with some comparisons or at least some impressions.
InsanityOne, you have the Savage 5, what is your impressions? Can you compare it to other iems, maybe 64 audio Adel. I have the U12 Adel and like it. The bass is awesome without being basshead, but sometimes I do miss more clarity in the mids and highs. Soundstage and separation are also top notch.
Well, seeing as the Savage 5 is the first IEM I have ever owned, I would not be able to compare it to any other IEMs at this point in time. However, I can compare it to the past headphone I have owned such as the Fostex-TH600, Beyerdynamic T5p, AKG K701, etc. But that wouldn't really do anyone much good I don't think. I will jot down my quick and dirty impressions below as I am far from a "reviewer" of headphones / IEMs.
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Pre-face:
All of the comments below were written out while listening to my Savage 5 from either a FiiO X1 2ND GEN or a CEntrance MINI-M8 with my Galaxy Note 5 as a source. I use medium size Comply T500 foam tips and a YY Pro Audio "Storm" cable + iFi IEMatch at all times. All of the below comments are my own thoughts and opinions and are completely subjective. If you purchase a Savage 5 YMMV.
Detail:
The detail retrieval on the Savage 5 is very good to my ears. I am able to hear the full depth of the music and no distinct sounds seem to be missed or "glossed over". Just like most IEMs of this caliber, they bring you right into the music and make you feel as if you are sitting in the recording studio with the artist having a person 1 on 1 concert. It is a very intimate sound, but since you are so close no details are lost in translation.
Bass:
I will admit upfront that I am a "basshead". Even with a very good seal and the right eartips, I wouldn't call the bass on the Savage 5 punchy, boomy, or hard-hitting. It just doesn't really compare to the amount and quality of bass that a pair of Fostex TH-600's can provide. (But then again, Fostex headphones are arguably some of the best headphones for bass reproduction in the world, so it is a bad comparison to make.) As far as IEMs go, I would say that the amount of bass on the Savage 5 remains prominent while not drowning out the mids or highs. The bass coming from the Savage 5 is not so much like an EDM concert, but more like getting up close and personal with a string bass or a bass drum on a drum kit. It is definitely there and you can hear its fullness, but you won't be feeling its thump in your chest. As Jack stated earlier in the thread, "We've been selling the current version of the
Savage line to musicians and a few audio enthusiasts but I think the "bass lovers" will really want more."
Mids:
The midrange on the Savage 5 blends well and does not get neglected by any means. In this case, the mids present a "warm" signature overall without being extremely untrue to the source. Vocals still sound engaging and fun but are not pushed too far forward. Again, the sound of the Savage 5 is not "airy" but more "intimate" to my ears in this scenario. The mids have a nice "upfront" sound that adds to the overall body of the Savage 5's sound signature. The good thing about the mids on the Savage 5 is that they are not a strictly "reference" presentation like that of my Beyerdynamic T5p's which can sometimes come off as a bit "standard".
Highs:
In my experience, the higher frequencies on the Savage 5 sometimes lose out to the full-bodied bass and the warm mids, but only in tracks that are more bass / mid focused. In tracks that have more focus on the upper range the Savage 5 still delivers an accurate and detailed representation of the sound which is fairly common with balanced armature IEMs. The highs are neither harsh nor grainy. The highs come on smooth and decay quickly, just like if you were getting your own little concert in a recording booth. This allows for hours of listening with relatively zero ear-fatigue.
Soundstage:
As Jack has stated, the Savage series was designed "primarily for bass players and drummers," but just because it was tuned for certain instruments doesn't mean that it falls short on capturing others. The space and separation between instruments provided by the Savage 5 allows them to be easily distinguished, but due to the nature of it's tuning, you will always be able to hear the prominence of the drums and the bass. The soundstage of the Savage 5 is wide, but not near as wide as my AKG K701's. As I have said multiple times before in this post, the soundstage on the Savage 5 is intimate, it doesn't leave anything out, but it doesn't make you feel like you are listening to the music in an anechoic chamber either. The soundstage is more akin to listening to the music in a small jazz club or a recording booth. Even if the soundstage isn't "infinitely wide" it still deserves to be called dynamic and highly transparent though.
Conclusion:
For my personal tastes I
really like the sound of the Savage 5. It makes me feel warm and cozy when I listen to it, which is definitely not something you get with most headphones / IEMs. I find myself often drifting off to sleep while enjoying a late night listening session with them. I would say that the Savage 5 is a "fun" IEM that caters to those of use who are not seeking the "ultimate detail retrieval and infinite soundstage" but rather the "delicate nuances of a warm sounding vintage tube amp." I know that there are many of you out there who would shun a sound signature such as this, but for those of us who like it, the Savage 5 is a real treat. In the end, after owning the Savage 5 for a few months, I am eagerly awaiting the official release of the Savage 9 so I can upgrade and get in on the ADEL party as well. Hopefully that says something about how much I like them.
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Hopefully what I wrote is helpful to some people, it was my first time writing up anything like that so I would appreciate any critique / feedback. Thanks!
- InsanityOne
