[Ike1985]

Just wanted to say that Empire Ears were great guys. Got supra 2 non adel ciems from them at canjam NYC (long overdue...I know). One of the cheaper ciems you can get with the discounts, so it was a no brainer. And shockingly they have a great bass response, good enough for pop, electronic..etc. I'll be on the lookout at what they come out with in the future!

They are working on 2 prototyoes right now, I'm guessing theyll provide serious bang for the buck. It'll be awhile (months) until we see a demo but keep an eye out.

 

[Dellwolf]

V20 might be in ultra low mode or something and is not noisey?

I don't want to get into all the details here since this is not the LG V20 thread, but I normally try to have it in AUX or High Impedance mode all the time because it just sounds so much better than the Normal impedence mode with everything, still no hiss though.

 

[bavinck]

I don't want to get into all the details here since this is not the LG V20 thread, but I normally try to have it in AUX or High Impedance mode all the time because it just sounds so much better than the Normal impedence mode with everything, still no hiss though.

Sounds like the v20 has a high output impedance. That would explain the lack of hissing. Note that output impedance has a big affect on sensative BA iems, and Zeus is no exception. I would try and find out what the zout of the v20 is.

 

[Sound Eq]

They are working on 2 prototyoes right now, I'm guessing theyll provide serious bang for the buck. It'll be awhile (months) until we see a demo but keep an eye out.

Are any of those 2 prototypes a new flagship, or is another new flagship in the cooking

 

[Deezel177]

  Are any of those 2 prototypes a new flagship, or is another new flagship in the cooking

 
I believe both are priced below the flagship (with the Proto-X being closer to the flagship than the Proto-H), though I wouldn't say that automatically means they don't have flagship-level performance. I would also say that people in general (not just you) should be more open to trying stuff other than just the TOTL. As amazing as the Zeus is, I have a basshead friend who was considering getting the Zeus just to have a flagship, then immediately cancelled it when he heard the Proto-H. So, instead of fussing about over whether or not the next EE offering will be a flagship, why not hear it for yourself? You might like it more than the flagship.

 

[PokerFaze]

Just my 2 cents, because a product is a flagship does not mean that it is right for everybody.

In my opinion a flagship (for IEMs) is a product that has the best technical specifications a company has to offer, be it driver count, new technology, unique configuration, tuning, etc.

It does not mean that the flagship is the absolute best a company has to offer. Some may prefer the lower end model for their own tastes.

To keep this on topic, I shall make reference to Empire. For example, some people (like me) may prefer an overall more smooth and lush sounding IEM like the Athena over the Zeus. Others may prefer the (relatively) uncolored signature of the Spartan.

We are lucky that in this day and age there are many different IEM models and companies that we can choose from in order to suit our tastes best.

TL;DR: Flagships may not be for everybody, go with what you like and suits your tastes best

 

[fate041889]

hi all,
 
i am still considering Zeus XRA or Tia Fourte to be my end game for IEMs for now.
however up till now i still cannot choose from either one of them.
after selling my layla 2 with silver dragon, i can't find any that suit my taste of music.
comparing these 2 kings, really a headache for me.
 
anyone owning this 2 masterpieces, mind to share the power of it?
please kindly share your thoughts, thanks.

 

[Dellwolf]

Sounds like the v20 has a high output impedance. That would explain the lack of hissing. Note that output impedance has a big affect on sensative BA iems, and Zeus is no exception. I would try and find out what the zout of the v20 is.

I've heard many people say that they can hear hiss out of their own V20 using other IEMs, Empire Ears models included, but I never have. When I had the EE X Effect Audio- Arthur for review I experienced no hiss at all out of my V20. The Arthur is based on the Zeus-R.(This reminds me that I still haven't posted my review of it)

 

[seamon]

Just my 2 cents, because a product is a flagship does not mean that it is right for everybody.

In my opinion a flagship (for IEMs) is a product that has the best technical specifications a company has to offer, be it driver count, new technology, unique configuration, tuning, etc.

It does not mean that the flagship is the absolute best a company has to offer. Some may prefer the lower end model for their own tastes.

To keep this on topic, I shall make reference to Empire. For example, some people (like me) may prefer an overall more smooth and lush sounding IEM like the Athena over the Zeus. Others may prefer the (relatively) uncolored signature of the Spartan.

We are lucky that in this day and age there are many different IEM models and companies that we can choose from in order to suit our tastes best.

TL;DR: Flagships may not be for everybody, go with what you like and suits your tastes best

I would like to jump in on this flagship vs low end debate. While I agree that lower end models *may* suit ones needs, some people still desire the flagship.
IMO, what separates a flagship from lower end model is the transparency, layering, resolution and imaging. Flagships will almost always have these things better than the lower end models. 
The thing about these 4 characteristics are that nearly everyone wants these to be the best in their IEM as these are more objective than subjective. That's why when you are buying a non-flagship when you had the money to buy the flagship, you essentially know that there will always exist a model that does these things better than the lower end one. 
 
The only solution imo is look at products from other manufacturers too whose flagships lie more in line with your signature preference.
 
Edit: To give an example, I like musicality as my preferred signature. For my preferences, the Proto H and Athena are more along the lines of the signature I want. However, I also want the technicalities of a Zeus. If I were to buy a Athena or Proto H, I *will* never be able to forget the fact that how much better the Zeus is at technicalities(which let's be frank almost everyone wants). At this point, I start looking at other brands and look at tia fourte. This has technicality almost on the same level as Zeus and has my preferred musical signature. 
 
Edit 2: Then I realize I am broke af to buy the tia.

 

[seamon]

  hi all,
 
i am still considering Zeus XRA or Tia Fourte to be my end game for IEMs for now.
however up till now i still cannot choose from either one of them.
after selling my layla 2 with silver dragon, i can't find any that suit my taste of music.
comparing these 2 kings, really a headache for me.
 
anyone owning this 2 masterpieces, mind to share the power of it?
please kindly share your thoughts, thanks.

Hardly a handful of the tia fourtes have shipped out and they are so expensive so I doubt many people will buy both a XRA and tia.
 
I think it boils down to 2 simple questions-
 
Do you want the maximum technicality with a bit of musical signature(XIV) ---> Buy Zeus XRA.
Do you want the maximum musicality with world class technicality(Zeus is still a little(say 1-2%) better) ---> Buy tia fourte.

 

[Ike1985]

I would like to jump in on this flagship vs low end debate. While I agree that lower end models *may* suit ones needs, some people still desire the flagship.
IMO, what separates a flagship from lower end model is the transparency, layering, resolution and imaging. Flagships will almost always have these things better than the lower end models. 
The thing about these 4 characteristics are that nearly everyone want these to be the best in their IEM as these are more objective than subjective. That's why when you are buying a non-flagshig when you had the money to buy the flagship, you essentially know that there will always exist a model that does these things better than the lower end one. 

The only solution imo is look at products from other manufacturers too whose flagships lie more in line to your signature preference.

Edit: To give an example, I like musicality as my preferred signature. For my preferences, the Proro H and Athen are more along the lines of the signature I want. However, I also want the technicalities of a Zeus. If I were to buy a Athena or Proto H, I *will* never be able to forget the fact that how much better the Zeus is at technicalities(which let's be frank almost everyone wants). At this point, I start looking at other brands and look at tia fourte. This has technicality almost on the same level as Zeus and has my preferred musical signature. 

Edit 2: Then I realize I am broke af to buy the tia.

Also if you think you'll have the itch for something better or knowing theres a flagship out there for you, you may be happier going straight to the top right off the bat. Of course pay attention to sound signature, for example I like reference signatures that have some warmth. Also make an effort to get out to the shows and hear thrm for yourself, then you wont doubt and you'll know exactly what you like. DO NOT forget to bring over ear shooting protection, the show floors are super loud and you wont be able to hear what an IEM can do without them.

 

[moedawg140]

A person attending show(s) can use over-ear sound protection headphones if they'd like, but in my opinion is not absolutely necessary.

You can maximize your audio show event listening experience by:

Obtaining a good acoustic seal with IEMs and listening at a slightly higher than ambient outside noise level - which will effectively cancel out ambient outside noise -- or an even better solution:

Listen to the equipment/IEM (especially with a DAP or transportable rig) in a quiet setting (maybe offer to leave your ID with them to listen in a nearby quieter area/room).

Have a great day/night and hope to see those that can make CanJam London 2017, there!

 

[Deezel177]

I would like to jump in on this flagship vs low end debate. While I agree that lower end models *may* suit ones needs, some people still desire the flagship.
IMO, what separates a flagship from lower end model is the transparency, layering, resolution and imaging. Flagships will almost always have these things better than the lower end models. 
The thing about these 4 characteristics are that nearly everyone wants these to be the best in their IEM as these are more objective than subjective. That's why when you are buying a non-flagship when you had the money to buy the flagship, you essentially know that there will always exist a model that does these things better than the lower end one. 

The only solution imo is look at products from other manufacturers too whose flagships lie more in line with your signature preference.

Edit: To give an example, I like musicality as my preferred signature. For my preferences, the Proto H and Athena are more along the lines of the signature I want. However, I also want the technicalities of a Zeus. If I were to buy a Athena or Proto H, I *will* never be able to forget the fact that how much better the Zeus is at technicalities(which let's be frank almost everyone wants). At this point, I start looking at other brands and look at tia fourte. This has technicality almost on the same level as Zeus and has my preferred musical signature. 

Edit 2: Then I realize I am broke af to buy the tia.

This is of course true when it comes to technical performance, but tonal signature, to me, is one of the biggest factors when it comes to choosing a headphone/IEM, especially one at a TOTL level, where the variations between technical performance aren't very far apart.

I've seen people buy flagships without demoing, simply because it was the TOTL, only to be left utterly disappointed because its frequency response was not to their liking. I've also seen people purchase flagships despite not liking the signature after trying it (biased by the "flagship status" of the product), only to sell them shortly after.

My point isn't that flagships shouldn't be preferred over a lower-end model or vice versa; my point is that something being the flagship should not be the sole reason you purchase something, especially in a hobby as subjective as audio.

I very much agree with what you're saying though; if you have the means to purchase a flagship, you should also exert the effort in finding the one that's right for you.

 

[seamon]

Congrats to Zeus XRA having made into Tyll's Wall of Fame

 

[MacedonianHero]

Congrats to Zeus XRA having made into Tyll's Wall of Fame

I'm not surprised. There is a reason I gave them my Writers Choice Award for 2016...they are simply magical!