[olddude]

No i dont whant neutral or analytical sound.

I want warm fun well balances and thick sound. I do love bass but not when it slams all the time. My shure se846 i concider them bassy.

The 846 has less bass than does the Phantom- or at least less well-presented bass. The Phantom has thicker notes, a less syrupy middle, and better trebles. It's clean but warm. Of course it all depends on how you set up your 846.

 

[kaikai1805]

Hi wonder if anyone is pairing phantom with zx300 or wm1a. Am thinking whether to change my dap (dp-x1) or should i look for cable.

Thanks

 

[singleended5863]

Hi wonder if anyone is pairing phantom with zx300 or wm1a. Am thinking whether to change my dap (dp-x1) or should i look for cable.

Thanks

DP-X1 is not bad at all. If you want to pair with Phantom I suggest you should get the ibasso DX200/ amp8.

 

[Sound~Patriot]

DP-X1 is not bad at all. If you want to pair with Phantom I suggest you should get the ibasso DX200/ amp8.

... and don't forget the holy Ares II 8 wire (best with PSquared plug) What a wonderful combo. The Phantom is my daily driver for all genres. I can really recommend the Phantoms to everybody who loves this full, warm and natural timbre! And the bass is perfect!
I'm definitely a basshead and there are moments every day i simply need this extra punch of the beast directly into the face... in these moments i grab my beloved Legend X very satisfying. I wouldn't go as far as @PinkyPowers did and say they are pure sex...but they are very close to it Btw : the LX is awsome with classics as well. Yesterday i had a beautiful time with them listening to Debussy's La Mer (Noriaki Kitamuta).
So i would have a hard time if i'd have to decide only for one of these! Imo a perfect and complementary combination. So to everybody asking "LX or Phantom?"... my clear answer would be "both"

 

[hiflofi]

Currently going through this thread as thoroughly as possible. Currently on ~p 800.
Will hopefully pop in to demo the EE Phantom Universals tomorrow and (badly) extrapolate that experience to the Zeus if possible as Zeus Universals are unavailable locally.

From the written impressions I've come across (please correct me if I'm wrong), the Phantoms are slightly more musical, natural, and forgiving in its tuning. Perhaps a very slight overall warmth to its timbre that is somewhat reminiscent of a competitor in the Andromeda? Of course neither the Phantom nor the Andros neglect the highs, which I'm assuming are more present in the Andros?

Quick additional question: Are Zeus XR Universals still available through the EE website? I see that it's customisable in terms of faceplate and shell (additional costs applying for more intricate designs. In my purchase order, do I just leave a note asking for the universal build?

 

[Vitaly2017]

The 846 has less bass than does the Phantom- or at least less well-presented bass. The Phantom has thicker notes, a less syrupy middle, and better trebles. It's clean but warm. Of course it all depends on how you set up your 846.

Oh really se846 has less bass I am surprised to hear that. I have it hooked to an hdv820 lol cause thats the best dac amp I have atm

 

[proedros]

there is an EE representative dropping by here , she will know if a universal Zeus is an option (it should be)

 

[Vitaly2017]

Currently going through this thread as thoroughly as possible. Currently on ~p 800.
Will hopefully pop in to demo the EE Phantom Universals tomorrow and (badly) extrapolate that experience to the Zeus if possible as Zeus Universals are unavailable locally.

From the written impressions I've come across (please correct me if I'm wrong), the Phantoms are slightly more musical, natural, and forgiving in its tuning. Perhaps a very slight overall warmth to its timbre that is somewhat reminiscent of a competitor in the Andromeda? Of course neither the Phantom nor the Andros neglect the highs, which I'm assuming are more present in the Andros?

Quick additional question: Are Zeus XR Universals still available through the EE website? I see that it's customisable in terms of faceplate and shell (additional costs applying for more intricate designs. In my purchase order, do I just leave a note asking for the universal build?

Please let me know your impressions once you heard my self I am very interested in phantom or LX

 

[warrior1975]

The waiting is killing me. I hate Mondays as is... Please arrive early FedEx!!!

 

[olddude]

Currently going through this thread as thoroughly as possible. Currently on ~p 800.
Will hopefully pop in to demo the EE Phantom Universals tomorrow and (badly) extrapolate that experience to the Zeus if possible as Zeus Universals are unavailable locally.

From the written impressions I've come across (please correct me if I'm wrong), the Phantoms are slightly more musical, natural, and forgiving in its tuning. Perhaps a very slight overall warmth to its timbre that is somewhat reminiscent of a competitor in the Andromeda? Of course neither the Phantom nor the Andros neglect the highs, which I'm assuming are more present in the Andros?

Quick additional question: Are Zeus XR Universals still available through the EE website? I see that it's customisable in terms of faceplate and shell (additional costs applying for more intricate designs. In my purchase order, do I just leave a note asking for the universal build?

To my knowledge the uni XR is still available as a bespoke order. Ask Devon, who is on this thread. The Zeus has been described as analytical, and while I wouldn't go that far, I find it transparent and incredibly detailed from top to bottom. I've never heard better mids and trebles, and the bass is wonderfully strong with songs with a lot of bass. It is NOT warm. The Phantom did not have nearly enough treble for me, the notes were thicker, it was not as detailed and transparent. It's warm. Sounded very good, just not what I liked. Nobody can really answer your questions as each person has his/her own outlook. Sometimes you just have to jump off the edge of the pool and try something.

 

[olddude]

Oh really se846 has less bass I am surprised to hear that. I have it hooked to an hdv820 lol cause thats the best dac amp I have atm

846 is a wild teenager in comparison to the mature Phantom when it comes to bass. Again, it depends on which foamy you are using with your 846. It's been a while since I had one, but I certainly found the Phantom to be better. But if you like the 846, stick with it. Why change just for change's sake.

 

[Vitaly2017]

846 is a wild teenager in comparison to the mature Phantom when it comes to bass. Again, it depends on which foamy you are using with your 846. It's been a while since I had one, but I certainly found the Phantom to be better. But if you like the 846, stick with it. Why change just for change's sake.

Well you said it right friend. I was younger when I had my shure and dam love it bass was great lots of fun. Now I have evolved looking forward something more well elaborated? With textures details good balance nice synergie musical well balanced over all frequencies. Shure seems to be boomy and lack on details and textures versus high end audiophile hp or iems. I am not saying there bad or undetailed it just my desires have grown and I can expect more now from my audio enjoyment time to get the best of the best but with harmony and inteligence. Dont know if it make sense lol but I guess maybe I am lost in this audio world and confused now.

 

[hiflofi]

To my knowledge the uni XR is still available as a bespoke order. Ask Devon, who is on this thread. The Zeus has been described as analytical, and while I wouldn't go that far, I find it transparent and incredibly detailed from top to bottom. I've never heard better mids and trebles, and the bass is wonderfully strong with songs with a lot of bass. It is NOT warm. The Phantom did not have nearly enough treble for me, the notes were thicker, it was not as detailed and transparent. It's warm. Sounded very good, just not what I liked. Nobody can really answer your questions as each person has his/her own outlook. Sometimes you just have to jump off the edge of the pool and try something.

Thanks for your impressions. Just wanted to clarify that I'd read that the Phantoms were ever-so-slightly warm not the Zeus. Regardless, I'll definitely take the dive soon enough when I demo.

 

[olddude]

Ever so slightly? They are warm, just not like the Legend.

 

[Colors]

I am looking into the Empire Ears Hermes VI - they have a good discount on it as a clearance item on their website. This would represent a solid upgrade on the UM PRO 50s I currently have. I listen to all genres of music, and prefer a neutral/slightly musical signature. I'm of the understanding the de facto cable for the Empire Ears Hermes VI would be a standard 3.5mm stereo connection. I am happy to work with this initially, but would ultimately look to upgrade to a balanced cable. Esp considering the benefits of doing so with the HIby R6 - which has tangible benefits when using a balanced cable. If anyone has experience of the Empire Ears Hermes VI with a balanced cable, I'd be interested to know.

I haven’t heard the Hermes with a balanced cable but I have demo’d it with the stock 3.5mm cable out of my Cayin N5ii.

I’d like to describe the sound as having a very fast, fluid and light attack (funny considering it’s name) with great imaging (holographic-ish) and a spacious sound stage (width more than depth) and an overall flat-ish signature, but not analytical (balanced?).

To me, it sounds like Zeus-lite which is quite a compliment. I am highly considering getting it or the ESR (leaning towards the ESR at the moment) and will probably decide in a few weeks after my Supra-II is repaired.

The only thing I did not like about it was the floor noise (as standard with the old EE line up it seems, hence the bias for ESR). IEMatch may help that but I haven’t tried it yet. Basically if it weren’t for the floor noise, I would have hit the checkout button already. YMMV.