Hello everybody I would like to share my thoughts on Zeus XIV vs Zeus-R.
The main critique on Zeus, was that its treble was too tame which resulted in a strong midcentric signature. Because of this, Zeus was a bit of a specialist rather than an allround performer. What it did good, it did exceptionally well, but it was also limited in its versatility across different genres. Every iem will always have its own weakness and strengths according to its signature, and manufacturers can easily shrug complaints off because of this. There are only a few companies that listen to feedback from its customers as Empire Ears and Jack specifically.
Incorporating the critique resulted in the revised tuning of Zeus-R. Zeus-R has a more neutral signature. Because there is more balance between the midrange and treble, instruments sound more dynamic because of their relative positioning compared to the vocals. The opened up treble gives Zeus a more spacious stage, because of the additional width and more distant positioning of vocals. The net effect is that Zeus is more allround and versatile for different genres, besides the more spacious stage.
But at the same time, it’s important to understand that the revision is per definition a sidegrade; it’s a retuning of frequencies. So where there’s a peak somewhere, there’s a dip somewhere else. I always felt that Zeus’ signature was reflected in its name; the most powerful god, and ruler of them all. But because Zeus-R’s midrange is relatively less prominent, it is also less forward in its presentation, less bold. Vocals are not as full and powerful.
Zeus-XIV’s stage might be less wide, it felt more holographic to me. In addition, Zeus-R’s midrange resolution is slightly less than Zeus-XIV. Don’t get me wrong, Zeus-R’s technical capability is of course still is at least as good as any TOTL – but it is just a teency bit less than the absolute summit fi status it had with only the 5-way (at least in my opinion). I’ve written it before in my review; preference for signature will vary between each listener, and because of EE’s tuning choice, its signature might not be for everyone. But besides listening to its signature, I also sit back and enjoy listening to sheer technical excellence. The precise imaging and resolution, the 3D stage, things that set Zeus apart from what is already TOTL. Of course I’m not saying that the difference in technical ability between R and XIV is radically different. In fact, I highly doubt most will care about it or even hear it. But for me personally, it is an aspect I factor in my preference.
I thought at the time that Empire Ears made a very daring and bold decision to tune Zeus the way they did, where everybody (including me) was most likely expecting a more neutrally tuned signature. With the Zeus-R, Empire Ears has come back on that decision, and has given the people the signature they were expecting in the first place. Zeus XIV is without a doubt a specialist, but for me that only gives extra value within a collection of ciems. But of course I am fortunate enough to speak having other ciems to complement it.
I think Zeus-R is going to be a better choice for the greater deal of the people, as it has important key strengths over Zeus XIV. Overall Zeus-R is still one of the, if not the best, ciems I have every heard. However, I will send back Zeus to be retuned to XIV. I prefer its midcentric signature, and in my opinion, bit of refinement it has over Zeus-R. Jack is going to offer both tuning options, either XIV or R, so I hope this might help people get a clearer image of both options - their relative strengths and weaknesses, as in my opinion neither is better than the other.