“When I close my eyes and listen,
I don't just hear the music;
I feel it.”
This is my first official review, so please, do leave me some feedback on how I did! Don’t be afraid to suggest improvements as well 
Full disclosure: I ordered and paid for with my own money, the non-ADEL version of the Athena via the local dealer, Music Sanctuary under the Black Friday 2016 promotion. After which, Jack offered to upgrade me to the ADEL version at a discounted rate in exchange for my honest feedback.
Do note that this will not bias this review and my opinions as I approached this review objectively. I would have written this review regardless even if Jack didn’t ask for it.
Due to a mix-up in the order, I have both the ADEL and non-ADEL versions of the Athena in my possession, which I will use extensively for the purpose of comparison for this review. However, please be reminded that this is a review for the ADEL version nonetheless.
Please bear with me. This is a rather lengthy review, as I would like to leave no stone unturned and be very detailed as to portray as accurately as possible to you – the reader – the overall sound profile as well as the benefits and sacrifices that ADEL brings to the table.
TL;DR
Pros:
Amazing accessories, well balanced, rich and engaging sound, crystal clear and extended treble, silky smooth mids, punchy and well defined bass, ADEL introduces health benefits
Cons:
Isolation is subpar, mids might be too warm for classical music, ADEL module might flex for some, distant sound due to ADEL causes loss in resolution and micro-detailing
EMPIRE EARS
Starting out as EarWerkz, Empire Ears have come a long way. Their current line-up, the Olympus Series is as impressive as it sounds (pun-intended). From the (now famous) entry level 2-driver Supra, to the 14-driver behemoth of a flagship Zeus, there is an IEM for any sound signature preference.
Recently, Empire have tag-teamed with Asius Technologies to now bring the ADEL technology to their IEMs.
Customer Service
This is where I will have to give credits where it’s due. As mentioned earlier, there was a mix-up in my order and when my IEMs first arrived, they were the regular non-ADEL Athena. After contacting DJ, who was very gracious about it, arranged for a new set to be built and shipped out the same week. Jack and himself also allowed me to keep the non-ADEL unit for the duration of my writing of this review, and thus I am able to bring very detailed comparisons between the ADEL and non-ADEL Athena.
I faced some issues with the ADEL MAM; the pressure that I feel with the
right module is considerably more than the left, similar to that of a regular non-ADEL CIEM, and Jack has been very patient and has not once disappointed. Although, some of my emails did went unanswered until prompted. Jack put me in contact with Steve, also known as @canyonrunner here on Head-Fi and he too, has been extremely helpful when I was facing issues with the MAM.
Athena-VIII ADEL
I decided to get a custom IEM after suffering from non-fitting universal IEMs for a while now. I used to own a CIEM before from a local manufacturer, Advanced AcousticWerkes. However, they did not fit very well and I sold them away after they started to break seal. After which, I purchased a 2
nd hand JH16 but never got around to reshelling them so I sold those away as well. I then purchased a JH Roxanne Universal V1 which I used for a while but sold them away after as well as they did not fit my ears very well.
I stumbled across the Athena while I was at Music Sanctuary. I was auditioning IEMs that were within my budget before one of the staff there recommended the Hermes to me. I really enjoyed listening to the Hermes, and after some comparisons with other IEMs around the same price, I was almost adamant on getting it as the Hermes seems to fit my sound signature preferences best.
Until I was introduced to the Athena.
Long story short, I fell in love with it and bought the Athena on the spot. At the time, I purchased the non-ADEL Athena due to financial constraints. However, after researching up on ADEL, I realized that it might be something useful to me as I had extremely sensitive ears and the pressure build-up in my ears form using IEMs would get so bad after an hour that I would need to stop using them for a while.
After some serious consideration, I figured “go big or go home” and asked Jack if it were possible for me to upgrade to the Athena ADEL. At that point, he offered to upgrade me at a discounted rate for my honest feedback and the rest is history.
The unboxing was an experience that was like no other, in my opinion, even surpassing the like of Apple. All Empire IEMs come in a matte black box with the silver EE logo embossed on the top. Apollo and Zeus will come with a
gold EE logo embossed instead.
Opening the magnetic flap will reveal an EE logo from the dust bag right on top. Flipping that open will reveal the IEM pouch, cleaning cloth and beginners’ manual. Once those have been removed, you will come face to face with the EE Aegis case with your name (or whatever you have indicated when you order) engraved on it.
That’s a lot of wings.
Accessories
Empire Ears Athena-VIII ADEL
Empire Aegis Case
Empire Dust Bag
Empire IEM Pouch
Empire Cleaning Cloth
Cleaning Tool
Empire Ears probably has the one of if not
the best accessories pack out of any IEM manufacturer out there. While other manufacturers provide the bare minimum of a protective case and a cleaning tool, Empire goes all out and includes a dust bag and an IEM pouch that has the EE logo embossed on it on top of the laser-engraved personalized Aegis case and cleaning tool.
Specifications
8 Proprietary Empire Ears Drivers
5-Way Crossover Design
- Triple High Drivers
- Triple Mid Drivers
- Dual Low Drivers
I got my impressions done by a professional audiologist when I first ordered it from Music Sanctuary, and I got a perfect fit on my first try. Seal would not break no matter what I did, which includes shaking my head violently, doing jumping jacks, and pouncing around in circles. The fit is
that good.
I have always believed that less is more – I am a sucker for minimalism. Therefore, I went with a rather simple design; I got the ruby faceplates with a clear shell with the dual E logo on the right and the ADEL logo on the left. The result is just beautiful. The shade of the ruby faceplates was just gorgeous and the clear shell was extremely clear.
The finish was really good as well. It is smooth all-around with no rough patch or edges. There were some tiny bubbles however, but that is unavoidable as they are made by hand and not 3D-printed.
Do note that the section on sound is written based off the Athena ADEL with the stock cable using the M.A.M. set to fully open running out of my MacBook Pro using a combination of lossless FLAC and Spotify Premium Extreme.
Soundstage
With thanks to ADEL, the soundstage is very wide, and natural. It is also extremely 3D; instruments placement is very easy to spot and is well separated. Soundstage is also very immersive and it puts you right in the middle of the action; it is as if the band is surrounding you in a circle and performing.
The overall sound is a little distant though, which makes it hard to pick up minor details although it adds to the overall immersion and separation. This is also no doubt one of the characteristics of ADEL which is why the Athena ADEL will never match the non-ADEL Athena in terms of resolution and technical prowess. The O1 “carrot” modules might change that though, but I have not tried them yet so I shall not digress.
Bass
Bass has a very prominent presence in the sound signature of the Athena. It is tight and punchy and full of definition. The bass is also very well controlled and doesn't bleed into the midrange or treble. The attack and decay is fast; the Athena is able to keep up well with fast tracks with ease. The sub-bass is articulated excellently and is extended, with depth texture, which contributes to the immersive sound signature of the monitor.
When I listen to
Roxanne by The Police, the drums in the beginning hit hard and fast with the reverberation afterwards makes my hair stand. There is also depth and texture to the reverberations; I could
feel that the drums were organic and “
alive”.
The Athena, however, is not a bass-head monitor. The bass quantity will not satisfy bass-heads, especially so with ADEL, as bass is noticeably reduced.
Midrange
The midrange is very sweet sounding with absolutely no veil whatsoever. And while I would not describe the mids to be forward, they are definitely not recessed. It is very smooth and rich, and a little warm, making it very immersive and enjoyable.
Female vocals, in particular, stand out the most. I really enjoyed listening to Adele’s Live at the Royal Albert Hall. Her powerful vocals coupled with the sweet, transparent and smooth sounding midrange prowess of the Athena sends me into euphoria and I am completely swept away; it was as if I was in the Royal Albert Hall sitting in the front row listening to her.
With that being said, I do feel that the midrange can be a little bit too warm on certain kinds of music, such as classical piano music which makes it sound a little unnatural.
Treble
The treble is by far, my favourite aspect of the sound. It is ridiculous how extended and crystal clear the treble is. The treble is a little bit on the sparkly side but it is not aggressive and in-your-face. It is never sibilant to my ears, nor does it distort at high volumes. Detail retrieval is also insane and it is
very, very clear.
My favourite band is One Ok Rock. They are a Japanese band. When I listen to
Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer from Niche Syndrome and
Cry Out from XXXV – which are my 2 reference tracks, the cymbals on both of the tracks are so transparent and clear that I am able to hear
each individual crash, that I was not able to hear before, which is just insane and every time those 2 tracks came on, I could feel Goosebumps at how good they sound.
Overall Signature
The Athena is very balanced with a slight emphasis on the bass. It is ever so slightly warm and has a very rich tonality to the sound, which results in a very dynamic and immersive signature. The Athena is full of energy and shines on genres such as Rock, EDM, and certain kinds of Pop. While the Athena is not the most versatile monitor out there, it is still certainly quite the chameleon. On slower and quieter genres such as acoustic and singer-songwriter, with thanks to the warmth and richness in the sound, are very immersive and intimate; it feels like the performer is performing the song right next to you.
There is one genre that does not really perform well on the Athena: classical. While they do still sound good and extremely immersive (orchestral music is very thoroughly enjoyable), as mentioned in the midrange section, it is just a little too warm for my liking. The Athena also just does not have that sheer technical performance and resolution that will really bring out the best in the genre, so that is a point worth considering if your playlist is primarily classical.
Personally, I’m a rock guy; 70% of my playlist is a sub-set of the rock genre, but I especially enjoy listening to old-school 80s to 90s Rock on the Athena.
You will notice that I used the word “
immersive” a lot when describing the sound. And that is because it is what I feel that the Athena does best. It immerses you into the music and it’s like you are in a whole other world. When I close my eyes and listen, I don't just hear the music; I
feel it.
Isolation:
Let’s address the white elephant in the room. Isolation with ADEL is just
not good. When the MAM is fully opened, with music playing at a reasonable listening volume, I can hear my surroundings. On the MRT (Singapore’s equivalent of the subway/metro), I am able to hear the announcements over the intercom with no difficulty. Even with the MAM fully closed, the isolation is still pretty subpar.
Definitely a downside if you are used to the isolation of a regular CIEM. On the Brightside though, you are able to hear when someone is calling out to you, and there is also some safety benefit when using the ADEL CIEM while you are commuting as you are able to hear your surroundings. This is all done on the assumption that the volume is set to a reasonable listening volume though.
Fit:
If I were to describe the difference of the fit in terms of pneumatic pressure in 3 words it would be the following: night and day.
Using the non-ADEL unit was comfortable. I got a perfect fit the first time, and the seal would not break no matter what I did. But my ears are rather sensitive to pressure, so after using the Athena for an hour or so, the pressure build up and ear fatigue would be so bad that I would have to take the IEMs out and let my ears rest for a while.
ADEL changes everything. Right off the bat when I put the Athena ADEL into my ears, I could
feel the difference. The pressure is simply not there. Y'know the "locking" of any CIEM that you put into your ears and the vacuum seal? It is simply not there. And so, I am able to use the Athena upwards of over 4-5 hours at a time and still not feeling the pressure build up. It is like
magic.
Non-ADEL vs. MAM:
With the ADEL MAM set to fully open, some of the bass is taken away. Don't get me wrong, the bass boost is still there, just that a
little of it has been shed off, and suddenly I found the Athena to be more versatile than ever. It has become less warm and more balanced in nature, but at the same time not losing that energy that makes the Athena so
enjoyable. Not only that, the soundstage has now been opened up. If you were to ask me, the thing that I missed the most from the Roxanne is the crazy huge soundstage that the non-ADEL Athena just does not have. However, with the ADEL MAM, I find the soundstage to be very comparable to the soundstage on the Roxanne, but at the same time being more natural and it is simply mind-blowing to me.
When I adjust the MAM to fit each individual ear, suddenly, most of the pressure is gone. It is a weird feeling at first; it is as if you are not using any IEM at all. It feels very “natural” for a lack of a better word. While the most of the pressure has been released, I experienced a significant issue with the membrane flexing. It got so extreme to the point that it got pretty annoying really quick so I usually don’t really bother with it and just leave the MAM fully open. As for sound, the soundstage has now opened up considerably however, there is a major loss in the bass and sub-bass presence.
When it is closed all the way, the sound is similar to the non-ADEL Athena, but it is just not quite there yet. Bass impact and overall sub-bass presence is still lesser than that of the non-ADEL unit.
The non-ADEL unit still sounds more intimate and less distal, as such, it is easier to pick up minute details. Some resolution and micro-detailing is definitely lost when ADEL is implemented. As such, in terms of raw, unadulterated technical prowess is still better on the non-ADEL unit.
As for pneumatic pressure, even with the MAM all the way close, I still feel less pneumatic pressure in my ears than the non-ADEL unit.
Non-ADEL vs. B1:
With the B1, the Athena ADEL is definitely more balanced than the non-ADEL unit. The bass has been reduced rather noticeably and sub-bass has less presence. I did find the sub-bass to be a little thin and there is not as much rumble. Treble is clearer and is more articulate. Bass is more controlled and tight. Soundstage on the B1 is definitely much wider than that of the non-ADEL Athena.
Non-ADEL vs. G1:
Unlike the B1, there is rumble in the sub-bass and is very well textured, but at the same time is very controlled and not all over the place. Treble is slightly elevated and more present. Overall bass presence of the G1 is rather similar to the non-ADEL unit; roughly 80% as much as the non-ADEL Athena. As always, soundstage on the G1 is wider than that of the non-ADEL unit.
G1 vs. B1 vs. MAM:
The G1 will be used as the point of comparison for this segment, as the B1 and MAM are actually rather similar.
In terms of
sound signature, The G1 has the most bass out of all of the ADEL modules. The amount of bass is on par with the MAM fully closed, but with less isolation. Treble is also the most aggressive with the G1. The B1 and MAM gives the Athena a balanced sound; no one frequency is more prominent than the others, but at the same time, retaining the energy of the Athena sound signature.
The G1 overall increases the bass and treble, but at the same time retaining a balanced sound; the G1 does not make the Athena sound V-shaped. The MAM and B1 are rather similar in signature, with the MAM being able to control the isolation and soundstage.
Soundstage however, is smallest on the G1. B1 has a wider soundstage while the MAM has the widest soundstage when adjusted to each individual ear. In addition, it is also possible to control how large the soundstage is when using the MAM. However, when the MAM is fully closed, the soundstage is slightly smaller than the G1.
Isolation is worst on the MAM when it is adjusted to each individual ear, but is the best when fully closed. The B1 and the G1, as well as the MAM fully open have similar levels of noise isolation and comes between the MAM fully opened and MAM adjusted to each individual ear.
Comparisons
All comparisons were done using the Athena ADEL with stock cable and the MAM on fully open. Do note that comparisons were done using the universal demo sets against my custom Athena.
Disclaimer: all demo units used for comparison are from the aforesaid local dealer, Music Sanctuary. I am in no way affiliated for Music Sanctuary nor do I work for them. I chose these IEMs for comparison as I feel that they will be a good gauge of performance for the Athena ADEL and comparisons that I think will be of interest to you, the reader.
ZEUS XRA
All comparisons done with MAM fully open with stock cable on both IEMs.
Zeus-Reference
The Zeus-R ADEL is
much brighter than the Athena ADEL. The mids are less forward and there is significantly less bass. It is also less warm than the Athena ADEL. The Zeus-R is more resolving and as such, there is more details.
The treble is much clearer but less tamed than the Athena. There is much more sparkle and details. The mids are not as smooth as the mids on the Athena ADEL, but they are more natural sounding and transparent than the warmer sounding Athena. There is less slam and authority in the bass and rumble in the sub-bass. Soundstage on the Zeus is slightly more open than the Athena.
Zeus-XIV
The Zeus-XIV ADEL is still brighter than the Athena, however now, the mids are elevated and the bass has more authority. The Athena ADEL is still warmer sounding than the Zeus-XIV and there is more bass on the Athena.
The treble is identical to that of the Zeus-R. However, the mids are more forward and smoother but is not as warm and sweet-sounding than the Athena. Vocals on the Athena are more prominent and sweet. Bass still does not has as much authority than the Athena and the sub-bass still has less rumble. The bass is more controlled on the Zeus and is tighter.
64 Audio A12
The A12 is darker sounding than the Athena. The treble on the A12 is less extended and transparent than the Athena. The mids are more forward and smoother on the A12. Vocals are also sweeter sounding and more intimate. The bass is also punchier and the sub-bass has more presence and rumble. The bass on the A12 is deeper and more textured than the bass on the Athena.
However, the soundstage on the Athena completely blows the A12 out of the water, which could be attributed to ADEL vs. APEX. Detailing on the Athena is also better than that of the A12 as the Athena is brighter sounding. Overall, the A12 is smoother sounding than the Athena. The A12 is more lush and full sounding too.
64 Audio A10
The treble on the A10 is less extended than the Athena. However, in terms of transparency they are rather comparable. The mids on the Athena is smoother and more forward. The Athena is also warmer-sounding. There is also more bass on the Athena.
Compared to the A10, the bass is deeper and and has more authority. Sub-bass is also more textured and has more presence. The Athena is more rich and lush. However, the A10 is more balanced than the Athena. Soundstage is also much wider on the Athena.
Jomo Samba
The Samba is brighter and faster than the Athena. The mids are more forward on the Athena and is also fuller sounding. The Athena is warmer than the Samba, therefore, the Samba is more balanced.
The Samba is also more resolving and has better detail retrieval than the Athena. The Athena has more bass and sub-bass presence. The bass on the Athena is deeper and has more texture. Overall, the Athena is smoother and more lush and full sounding than the Samba.
For those who care, or is interested, here is my current set up at the time of writing.
Cable
I am currently pairing the Athena-ADEL with a cable from a popular Singaporean outfit, SG AudioHive. SG AudioHive has raked up a reputation in the local audio scene as a brand who sells upgrade cables at an extremely affordable price while still not compromising quality. They also provide repair services for cables, IEMs, and headphones.
The particular cable that I purchased from them is a pre-production 4-braid 26 AWG Silver-Plated Copper Litz. The exact model and its series is not finalized yet, but I will update this review when it has been finalized!
In comparison to the stock cable, the SG AudioHive cable adds additional sub-bass presence with the bass being punchier. The treble has also been ever so slightly lifted, resulting in slightly more extension adding to the overall sparkle.
Aesthetics too, do not disappoint. The braid-work is excellent and the Y-Splitter is made of a bronze-coloured metal with some leather wrapped around with a wooden ball slider, which is rather rustic and charming; I really like it.
Overall, the sound adds to the overall dynamics and while it will not blow $200-$300 cables out of the water, it is an excellent replacement or first upgrade cable.
Unfortunately, SG AudioHive is currently only accepting local orders.
Source
Being broke after purchasing the Athena ADEL, I am just running it out of my Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and my MacBook Pro
As the Athena is very sensitive, the hiss is pretty substantial with both sources, and sometimes, I will admit, it is rather distracting. However, for my current finances I just cannot afford to purchase a dedicated player unfortunately.
The Athena is the full package; it is an excellent sounding monitor, and the accessories that come with them are unparalleled. The shell work is excellent, it is comfortable and the build is of extremely high quality.
But you may ask:
Is ADEL any good?
I would say that It is subjective. Sure, the Athena ADEL is not as resolving as the non-ADEL Athena; the minor nuances and some detailing is lost, making the Athena ADEL not as technically capable as the non-ADEL Athena; sure, the isolation is not very good, but the changes in the sound; the versatility of being able to change the signature
slightly by swapping out ADEL modules, and health benefits are also some points to consider.
Personally, I would grab the Athena ADEL any day.
Is it “end-game” potential?
Definitely.
(but then again, who am I kidding, this hobby is never-ending)
Is it worth the money?
You’re darn sure it is.
Link: http://www.head-fi.org/products/empire-ears-athena-viii/reviews/18162
