[NaiveSound]

How much are people paying for Ares 2? Is it really that nice with Zeus XR?

 

[MacedonianHero]

Sitting back tonight with the Zeus ADEL -R (with MAM modules) and my AK240SS and "Kind of Blue" in 192kps...portable sound quality doesn't get any better!

 

[Malevolent]

As promised, below are my first impressions of the Zeus-XR after about a day of listen, as well as a rather spicy tale of what preceded my acquisition of this exceptional monitor.

The Spicy Tale

As with all CIEMs companies, the wait for a pair can (and probably will) be excruciating. This one, however, was a tad more frustrating than usual. I ordered my Zeus-XR during CanJam Singapore on the 12th of March 2017. When making the order, I had trouble picking a faceplate material I was happy with, until Jack offered me an exclusive Fire Burl faceplate that had so far been reserved for Korean retailers (you can see this specific faceplate on both EE's, as well as GSoundLab's Instagram pages). I was immediately taken by the look, and I accepted the offer. My wallet bit the bullet and I never looked back.

Cut to about eight weeks later, I contacted EE about the ETA of my Zeus-XR's. To my surprise (and subsequent frustration) DJ of Empire replied, saying my pair never even entered production because they ran out of this special Fire Burl. He then asked me to pick another option off of the Empire website, and then told me that my Zeus-XR would be rushed as soon as I made my decision. The frustration only grew as minutes later, both Empire and Music Sanctuary (the dealer I ordered my Zeus-XR from) posted pictures of a customer's Zeus-XR with the Fire Burl faceplate that I wanted. At the end of the day, it was merely bad timing and jealousy, but I'd be lying if I said my wounds weren't salty.

I spent the next couple of days looking for a custom material online that would resemble this Fire Burl or serve as a suitable substitute, only to find out that EE no longer accept custom materials. As DJ informed me, many of the materials that the customers sent over caused their cutting knives to break. Finally, I picked the Fallout swirl off of the web designer as I was a fan of its colours, and placed the order. About two-and-a-half weeks later, Calvin of Music Sanctuary informed me that my Zeus-XR had arrived, and while I was out of town, I had a friend collect it for me the day after. And, upon receiving the IEMs and putting them in my ears, I'll be honest, what I saw and heard almost made me entirely forget all the ruckus that came before it:



Fit and Build Quality

This is not my first Empire monitor (that being my Athena-ADEL), and so EE made the Zeus-XR based on my impressions stored on their file. The result is an IEM that, surprisingly (considering its driver count), is smaller, more flush, and more low profile than my Athena-ADEL. Fit is also slightly better than that of my Athena-ADEL, and that IEM is already the best fitting custom I have. It's secure, snug to the point where I cannot ever get an air gap to form when I flex my ears or chew, but it's also the most comfortable and least pressure-inducing of all of my IEMs. Until I'm fortunate enough to try out other CIEM brands, I can comfortable say that, so far, EE is king when it comes to fit and finish; two sure-fire hits in a row, colour me amazed.

The build quality is also absolutely top-notch. I called the Athena-ADEL the best built CIEM in my collection, and today, it shares its throne with my Zeus-XR. Free of bubbles or sharp edges, and adorned with two of the most beautiful faceplates I've ever had the pleasure of seeing, I'm honestly (strangely) somewhat glad that they ran out of Fire Burl now. Again, king.

Sound

Wow. What else can I say?

The Zeus-XR to me, is comprised of two of the most resolving, clear, vivid, life-like, and musical IEMs I have ever heard. The sheer amount of detail I am hearing from these monitors is outstanding. What struck me first is how absolutely linear the signature is. As I listen to a song and the myriad of frequencies weaved into it, from the bass, to the mids, and into the treble, I didn't sense any roll-off or recession throughout the entire spectrum. This is particularly noticeable with sounds that are typically in the background in the mix (i.e. echoes/reverb, backing instruments, decay in individual instruments). I'm not even talking about merely volume, but energy and dynamism as well. It feels like every single compartment (whether it be sub-bass, mid-bass, lower mids, mids, etc.) has at least one driver pushing it forward, meaning every individual instrument has body and power, and is never missing to the ear. I'm used to listening to a song multiple times and focusing on a different instrument with each repetition, but I don't have to with the XR, because every single instrument is served to me on a crystal-clear silver platter.

Starting from the bass, both R and XIV settings aren't for bassheads and that's clear at first listen. However, how it's tuned is beautifully natural, realistic, and effortlessly layered. In the XIV setting especially, where the bass is more prominent, I found no difficulty whatsoever in differentiating between the kick drum and the bass guitar in songs I use to test bass layering. Punch is not the most impactful or fun I've ever heard (it is not a dynamic driver after all), but speed is great, and decay is impressively realistic. Mid-bass is also where I find linearity and decay to be fantastic. A lot of the tracks I first played through the XR were drum-focused, ranging from Animals as Leaders (prog-rock) to Cleverson Silva (jazz), and the toms in every single track have some of the best decay I've ever heard from an IEM, truly an eye-opener even after listening to these tracks so many times during drum practice these past few weeks.

The mids on both XIV and R configurations are beautifully transparent, clear, and precise. To my surprise, it isn't as airy or sparkly as the demo unit I tried, but that could be attributed to either the SpinFit tips the demo unit had, or the cable currently attached to my pair, which is the Han Sound Audio Zen. @flinkenick's review of the Zen suggested it's a warm and thick sounding cable, which may explain the discrepancy. I'll definitely cable roll in the near future and note any differences that come about. As with the rest of the IEM's signature, it brilliantly balances clarity and naturalness; technical prowess and musicality. I've criticised other IEMs in the past for sacrificing one for the other, but the XR may be one of the best marriages of the two that I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. The midrange is also where I find the dynamics to be best in the IEM, and where the background is the blackest as well. As mentioned previously, this allows micro-details like reverb, decay, background instruments, etc., to really take a step into the spotlight, enriching the experience and imprinting the impression of TOTL clarity and resolution.

The treble is also a definite highlight of the IEM. Both R and XIV configurations manage to portray brilliant clarity, air, and detail retrieval without ever becoming strident or sibilant. This is a positive difference between my unit and the demo; the demo can become harsh with poorly mastered tracks. The treble is linear with the R, and slightly behind the mids in the XIV, making the former more technical, and the latter more fun and musical. The upper mids and the treble also help bolster pinpoint accurate imaging and a beautifully natural soundstage. I'd say the soundstage is not as open as that of my Athena-ADEL, but the XR crushes my Athena-ADEL in image placement, instrument separation, and L/R separation as well. Like I mentioned previously, every instrument in the song is infused with energy, dynamism, and punch, essentially giving it a life of its own in the composition.

End Words

In conclusion, the Empire Ears Zeus-XR, even with only a day to its name in my IEM collection, is in the running to be king above them all. It is perfectly built, stunningly gorgeous, endlessly enjoyable, technically marvellous, and it makes any piece of music I play through it sound... just, right. I look forward to further familiarising myself with it in the coming days, and sharing my continuously-developing thoughts with everyone here. If you have any questions, please ask away. In the meantime, I'll be sitting here with these gems in my ear

Glad to hear that you're enjoying the XR! You're right, the XIV is definitely the more fun and musical of the 2 settings. When I auditioned the XR, I simply couldn't stand listening to the R setting for too long - I'd constantly switch to the X mode; my music sounded so much more engaging then. Still, the good thing with the XR is, you get to choose between the 2.

 

[philipsony]

@Deezel177 , regarding cable pairings for Zeus, here are my personal impressions.

Effect Audio:
Eros II (8 cable bespoke) - Good soundstage, good extension at the treble, slightly warm lower mids, slightly attenuated bass. Quite ergonomic.
Lionheart - increases subbass by a little bit, otherwise unremarkable. Very ergonomic.
Heracles - very holographic, very beautiful, very vivid sound, very hard to come-by too. Quite ergonimic.

PW Audio:
1960 4 wires - Holographic soundstage, excellent imaging and layering, fluid and smooth bass, very transparent treble, can be overly sharp. THE ultimate cable if the highs were less sharp. Can get dirty if you have oily skin/sweat a lot.
1960 2 wires - Enhanced bass. Smooth, emotional and warm mids. Attenuated treble, reducing the sparkle while maintaining the transparence and layering. Sounds "cozy" compared to 4 wires, but smaller soundstage. Quite ergonomic. Can get dirty if you have oily skin/sweat a lot.
No5 - smooth and rounded transients, slightly warm mids. Quite ergonomic.

Han Sound:
Redcore - Transparent and excellent layering and imaging. Clean, unpolluted mids and fairly large soundstage, very controlled bass with a lift in volume.
Aurora - Forward mids, really sweet. Good depth, but not as wide as the Redcore. Soundstage-wise, Redcore vs Aurora is like 1960 4 wire vs 2 wire. Very ergonomic.
Lagoom - Sharp highs, peaky treble on the Zeus, not recommended. (I'm not usually sensitive to loud trebles but the Lagoom is just too intense). Very ergonomic.
Agni - Bassy, but doesn't do as well as the PlusSound GPC 4 wire. Strangely for a silver cable, Agni kills the treble, and increases mid bass. Improves hissing on some sources. Very ergonomic.

PlusSound: (x4 Echo series, generally not ergonomic as cables are stiff)
Tri-metal - sounds similar to Lionheart, slightly more subbass, warmer mids.
Gold-plated copper - strong bass, warm, but attenuates treble. Improves hissing on some sources.
Silver gold mix: sharp and intense treble.

Whiplash: (generally not ergonomic as cables are stiff, and I find the workmanship near the 2-pin termination rather crude...)
TwAg V3: similar to Eros II, but colder and faster decay, very silver-like.
TwAg V4: don't... just don't...

YMMV, but Zeus does benefit greatly from good cables as it is so detailed and sensitive.
Also, Zeus is rather malleable to burn-in. What you burn it in with will determine the sound signature. Since you use Logic X, you can experiment with different noises/tones using the test oscillation plug-in.

excellent round up, do you happen to be familiar with athena?
i wonder what goes well with athena, the sleeve for my silver dragon near the pin already got torn, revealing the cable
so i am looking recommendation from the pal here

 

[philipsony]

You might want to look into the Cerberus. If my memory serves me right, it's (relatively) V-shaped and it's plenty fun. If you want more resolution, look towards the Hermes or Athena. Those aren't V-Shaped though, but they do have a very engaging and fun sound signature that I feel will work very well with EDM.

hi fellow sg bro, do you know what cable goes well with athena haha

 

[proedros]

regarding athena , i suggest you stay away from copper cables and try something of silver quality like say Twag V3

copper/hybrid cables not recommended for athenaa , at least this is what i got from this pairing

 

[Canyon Runner]

regarding athena , i suggest you stay away from copper cables and try something of silver quality like say Twag V3

copper/hybrid cables not recommended for athenaa , at least this is what i got from this pairing

I dunno man, personally, I put copper cables on every model. I feel it gives a bit of extra body. I dislike pretty much every silver cable with our IEMs, I've heard some hybrids that were a good combo but copper is always my go-to off the bat.

 

[goodvibes]

I would generally agree about silver but the TWAG V3 mentioned earlier isn't 'shiney' once run in. Maybe it's the very high strand count.

 

[NaiveSound]

Very exiting

 

[proedros]

have only tried a (very mediocre to my ears) 150$ copper , maybe with totl copper cables the synergy is best

the best thing to do is try things on your own i guess

 

[nogi replicant]

Glad to hear that you're enjoying the XR! You're right, the XIV is definitely the more fun and musical of the 2 settings. When I auditioned the XR, I simply couldn't stand listening to the R setting for too long - I'd constantly switch to the X mode; my music sounded so much more engaging then. Still, the good thing with the XR is, you get to choose between the 2.

I initially preferred the x setting but after owning the XRA for a few months I am using the R setting at least half the time. It is awesome to have the immediate choice, without having to change filters or anything. They are such a great item imo.

 

[Deezel177]

Glad to hear that you're enjoying the XR! You're right, the XIV is definitely the more fun and musical of the 2 settings. When I auditioned the XR, I simply couldn't stand listening to the R setting for too long - I'd constantly switch to the X mode; my music sounded so much more engaging then. Still, the good thing with the XR is, you get to choose between the 2.

Thank you! When I auditioned the XR, I also expected to use the XIV mode more than the R because of how fun and engaging it is. So far though, like @nogi replicant, I've been using both equally; I go to the R when I feel like want to analyse a song's production, mixing, arrangement, etc., and the XIV when all I want to do is fully immerse myself and dive head-first into the music. It's two very different, yet equally rewarding experiences that I can only thank the XR for.

Anyways, I recently tried the XR with my Thor Silver II cable, and I ended up liking the pairing with the Han Sound Audio Zen more. The Thor Silver II added a bit of transparency, sparkle, and an upper mid bump which I though I wanted, but it ended up making the sound a bit too clean/clinical, and unnatural. I also thought the mid-bass became a bit too fast, losing the beautifully natural decay I talked about in my initial impressions. I think if I were to replace the Zen, I'd go for another copper cable with better transparency and dynamics... I can hear the 1960s calling, and I am legitimately afraid...

 

[nogi replicant]

Thank you! When I auditioned the XR, I also expected to use the XIV mode more than the R because of how fun and engaging it is. So far though, like @nogi replicant, I've been using both equally; I go to the R when I feel like want to analyse a song's production, mixing, arrangement, etc., and the XIV when all I want to do is fully immerse myself and dive head-first into the music. It's two very different, yet equally rewarding experiences that I can only thank the XR for.

Anyways, I recently tried the XR with my Thor Silver II cable, and I ended up liking the pairing with the Han Sound Audio Zen more. The Thor Silver II added a bit of transparency, sparkle, and an upper mid bump which I though I wanted, but it ended up making the sound a bit too clean/clinical, and unnatural. I also thought the mid-bass became a bit too fast, losing the beautifully natural decay I talked about in my initial impressions. I think if I were to replace the Zen, I'd go for another copper cable with better transparency and dynamics... I can hear the 1960s calling, and I am legitimately afraid...

I have been using the 1960's 2 wire on mine for about 3 months, just this weekend I put the PW no5 cable back on for a quick listen. The no5 isn't a bad cable at all, it is actually pretty awesome but it cannot compete with the 1960's with Zeus. 1960's takes resolution, imaging, stage size, bass, and realism to the next level on the Zeus imo. With my Katana and K10ua I also preferred the 1960's, to a lesser margin, so much so that if one was at all price sensitive then I would say go the no5 for those Noble iem's, but Zeus and 1960's is a heavenly pairing that makes the most out of the expensive Zeus investment.

 

[philipsony]

regarding athena , i suggest you stay away from copper cables and try something of silver quality like say Twag V3

copper/hybrid cables not recommended for athenaa , at least this is what i got from this pairing

are you reeffering to the usual v3 or the LITZ version?
wow, i just googled their price, time to go audition(i mean save up) them

 

[Deezel177]

are you reeffering to the usual v3 or the LITZ version?
wow, i just googled their price, time to go audition(i mean save up) them

If you have the Athena-ADEL, you can probably go two routes in terms of cable options. You can boost the Athena's transparency and upper-mid sparkle, turning it into a clean, energetic, but still mid-forward and thick-sounding monitor. Or, you can go all in into the Athena's given signature, and pair it with a cable that gives it added body (especially in the lower mids which is mostly taken away by ADEL), and pushes it towards a rich, thich, euphonic, and laidback sound signature. The former can be achieved by cables like the DHC Symbiote SP V3, the Effect Audio Leonidas + Mars hybrid, or the aforementioned TWag V4, while the latter can be achieved with cables like the Effect Audio Ares II+, the Dita Truth Copper, and the plusSound Echo+. It's all a matter of preference; whether you'd like to play into the Athena's technicality or musicality.