[ctsooner22]

Looking forward to that one. My wife can't wait for her Bravado's.....wait, I thought I was the one who was supposed to have Bravado......Hmmmmmmmmm. Role reversal?

 

[Deezel177]

Great thread and wonderfully helpful comments.

I'm awake now, btw....dogs finally got to me! Three Yorkies who I wish I could put CIEM's in THIER ears to quiet them down!

Very interesting thoughts on the upper mids, lower treble. I can hear where it's lifted a bit, but unless you are really trying to hear it, you won't. It's just not aggressive. I will also say that unless yours are broken in, you will hear it more I think. Mine now have around 65 hours on them as of his morning and already I hear a tad more warmth to the overall presentation. The bass is tightening, but it's the soundstage that's getting bigger. I have teh customs and am playing really good music on a good DAP the ak380cu. I have used them on the Ayre QX5 also for about an hour and it CRUSHES anything I heard at Camjam and that includes the 50k or whatever Walker tube amp as well as teh Cayin top amps. I'm not even in balanced mode. This CIEM is so sensitive that I'm having issues figuring out the volume control on Tidal. Most everything I'm listening to when it's not burning is very well recorded. I wouldn't hear the harshness or even hardness in the upper mids yet. Once I start to play my 70's rock, I'm sure I will. I may even try the EQ on the 380 for the first time ever.

I don't know about you guys, but I rarely listen critically if I'm not doing a review on something. If I stop 'feeling' it, then I will listen critically adn wonder what's missing in my system, but I think we often break things down way too much and forget to enjoy the songs. (fully understand this is a critical listening thread and that's why I'm here and loving it also). With MS, I often can get out of the house or even out of bed, so a portable system has become a must for me. My main system isn't always readily available. I'm not in the studio anymore (it's been MANY years since then, lol) but I have yet to find any studio monitor that is as flat as you would want and that includes a great ProAc Response 2's back in the 90's.

The only thing that would make these better if if Dean could figure out a way to use a small dynamic driver in the lowest of the sub range to augment the bass of the BA, but only if he could do it and not lose the sound of the sub bass he has in these as it goes very very low. After reading about what Daniel said about the upper mids, I have no problem since it's not harsh.

I’ve been running them in for the past couple days as well since I won’t have much time to listen to them. I must say, either it’s brain burn-in or physical burn-in - though I suspect it’s mostly the former, to be honest - the Phantom’s definitely have an adjustment period. At 30-40 hours, the upper-bass/lower-midrange sound more controlled with less fluff, and the upper-midrange has calmed down for better linearity onto the upper-treble. I’ll definitely listen more throughout the next week, but what hasn’t changed at all since my initial listen is its refinement, balance, resolution and finesse. As I teased yesterday, more thorough impressions (and pics ) will come soon.

While everyone here seems to be talking about the Phantom and the Legend - X, I will "counter" with this:

I have ordered a custom Vantage!!!

There will be a review, and it will be with one of the new faceplates, for your pleasure and mine

Awesome, man! I’d love to hear your impressions once you get them, and pics of the new faceplates too - of course.

 

[AnonymousRacoon]

Legend X is bright?

 

[ctsooner22]

One think that I like of the Quatro Wood CT (excluding the price) are the dimensions, too big for my NYC apartment, one temptation less!!!

I’ve been running them in for the past couple days as well since I won’t have much time to listen to them. I must say, either it’s brain burn-in or physical burn-in - though I suspect it’s mostly the former, to be honest - the Phantom’s definitely have an adjustment period. At 30-40 hours, the upper-bass/lower-midrange sound more controlled with less fluff, and the upper-midrange has calmed down for better linearity onto the upper-treble. I’ll definitely listen more throughout the next week, but what hasn’t changed at all since my initial listen is its refinement, balance, resolution and finesse. As I teased yesterday, more thorough impressions (and pics ) will come soon.



Awesome, man! I’d love to hear your impressions once you get them, and pics of the new faceplates too - of course.

I think we all are waiting for these impressions!

Daniel, this is why in my first post I said it will take some time with these. They really are special and need the time. Same with teh X's. I was told that once burned in, the X will tighten up and the bass won't be so overwhelming, but will still be a true basshead's IEM. We have mentioned the upper mids being lifted a bit, but as I said, I wouldn't have really noticed it that much with the well recording stuff I'm playing, plus the more hours I get on it, the less of a factor it becomes. Graphs are nice, but they aren't music. We just don't listen critically when we get into teh groove. If something is harsh or hard or even flabby, we hear that right away and will stop listening. Just a non starter for me and why I don't like gear that isn't voiced the way I like it. That can be an inexpensive component too, not just high end stuff. It's voicing and Dean is a master at it. When I sat down adn learned his background and how he does things I was blown out of the water. He's as legit as anyone in this industry. He really does 'Roll his own' innards, unlike others who claim they do and really don't. That happens in all industries, but you can tell by the sound he has in his current line vs what I've heard in many others lines that are talked about on these threads.

I've come to realize that Nic and I heard very similarly. I have shared my thoughts wiht him on some 2 channel gear and sure enough, he's come back after hearing some stuff and totally agreed with me (no one agrees with me, not even my dogs!), so it's no wonder I have fallen for the Phantom's, but I also got Bravado's for the wife as they are a blast for the less expensive IEM's, they are a favorite. I may even steal her's when listening to my 70's rock stuff.

 

[Deezel177]

Legend X is bright?

Nahh... I’d position the LX closer to 1’ o clock, leaning towards 12.

I think we all are waiting for these impressions!

Daniel, this is why in my first post I said it will take some time with these. They really are special and need the time. Same with teh X's. I was told that once burned in, the X will tighten up and the bass won't be so overwhelming, but will still be a true basshead's IEM. We have mentioned the upper mids being lifted a bit, but as I said, I wouldn't have really noticed it that much with the well recording stuff I'm playing, plus the more hours I get on it, the less of a factor it becomes. Graphs are nice, but they aren't music. We just don't listen critically when we get into teh groove. If something is harsh or hard or even flabby, we hear that right away and will stop listening. Just a non starter for me and why I don't like gear that isn't voiced the way I like it. That can be an inexpensive component too, not just high end stuff. It's voicing and Dean is a master at it. When I sat down adn learned his background and how he does things I was blown out of the water. He's as legit as anyone in this industry. He really does 'Roll his own' innards, unlike others who claim they do and really don't. That happens in all industries, but you can tell by the sound he has in his current line vs what I've heard in many others lines that are talked about on these threads.

I've come to realize that Nic and I heard very similarly. I have shared my thoughts wiht him on some 2 channel gear and sure enough, he's come back after hearing some stuff and totally agreed with me (no one agrees with me, not even my dogs!), so it's no wonder I have fallen for the Phantom's, but I also got Bravado's for the wife as they are a blast for the less expensive IEM's, they are a favorite. I may even steal her's when listening to my 70's rock stuff.

Great to hear, man! This’ll also be my first foray into investigating burn-in, so it’s a fun trip nonetheless. Impressions and pics to come soon.

 

[proedros]

Phantom an 1461 euros looks like a steal to me

with the new VE priced at 4K, a18 priced at 2.5K and Noble offering Encore/Katana at 2K , Phantom seems like an almost friendly-priced TOTL ciem

it's also cheaper than SE5 (which comes at around 1700 euros if i remember correctly) which is apparently the TOTL king here

 

[eldss]

Looks like website is down for maintenance. How are you guys accessing it?

 

[Deezel177]

Phantom an 1461 euros looks like a steal to me

with the new VE priced at 4K, a18 priced at 2.5K and Noble offering Encore/Katana at 2K , Phantom seems like an almost friendly-priced TOTL ciem

it's also cheaper than SE5 (which comes at around 1700 euros if i remember correctly) which is apparently the TOTL king here

It’s also important to keep in mind any customs/tax-related fees with the SE5U. I know a Singaporean who purchased one and the total price was almost equivalent to a custom Zeus-XIV/R.

Looks like website is down for maintenance. How are you guys accessing it?

I was able to access it a few hours ago. Maybe they’re readjusting the Phantom graph.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Just went to Zeppelin and Co to try out all 7 of dem babies. My opinion of them

7th - ESR (The iron wall, neutral and perfectly balanced just that it isn't for me)

6th - EVR (intimate vocals, gave me da chills. Bass presence is just right with some sparkle in the treble region)

5th - Bravado (Baby LX. Dynamic driver at work here. Head bobbing bass with somewhat distant/softer vocals. The bass though....me likey...so much air)

4th - Nemesis (Super clear sounding throughout with subwoofers. Treble's like crystals, clear and sparkly, slightly sibliant for me)

3rd - Vantage (Warm, smooth velvety sound. Strange thing that it's still very detailed. Vocals sound good with vantage)

1st - Phantom/LX (Had a hard time deciding which i preferred. In the end...i can't. Phantom's like this soft bubble you're in. Well rounded and everything just clicks. You're one with your music. Extremely holographic which made me smile. LX's like zeus R with dem bass. It's like a subwoofer. Bass doesn't interfere with the rest of the frequencies. Treble's just right, sweet sweet sparkles. Vocals are not recessed but neither in your face, positioned just right. My friend was right...sounded like my rhapsodio solars on super steriods)

Kind of. Except Solar has slightly brighter treble, and the vocals are smaller and further back. And smaller soundstage .

 

[crabdog]

While everyone here seems to be talking about the Phantom and the Legend - X, I will "counter" with this:

I have ordered a custom Vantage!!!

There will be a review, and it will be with one of the new faceplates, for your pleasure and mine

Congrats on your Vantage purchase! From what I remember of my time with it is that it's silky smooth with bass that can kick like a mule.

 

[noplsestar]

Hi David, nice to see the Phantom has made it on your list. The Phantom has a bit of upper mid/lower treble emphasis, but it is not overdone (IMO); the main focus was indeed a smooth and natural tuning. For reference, you could see it as similar to your VE8. When used with brighter tips it is possible that the lower treble can be a bit aggressive or sibilant on certain tracks, but with Spiral Dots and especially the custom version, I have only come across sibilance in the most notorious tracks. But even then, it is considerably less so than with harsher iems. It's one of the main reasons I've been 'antsy' about the tips used, especially in relation to the brighter tips some local dealers tend to recommend with it to better suit their clientele.

While the warm/bright dial is a good reflection of the Phantom's tone, I would personally also place the treble bar a bit lower. As we have seen, and will continue to see in the future, the main critique on the Phantom will come from listeners that are accustomed to, or simply appreciate, more treble in the tuning.

While I hold our own Daniel in the highest regard, I think it's also nice that to know that the Phantom is being used by two grammy-winning engineers. One of them, Michael Graves, had always been hesitant about using ciems in general since the tone was always off, but has recently been converted since the Phantom.

Who is the other Grammy-Winner engineer if I may ask?

 

[flinkenick]

Who is the other Grammy-Winner engineer if I may ask?

Five time Grammy-winning engineer Jeremiah Adkins. Michael Graves only has two, but don't hold that against him.

 

[Blommen]

Congrats on your Vantage purchase! From what I remember of my time with it is that it's silky smooth with bass that can kick like a mule.

Thanks, that is exactly what I am looking for!

 

[Tanjiro]

I finalized the colors of my custom Phantom (my 1st ciem) this morning. Now patiently waiting. Thank you once again @Ethan Groover for all all his patience and help.

 

[iceanddice]

As I am looking into the Phantom, great feedback on DX200 pairing, thanks !
Surprised about AMP3 providing more sub than AMP4, not been my experience but YMMV of course.

One question to Phantom owners, Empire Ears has updated their website, and I have a little concern over high mids being the most forward in the mix :

From what I had read about the Phantom philosophy the goal was to build a smooth and refined IEM, a boost in upper mids might be an issue for me does it affect how smooth they sound? No peaks, sibilance?

I am a few inches away from pulling the trigger on them...

Thanks!

I’m sensitive to this and auditioning (and purchasing!) the Phantoms, I didn’t notice any!

Listened to the Legend X’s a little bit also. Amazed at the quality of the bass impact. You’d think when you read about it that the bass would be the star of the show and it would dominate everything... well it was the star of the show alright, but it was the star without in any way dominating anything else in the tracks, just really good quality bass with resolving mids albeit pushed back (compared to the Phantom and Zeus). A real treat, just a bit above my price range though, and I’m more of a “mids head” lol.