Empire Ears - Discussion & Impressions (Formerly EarWerkz)
Jul 23, 2018 at 11:47 AM Post #14,926 of 40,346
20180723_114043.jpg 20180723_114009.jpg Thank God for early delivery!!
 
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Jul 23, 2018 at 11:54 AM Post #14,928 of 40,346
Jul 23, 2018 at 12:18 PM Post #14,930 of 40,346
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.
Colors how have you found the ESR's compared with the Spartans? I've been considering the Phantoms but am concerned they'll be too warm for my taste, and the Zeus are terribly expensive.
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 12:27 PM Post #14,931 of 40,346
Colors how have you found the ESR's compared with the Spartans? I've been considering the Phantoms but am concerned they'll be too warm for my taste, and the Zeus are terribly expensive.


there's a used Phantom selling for 1400$ , unless you want to go custom why not buy/try and either keep or re-sell it ?

Zeus XR is also wonderful , and the 2-signatures-in-1-shell gives great flexibility

btw , i see people saying Zeus is neutral , i went back to my NT6 and this is the epitome of neutral but Zeus is better and sounds more balanced to my ears at least

i don't find it bass light , in fact i sometimes take the bass down a notch but i never was a hardcore basshead so YMMV
 
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Jul 23, 2018 at 12:29 PM Post #14,932 of 40,346
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.

Thanks for your input - really helpful! I hadn't seriously considered Empire Ears historically, due to a lack of availability at home, in London. Since the start of 2018 I'm based in LA though, so not a problem now. Interesting to hear about noise floor. I did wonder if I'd need IEMatch to get the best from them - one of the reasons I ruled out the Andromeda, as good as it is. Would like to avoid introducing an additional component if possible. I'll live with the Hermes VI for a while and judge it from there.
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 12:38 PM Post #14,933 of 40,346
Why ia LA not a problem re availability? Is it simply using FedEX within the CONUS or have you found somewhere in the Greater LA region that stocks and sells EE?
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 3:12 PM Post #14,934 of 40,346
2 days until my Legend X’s arrives. I CANT SLEEP AT NIGHT PLEASE HURRY UP TIME
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 3:27 PM Post #14,935 of 40,346
2 days until my Legend X’s arrives. I CANT SLEEP AT NIGHT PLEASE HURRY UP TIME

Call911 its the end of the world if they dont get you LX. ;]
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 4:18 PM Post #14,937 of 40,346
lol
Lol. I feel your pain. Ordered Friday, had to wait until this morning. It was hell on earth!!

lol the worst is when it says it’ll be delivered by 8 pm and then it’s not

almost 1.5 days to go

EMPIRE EARS YALL AINT READY FOR THE STIFFMEISTER

Edit: THAT BASS BETTER MAKE MY APARTMENT SHAKE
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 4:45 PM Post #14,938 of 40,346
Just a little shoutout to Phantom owners for a cable pairing I have grown fond of, the new Rhapsodio 2.98 silver/gold alloy cable. The 2.98 provides a clear sound, with the slightest touch of warmth to maintain a natural tone. The punchy mid-bass is there, but in a more controlled manner. The decay of the bass is a bit quicker, so the warmth is less dominant in the tone and staging. The upper-bass is a bit attenuated, but the mid-bass retains its impact, while improving in definition - a tighter bass. Midrange notes trade in a bit of thickness for improved transparency, while retaining a full body; since the bass quantity as a whole is not really decreased but primarily improved in control, it retains a fairly similar note and vocal size.

The treble is slightly brighter, but I would still consider it smooth (although listeners that are already sensitive to the 6 KHz range might find it a bit more aggressive); mostly, the Phantom sounds clearer, while retaining a natural quality. It creeps closer to neutral/natural with beautifully melodious upper mids, rather than a predominantly warm/natural tone. For those who have heard it, I would say the Phantom's tone becomes a bit reminiscent to that of the A6t. As a result, I prefer it with a wider range of music, specifically now including pop and electronica. In fact, it was the first time I preferred electronica with the Phantom than one my usual favourites, the A18. The tone and body of the upper mids was more befitting the dreamy synthetic melodies I indulge myself in. The Leonidas for instance is also a very good pairing with the Phantom to provide a more uncolored yet smooth and technically superior sound, but I find its upper mids a bit drier by comparison. Similarly, Leonidas offers a tight and impactful bass, but I find the 2.98's mid-bass a bit softer and more organic, while still offering a punchy impact. In addition, there is a step up in its resolution and airiness, and accordingly, its precision of imaging. The sound just becomes a bit tighter overall, while retaining its coherent and organic feel.

Anyways, tomorrow I will be seeing Eric from EA at a minishow at the local store, so I will be able to try the Ares II & Thor II 8-wires you guys seem hyped up about, and compare with this as benchmark. For now, I am pretty content with the 2.98 and Phantom, as I think it might be one of the most pleasing and all-round pairings I have heard so far, and is certainly a favourite for now. I'll send it to @Kerouac and/or @Wyville and maybe some other Phantom owners to get a second opinion. At $550 it is definitely a bit more upscale than a standard copper, but still more in the more sane realm compared to the current upper class cables.
 
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Jul 23, 2018 at 4:50 PM Post #14,939 of 40,346
I have received my custom LX yesterday, they sound amazing even with my Iphone, but I have noticed that there are some songs from my streaming library are not loud, and I am looking for the best portable combo for my Iphone ( portable Amp/ Dac) I have mojo which is good but I am greedy to have something more smaller and easy to use with a good sound signature, for jogging or on the go. Any recommendations?
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 4:58 PM Post #14,940 of 40,346
Just a little shoutout to Phantom owners for a cable pairing I have grown fond of, the new Rhapsodio 2.98 silver/gold alloy cable. The 2.98 provides a clear sound, with the slightest touch of warmth to maintain a natural tone. The punchy mid-bass is there, but in a more controlled manner. The decay of the bass is a bit quicker, so the warmth is less dominant in the tone and staging. The upper-bass is a bit attenuated, but the mid-bass retains its impact, while improving in definition - a tighter bass. Midrange notes trade in a bit of thickness for improved transparency, while retaining a full body; since the bass quantity as a whole is not really decreased but primarily improved in control, it retains a fairly similar note and vocal size.

The treble is slightly brighter, but I would still consider it smooth (although listeners that are already sensitive to the 6 KHz range might find it a bit more aggressive); mostly, the Phantom sounds clearer, while retaining a natural quality. It creeps closer to neutral/natural with beautifully melodious upper mids, rather than a predominantly warm/natural tone. For those who have heard it, I would say the Phantom's tone becomes a bit reminiscent to that of the A6t. As a result, I prefer it with a wider range of music, specifically now including pop and electronica. In fact, it was the first time I preferred electronica with the Phantom than one my usual favourites, the A18. The tone and body of the upper mids was more befitting the dreamy synthetic melodies I indulge myself in. The Leonidas for instance is also a very good pairing with the Phantom to provide a more uncolored yet smooth and technically superior sound, but I find its upper mids a bit drier by comparison. Similarly, Leonidas offers a tight and impactful bass, but I find the 2.98's mid-bass a bit softer and more organic, while still offering a punchy impact. In addition, there is a step up in its resolution and airiness, and accordingly, its precision of imaging. The sound just becomes a bit tighter overall, while retaining its coherent and organic feel.

Anyways, tomorrow I will be seeing Eric from EA at a minishow at the local store, so I will be able to try the Ares II & Thor II 8-wires you guys seem hyped up about, and compare with this as benchmark. For now, I am pretty content with the 2.98 and Phantom, as I think it might be one of the most pleasing and all-round pairings I have heard so far, and is certainly a favourite for now. I'll send it to @Kerouac and/or @Wyville and maybe some other Phantom owners to get a second opinion. At $550 it is definitely a bit more upscale than a standard copper, but still more in the more sane realm compared to the current upper class cables.

I'm happy to read your thoughts on this cable (which I own as well). I haven't had much time with it, given that as soon as I bought it I decided to make the crazy move to 4.4mm and it is being re-terminated. Will give it some more listening this evening now that it's back home, but from my initial impressions it resembles the original version. In other words, I don't think it's the right pairing with the Legend X, but it sounds like it would be heaven for the Phantom.

-Collin-
 

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