Sounds like the Complys added a little Phantom to your Zeus
Empire Ears - Discussion & Impressions (Formerly EarWerkz)
- Thread starter Jack Vang
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olddude
Headphoneus Supremus
To a point. The strength of the Zeus is transparency and clarity (especially across lows/mids/highs with nothing really overpowering anything else). The Comply take away some of that but replace it with timbre and more thickness instead of lightness. They become less.... nimble. The tradeoff is that timbre and a bass that is a bit more present. It's not really anything like the Phantom, it doesn't have the bass response, the mids (vocals) aren't as thick and the treble is much better. It IS a nice change of pace, though I'm not sure how long before I go back to a lighter sound. The nice thing is I don't have to sell it, as I did the Phantom. I have bags of tips (bags and bags of tips!) so I can just swap out tips and change the sound again.
Empire Ears lineup review by Lachlan @ Minidisc: https://www.minidisc.com.au/blog/empire-ears-universal-iem-comparison.html
Many thanks for posting the link crinacle!
Its a real shame Addicted to Audio aren't stocking EE's range of IEMs. Minidisc have just the one shop in Sydney whereas A2A have stores around the country which would make it way easier for many of us to demo EE's lineup.
Really nice to see something from Lachlan again! Last time I checked (a few months ago), his channel seemed to be in something of a flux without any real direction and it seemed it was quite a difficult time for him. I hope he is doing well, as I think he is great at presenting.
kaikai1805
Head-Fier
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So its not just me thats hearing hiss for phantom and sony wm1a pairing. Hmm, anyone here has similar experience and has found a solution?
Pfft we’re just lucky it wasn’t a pro Phantom review, or we wouldn’t be thanking @crinacle for posting it at all
Thanks tho : )
kenjamin0523
100+ Head-Fier
Hi all, anyone use wm1z with a warm and bassy sound like legend X ? How does it sound is it over bass, or becomes coloured ?
Time to give the Spartan a try when it arrives this Friday! Was happy to do a straight trade for my Bravados with a fellow headfier. For me, the Bravado had too much of a focus on low end (even though it is fantastic).
Hopefully these will be the cure for my itch when it comes to looking for something that will compliment my Polaris. I'm currently enjoying the ESR very much, but only when it's EQd.
Hopefully these will be the cure for my itch when it comes to looking for something that will compliment my Polaris. I'm currently enjoying the ESR very much, but only when it's EQd.
KuroKitsu
Headphoneus Supremus
Have you listen to the Spartan before? I havent tried the ESR myself, but I would venture the 2 are similar. If you need to EQ it, odds are the Spartan won't be your cup of tea.
Also: EQing the ESR? But why...
This is my first time listening to the Spartans. I should have mentioned, the ESR is a bit too sharp in the highs for my liking. I tuned them down a bit so it wouldn't be piercing.
Judging from what I've heard about the tuning of the Spartan, this may be the better fit for me. I'm looking for a more "balanced" tuning to compliment my "fun". The E.S.R. to me is more "neutral" than balanced.
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the spartan shoukd be perfect for u, can try pairing with the ares2 for all round signature, pw no5 for warm sound or plussound spc( if you're fine with wait times) for more balanced sound
I find the Spartans have more of a midrange emphasis than the ESRs, with much less bass and treble. The ESRs are a better balanced IEM and have more detail and better imaging, but the treble can be fatiguing with some albums and the timbre of instruments isn't as realistic as the Spartans, who's richer midrange adds something special to vocals. The ESRs feel like a step up in resolution and technicalities and would be my choice if forced to choose between them, but the Spartans are definitely less stringent.
Despite both having reference signatures with bass ranging from lean to neutral, the two are quite distinct. The Spartans are fantastic for smooth late night jazz, whereas the ESRs excel at pounding EDM. (though bassheads would demand more thump)
KuroKitsu
Headphoneus Supremus
Seconding the Aries II as a good pairing with the Spartan. I got it with the Spartans after demoing on the spot. That if you ever get Lionheart, try it.
That midrange on the Spartans is what sold me over the other models in that price range at the time. Guess "neutral" on the ESR is not the same.
Now I really gotta try the ESR, that sounds interesting (and completely not my cup of tea like the LX).
That midrange on the Spartans is what sold me over the other models in that price range at the time. Guess "neutral" on the ESR is not the same.
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KuroKitsu the ESRs feel more treble emphasized than the Spartans despite having significantly more bass. I do most of my listening at fairly low volumes but someone who really likes to crank it may find their highs too piercing, and for that reason cable pairing is tricky and I would not recommend silver. In fact a warmer copper cable than the Ares II might be a better match. Choice of source is also important as the ESRs will reveal the shortcomings of a poor one.
The Spartans are easier to recommend as an IEM less likely to offend anyone, but don't have enough bass to do proper justice to rock or EDM let alone hip-hop or other bass-heavy genres.
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