Empire Ears - Discussion & Impressions (Formerly EarWerkz)
Apr 19, 2019 at 12:24 AM Post #17,536 of 40,360
If space do allows, hugo 2 is way to go. Overall lifts the air and energy.
Talking about dap, my old dp-x1 seems laggy and freeze when I switch to precise DoP 5.6MHz real time conversion.
This journey never seem to end....
 
Apr 19, 2019 at 2:11 AM Post #17,537 of 40,360
Well, I guess I "Ascended", got the Legend X, letting it burn in for full SQ, now I'm wondering if I should upgrade my DAP.


What would you gentlemen recommend, coming from a FiiO X7?

SP1000M is awsome.
 
Apr 19, 2019 at 3:29 AM Post #17,539 of 40,360
My unboxing of the Empire Ear Zeus Massdrop version


B357DDAD-46FA-4277-823D-6F9238559B6E.jpeg


I received my Massdrop x Empire Ears and had a short listen yesterday. For some reason they sounded sibilant out of the box? I looked on this forum and also at the frequency response but can't figure out why.. I'll be burning them in for the next few days...
 
Apr 19, 2019 at 4:19 AM Post #17,540 of 40,360


I received my Massdrop x Empire Ears and had a short listen yesterday. For some reason they sounded sibilant out of the box? I looked on this forum and also at the frequency response but can't figure out why.. I'll be burning them in for the next few days...

Tip selection, poor seal, or possibly revealing poor recordings?
 
Apr 19, 2019 at 6:13 PM Post #17,542 of 40,360
Let 'em burn for 10+ hours and they should start to sound better. Or at least my Zeus XR did. I gave mine about 40 hours the first week and then just used them. Yours are different, though, so it may take longer/shorter. The Finals are correct, and if you are getting good bass it may just be a matter of becoming acclimated to them. You are going to hear a lot of treble. What is your source? The cable is the Massdrop one, I believe. Getting an Ares ll might help if it continues to sound too sharp. .
 
Apr 19, 2019 at 8:11 PM Post #17,543 of 40,360
Well, I guess I "Ascended", got the Legend X, letting it burn in for full SQ, now I'm wondering if I should upgrade my DAP.


What would you gentlemen recommend, coming from a FiiO X7?

SP1000M is awsome.

I'll second the SP1KM. Outstanding DAP and the interface is terrific. I have the FiiO Q5 (I think the sound is similar to the X7 if I'm correctly recalling what I've read) and there's a clear difference.
 
Apr 21, 2019 at 4:29 AM Post #17,544 of 40,360
Ah, my source is a FiiO X7 1st Gen with an AM3A amp. I'm using the balanced output, it sounds "fine", pretty good, but I don't think I'm driving these babies to their full potential. Seeing the hymns and praises the reviews hold, I really feel like my current DAP is holding it back (Funny, because I thought my FLC 8N was the one holding my FiiO back, how the tables have turned)


I switched to "Pure Music Mode" on Neutron (Removed FiiO music app in its entirety) and the sound has improved enough to notice a difference, but still, I'm betting these things would benefit greatly from newer hardware/technology. It's been more than 3 years with this bad boy.


As for the SP1000M. I'm pretty thrifty, so I'll stick with waiting for someone to sell it second hand, or I can stick the upcoming iBasso 220DX. I wanted to check out the Hiby R6 Pro, but it seems the treble ain't as good as what I'm using now. I wish I could demo it.
 
Apr 21, 2019 at 9:49 AM Post #17,545 of 40,360
Ah, my source is a FiiO X7 1st Gen with an AM3A amp. I'm using the balanced output, it sounds "fine", pretty good, but I don't think I'm driving these babies to their full potential. Seeing the hymns and praises the reviews hold, I really feel like my current DAP is holding it back (Funny, because I thought my FLC 8N was the one holding my FiiO back, how the tables have turned)


I switched to "Pure Music Mode" on Neutron (Removed FiiO music app in its entirety) and the sound has improved enough to notice a difference, but still, I'm betting these things would benefit greatly from newer hardware/technology. It's been more than 3 years with this bad boy.


As for the SP1000M. I'm pretty thrifty, so I'll stick with waiting for someone to sell it second hand, or I can stick the upcoming iBasso 220DX. I wanted to check out the Hiby R6 Pro, but it seems the treble ain't as good as what I'm using now. I wish I could demo it.

Depending on where you live, A&K typically has a pretty good Black Friday and Holiday deals in the US. Last year, it as 15% off, plus another 5% for folks subscribed to their newsletter - here's last year's announcement https://www.head-fi.org/threads/astell-kern-us-holiday-2018-deals.893760/#post-14612036 Keep an eye on the Sponsor Announcements and Deals forums starting in early Nov.

In the past, A&K has provided show discounts and specials at CanJams, that's when I purchased my SP1KM
 
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Apr 21, 2019 at 10:32 AM Post #17,546 of 40,360
The Zeus is incredibly easy to drive (the Phantom took more power). Your DAP should have no trouble doing so. The tonality your DAP produces, the setting(s) you have it on,, the cable you are using (copper seems to be a good choice for the Zeus- mine came with a hybrid silver/copper and it was not pleasant to my ears), the files you are using (the Zeus is incredibly revealing), and burn-in will all affect what you are hearing. Take off the amp and try it "straight." Let it burn in more. Try different files. Use different sizes of tips- FA suggests the smallest possible for good insertion depth leading to more bass, but too small gives a poor seal and you lose everything else. And brain burn-in is important as well. The Zeus you have is a new version, the rest of us have older models, so there may be some sound changes, but if it's close to the original (and Jack told me it was identical) it should sound really good. Transparent, holographic, not too much of any area, although if you are not used to it the uppers and trebles can sound "too much" until you get used to them. The biggest hit I can recall here re the Zeus was not enough bass. But you say bass is fine. Since it is so revealing, be careful if you decide to choose another DAP. AKs work well with it, as does the Sony Z. LPG had been reported to "hiss" when attached to a Zeus. With my SPK1000 it's sublime. If you like more warmth the Z is apparently very good with it. Synergy is important and maybe your 7 doesn't have it with the Zeus. When I bought my SP1000 my Angie (which had been excellent with my AK120ll and 240SS) did not sound good at all.
 
Apr 21, 2019 at 5:16 PM Post #17,547 of 40,360
Depending on where you live, A&K typically has a pretty good Black Friday and Holiday deals in the US. Last year, it as 15% off, plus another 5% for folks subscribed to their newsletter - here's last year's announcement https://www.head-fi.org/threads/astell-kern-us-holiday-2018-deals.893760/#post-14612036 Keep an eye on the Sponsor Announcements and Deals forums starting in early Nov.

In the past, A&K has provided show discounts and specials at CanJams, that's when I purchased my SP1KM

Thanks so much for this! I saw the 2K+ pricetag and eyes damn near popped out of my face. If it wasn't for this potential price cut, I'd personally stay far the hell away from it
 
Apr 21, 2019 at 7:01 PM Post #17,548 of 40,360
Thanks so much for this! I saw the 2K+ pricetag and eyes damn near popped out of my face. If it wasn't for this potential price cut, I'd personally stay far the hell away from it
I remember when I first started looking at a replacement for my iPhone and Shure SE535 that I used for years. I saw the prices of moderately good DAPs and IEMs, and then TOTL gear, and I thought no way, it really can't be that much better, and my other hobbies are expensive as hell. Well, for my taste and listening ability, it's BETTER. I also took a long time to research and was fortunate enough to listen to TOTL gear at my first CanJam in NYC earlier this year. Being able to get hands on and listen is so critical, as well as how the IEMs fit; and for DAPs, how's the interface in addition to sound. While I was looking at many other IEMs, Empire Ears was on my list and I thought no way I would ever get a TOTL IEM or DAP, maybe entry to mid-level. Well, I dove right in and bought the Phantoms at the CanJam NYC, as well as ordered the SPK1M. I could not be happier with my choice. The Empire Ears crew at the show was awesome and they let me spend considerable time listening to their IEMs. As many forum members say, sorry about your wallet... :ksc75smile:
 
Apr 22, 2019 at 5:35 PM Post #17,549 of 40,360
I remember when I first started looking at a replacement for my iPhone and Shure SE535 that I used for years. I saw the prices of moderately good DAPs and IEMs, and then TOTL gear, and I thought no way, it really can't be that much better, and my other hobbies are expensive as hell. Well, for my taste and listening ability, it's BETTER. I also took a long time to research and was fortunate enough to listen to TOTL gear at my first CanJam in NYC earlier this year. Being able to get hands on and listen is so critical, as well as how the IEMs fit; and for DAPs, how's the interface in addition to sound. While I was looking at many other IEMs, Empire Ears was on my list and I thought no way I would ever get a TOTL IEM or DAP, maybe entry to mid-level. Well, I dove right in and bought the Phantoms at the CanJam NYC, as well as ordered the SPK1M. I could not be happier with my choice. The Empire Ears crew at the show was awesome and they let me spend considerable time listening to their IEMs. As many forum members say, sorry about your wallet... :ksc75smile:


Ah, well, I suppose you're right. I'm already halfway there. I absolutely do NEED to sample it, so I know for sure I don't regret it, and find something absolute to suit my tastes. At first, I saw myself making a gamble buying the Legends X, but I don't regret it as much as I initially thought I would, since the bottlecap now is my DAP. I'm sure I'll be blown away with something that costs twice as much, and has made advancements in the past 4(?) years compared to my FiiO.

I do wish there were audio conventions in the Palm Springs area, you'd think with Coachella fest going around, there would be audio shops and conventions popping up around the valley, but nope. ;_;

I'll wait till the end of the year to see if Hiby or FiiO have anything up their sleeves, but if A&K have really good black friday deals in November, then I'll just "gamble" some more, since I do want a no-compromises DAP, and I've always seen people treating them like hot $#!+

I should do a review of these IEM's and see if that leads to anything good comes out of it.
 

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Apr 22, 2019 at 8:45 PM Post #17,550 of 40,360
Ah, well, I suppose you're right. I'm already halfway there. I absolutely do NEED to sample it, so I know for sure I don't regret it, and find something absolute to suit my tastes. At first, I saw myself making a gamble buying the Legends X, but I don't regret it as much as I initially thought I would, since the bottlecap now is my DAP. I'm sure I'll be blown away with something that costs twice as much, and has made advancements in the past 4(?) years compared to my FiiO.

I do wish there were audio conventions in the Palm Springs area, you'd think with Coachella fest going around, there would be audio shops and conventions popping up around the valley, but nope. ;_;

I'll wait till the end of the year to see if Hiby or FiiO have anything up their sleeves, but if A&K have really good black friday deals in November, then I'll just "gamble" some more, since I do want a no-compromises DAP, and I've always seen people treating them like hot $#!+

I should do a review of these IEM's and see if that leads to anything good comes out of it.

Same situation for me in DC, but there are local area meet ups. You can check for your area in the Local / Regional Head-Fi Meets forum - https://www.head-fi.org/forums/local-regional-head-fi-meets-parties-get-togethers.24/ CanJam SoCal is in June at the Irvine Marriott - https://canjamglobal.com/shows/socal2019/ and the CanJam SoCal thread is here https://www.head-fi.org/threads/canjam-socal-2019-june-22-23-2019.901166/ Could be a good weekend trip from Palm Springs.
 
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