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- Dec 9, 2011
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@ajyagle It was nice meeting you at yesterday's Summer NAMM show. You and the rest of the Empire reps (Head-Fi's @Dellwolf, Josh and the last guy whose name I forgot, my apologies, so I will call him "Cool Mustache Dude") were a pleasure.
Just to throw in some simple impressions of the Valkyrie and Wraith for anyone interested. I personally found the Valkyrie too dark for my tastes, so my audition was extremely brief. To my ears, it is nicely detailed but the darker tone makes everything sound too mellow. Others have commented that it is like a cross between Phantom and Legend X. I've never heard Phantom, but I did own the Legend X. I can see at least from one side where that impression would come from. I do think Legend X is brighter and has more sparkle up top than the Valkyrie.
On the other hand, the Wraith is absolutely awesome. Coming from a Zeus-R guy, the Wraith is indeed the spiritual successor. The crystal clarity of the Zeus with a noticeable but not overly done uptick in bass. However, I personally did not think the Cleopatra cable was the best option. IMO, the Aries cable was a better match. Cleo made it a little too bright and slightly thin. Aries tamed the brightness just enough and slightly thickened the overall sound. Ultimately, the Wraith is excellent with either cable.
I had a hard time debating whether to go with the Wraith as my next purchase or the Clear Tunes Da Vinci X. It was a tough call. Sound quality alone, the Wraith was my pick, but the Da Vinci X is not too far behind. The price difference had me waffling. Congrats, Empire Ears, you guys win...
Would you be able to compare them to Zeus R? I’m thinking I wouldn’t mind something with a bit more bass but sounds like the Valkyrie is a bit too much?
Might not make canjam London so getting impressions here if possible.
Also, custom or universal. I’ve always had customs
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