[Tyven]

I've been looking for my endgame IEM for a while and recently got to demo the Legend X. I compared it extensively with the CA Atlas as this had been my previous favorite up until now.

The LX was to me, superior to the Atlas in almost every way apart from treble sparkle. While I'm a bit of a basshead and love the bass of the LX more than any IEM I've heard, I also love treble and was left wanting a bit more in terms of treble sparkle and excitement. This is pretty much the only flaw I can see in the LX for my tastes.

So I'm wondering, if I purchase the LX, is there any way I can add a bit more treble energy without compromising too much on the bass? I've seen people are using certain cables to do this but I'm wondering how much change there really is and if I'm going to lose any bass impact by doing so. I also don't want to spend a ridiculous amount on cables as I'm already spending way more than I thought I would on the LX alone. If it matters, my source is a DX220 with Amp 8.

I've also heard comments from people saying that the LX treble extension is lacking, while others seem to have no problem with it. Does anyone have any comments on if the LX treble extension is up to par with other TOTL IEM's? I'm not much of an audiophile and don't know if I'd be able to tell in such a short listening session.

Any help or advice is much appreciated.

 

[pinkzeppelincult]

I can't speak on the Legend X specifically, but I can say that cables make a surprising amount of difference, given they're essentially just better or worse conductors (as far as I'm aware). In my experience, they can be as significant or even more so than the difference between similarly priced DAPs. That said, you do have the bonus of being able to swap out your amp card, which might be worth considering, as that will be cheaper than most well-regarded cables. Otherwise, my advice would be to browse cable reviews and the cable sections of IEM reviews, see if anything stands out as promising, and research those candidates further.

If you're worried about dropping cash on something sight-unheard, many manufacturers and dealers offer deposit-backed auditions, though you may have to specifically request them.

Apologies if you already know this, but in case you don't, here are some sites (other than Head-fi) with well-written reviews, all of which allow you to browse cables specifically: www.headfonia.com, www.headfonics.com, www.theheadphonelist.com, www.twister6.com

Best of luck!

 

[proedros]

The LX was to me, superior to the Atlas in almost every way apart from treble sparkle. While I'm a bit of a basshead and love the bass of the LX more than any IEM I've heard, I also love treble and was left wanting a bit more in terms of treble sparkle and excitement. This is pretty much the only flaw I can see in the LX for my tastes.

So I'm wondering, if I purchase the LX, is there any way I can add a bit more treble energy without compromising too much on the bass? I've seen people are using certain cables to do this but I'm wondering how much change there really is and if I'm going to lose any bass impact by doing so. I also don't want to spend a ridiculous amount on cables as I'm already spending way more than I thought I would on the LX alone. If it matters, my source is a DX220 with Amp 8.

I've also heard comments from people saying that the LX treble extension is lacking, while others seem to have no problem with it. Does anyone have any comments on if the LX treble extension is up to par with other TOTL IEM's? I'm not much of an audiophile and don't know if I'd be able to tell in such a short listening session.

good luck there on fnding a good, cheap cable , which cable are you using on Legend ? most people here describe Legend as v-shaped , first time i hear about treble lacking

btw , i will say it again - if you need a 1-2K cable to make a 2K iem sound good , then this iem is a failure in my eyes

but then again , i am happy with a 300$ cable on my Zeus XR so what do i know , right ?

 

[pinkzeppelincult]

btw , i will say it again - if you need a 1-2K cable to make a 2K iem sound good , then this iem is a failure in my eyes

It's not so much a matter of making it sound good as it is tweaking the presentation to your precise taste. I greatly enjoy both the Phantom and the Zeus with their standard cables. I'd say they both sound excellent as-is. One of my all-time favorite monitors—the InEar ProPhile 8—is mightily impressive even with its stock, no-name cable. But if, for example, I happen to want a little extra bass from the Zeus, or a little smoother treble, a cable can help with that. And, it may well be that no IEM exists that delivers the resulting signature out of the box and that the Zeus gets the closest. If they retuned the Zeus to match my exact preferences from the start, somebody who liked it the way it was could use a cable to bring it back in line with their exact preferences. Nothing is going to perfectly satisfy more than a few discerning people without some level of customization.

Further, what upgrade cables really excel at is improving fundamentals: detail retrieval, soundstage, dynamic range, bass and treble extension, noise, etc. If you have a junky cable that loses or warps information between the DAP and the IEM, it doesn't matter how amazing your IEM is—the bad cable will be a severe limiting factor. And it's hardly fair to call an IEM a failure for suffering due to an unavoidable fact of electronics.

What I can agree is…let's say troublesome, is the existence of $1-2k cables in the first place, but then I don't know enough to say whether those asking prices are in fact reasonable or just what a sufficient number of fools like me will pay.

 

[Tyven]

good luck there on fnding a good, cheap cable , which cable are you using on Legend ? most people here describe Legend as v-shaped , first time i hear about treble lacking

btw , i will say it again - if you need a 1-2K cable to make a 2K iem sound good , then this iem is a failure in my eyes

but then again , i am happy with a 300$ cable on my Zeus XR so what do i know , right ?

I auditioned it with the stock cable. I wouldn't say it's lacking, the treble actually sounded amazing from an 'audiophile' perspective - slightly elevated, very clear and natural while never being harsh. It's just that for my personal tastes, I like a lot of treble energy/sparkle and found the Atlas still had a bit more than the LX in this regard. Improving this would make the LX perfect for me.

 

[BananaOoyoo]

I auditioned it with the stock cable. I wouldn't say it's lacking, the treble actually sounded amazing from an 'audiophile' perspective - slightly elevated, very clear and natural while never being harsh. It's just that for my personal tastes, I like a lot of treble energy/sparkle and found the Atlas still had a bit more than the LX in this regard. Improving this would make the LX perfect for me.

Personally, I'd recommend not spending your money on "upgrade" cables, but maybe that's an unpopular opinion around here.

 

[goodvibes]

This is a VG sounding cable. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32898568218.html?spm=a2g0s.12269583.0.0.13173b93o1u0zD I think it's discontinued but viable if a slightly lean open detailed cable is wanted on the cheap. One of the few that sounds better than stock on a PP8 for instance. Not a high end cable as it sounds a touch lightweight but better than it has any right to be after some hours. Open and generally refined. Low Gauge silver plated ofc copper with .75 pins that need to be pinched, so lots wrong with the overall description, LOL.

 

[Devon Higgins]

Just saying...My anxiety is killing me at this point. @Devon Higgins

Can't wait to put my hands on my Legend X.

Just sayin'..... they look GOOD...... The wait won't be too much longer now.

Nice. I did not see any pictures of mine from Empire Ears, but 64 Audio sent me a picture of what is coming to my house in the next day or two.

I do believe my media manager snapped a picture of yours as I requested -- I'll check in on it when he gets back in the office!

 

[mwhals]

I do believe my media manager snapped a picture of yours as I requested -- I'll check in on it when he gets back in the office!

Thanks! I received your email with the picture and I personally think my Legend X looks really good.

 

[olddude]

If the Legend X comes with a copper cable (don't have one, so not sure) a silver or silver/gold or copper/silver cable would perhaps give you more upper end. But everything comes with a cost, and that cost is not just monetary. If you use a cable to increase treble, it will change other areas as well. As to cost, you can get a decent hybrid cable for under 500 bucks. But starting down the cable road is both tricky and expensive. You won't know what the cable does until you try it.

 

[mr.karmalicious]

Something nobody has mentioned yet, somehow--the Legend X has a 10-way crossover. This means that it should respond very very well to EQ. You really could boost the treble in the regions you like by a few dB and see how you like it, if you got your hands on a demo.

 

[aaf evo]

@pinkzeppelincult use AMP9, that helps treble extension a lot on the Legend x but I haven’t heard amp 8 so I can’t tell you by how much more.

 

[mr.karmalicious]

oh, hello

also—after seeing all y'all's customs, holy christ my ears are big lmao. perfect fit first try, though, so

 

[pinkzeppelincult]

Abalone faceplate? If so, EE really needs to step up the previews in their designer….

 

[mr.karmalicious]

Abalone faceplate? If so, EE really needs to step up the previews in their designer….

Yep. I said earlier in the thread somewhere, they're done no justice on the site; I would have gone for something else if I hadn't seen these in person at EE. (The pleasures of living closeby—and in their lounge, they have material samples that you can look at.)

It's hard to capture, but here's a video: https://gfycat.com/fatvaguebuffalo —it's three-dimensional in the way it plays with the light, which is hard to convey with a static photo.