[toaster]

I would say cracks on a $1700 IEM is most definitely not part of "owning an acrylic IEM." These are not some self-destructing Banksy pieces of art, but high end consumer products meant to last decades.

not sure about decades...hope you get things sorted out.

 

[xandermaus]

Had the chance to listen for 3 EE iems today, as I may be in the market.
I was underwhelmed to find them shouty and fatiguing

I'm very curious which ones, as I absolutely hated the first one I tried (Valk) and immediately loved and purchased the second (LX, custom). My issue with the Valks are the overpowering, electrostatic brain drills, and my guess is that I'll hate any IEM that uses them. I think it's great, though, that EE IEMs inspires such a wide variety of reactions.

 

[NovaFlyer]

My Bravado CIEMs are the first EE product that I own, and LOVE them!
I am looking forward (and fearing at the same time) to attend a CanJam again, and test LX and Hero... one of them might be my next CIEM purchase
Cannot imagine getting anything with less bass than Bravado!
(I know Hero CIEM is not available, yet, but it probably will by the time I can actually audition the Hero)

Give the LX a go with a good cable. I enjoy both the LX and Phantom with an Effect Audio Leo II. Maybe things will be better in Dec for SoCal, if so, I'll be flying out. Once this all clears up, maybe Empire could do an EE event like ZMF. And you could jet over to ATL.

I recall a comment that a Hero custom would be released at a later date...but I may be wrong on that. You could always demo the Hero universal and then wait for a custom and order...EE already has your impressions.

 

[Kristy Song]

@Kristy Song Can't wait for my Odin to arrive from Zep! Great customer service as usual!

Hardly have time to log in to Head-Fi but this is awesome nice to see! Thanks so much, and I'm thrilled for you to get your Odin--- crazy, crazy IEM.

 

[Kristy Song]

Was the blown away and spectacular synergy in regard to pairing up the Odin with N6ii w/E02 or with other DAPs? If it is the N6ii w/E02 then I am back to being excited about the Odin again

Haha. The N6ii/E02. Good luck!

 

[DavidS11]

First and foremost what a wild past 2 days.. Drove 9 hours to North Georgia with aspirations to visit Empire Ears expecting a quick tour and audition of the Odin, Hero and others in the line up.. Then drive back 9 hours home. What actually happened when I got to Empire Ears today was well beyond anything I could’ve anticipated.

I will begin by just putting it out there that @JoshWatkins , @Jack Vang and Dean Vang are incredibly humble and friendly people. Their attention to detail and going above and beyond to accommodate me was mind numbing; I’ve never felt so welcome and comfortable in any establishment to date. Josh just kept bringing me IEM’s to try as he educated me on various aspects of the products, not in a sales pitch fashion either which was appreciated. It was more or less just listen and relax while Josh kept showering me with free merchandise. Seriously, I left with a bag full of it. He even loaded up my Fiancé with stuff.

Then while auditioning the Hero and Odin, Josh walked in and explained to me that @Andrew DiMarcangelo from www.bloomaudio.com went above and beyond and actually had them allocate an Odin for me that I could take home, if I wanted to purchase it. Josh made it abundantly clear that this was Andrew’s doing and he persisted to allow them to do so until they agreed. Josh also made it clear there was no pressure to do so regardless of the gracious offer. This was quite the surprise… people are chomping at the bit to get their hands on Odin and I was given the opportunity to do so immediately. Andrew is quite the gentleman and bloomaudio.com has seriously exceeded any and all expectations I have ever had as a consumer. I am not sponsored by Empire Ears, Bloom Audio and I was not asked to endorse either in return for anything. These are my own feelings coming from the purest possible place.

So, what the hell did I do about it? I guess I’ll explain my experiences with Hero and Odin first.

I listened to the Hero first, per Josh’s recommendation.

Side note, the white and black is gorgeous in person. The white has a marble like deep shimmer to it in certain light and it’s just awesome to look at. Fit is great for me as are all Empire Ears offerings.

So going into it, I realized there’s not much info out there about how these bad boys sound so I had no idea what to think. It took about 20 seconds to realize they are going to OWN the $999 to $1699 market with these. Goodbye Andromeda, Goodbye Solaris, Goodbye Nio and any other imposter hanging around this price range. To be fair and transparent, the Hero even makes the Valkyrie irrelevant and might replace the LX for some. I haven’t heard the MK2 models so this could change soon. Unless fit is an issue, which is something I cannot predict for you, there’s no reason to bother with the aforementioned. None.

Bass: Medium to heavy bass presence but done well and not over-powering. They have a similar to a bit less bass presence of Valkyrie but I think better executed. It’s more controlled and extended. It’s not there when it’s not supposed to be.

Mids: Extremely full bodied and clarity for days. Vocals are right where they should be and have spot on timbre. Empire Ears killed it here… seriously.

Treble: Super smooth and etched just enough to be detailed and present without fatiguing. Just as good as any Campfire offering which is what some of them are known for specifically. Really well done.

Overall presentation / conclusion: Holographic and coherent. Everything blends well but leaves enough separation to still have nice layering. I don’t foresee anything coming through as bloated. They responded well to everything I threw at them. Insane value for the price point. Musical-easy listening perfected.

The mighty ODIN… you have to see this things in person. Sheeeesh!

After first hearing the HERO and how well it performed I was nervous the ODIN was going to be underwhelming. NOOOOPE… The ODIN is the equivalent of a high end floor speaker array in an acoustically engineered room. You might as well be in the studio with the band, artist or engineer. Micro detail in every frequency range. They provide a resolution that isn’t easily replicated.

Bass: Very deep and executed with precision of delivery. It is there when it is supposed to be and not when it isn’t. It’s not the bass monster the Legend X is but it shares the sub bass depth and keeps the mid bass clean but present. Those who like reference bass will love these… by reference I mean how it’s supposed to sound; lifelike. Not a flat snooze fest reference.

Mids: Crisp, clear and loaded with detail / accuracy. Most impressive mid range I have ever heard. It’s not lush and warm, it’s just dead accurate in a natural sounding way.

Treble: I listened to the Wraith while I was there and found the treble to be quite impressive once a powerful source was utilized. If the source sucked, so did the Wraiths treble (and the rest of it for that matter). The ODIN retains this powerfully immense treble to the likes of the Wraith, just without the source dependency. It’s bright and detailed enough to impress but not harsh or peaky. I’m now biased against anything but electrostatic treble. Not even the tia tubeless stuff hit’s this quality to me.

Overall presentation / conclusion: Holographic and grand. Layered, micro-detailed and expansive with everything I listened to. Dean Vang came in and said he can’t listen to anything else immediately after ODIN and I can understand why.

If you’re still reading this you deserve one of those Headfi badges in your profile but I hope I at least answered as many questions as I foresaw coming my way after many knew I was auditioning Empire Ears lineup. I’m sure there will be more and I am happy to assist. The only remaining question I haven’t answered was, what did I decide on? Despite the long winded post, this particular part deserves recognition at length: After it all, I told Josh I was going to go through with purchasing the Odin as I am sure they anticipated I would after hearing how bad ass it is. Then I asked what about the Hero? what if I wanted that as well? He wasn’t sure as they were thin on product after this massive launch but sprang to action… about 30 minutes later to my surprise, Dean Vang walked in with a Hero he personally took from production and QC’ed himself !! He asked me to listen to it to make sure I was satisfied and I did just that. I laughed when he asked and thought who the hell am I to tell you if the IEM you designed and quality control tested sounded as it was supposed to… Long story short I am now the proud owner of the ODIN ANNND HERO!

Another huge shoutout to Dean and Jack Vang, Josh Watkins and Andrew DiMarcengelo.. you guys are all top notch and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I also want make an honorable mention to the Empire Ears crew… all super professional and hard working. They have a great team over there and it really quells the price to purchase pain seeing the massive undertaking to produce these audio devices at this level.

Congrats, u got both Hero and Odin wow. Wouldn’t Odin makes the Hero a bit redundant? Hero better than both Solaris and Nio, how? How bad is driver flex (if any)?

 

[CL14715]

Congrats, u got both Hero and Odin wow. Wouldn’t Odin makes the Hero a bit redundant? Hero better than both Solaris and Nio, how? How bad is driver flex (if any)?

They do not make each other redundant, no.

Regarding the Solaris, the hero has better bass extension and has what sounds like better vocal clarity to me. This is addition to having either similar or better treble. The Nio is a closer tussle but the Hero just beats it in vocals and treble. Bass is probably more oriented in the sub region but has sufficient mid bass.

 

[subguy812]

First and foremost what a wild past 2 days.. Drove 9 hours to North Georgia with aspirations to visit Empire Ears expecting a quick tour and audition of the Odin, Hero and others in the line up.. Then drive back 9 hours home. What actually happened when I got to Empire Ears today was well beyond anything I could’ve anticipated.

I will begin by just putting it out there that @JoshWatkins , @Jack Vang and Dean Vang are incredibly humble and friendly people. Their attention to detail and going above and beyond to accommodate me was mind numbing; I’ve never felt so welcome and comfortable in any establishment to date. Josh just kept bringing me IEM’s to try as he educated me on various aspects of the products, not in a sales pitch fashion either which was appreciated. It was more or less just listen and relax while Josh kept showering me with free merchandise. Seriously, I left with a bag full of it. He even loaded up my Fiancé with stuff.

Then while auditioning the Hero and Odin, Josh walked in and explained to me that @Andrew DiMarcangelo from www.bloomaudio.com went above and beyond and actually had them allocate an Odin for me that I could take home, if I wanted to purchase it. Josh made it abundantly clear that this was Andrew’s doing and he persisted to allow them to do so until they agreed. Josh also made it clear there was no pressure to do so regardless of the gracious offer. This was quite the surprise… people are chomping at the bit to get their hands on Odin and I was given the opportunity to do so immediately. Andrew is quite the gentleman and bloomaudio.com has seriously exceeded any and all expectations I have ever had as a consumer. I am not sponsored by Empire Ears, Bloom Audio and I was not asked to endorse either in return for anything. These are my own feelings coming from the purest possible place.

So, what the hell did I do about it? I guess I’ll explain my experiences with Hero and Odin first.

I listened to the Hero first, per Josh’s recommendation.

Side note, the white and black is gorgeous in person. The white has a marble like deep shimmer to it in certain light and it’s just awesome to look at. Fit is great for me as are all Empire Ears offerings.

So going into it, I realized there’s not much info out there about how these bad boys sound so I had no idea what to think. It took about 20 seconds to realize they are going to OWN the $999 to $1699 market with these. Goodbye Andromeda, Goodbye Solaris, Goodbye Nio and any other imposter hanging around this price range. To be fair and transparent, the Hero even makes the Valkyrie irrelevant and might replace the LX for some. I haven’t heard the MK2 models so this could change soon. Unless fit is an issue, which is something I cannot predict for you, there’s no reason to bother with the aforementioned. None.

Bass: Medium to heavy bass presence but done well and not over-powering. They have a similar to a bit less bass presence of Valkyrie but I think better executed. It’s more controlled and extended. It’s not there when it’s not supposed to be.

Mids: Extremely full bodied and clarity for days. Vocals are right where they should be and have spot on timbre. Empire Ears killed it here… seriously.

Treble: Super smooth and etched just enough to be detailed and present without fatiguing. Just as good as any Campfire offering which is what some of them are known for specifically. Really well done.

Overall presentation / conclusion: Holographic and coherent. Everything blends well but leaves enough separation to still have nice layering. I don’t foresee anything coming through as bloated. They responded well to everything I threw at them. Insane value for the price point. Musical-easy listening perfected.

The mighty ODIN… you have to see this things in person. Sheeeesh!

After first hearing the HERO and how well it performed I was nervous the ODIN was going to be underwhelming. NOOOOPE… The ODIN is the equivalent of a high end floor speaker array in an acoustically engineered room. You might as well be in the studio with the band, artist or engineer. Micro detail in every frequency range. They provide a resolution that isn’t easily replicated.

Bass: Very deep and executed with precision of delivery. It is there when it is supposed to be and not when it isn’t. It’s not the bass monster the Legend X is but it shares the sub bass depth and keeps the mid bass clean but present. Those who like reference bass will love these… by reference I mean how it’s supposed to sound; lifelike. Not a flat snooze fest reference.

Mids: Crisp, clear and loaded with detail / accuracy. Most impressive mid range I have ever heard. It’s not lush and warm, it’s just dead accurate in a natural sounding way.

Treble: I listened to the Wraith while I was there and found the treble to be quite impressive once a powerful source was utilized. If the source sucked, so did the Wraiths treble (and the rest of it for that matter). The ODIN retains this powerfully immense treble to the likes of the Wraith, just without the source dependency. It’s bright and detailed enough to impress but not harsh or peaky. I’m now biased against anything but electrostatic treble. Not even the tia tubeless stuff hit’s this quality to me.

Overall presentation / conclusion: Holographic and grand. Layered, micro-detailed and expansive with everything I listened to. Dean Vang came in and said he can’t listen to anything else immediately after ODIN and I can understand why.

If you’re still reading this you deserve one of those Headfi badges in your profile but I hope I at least answered as many questions as I foresaw coming my way after many knew I was auditioning Empire Ears lineup. I’m sure there will be more and I am happy to assist. The only remaining question I haven’t answered was, what did I decide on? Despite the long winded post, this particular part deserves recognition at length: After it all, I told Josh I was going to go through with purchasing the Odin as I am sure they anticipated I would after hearing how bad ass it is. Then I asked what about the Hero? what if I wanted that as well? He wasn’t sure as they were thin on product after this massive launch but sprang to action… about 30 minutes later to my surprise, Dean Vang walked in with a Hero he personally took from production and QC’ed himself !! He asked me to listen to it to make sure I was satisfied and I did just that. I laughed when he asked and thought who the hell am I to tell you if the IEM you designed and quality control tested sounded as it was supposed to… Long story short I am now the proud owner of the ODIN ANNND HERO!

Another huge shoutout to Dean and Jack Vang, Josh Watkins and Andrew DiMarcengelo.. you guys are all top notch and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I also want make an honorable mention to the Empire Ears crew… all super professional and hard working. They have a great team over there and it really quells the price to purchase pain seeing the massive undertaking to produce these audio devices at this level.

Congratulations..... Thus the earlier recommendation to drive to Ga and see it for yourself. Too bad you couldn't connect with Gnahra and make it a road trip. Enjoy, you have an experience you will always remember.

To ODIN users...I want to recommend a track to showcase the transparency, detail and how well all frequencies are represented. The space around the notes and staging is impeccable. The "album" is Rejoice, artists are Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela and the track is Agbada Masekela

 

[Deezel177]

First and foremost what a wild past 2 days.. Drove 9 hours to North Georgia with aspirations to visit Empire Ears expecting a quick tour and audition of the Odin, Hero and others in the line up.. Then drive back 9 hours home. What actually happened when I got to Empire Ears today was well beyond anything I could’ve anticipated.

I will begin by just putting it out there that @JoshWatkins , @Jack Vang and Dean Vang are incredibly humble and friendly people. Their attention to detail and going above and beyond to accommodate me was mind numbing; I’ve never felt so welcome and comfortable in any establishment to date. Josh just kept bringing me IEM’s to try as he educated me on various aspects of the products, not in a sales pitch fashion either which was appreciated. It was more or less just listen and relax while Josh kept showering me with free merchandise. Seriously, I left with a bag full of it. He even loaded up my Fiancé with stuff.

Then while auditioning the Hero and Odin, Josh walked in and explained to me that @Andrew DiMarcangelo from www.bloomaudio.com went above and beyond and actually had them allocate an Odin for me that I could take home, if I wanted to purchase it. Josh made it abundantly clear that this was Andrew’s doing and he persisted to allow them to do so until they agreed. Josh also made it clear there was no pressure to do so regardless of the gracious offer. This was quite the surprise… people are chomping at the bit to get their hands on Odin and I was given the opportunity to do so immediately. Andrew is quite the gentleman and bloomaudio.com has seriously exceeded any and all expectations I have ever had as a consumer. I am not sponsored by Empire Ears, Bloom Audio and I was not asked to endorse either in return for anything. These are my own feelings coming from the purest possible place.

So, what the hell did I do about it? I guess I’ll explain my experiences with Hero and Odin first.

I listened to the Hero first, per Josh’s recommendation.

Side note, the white and black is gorgeous in person. The white has a marble like deep shimmer to it in certain light and it’s just awesome to look at. Fit is great for me as are all Empire Ears offerings.

So going into it, I realized there’s not much info out there about how these bad boys sound so I had no idea what to think. It took about 20 seconds to realize they are going to OWN the $999 to $1699 market with these. Goodbye Andromeda, Goodbye Solaris, Goodbye Nio and any other imposter hanging around this price range. To be fair and transparent, the Hero even makes the Valkyrie irrelevant and might replace the LX for some. I haven’t heard the MK2 models so this could change soon. Unless fit is an issue, which is something I cannot predict for you, there’s no reason to bother with the aforementioned. None.

Bass: Medium to heavy bass presence but done well and not over-powering. They have a similar to a bit less bass presence of Valkyrie but I think better executed. It’s more controlled and extended. It’s not there when it’s not supposed to be.

Mids: Extremely full bodied and clarity for days. Vocals are right where they should be and have spot on timbre. Empire Ears killed it here… seriously.

Treble: Super smooth and etched just enough to be detailed and present without fatiguing. Just as good as any Campfire offering which is what some of them are known for specifically. Really well done.

Overall presentation / conclusion: Holographic and coherent. Everything blends well but leaves enough separation to still have nice layering. I don’t foresee anything coming through as bloated. They responded well to everything I threw at them. Insane value for the price point. Musical-easy listening perfected.

The mighty ODIN… you have to see this things in person. Sheeeesh!

After first hearing the HERO and how well it performed I was nervous the ODIN was going to be underwhelming. NOOOOPE… The ODIN is the equivalent of a high end floor speaker array in an acoustically engineered room. You might as well be in the studio with the band, artist or engineer. Micro detail in every frequency range. They provide a resolution that isn’t easily replicated.

Bass: Very deep and executed with precision of delivery. It is there when it is supposed to be and not when it isn’t. It’s not the bass monster the Legend X is but it shares the sub bass depth and keeps the mid bass clean but present. Those who like reference bass will love these… by reference I mean how it’s supposed to sound; lifelike. Not a flat snooze fest reference.

Mids: Crisp, clear and loaded with detail / accuracy. Most impressive mid range I have ever heard. It’s not lush and warm, it’s just dead accurate in a natural sounding way.

Treble: I listened to the Wraith while I was there and found the treble to be quite impressive once a powerful source was utilized. If the source sucked, so did the Wraiths treble (and the rest of it for that matter). The ODIN retains this powerfully immense treble to the likes of the Wraith, just without the source dependency. It’s bright and detailed enough to impress but not harsh or peaky. I’m now biased against anything but electrostatic treble. Not even the tia tubeless stuff hit’s this quality to me.

Overall presentation / conclusion: Holographic and grand. Layered, micro-detailed and expansive with everything I listened to. Dean Vang came in and said he can’t listen to anything else immediately after ODIN and I can understand why.

If you’re still reading this you deserve one of those Headfi badges in your profile but I hope I at least answered as many questions as I foresaw coming my way after many knew I was auditioning Empire Ears lineup. I’m sure there will be more and I am happy to assist. The only remaining question I haven’t answered was, what did I decide on? Despite the long winded post, this particular part deserves recognition at length: After it all, I told Josh I was going to go through with purchasing the Odin as I am sure they anticipated I would after hearing how bad ass it is. Then I asked what about the Hero? what if I wanted that as well? He wasn’t sure as they were thin on product after this massive launch but sprang to action… about 30 minutes later to my surprise, Dean Vang walked in with a Hero he personally took from production and QC’ed himself !! He asked me to listen to it to make sure I was satisfied and I did just that. I laughed when he asked and thought who the hell am I to tell you if the IEM you designed and quality control tested sounded as it was supposed to… Long story short I am now the proud owner of the ODIN ANNND HERO!

Another huge shoutout to Dean and Jack Vang, Josh Watkins and Andrew DiMarcengelo.. you guys are all top notch and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I also want make an honorable mention to the Empire Ears crew… all super professional and hard working. They have a great team over there and it really quells the price to purchase pain seeing the massive undertaking to produce these audio devices at this level.

You just lived out probably every Head-Fi'ers dream at the moment. 'Awesome story and impressions, man. Enjoy your purchase(s).

 

[CL14715]

Oh and to those that wondered.. despite Odin’s 3 ohm impedance and 108 sensitive, it doesn’t hiss. Don’t ask me how, I know it doesn’t make sense, but it just doesn’t.

 

[Zachik]

I listened to the Hero first, per Josh’s recommendation.

Side note, the white and black is gorgeous in person. The white has a marble like deep shimmer to it in certain light and it’s just awesome to look at. Fit is great for me as are all Empire Ears offerings.

So going into it, I realized there’s not much info out there about how these bad boys sound so I had no idea what to think. It took about 20 seconds to realize they are going to OWN the $999 to $1699 market with these. Goodbye Andromeda, Goodbye Solaris, Goodbye Nio and any other imposter hanging around this price range. To be fair and transparent, the Hero even makes the Valkyrie irrelevant and might replace the LX for some. I haven’t heard the MK2 models so this could change soon. Unless fit is an issue, which is something I cannot predict for you, there’s no reason to bother with the aforementioned. None.

Bass: Medium to heavy bass presence but done well and not over-powering. They have a similar to a bit less bass presence of Valkyrie but I think better executed. It’s more controlled and extended. It’s not there when it’s not supposed to be.

Mids: Extremely full bodied and clarity for days. Vocals are right where they should be and have spot on timbre. Empire Ears killed it here… seriously.

Treble: Super smooth and etched just enough to be detailed and present without fatiguing. Just as good as any Campfire offering which is what some of them are known for specifically. Really well done.

Overall presentation / conclusion: Holographic and coherent. Everything blends well but leaves enough separation to still have nice layering. I don’t foresee anything coming through as bloated. They responded well to everything I threw at them. Insane value for the price point. Musical-easy listening perfected.

Did you by any chance compare the Hero to Bravado?
I own and love custom Bravado, and it feels like the Hero might be the next step up from Bravado? How does the bass compare (I do not want less bass in my next CIEMs...)?

 

[Zachik]

Give the LX a go with a good cable. I enjoy both the LX and Phantom with an Effect Audio Leo II. Maybe things will be better in Dec for SoCal, if so, I'll be flying out. Once this all clears up, maybe Empire could do an EE event like ZMF. And you could jet over to ATL.

Fingers crossed for CanJam SoCal in Dec.
I will definitely spend some quality time with EE folks next opportunity I got, and will test the LX and Hero. I thought the Phantom is less bassy and more neutral?

I recall a comment that a Hero custom would be released at a later date...but I may be wrong on that. You could always demo the Hero universal and then wait for a custom and order...EE already has your impressions.

Yup. I have high hopes for custom Hero!!

 

[Jack Vang]

First and foremost what a wild past 2 days.. Drove 9 hours to North Georgia with aspirations to visit Empire Ears expecting a quick tour and audition of the Odin, Hero and others in the line up.. Then drive back 9 hours home. What actually happened when I got to Empire Ears today was well beyond anything I could’ve anticipated.

I will begin by just putting it out there that @JoshWatkins , @Jack Vang and Dean Vang are incredibly humble and friendly people. Their attention to detail and going above and beyond to accommodate me was mind numbing; I’ve never felt so welcome and comfortable in any establishment to date. Josh just kept bringing me IEM’s to try as he educated me on various aspects of the products, not in a sales pitch fashion either which was appreciated. It was more or less just listen and relax while Josh kept showering me with free merchandise. Seriously, I left with a bag full of it. He even loaded up my Fiancé with stuff.

Then while auditioning the Hero and Odin, Josh walked in and explained to me that @Andrew DiMarcangelo from www.bloomaudio.com went above and beyond and actually had them allocate an Odin for me that I could take home, if I wanted to purchase it. Josh made it abundantly clear that this was Andrew’s doing and he persisted to allow them to do so until they agreed. Josh also made it clear there was no pressure to do so regardless of the gracious offer. This was quite the surprise… people are chomping at the bit to get their hands on Odin and I was given the opportunity to do so immediately. Andrew is quite the gentleman and bloomaudio.com has seriously exceeded any and all expectations I have ever had as a consumer. I am not sponsored by Empire Ears, Bloom Audio and I was not asked to endorse either in return for anything. These are my own feelings coming from the purest possible place.

So, what the hell did I do about it? I guess I’ll explain my experiences with Hero and Odin first.

I listened to the Hero first, per Josh’s recommendation.

Side note, the white and black is gorgeous in person. The white has a marble like deep shimmer to it in certain light and it’s just awesome to look at. Fit is great for me as are all Empire Ears offerings.

So going into it, I realized there’s not much info out there about how these bad boys sound so I had no idea what to think. It took about 20 seconds to realize they are going to OWN the $999 to $1699 market with these. Goodbye Andromeda, Goodbye Solaris, Goodbye Nio and any other imposter hanging around this price range. To be fair and transparent, the Hero even makes the Valkyrie irrelevant and might replace the LX for some. I haven’t heard the MK2 models so this could change soon. Unless fit is an issue, which is something I cannot predict for you, there’s no reason to bother with the aforementioned. None.

Bass: Medium to heavy bass presence but done well and not over-powering. They have a similar to a bit less bass presence of Valkyrie but I think better executed. It’s more controlled and extended. It’s not there when it’s not supposed to be.

Mids: Extremely full bodied and clarity for days. Vocals are right where they should be and have spot on timbre. Empire Ears killed it here… seriously.

Treble: Super smooth and etched just enough to be detailed and present without fatiguing. Just as good as any Campfire offering which is what some of them are known for specifically. Really well done.

Overall presentation / conclusion: Holographic and coherent. Everything blends well but leaves enough separation to still have nice layering. I don’t foresee anything coming through as bloated. They responded well to everything I threw at them. Insane value for the price point. Musical-easy listening perfected.

The mighty ODIN… you have to see this things in person. Sheeeesh!

After first hearing the HERO and how well it performed I was nervous the ODIN was going to be underwhelming. NOOOOPE… The ODIN is the equivalent of a high end floor speaker array in an acoustically engineered room. You might as well be in the studio with the band, artist or engineer. Micro detail in every frequency range. They provide a resolution that isn’t easily replicated.

Bass: Very deep and executed with precision of delivery. It is there when it is supposed to be and not when it isn’t. It’s not the bass monster the Legend X is but it shares the sub bass depth and keeps the mid bass clean but present. Those who like reference bass will love these… by reference I mean how it’s supposed to sound; lifelike. Not a flat snooze fest reference.

Mids: Crisp, clear and loaded with detail / accuracy. Most impressive mid range I have ever heard. It’s not lush and warm, it’s just dead accurate in a natural sounding way.

Treble: I listened to the Wraith while I was there and found the treble to be quite impressive once a powerful source was utilized. If the source sucked, so did the Wraiths treble (and the rest of it for that matter). The ODIN retains this powerfully immense treble to the likes of the Wraith, just without the source dependency. It’s bright and detailed enough to impress but not harsh or peaky. I’m now biased against anything but electrostatic treble. Not even the tia tubeless stuff hit’s this quality to me.

Overall presentation / conclusion: Holographic and grand. Layered, micro-detailed and expansive with everything I listened to. Dean Vang came in and said he can’t listen to anything else immediately after ODIN and I can understand why.

If you’re still reading this you deserve one of those Headfi badges in your profile but I hope I at least answered as many questions as I foresaw coming my way after many knew I was auditioning Empire Ears lineup. I’m sure there will be more and I am happy to assist. The only remaining question I haven’t answered was, what did I decide on? Despite the long winded post, this particular part deserves recognition at length: After it all, I told Josh I was going to go through with purchasing the Odin as I am sure they anticipated I would after hearing how bad ass it is. Then I asked what about the Hero? what if I wanted that as well? He wasn’t sure as they were thin on product after this massive launch but sprang to action… about 30 minutes later to my surprise, Dean Vang walked in with a Hero he personally took from production and QC’ed himself !! He asked me to listen to it to make sure I was satisfied and I did just that. I laughed when he asked and thought who the hell am I to tell you if the IEM you designed and quality control tested sounded as it was supposed to… Long story short I am now the proud owner of the ODIN ANNND HERO!

Another huge shoutout to Dean and Jack Vang, Josh Watkins and Andrew DiMarcengelo.. you guys are all top notch and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I also want make an honorable mention to the Empire Ears crew… all super professional and hard working. They have a great team over there and it really quells the price to purchase pain seeing the massive undertaking to produce these audio devices at this level.

The pleasure is all ours and the entire team is ecstatic you love the IEMs as much as we loved handcrafting them for you. It's posts like these that keep me smiling in the lab at 3am. It really means more than words can explain. Thanks so much for the support and making the long trip. I'm glad you both made it home safely!

On an entirely different note I might authorize an earlier shipment release depending on a few variables but i'll keep you all posted closely.

 

[DavidS11]

They do not make each other redundant, no.

Regarding the Solaris, the hero has better bass extension and has what sounds like better vocal clarity to me. This is addition to having either similar or better treble. The Nio is a closer tussle but the Hero just beats it in vocals and treble. Bass is probably more oriented in the sub region but has sufficient mid bass.

Thanks, sound good. Can’t imagine how tired it must be for the long round journey within such a short time and still post reply here so quick. Respect your motivation and determination. Rest and enjoy bro.

 

[doctorjuggles]

Such a tease @Jack Vang