[kalsonc]

had the pleasure to test a few iems today as I went to pick up my Legend X
1. Odin
2. Hero
3. 64 Audio Nio


For some context - i originally pre-ordered the 64 Audio Nio back in late June before the cut off to get the premium silver cable, but I have not received them yet or had a chance to try them until today.

I am by no means a reviewer so the below is just my first/initial impression with not a lot of time of testing as I had a dinner to rush to

All 3 iem most likely have not 'burned in' yet so my impression may vary.
I ran all 3 through my own portable setup (Fiio Q5S)

1. Odin
- very very spacious and clear
- bass is present but not as much impact / rumble as i'd like it
- relatively smooth and very enjoyable

honestly speaking if they had an Odin today for me to pick up, I most likely would've walked away with it and be typing out my For Sale thread for my 64 Audio U12T right now.

2. Nio
- I tried the Nio right after the Odin and immediately the bass is more emphasized compared to the Odin.
- More bass impact, more sub bass
- However, not sure if it is because I heard the Odin first but almost everything outside the bass on the Nio seemed really really muffled to me. To the point I was double checking my seal and even changed to another pair of tips (i was using Final E initially then changed over the Sedna Xelastec... still sounds more muffled

3. Hero
- In my mind as I am putting my tips over to the Hero was.... lets see what @CL14715 says is true because his 'preferred' signature matches mine pretty accurately
- I think not even a minute in the same song I was immediately blown away by the vocal clarity, bass, and treble of the Hero
- It is not a Odin Jr. that is for sure
- Hero has more bass overall compared to the Nio while also a lot more clear in the mids to highs
- Nio is definitely a tad darker/warmer and smoother but since it sounded muffled to me, Hero wins this one.

After listening to the Hero, I was pretty certain I would cancel my pre-order for the Nio and asked if I could take home either the Odin or Hero today.
I let this be the deciding factor for me on which one I would take home.

Like i mentioned above - they did not have any Odin remaining so I was able to take home the Hero.
It wasn't the wrong choice for sure as I preferred the stronger bass presence of the Hero and I didn't want to spend an additional $3k+ today for the Odin as I was already picking up the Legend X.

I am not going to write about the Legend X here as its been discussed a lot but I think I will most likely wait for the Odin and sell my u12t and either keep the legend X or Hero. But I am sure some people want to know about the bass of Hero vs Legend X. To keep it short - if Legend X was a +6 on bass, the Hero would be a +4 ~ +5 for bass. Just a tad less.

Ultimately I feel having the Legend X + Odin or Hero + Odin should serve all my needs.
Sorry if this post isn't that detailed but just wanted to share my experience

Thank you,

 

[CL14715]

had the pleasure to test a few iems today as I went to pick up my Legend X
1. Odin
2. Hero
3. 64 Audio Nio


For some context - i originally pre-ordered the 64 Audio Nio back in late June before the cut off to get the premium silver cable, but I have not received them yet or had a chance to try them until today.

I am by no means a reviewer so the below is just my first/initial impression with not a lot of time of testing as I had a dinner to rush to

All 4 iem most likely have not 'burned in' yet so my impression may vary.
I ran all 4 through my own portable setup (Fiio Q5S)

1. Odin
- very very spacious and clear
- bass is present but not as much impact / rumble as i'd like it
- relatively smooth and very enjoyable

honestly speaking if they had an Odin today for me to pick up, I most likely would've walked away with it and be typing out my For Sale thread for my 64 Audio U12T right now.

2. Nio
- I tried the Nio right after the Odin and immediately the bass is more emphasized compared to the Odin.
- More bass impact, more sub bass
- However, not sure if it is because I heard the Odin first but almost everything outside the bass on the Nio seemed really really muffled to me. To the point I was double checking my seal and even changed to another pair of tips (i was using Final E initially then changed over the Sedna Xelastec... still sounds more muffled

3. Hero
- In my mind as I am putting my tips over to the Hero was.... lets see what @CL14715 says is true because his 'preferred' signature matches mine pretty accurately
- I think not even a minute in the same song I was immediately blown away by the vocal clarity, bass, and treble of the Hero
- It is not a Odin Jr. that is for sure
- Hero has more bass overall compared to the Nio while also a lot more clear in the mids to highs
- Nio is definitely a tad darker/warmer and smoother but since it sounded muffled to me, Hero wins this one.

After listening to the Hero, I was pretty certain I would cancel my pre-order for the Nio and asked if I could take home either the Odin or Hero today.
I let this be the deciding factor for me on which one I would take home.

Like i mentioned above - they did not have any Odin remaining so I was able to take home the Hero.
It wasn't the wrong choice for sure as I preferred the stronger bass presence of the Hero and I didn't want to spend an additional $3k+ today for the Odin as I was already picking up the Legend X.

I am not going to write about the Legend X here as its been discussed a lot but I think I will most likely wait for the Odin and sell my u12t and either the legend X or Hero. But I am sure some people want to know about the bass of Hero vs Legend X. To keep it short - if Legend X was a +6 on bass, the Hero would be a +4 ~ +5 for bass. Just a tad less.

Ultimately I feel having the Legend X + Odin or Hero + Odin should serve all my needs.
Sorry if this post isn't that detailed but just wanted to share my experience

Thank you,

So was what I said true??

 

[kalsonc]

So was what I said true??

100% especially since I cancelled my Nio and now am a proud owner of these two beauties

 

[CL14715]

100% especially since I cancelled my Nio and now am a proud owner of these two beauties

That’s awesome. Glad they resonated with you the same as they did with me. I think people were confused when I left EE with both the Hero and Odin. Now you know why lol.

 

[kalsonc]

That’s awesome. Glad they resonated with you the same as they did with me. I think people were confused when I left EE with both the Hero and Odin. Now you know why lol.

to be completely honestly - i walked in demo-ing the nio, odin, and hero feeling a bit skeptical as I thought I was content with just picking up my legend X today and with my u12t at home

having tried multiple iem's in the $1000-$2000 range, I can honestly say nothing comes close to the Hero.
If you just try to judge its performance by its price tag, oh boy.. you will be blown away when you listen to it

 

[CL14715]

to be completely honestly - i walked in demo-ing the nio, odin, and hero feeling a bit skeptical as I thought I was content with just picking up my legend X today and with my u12t at home

having tried multiple iem's in the $1000-$2000 range, I can honestly say nothing comes close to the Hero.
If you just try to judge its performance by its price tag, oh boy.. you will be blown away when you listen to it

Yea, that’s why it’s been hard to convey its ability without it coming off as mindless hype or being a shill.

 

[jwbrent]

Yea, that’s why it’s been hard to convey its ability without it coming off as mindless hype or being a shill.

Always the quandary when writing reviews, finding the right balance. My reviews (about 30 now) have gotten better in this regard because each time I go out and write a new one, I look for it to be my best ever.

 

[CL14715]

Always the quandary when writing reviews, finding the right balance. My reviews (about 30 now) have gotten better in this regard because each time I go out and write a new one, I look for it to be my best ever.

Understandable and a good philosophy. I have a ways to go to find the right balance or systematic approach for reviews. I was more less referencing the fact that I knew it was going to draw some negativity and there was no way around it. It was a brand new IEM, mostly unknown completely and here I was about to praise the hell out of it because.. well.. it earned it. Then just before, “Impressions” were dropped by someone with a cult following basically contradicting most of what I had already typed in my review draft. At the end of the day though a few guys have heard the Hero and align with a majority of my review. I’m satisfied with that and It shows my perception wasn’t baseless or just hype.

 

[riverground]

Always the quandary when writing reviews, finding the right balance. My reviews (about 30 now) have gotten better in this regard because each time I go out and write a new one, I look for it to be my best ever.

As a new reviewer this is my goal!

 

[jwbrent]

Understandable and a good philosophy. I have a ways to go to find the right balance or systematic approach for reviews. I was more less referencing the fact that I knew it was going to draw some negativity and there was no way around it. It was a brand new IEM, mostly unknown completely and here I was about to praise the hell out of it because.. well.. it earned it. Then just before, “Impressions” were dropped by someone with a cult following basically contradicting most of what I had already typed in my review draft. At the end of the day though a few guys have heard the Hero and align with a majority of my review. I’m satisfied with that and It shows my perception wasn’t baseless or just hype.

I don’t think our writing is a wasted experience just because there are those, popular or not, that may disagree with our findings. It is a highly subjective hobby, after all. But I’m like you, too, I like the positive feeling that comes from sharing a worthwhile experience, and of course any accolades that may come my way only enhance my feeling about my writing.

I do believe the terminology we use in high end audio can be misconstrued quite easily, and that is likely a reason for differing opinions. When someone writes, for example, “the midrange has a thick, buttery presence,” what does that actually mean to the reader? We all learned about this hobby of ours through various levels of understanding based upon the time we’ve devoted to this hobby. Then others may choose to use the same terminology we use, but perhaps in not the right context. Hence, discordance.

Your impressions on the Hero are valid, they’re your experience, and anybody who shuns your efforts is not something to be worried about, in my humble view. We all, hopefully, learn from every level of experience we encounter. The problem with those who profess a mastery is that often they have closed minds, they feel there is nothing new to learn, especially from those with less experience.

Keep writing, someone out there needs to read your perspective. My apologies for the long winded meandering in the Head-Fi bushes.

 

[jwbrent]

Heck, after reading @CL14715 Hero review, I may want to buy this set too!

 

[kalsonc]

just spent the past 2 hours taking turns on the Legend X and Hero

maybe im pressuring myself too much to decide which i want to let go to fund for the Odin since after posting my review I got a phone call saying the store I buy from will have an Odin coming very very soon...

Legend X - more bass, beautiful treble, but mids sound a bit recessed/thin in comparison with the Hero
Hero - tad less bass, very lush and full, decently smooth treble

man this is such a huge toss up - I really can't choose between the two yet

 

[CL14715]

I don’t think our writing is a wasted experience just because there are those, popular or not, that may disagree with our findings. It is a highly subjective hobby, after all. But I’m like you, too, I like the positive feeling that comes from sharing a worthwhile experience, and of course any accolades that may come my way only enhance my feeling about my writing.

I do believe the terminology we use in high end audio can be misconstrued quite easily, and that is likely a reason for differing opinions. When someone writes, for example, “the midrange has a thick, buttery presence,” what does that actually mean to the reader? We all learned about this hobby of ours through various levels of understanding based upon the time we’ve devoted to this hobby. Then others may choose to use the same terminology we use, but perhaps in not the right context. Hence, discordance.

Your impressions on the Hero are valid, they’re your experience, and anybody who shuns your efforts is not something to be worried about, in my humble view. We all, hopefully, learn from every level of experience we encounter. The problem with those who profess a mastery is that often they have closed minds, they feel there is nothing new to learn, especially from those with less experience.

Keep writing, someone out there needs to read your perspective. My apologies for the long winded meandering in the Head-Fi bushes.

No apologies needed. Very well said.

 

[CL14715]

just spent the past 2 hours taking turns on the Legend X and Hero

maybe im pressuring myself too much to decide which i want to let go to fund for the Odin since after posting my review I got a phone call saying the store I buy from will have an Odin coming very very soon...

Legend X - more bass, beautiful treble, but mids sound a bit recessed/thin in comparison with the Hero
Hero - tad less bass, very lush and full, decently smooth treble

man this is such a huge toss up - I really can't choose between the two yet

I’d say give it time. It’s hard to solidify preferences let alone under pressure. If there’s any advice I can give it would be to try each one with other cables, tips and sources. See which works best for you under the given circumstances and definitely go for what sound profile you enjoy more. You can’t go wrong between the LX, Odin and Hero, and they all sound different.

I have my LX up for sale but it’s really hard to let go of and the more I think about it the more I want to just keep it in my arsenal for a rainy day. The problem with this new release by Empire is that it’s not a revision or a tuning tweak to an existing sound. These are two new IEM’s that sound nothing like anything else EE offers. That makes it tough to choose and easy to justify keeping them all.

 

[proedros]

here's something to test your Hero / Odin / Legend X

Banging prog house , from the peak year for this genre (2002) , Sander is really killing it here