[proedros]

Actually I snuck in the middle of the night and bumped those upper mids up

still can not understand how this upper mids bump affects the Odin sound , does it make the whole listening experience shrill ?

is it obvious only with newer ( = hotly/badly mastered) music ?

will a Zeus XR fan (no one in mind) enjoy the Odin sound ?

 

[Zachik]

You could always buy a Universal of a MK2. Same as buying an LX SE.

Even I have limited budget. Besides, I get customs because I can never get universals to stay in - either they do not fit well, or just slip out (without me jogging or anything)...
Granted I never rolled pricey tips - interesting experiment for next CanJam! (assuming someone like EE have a good collection of 3rd party tips)

LX Mk II would likely kill Odin sales, so I can't see it happening anytime soon.

Good! Hear that Jack?

 

[Progisus]

still can not understand how this upper mids bump affects the Odin sound , does it make the whole listening experience shrill ?

is it obvious only with newer ( = hotly/badly mastered) music ?

will a Zeus XR fan (no one in mind) enjoy the Odin sound ?

What I have found with Odin is it is very source dependent. While it sounds great with my hugo 2, poly/mojo and sp1k it is not my preferred iem with the tt2. It seems harsh with tt2. I put it down to Odin being a high detail iem as well as the tt2 being tuned for detail. For the tt2 it is LX or Fourte.

Further to your question, from what I’ve read the Zeus has great detail but a bit thin in the bass. The Odin has both detail an bass. I would think it would be a good fit. imho of course.

 

[KuroKitsu]

still can not understand how this upper mids bump affects the Odin sound , does it make the whole listening experience shrill ?

is it obvious only with newer ( = hotly/badly mastered) music ?

will a Zeus XR fan (no one in mind) enjoy the Odin sound ?

As the "y'all got anymore of that uppermids" guy of HF, I don't feel qualified speaking for those in the "y'all can dial down that uppermids" crowd.

Here are thoughts

1. Source matters, I can imagine something with a boosted upper mids region when paired with Odin would drive a lot of people up the wall.

2. Genre matters. Most western music tends to not require upper mids as much as asian music as well. Some people just arn't use to a bump in that region.

3. Ethnicity matters too. I think that asians have a better tolerance for upper mids and treble than other groups. Hence the prevalence of it in the music. My first hear of the Odin was that it would sell in the asian market. Similar to the Fourte it comes across as an asian tuned summit fi piece.

 

[KuroKitsu]

@proedros if you find your long lost rich uncle, get ready to squeeze a Socrates from him too.

I never thought I'd cable roll on the Odin. But here I am with a Socrates on it.

 

[MatW]

still can not understand how this upper mids bump affects the Odin sound , does it make the whole listening experience shrill ?

is it obvious only with newer ( = hotly/badly mastered) music ?

will a Zeus XR fan (no one in mind) enjoy the Odin sound ?

If this is indeed the correct FR of the Zeus (I saw a few different looking graphs online), you will probably be OK with the Odin, as they are both elevated in the (upper) mids, relative to the bass area. The treble seems much more subdued on the Odin though.

 

[Layman1]

still can not understand how this upper mids bump affects the Odin sound , does it make the whole listening experience shrill ?

is it obvious only with newer ( = hotly/badly mastered) music ?

will a Zeus XR fan (no one in mind) enjoy the Odin sound ?

To add to the excellent comments already posted, in the depressingly brief time I owned the Odin (I suddenly needed cash, urgently!), what I found is that - in common with many IEMs - my ears and brain needed a period of time to adjust to the sound signature of the Odin.
And the more of a difference in sound signature between the Odin and whatever IEM I'd been listening to previously, the more jarring the transition would initially be.

If I went from something like EE Phantom or CA Solaris 2020 to the Odin, the Odin would certainly sound rather thin and shrill, but only for as long as it took me to get used to it. After that period came The Good Stuff

I personally felt that there was definitely that 'forward upper-mids' aspect to the sound signature which I was not accustomed to from any of my existing IEMs and that was always there, even after burn-in. I couldn't escape it.
That then, becomes a matter of personal preference.
For me, I think I didn't have enough time with the Odin to get used to that sound signature, but I suspect that I would have gotten used to it with more listening time.
That caveat aside, for me the Odin is still the pinnacle of any IEM I've heard thus far in terms of detail retrieval and technicalities generally.
It also combines clinical, analytical precision with an astonishing musicality, which was quite a surprise.
I never owned the Zeus, but heard it at a CanJam when it was first released and was entranced. I only have distant memories of it now, but from what I can recall (and more recent impressions I've read) unless you truly don't want a low end that's anything less than pure neutral, or even the slightest tinge of musicality, then I'd have to say that the Odin would at least warrant a listen, and I wouldn't be surprised if any Zeus lover (not you @proedros obviously, just generally speaking, haha) fell in love with the Odin too

Another surprise was that I was nervous about the bass (being a bit of a bass-head and all), but the low end of the Odin managed to astonish me again.
Like a cunning vampire, that bass comes in only when invited, but my goodness they can hit hard (possibly like the aforementioned vampire lol).

I think I definitely have a place in my heart for IEM's where the low end has more sub-bass focus than mid-bass (still love the LX though) and I really quite liked that about the Odin in retrospect, since the majority of my IEMs are the opposite.
Ultimately, unless EE release an IEM that I hear and like even better, all I can say is that I'm going to buy another Odin sooner or later, no doubt

 

[nastypoker]

I just received my Odins and paired with CP155's...

For the first time I feel like no compromise is being made.

 

[CL14715]

still can not understand how this upper mids bump affects the Odin sound , does it make the whole listening experience shrill ?

is it obvious only with newer ( = hotly/badly mastered) music ?

will a Zeus XR fan (no one in mind) enjoy the Odin sound ?

No, the “upper mids” terror is highly exaggerated and I suspect it has a great deal to do with listening levels / source.

The upper mid range is tuned as Dean Vang intended. It was not tuned that way for Asian markets. It was tuned to reproduce instruments with a great deal of vivid tonal accuracy. The issue is many who don’t have experience with many instruments fail to realize their power in raw form.

Quick example: a drummer playing at full stride will have in ear plugs because of the sheer deafening sound of his instrument array. No one ever says, “well that’s wrong, because he should not have to wear ear plugs to play an instrument as intended…”. Well, yes he will, cymbals are very loud. Now when that’s mastered, all sorts of mechanisms are applied to the end listener can enjoy it without risking hearing loss, unless doing so at their own peril (i.e. excess volume). Simply put, some things are just louder than others and usually fall in the upper mid range of the spectrum. Dean did not tune this out or scoop it… he embraced it and delivered some of the most resolving IEM’s available today. He also managed to do so with zero fatigue in the treble.

Odin has a true to life frequency curve as bass is well extended and deep as it should be, without excessive elevation. This rolls into a flat lower mid and then gradually lifts into the upper mids, which is tonally correct. No deep percussive instrument typically exceeds the noise level of those in the upper harmonic area, they usually only produce more sound pressure. I find that the frequency ranges are in proper relation to one another to create a realistic environment, as intended. The issue lies with people sensitive to that or who misunderstand the intended use cases of Odin. That being said, tracks that are properly mastered and not ran at an insane volume sound great with Odin.

Now I’m not quoting Dean Vang, but this is what I extracted from a decently long conversation the last time we spoke. He is a musician at heart and this influences much of his genius. If anyone from EE reads this and I am incorrect, please correct me.

 

[pali]

Took the plunge and gave the Odin's another chance. Just waiting on my order to be shipped but I should get them soon.

1. What are your favorite albums, tracks, compilations to listen with the Odin? I listen to pretty much anything but usually prefer jazz, classical, and techno.

2. I realize after 1 year working from home that I don't really need a portable DAP, any recommendations for a non-portable setup that will be good with the Odin, LX, and Phantom in the ballpark of $1-2k (okay, maybe I could stretch it to $3k if really worth it but more than that is hard to get my wife to approve)?

 

[KuroKitsu]

To add to the excellent comments already posted, in the depressingly brief time I owned the Odin (I suddenly needed cash, urgently!), what I found is that - in common with many IEMs - my ears and brain needed a period of time to adjust to the sound signature of the Odin.
And the more of a difference in sound signature between the Odin and whatever IEM I'd been listening to previously, the more jarring the transition would initially be.

If I went from something like EE Phantom or CA Solaris 2020 to the Odin, the Odin would certainly sound rather thin and shrill, but only for as long as it took me to get used to it. After that period came The Good Stuff

I personally felt that there was definitely that 'forward upper-mids' aspect to the sound signature which I was not accustomed to from any of my existing IEMs and that was always there, even after burn-in. I couldn't escape it.
That then, becomes a matter of personal preference.
For me, I think I didn't have enough time with the Odin to get used to that sound signature, but I suspect that I would have gotten used to it with more listening time.
That caveat aside, for me the Odin is still the pinnacle of any IEM I've heard thus far in terms of detail retrieval and technicalities generally.
It also combines clinical, analytical precision with an astonishing musicality, which was quite a surprise.
I never owned the Zeus, but heard it at a CanJam when it was first released and was entranced. I only have distant memories of it now, but from what I can recall (and more recent impressions I've read) unless you truly don't want a low end that's anything less than pure neutral, or even the slightest tinge of musicality, then I'd have to say that the Odin would at least warrant a listen, and I wouldn't be surprised if any Zeus lover (not you @proedros obviously, just generally speaking, haha) fell in love with the Odin too

Another surprise was that I was nervous about the bass (being a bit of a bass-head and all), but the low end of the Odin managed to astonish me again.
Like a cunning vampire, that bass comes in only when invited, but my goodness they can hit hard (possibly like the aforementioned vampire lol).

I think I definitely have a place in my heart for IEM's where the low end has more sub-bass focus than mid-bass (still love the LX though) and I really quite liked that about the Odin in retrospect, since the majority of my IEMs are the opposite.
Ultimately, unless EE release an IEM that I hear and like even better, all I can say is that I'm going to buy another Odin sooner or later, no doubt

LE Odin. Synthetic Ruby Red facplates on black. Bundle with Scorates, call it Dracula.

No, the “upper mids” terror is highly exaggerated and I suspect it has a great deal to do with listening levels / source.

The upper mid range is tuned as Dean Vang intended. It was not tuned that way for Asian markets. It was tuned to reproduce instruments with a great deal of vivid tonal accuracy. The issue is many who don’t have experience with many instruments fail to realize their power in raw form.

Quick example: a drummer playing at full stride will have in ear plugs because of the sheer deafening sound of his instrument array. No one ever says, “well that’s wrong, because he should not have to wear ear plugs to play an instrument as intended…”. Well, yes he will, cymbals are very loud. Now when that’s mastered, all sorts of mechanisms are applied to the end listener can enjoy it without risking hearing loss, unless doing so at their own peril (i.e. excess volume). Simply put, some things are just louder than others and usually fall in the upper mid range of the spectrum. Dean did not tune this out or scoop it… he embraced it and delivered some of the most resolving IEM’s available today. He also managed to do so with zero fatigue in the treble.

Odin has a true to life frequency curve as bass is well extended and deep as it should be, without excessive elevation. This rolls into a flat lower mid and then gradually lifts into the upper mids, which is tonally correct. No deep percussive instrument typically exceeds the noise level of those in the upper harmonic area, they usually only produce more sound pressure. I find that the frequency ranges are in proper relation to one another to create a realistic environment, as intended. The issue lies with people sensitive to that or who misunderstand the intended use cases of Odin. That being said, tracks that are properly mastered and not ran at an insane volume sound great with Odin.

Now I’m not quoting Dean Vang, but this is what I extracted from a decently long conversation the last time we spoke. He is a musician at heart and this influences much of his genius. If anyone from EE reads this and I am incorrect, please correct me.

Insightful, I'm so use to seeing upper mids being linked with asian tunings. It makes a lot of sense this way though because things tend to sound off for me if the region is wonky.

 

[proedros]

@Progisus @KuroKitsu @MatW @Layman1 @CL14715

great impressions guys , thanx for the swift (and very thorough) answers , this place is great

now where is a rich uncle when you need him ?

 

[Tristy]

Took the plunge and gave the Odin's another chance. Just waiting on my order to be shipped but I should get them soon.

1. What are your favorite albums, tracks, compilations to listen with the Odin? I listen to pretty much anything but usually prefer jazz, classical, and techno.

2. I realize after 1 year working from home that I don't really need a portable DAP, any recommendations for a non-portable setup that will be good with the Odin, LX, and Phantom in the ballpark of $1-2k (okay, maybe I could stretch it to $3k if really worth it but more than that is hard to get my wife to approve)?

The Hugo 2 pairs very well with Odin… I’d imagine my old Kann Cube would too (not that the SE200 is bad) but unfortunately it is no longer around for me to test it.

 

[snapandslide]

The Odin's signature is pretty damn good and clearly a deliberate choice in the upper mids to creat more energy. It is jarring when coming from listening the Traillii - so I try not to do that! The only thing I wish with the Odin's was a slightly better soundstage, that can feel a bit cramp at times.

 

[Skullar]

The Odin's signature is pretty damn good and clearly a deliberate choice in the upper mids to creat more energy. It is jarring when coming from listening the Traillii - so I try not to do that! The only thing I wish with the Odin's was a slightly better soundstage, that can feel a bit cramp at times.

Odins stage is cramped? Which iems dont feel cramped in your opinion the? Could you tel me which iem(s) you heard doing it better?

The only ones that i have heard that beat odin was Audeze LCDi4 as they are open backs. But their tinality is like they were just pulled out of washing mashine.