So i finally got to try Odyssey and spend a good session with it. Thanks to my good buddy
@Sayed2020 and Spiritland where the demo unit is.
This also meant that i could throw a fair comparison against freshly owned Anima.
Sources i have used were Gryphon and SP3000(also a demo at Spiritland)
Odyssey is for sure the best thing EE (and A&K) have created. It brushes up most the of both Odin and EVO and also takes it to another level of technical performance.
I think tuning is going to bridge the gap between Odin and EVO fans. But i kind of liked them both equally for their own reason, and disliked for others.
While on their own both EVO and Odin were impressive products, I always felt they were not cutting it against the top dogs like Fir Xe6 or KR5, elysian X traillii etc. At least on a technical level.
Its not black and white of course. There are traits on EE products that cannot be matched by anything i.e. the legendary W9 bass exceptional comfort etc.
Obviously i could also name a lot more iems that are worse than them two at this price.
But anyway...
Odyssey is now full on in the big boys game for sure and does that without loosing EE DNA too - the legendary bass is still there. But you now also get the treble which is a significant improvement over EVO. And they now sound a lot more layered and spacious than anything EE so far.
Mind you, many tips did make Odyssey sound a touch too warm for my liking but with Epros (my fave for all EE iems) the treble opens up and and presentation becomes very spacious too. So tip rolling is a must. What i liked a lot about treble though, was how lower/mid treble was tuned. It gives enough bite but does not bit too hard.. string instruments like violins, cellos sounded very sweet and natural to me.
Mids are now going be a relief to those who swore at Odin or even EVO. A lot more natural but still quite spacious.
It does not sound lean but its also not a mush like on EXT for example.
Bass is more like EVO's in texture but in less quantity. So a bit fuller than Odins subbass focused presentation.
Tuning is really well done, and is the best EE and A&K tuning so far.
Staging size is noticeably bigger than Odin's now. And while its not as big as Elysian X or Anima fir instance. What it really does exceptionally well is that sharp accurate spatial placement of instruments. And how layered everything sounds. The depth is superb.
It sound so effortless. Resolution is top notch, great dynamics too.
I feel it still works better with more neutral source and as mentioned tip rolling is a must.
VS Anima...
Ok it will be biased, i still think Anima is the best overall package i have heard.
There are some things that some iems do better but overall it ticks most of the boxes for me. For now...
Anima is a bit more focused on highlighting technical performance and more revealing tuning in comparison.
Bass is more subbass focused and gives more space for mids.
Upper mids are more forward, so overall a bit leaner.
The treble is more of a show off but its done so well not to become too sharp and the EST implementation is just amazing.
Odyssey's treble sounds more natural. Its neither lacking, not its trying to show itself off. Its a bit more lower treble focused it seems but i cannot pick up any peaks or dips.
I really like both treble tunings for different reasons.
Odyssey's bass is also a bit fuller and bigger. more midbass presence for sure
Mids are also noticably warmer but not congested at all.
Anima's staging is bigger than Odyssey's, everything has a bit more space between notes. In fact after some comparisons on different occasions i the only iems that have bigger staging than Anima were XE6 with red module, Elysian X by a small margin but imaging is better on Anima. and i could see Traillii being a touch wider but it would struggle at height and depth. Oh and Obravo C Cu Ra.
I really want to revisit GT600 because i remember it was very spacious sounding. And i also have not heard Jewel or the UM rip offs like Halo and La Jardin...
So even if Odyssey staging a bit less expanded it does not mean its congested. Where it really shines is imaging and layering.
Anima sound a bit more forward and energetic so while it stretches wider and taller. Odyssey with its more natural treble and mids has amazing Depth and is so nicely layered. Also the accuracy of imaging on it is so precise and well defined. I bet this is something to do with BCD.
Resolution is fantastic on both and i dont think there is much to add here. Any iem past 3k has brilliant resolution and it will just be a matter perception based on tuning i think. Anima for instance has more sparkle and you more defined tiny details. But the difference is not significant. And if you happen to be sensitive to that kind of treble it might be just the contrary and you could find it too compressed.
But again i dont think either of these iems have offensive treble. Surely not Odyssey.
Now here is the thing. All the above i had written up before seeing and comparing graph of Odyssey and comparing it against Animas one.
So it seems like it should be quite warm and bassy. Possibly bassier than EVO in fact, due to mids pushed back. But it did not come off like this at all. I did find it too warm on some tips but EPros were keeping bass in check without gutting it.
Sp3000 was excellent pairing with Odyssey due to being reference sounding. Gryphon worked better with Anima for instance.
But yeh, analysing difference between graphs and what i have written would probably make more sense if i did this:
This is more how i hear the tonal differences between Anima and Odyssey. Odyssey has more Midbass, less forward upper mids, and tamer mid/upper treble.
So yeh, thats sound done.
Now the fit. The shells are big on both but the Odyssey has much smaller nozzle and it will definitely fit more people than Anima. If you dont have issues with EVO and Odin you should not have any with Odyssey either.
Anima luckily fits me well with most tips. And i have no issue commuting with it and moving around even given the size of the stock cable. However it is not small ear friendly. Blind buy is not recommended.
While Anima still my stays No1 iem at this point. Odyssey is definitely in top 3 with its natural mids and treble combined with meaty EE bass and top imaging and layering.
brand building IEMs since 2006.
