[Barra]

After hearing the Valkyrie/Wraith tour kit and sending it off to start the tour, it felt like I was missing something important in my life. I had become so addicted to the EE EST tuning that I knew I had to do something. So as you can see in my signature, I added the custom Valkyrie to my collection which means you can expect an impressions/unboxing video and review coming soon. I received them a couple of weeks back and have been getting my fix and feel much better now.

Few Valkyrie Notes:

1. Cable: I have been rolling cables and have determined that the provided stock cable is the best pairing and was pleasantly surprised to find that it is a real hybrid copper and silver cable - no wonder it sounds so good.
2. Custom: Fantastic fit and wonderful isolation, but the signature is very close to the universal with better transparency and reach given that added isolation.
3. Sensitivity: My iPhone is driving it nicely with a little added volume, but my Burson Playmate with 2 watts scales performance with better driver control for tighter more nuanced details and dynamics with better texture. Definately have to turn the volume up compared to my other CIEMs, but it allows me to get the right volume with more range.
4. Addiction: The addictive quality is like having a heavily salted and sugared diet for a while and then trying normal food which then tastes bland. It takes a while to go back to the X after getting used to the Valkyrie excitement.

More to come.

 

[Barra]

Valkyrie Video Unboxing and Impressions

 

[Barra]

Coronavirus Caution
We are all concerned by this Coronavirus outbreak and we are all taking precautions, but thought I would address it here. I am not a doctor or an expert of any kind so I am open to suggestions from our participants. If things get too bad, we may need to consider suspending the tour out of an abundance of caution but I am not sure if we are there yet. What do you think?

Suggestions:

1. 24 Hour Package Quarantine: It has been suggested that we allow our delivery packages to sit for 24 hours as the virus is supposed to die off after 16 hours on all surfaces. Plastics and metals are supposedly the most friendly to the bacteria with metals being offering virus survival for 16 hours. Since our CIEMs and the kits are mostly metal and plastic, I am offering an additional 8th day to allow everyone to quarantine the kit for a day out of precaution.
2. Communicate Virus Concerns: Please communicate with the participant you are shipping too if you feel there are any virus exposure concerns. This allows the next person to take any extra care that they deem necessary.
3. Clean Prior to Shipping: As always, please clean the kit thoroughly before shipping to minimize the risk of passing on germs. This should include careful but thorough use of disinfectant wipes on the CIEMs and down the length of the wires as well as cases and any other kit items that you have touched. Once dry please package and seal before reintroducing germs.
4. Clean Prior to Use: To be double sure that the kit is clean, please clean it thoroughly before using it to minimize the risk of any germs passing through the prior cleaning efforts. This should include careful but thorough use of disinfectant wipes on the CIEMs and down the length of the wires as well as cases and all other kit items that you will handle.
5. Input: If have missed anything, please offer suggestions and I will update.
6. Pause: I am open to input about pausing the tour until this virus has passed if you deem necessary. You can also request to be pushed down the list if desired.

 

[eldss]

Had forgotten to notify but I got the east coast kit on Monday. And I’m glad I wasn’t been paranoiac by desinfectong even the boxes.

 

[Barra]

For those interested, I just posted my Valkyrie review: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/empire-ears-valkyrie.24269/reviews#item-review-23407

In it, I admit that it has given me a sweet tooth that makes my other CIEMs feel bland when I try to go back. After hearing the new EST and Sub implementation, I knew I had to have one. I have offered some optimization thoughts as well as comparisons to my A18, LX, and ELYSIUM to offer some insight into its performance. Enjoy!

 

[eldss]

Didn’t see many impressions on the Wraith, but what did you all think. Not sure if it’s me, if these really aren’t my cup of tea, but they sound as If someone boosted a little too much the 1k - 2k region and voices just sound so off. Might be my preference, but I just auditioned the Elysium and from those magical mids going to these Was so unexpected. The Valkeries are nice though, although bass can get out of control of you crank them up, but I like em.

 

[Barra]

Didn’t see many impressions on the Wraith, but what did you all think. Not sure if it’s me, if these really aren’t my cup of tea, but they sound as If someone boosted a little too much the 1k - 2k region and voices just sound so off. Might be my preference, but I just auditioned the Elysium and from those magical mids going to these Was so unexpected. The Valkeries are nice though, although bass can get out of control of you crank them up, but I like em.

I found that both liked power to maximize their performance. My Burson Playmate has 2w and they sing with that. My iPhone is questionable. What are you running the Wraith with?

 

[eldss]

I found that both liked power to maximize their performance. My Burson Playmate has 2w and they sing with that. My iPhone is questionable. What are you running the Wraith with?

I was in the office running it off Iphone X w/ Fiio Q1MK11. I'll try them at home and see if power is the issue. Thanks!

 

[Tybot]

Tour kit box received in fine condition. Will let it sit for a while and inventory later.

 

[San Man]

Received the package today from @Tybot, everything appears to be in order

 

[ceeloChamp]

I live in Washington, DC and would like to participate. I agree to all the rules and terms of the tour. I have emailed all my information to Bill.

Thanks!

 

[Barra]

I live in Washington, DC and would like to participate. I agree to all the rules and terms of the tour. I have emailed all my information to Bill.

Thanks!

Added to both.

 

[Likeimthere]

I received the items today!

 

[SilverEars]

I received the items today!

Received it from you today. Looks like everything is in the package.

 

[SilverEars]

Here's my impressions of the two so far. I really like EE's dynamic bass drivers inside, I like how clean it sounds with good impact.

In terms of tonality, I found both rolled-off in the treble, especially the Wraith. Wraith has a bit of honkiness in the mids 1-2k some place, and it is mid emphasized iem. Details retrieval seems pretty good without doing it with boosting upper frequencies, but to be honest, it sounds like it does need high frequency to be more elevated. Treble attacks can be better improved. But, it is characteristically the kind of sound I would go for, even over Valkyrie. Tonally, LegendX is better tuned in the highs.

Valkyrie is a bit different. Whereas Wraith is more mids focused, Valkyrie is upper-mids focused, about 4-5k. The issue is, the focus comes off a bit much and after a dive in the treble. It does come off quite dynamic due to this, but if you are upper-mids sensitive, it can get fatiguing. So, for my preferencen lower the upper mids, and bring up the treble.

I do prefer the Wraith over Valkyrie.

One more thing. Wraith is super sensitive. One of the most sensitive I've ever encountered. I heard hiss out of my source that I don't even hear out of Andromeda.

Just found out Wraith is electret based driver in the highs. Electret driver trend need to stop. Wan't necessary to begin with and people that's tuning should know better.