I can only speak about the Odin, but it does have an upper mid peak that is quite forward. If you are sensitive to the upper mid/lower treble area then I would advise caution for a blind buy.As we speak about the sensitivity to specific mid and/or treble region, I would address the question regarding EXT/Odin compared to Fir M5 and Sony M9.
I look for smooth and comfort sound, as example, couldn’t live with Anole VX, because they were hot somewhere in upper mid/lower treble. On the contrary, Fir M5 and Sony M9 are absolutely fine for me in terms of "smoothness" and are perfect for long and non-fatigue listening (Fir M5 head above Sony M9).
How EXT/Odin could be compared to Fir M5 and Sony M9 in this regard and which of them (Odin on EXT) are smoother and more comfortable (putting technicalities, soundstage etc aside)?
Both will be a blind buy. Sure, both are great in its own way, but being hot/harsh/peaky makes the other virtues negligible.
I did buy the Odin blind and sadly had to sell it a couple of weeks later. Although it was a technically impressive IEM, with great separation, layering, detail retrieval, and bass, the forward upper mids were just too much for me. I also wouldn’t call Odin a smooth listen. To me it was more of an energetic sound that requires your attention. Despite it’s great technicalities I actually found it a bit fatiguing. I think in the main this was to do with the upper mid peak which I was sensitive to.
Of course this does not mean that you would have the same issues, but as you mentioned ‘hot’ and ‘smoothness’ as key areas in your choice for your next IEM I thought I would give my own thoughts on it as these are important criteria for me also.
I am hoping to demo the EXT soon, and looking forward to seeing how they compare to the Odin among others.
Last edited: