Audiophilepure

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“Odin is Empire’s latest tri-brid monitor. It uses a set of two Weapon IX+ dynamic drivers. These are developed in house and feature a front and back-firing vent design. This is a common technique from two-channel HiFi, but hasn’t been done much in our parts. The Weapon IX+ drivers are a new version of their W9 drivers. The difference being that the W9+ is 1.2mm bigger in diameter, making them 10.2mm in size. One W9+ driver takes care of sub-bass while the second handles bass. The Odin uses five proprietary balanced armatures for low-mids (two), dual mids and a single high mid BA. On top of that they opted for a quad electrostatic/electet driver. This quad set uses a single transformer, as they are easier to push. The four estat/electet drivers take care of highs and super highs.
With a head-scratching low impedance of just three Ohms and a sensitivity of 108dB per mW, the Odin is very easy to drive. Unlike Wraith or Phantom, it isn’t very hiss-sensitive though. One thing I noticed with the Odin is its dependency of sources. It does certainly like ultra-low impedance sources such as the Hugo2. Which also is the confirmed device that EE uses to tune their monitors.

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“There is some warmth to be heard here, however, the N8’s solid-state mode takes some of that away. It won’t turn it cold, but it will very slightly reduce the warmth and smoothness and replace it with some more of that neutral sound as well as precision.

The bass doesn’t bleed into the midrange, but the lower mid area sounds smooth since there is a gradual decline from the high base range moving into the middle section of the midrange. I enjoyed listening to Sara Bareilles singing Let The Rain Begin in this regard because of the smoother presentation compared to the Dita XLS’ and CA Andromeda’s performance.”

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“The mids on ME700 transition smoothly into the treble range, which is mild, very rounded, and controlled without any harshness. Sibilant tones are well pressed down, but there is still some energy in it to brighten up the treble a bit for clarity, making the overall tuning slightly v-shaped.

With some higher-pitched vocals, you may feel some depression and dampenings with higher notes. This is the downside for those who like bright and clean upper mids and treble. I recommend listening to thicker, darker male vocals or very high pitched clean female singers, nothing with a fast BPM too.”

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“The Halcyon does quite well for staging with excellent headroom and an airy treble from those quad-electrostatic drivers. The depth is particularly good also, especially when you up the bass levels using the filters.

What impresses me the most is how the Halcyon electrostatic treble can deliver a clean treble without sounding overly forced and peaky. However, poor tip choice and a bright source can at times draw too much attention to anything crossing that 5-6k elevation and that is where I tend to PMEQ or tip roll to introduce a more liquid overtone.

In terms of imaging vocals are to the fore, lower-mids instruments to the rear with anything below 200Hz leveling out with the vocal positioning. Treble is more forward at 5-7k compared to 8-10k so percussion and high-pitch synth notes can resonate a little louder.”

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“In a short summary, I’d call the Noble Sultan a well balanced monitor with exemplary low-end extension, lightly forward mids and a clear top section. It features very good resolution and texture, but absolutely shines in terms of depth and layering. While it doesn’t create the widest stages out there, it still reaches good measures. The Sultan is a nicely enjoyable monitor, that does many things right, but might miss out on a unique character for some.”

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“Paired with FiiO’s M11, the IEM gives you the brand signature, magnified: great vocals, tight bass, and excellent layering. I tried the various switches, to check if that makes a real difference, and it does. My favorite setting is the “strong bass”, as the standard setting sounds a bit too weak on the lower-end.

Even, if I didn’t have the price in mind, I’d gladly put those ears against higher-tier IEM. I really loved the FH5 and for now, I’m pretty sure that will be the same with the FA9. Or so I hope.”

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“There was an initial change in the line-up since the V3 in terms of accessories which a chrome-finished titanium alternative. And yes, the chrome finish is a fingerprint magnet par excellence. However, current orders since Q1 will no longer receive this case and instead, you get a Dignis designed blue zippered leather case.

I actually prefer the leather case over the older titanium version. The titanium version is clearly sturdier and quite attractive but nothing beats a lighter case for day to day portability. There is plenty of space on the inside also with protective velcro pockets to stash the monitors in and prevent them from hitting something stored in the main pocket such as the cable.”