Empire Ears Athena – the goddess of Olympus

Ratings Pros: Impeccable build quality, balanced but musical tuning, incredible sense of smoothness, good note weight, fantastic midrange, good clarity Cons: May lack air in the treble for some, can take a little time to adjust to the tuning, extension/quantity in the sub bass area could be better Price (as of Dec 2017): $1299 Website: Empire Ears... Continue Reading →

January 4, 2018 4

Empire Ears Zeus-XR – the pinnacle of the pantheon

Pros: Sublime detail retrieval, very coherent tuning, switchable crossover modes, mid range clarity and expression, non fatiguing but truly transparent sound, superb build quality Cons: A little on the expensive side, prone to hiss with most sources, not a drastic difference between the two modes on some DAPs, not much else List Price: $2399 (empireears.com) Acknowledgment... Continue Reading →

August 30, 2017 4

Jackpot77’s Canjam Impressions

Canjam London will always hold a special place in my heart - this is the first portable audio festival I ever attended, and provided my first taste of true high quality portable audio, and what it could sound like. I was lucky enough to make the Sunday of this year's Canjam London, and while making... Continue Reading →

August 15, 2017 1

Zeus-XR and Effect Audio Leonidas – unboxing

Here are some unboxing shots from my most recent acquisition: a set of custom Empire Ears Zeus-XR, and an Effect Audio Leonidas upgrade cable to go along with it. Both of these excellent items were won as part of a giveaway by @Jack Vang and the team at Empire Ears over on the Head-Fi forums,... Continue Reading →