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Little Giants - Empire Ears Triton & UM Maven II IEMs
It's been a while since we've featured two products in direct comparison here on the blog, but as luck would have it, both products arrived at the same time and have exactly the same price. Both are also IEMs (in-ear monitors), so a little shootout was a natural fit, right? 😅🙌
We are talking about the new Empire Ears Triton (LE) and the new Unique Melody Maven II.
And since there are two products, why not two reviewers? So, I invited my friend Josh to the showroom to lend me his unerring and experienced ears.
Josh has now (like me) tested countless IEMs and has even written reviews for headfonics.com before new fatherly duties left him less time for this side job.
I was all the more pleased to be able to do this unboxing and review with him. Four ears are better than two! 🧏
But as usual, let’s first take a look at the two new products:
Empire Ears Triton
The Triton We tested the limited Launch Edition, which comes with an additional blue leather case and a very special "Monarch" cable.
When designing the Triton, Empire Ears went back to tried and tested methods and used a revised version of their "Dragonhide" faceplate, which is similar to the one used on the Valkyrie MKII. The Triton's faceplate has more depth and appears three-dimensional and very elegant in the light.
The Triton has only 4 drivers: Empire Ears famous W9+ subwoofer, an EMP75 Precision Balanced Armature driver and dual high mass bone conduction drivers.
Here, the focus was on class and quality rather than mass or driver count. Furthermore, the Triton's shells are now smaller than those of the previous Empire Ears IEMs.
All in all, "back to the roots" or "back to basics." A development I greatly appreciate!
I can already confirm that the use of "only" 4 drivers does not necessarily have a negative impact on the sound – quite the opposite! 😱🤩
The "Monarch" cable is included exclusively with the Launch Edition and is of excellent quality. "Monarch" is a Quinbrid design featuring a sophisticated blend of five premium materials and retails for $999:
- Solid core 4N silver
- Silver plated over 6NOCC
- Solid core 5N OCC silver
- Gold plated over 4N silver
- Palladium plated over 4N silver
Unique Melody Maven II
At the Maven II from Unique Melody are limited IEMs, which are manufactured from titanium using a complex 3D printing process. As soon as we unpacked the Maven II, we were struck by its extremely low weight.
Unique Melody uses a total of 10 drivers in the Maven II: dual dynamic drivers, balanced armature, and electrostatic drivers.
Unique Melody also places great emphasis on quality, as you can see from the pictures. The printed titanium shells are something special and have their own unique aesthetic.
In contrast to the EE Triton, the UM Maven II are visually more restrained. Both IEMs are beyond reproach in terms of quality.
Is the sound of both in-ears as different as their appearance?
Let's find out! 😊
Test setup
As always, we make no compromises in the setup: The source devices used were our proven Lotoo Mjolnir and Josh's private Cayin N30LE DAP.
- Empire Ears Triton LE
- Unique Melody Maven II
- Lotoo Mjolnir
- Cayenne N30LE
Sound impressions
I would like to reproduce these below in bullet point form, unchanged.
Josh
Maven II
- Sub Bass: Slightly elevated, more forward compared to the Mid bass. Very good rumble.
- Mid bass: Slightly Elevated. Decent level of slam but there could be more/better texture. Bass is faster to decay compared to Triton.Mids: Forward Center mids, Upper and lower slightly back. Smooth midrange presentation
- Treble: Hint of sparkle with a very good level of detail
- Soundstage: Oval shaped. Wider than it is tall.
- Imaging: Excellent positioning. Separation is very good
- Timbre: warm
- Closing remarks: Excellent sounding pair, relaxed but detailed tuning.
Empire Ears Triton (LE)
- Sub Bass: Slightly elevated, more forward compared to the Mid bass. Deep rumble.
- Mid bass: Elevated. High level of slam with excellent texture. More forward midbass compared to sub bass. Bass is more prominent compared to the Maven II. Bass has slower decay compared to Maven II.Mids: Forward Center to upper mids. lower slightly back. Smooth midrange presentation with lots of volume.
- Treble: High level of sparkle with a very good level of detail. No sibalence
- Soundstage: Oval shaped. Wider than it is tall. Taller than Maven.
- Imaging: Excellent imaging with very good position and decent layering.
- Timbre: warm
- Closing remarks: Empire Ears are back!
Tom
Empire Ears Triton (LE)
- Very well balanced throughout
- Increased bass, but not at EVO/Raven level
- Gentle and warm presentation
- Incredible attention to detail for this price
- Incredibly realistic sounding strings
- Voices are pronounced and very intense
- Excellent separation between the instruments
- Goose flesh!!!
UM Maven II
- Soft and balanced tuning, which is a bit more relaxed than that of the Triton
- Powerful mid-bass with excellent texture
- Smooth and warm presentation
- Excellent attention to detail for the price
- Voices sound very natural and are slightly pronounced, but slightly less prominent than the Triton
- Excellent separation between the instruments
- Goosebumps again!!!
Conclusion
After our joint test session, Josh and I discussed our impressions and we agreed:
Never before has there been so much sound for so little money! Josh said he hadn't heard anything better for under 3000 CHF, and I couldn't agree more.
Triton (LE) and Maven II are two exceptional products that perform far above their price range and give many "real" flagships a run for their money.
Both are excellent all-rounders that can handle any kind of music and will bring a smile to their owners' faces and goosebumps!
Which one to choose?
If you prefer something quieter and smoother, you can choose Unique Melody Maven II. If you want a little more excitement, you can go for the Empire Ears Triton Absolutely spot on. - Although, you can't really go wrong with either model, as both are absolutely stunning in-ears.
Given the performance and quality offered, I would like to talk about two absolute bargains!
Both IEMs are available in our shop and can of course be tested.