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Beauty and the Beast - Empire Ears Valkyrie MKII Review
Why?
Because these in-ears offer stunning bass and at the same time offer very good details and clarity at a very very attractive price for what they offer. I also love the "Dragonhide" faceplates. Absolutely excellent value for money!
Valkyrie MKII in 30 seconds
- Captivating, detailed, fun sound with massive bass and sub-bass
- Silky smooth highs
- Very good details and stage
- Nice (subjectively) and well-made IEM and very good cable
- Excellent price/performance ratio
Specifications
- 3 Drivers, Tribrid IEM Design:
- Universal in-ear monitor
- 1 Next generation subwoofer W9+ - Subbass/Bass
- 1 Proprietary Balanced Armature Driver - Mid
- 1 Premium Electrostatic Driver - High, Ultra High
- 4-way synX crossover network
- EIVEC - Empire Intelligent Electrostatic Control Technology
- A.R.C. Anti-resonance connection technology
- Impedance: 3.0 ohms @ 1kHz
- Frequency response: 5 Hz - 100kHz
- Sensitivity: 100dB @ 1kHz, 1mW
- Handmade Alpha Hybrid-IV (AH4) 26AWG UPOCC copper strand, silver strand 4 core cable
Test devices
- Burson Audio Conductor 3X Reference (main test source)- Cayin N8 DAP
- Cayin N6 II DAP with E02 and R01 modules
Music selection/test playlist
Voices, mids, acoustic guitars etc.- Tenacious D - Tenacious D - Wonderboy
- Marily Manson - The Pale Emperor - Day3
- Chris Jones - Moonstruck
- Sara K. - Hell or High Water - I Can't Stand The Rain, Stars
- Ana Tijoux - 1977 - Partir de Cero
Channel separation
- Tenacious D - Tenacious D - Kielbasa
- NIN - The Downward Spiral - Hurt
- Johnny Cash - The Essential - Ring of Fire
- Stephen Coleman - Westworld Season 2 Soundtrack - C.R.E.A.M.
Soundstage, Treble, Upper Midrange
- Alice in Chains - MTV Unplugged - Rooster
- Korn - MTV Unplugged - Freak on a Leash
- Anneke van Giersbergen - Symphonized - Feel Alive
- Howard Shore - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Blunt the Knives
Dynamics, bass, sub-bass
- The Diary - The Gentle Storm - Endless Sea |Gentle Version|
- Wardruna - Runaljod: Ragnarok - Tyr
- Hans Zimmer - Man of Steel OST - Look to the Stars
- Hans Zimmer - Pearl Harbor EAST - Tennessee
- Ice Cube - Raw Footage - Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It
- Andreas Vollenweider - Vox - Enchanted Rocks
Packaging & Accessories
The packaging for all Empire Ears (EE) products is more or less the same, which makes sense to me because it shows consistency across the entire product range. You will receive a beautifully designed white cardboard box with the Empire Ears logo and the name or logo of the respective product. It is neither too big nor too small and exudes class and style. It consists of an outer "slider" sleeve and a sturdier inner box.As soon as you open the magnetic flap of the box, you will find a compartment inside with a quick guide and a thank you card from EE congratulating you on the purchase. Below are the IEMs and cable, ready to unpack and enjoy the music.
An elegant drawer underneath reveals an aluminum plate with various Final Audio silicone tips for you to choose from. The great thing is that Empire Ears not only offers the standard sizes S, M and L, but also XS, S, M, L and XL, which simply gives you a wider selection of tips that you can adjust to your ears.
Since my ear canals are slightly different sizes, it's easier for me to find a good fit.
Last but not least, you get the fantastic Pandora case from EE, a black aluminum capsule for safely transporting your valuable in-ears. It's built like the proverbial tank and is engraved with the Empire logo and the name of your product.
Processing quality & fit
IEMs
The build quality of the VALKYRIE MKII is simply outstanding. They look flawless, with no visible seams between the front panel and in-ear. The VALKYRIE MKII look stunning with their so-called "Dragonhide" front panel, which I believe is more or less the same as the first generation.
Fit and Comfort is good, at least for my ears, and the included silicone ear tips ensure a good seal. People with small ears (mine are average) should test first as these IEMs are quite large.
Cable
EE lays your Alpha Hybrid-IV (AH4) copper/silver hybrid cable. You can choose between 3.5mm single-ended or 2.5mm symmetrical. I always go for symmetrical, but that's my personal preference. It's a beautiful, elegant and well-made cable and I particularly like the slim connectors and the beautiful copper Y-split.
I think it goes very well with the VALKYRIE MKII. In contrast to the Alpha IV copper cable, this cable is quite flexible, so comfort and usability are good. The cable noise is also quite low.
Sound
General Tonality
The VALKYRIE MKII is a very engaging and emotional in-ear monitor (IEM) rather than an analytical one. It delivers massive bass and very nice details. The VALKYRIE MKII was clearly designed with the aim of having fun and is therefore not for lovers of absolute neutrality.
Treble
Acoustic and electric guitars, among others String instruments sound beautifully clear and with good, silky-smooth detailing. I've read about a certain harshness and sibilance in the first Valkyrie. That is absolutely not the case here. As I said, the entire upper frequency range is very smooth, resulting in a fatigue-free listening experience.
There seems to be a slight treble emphasis that highlights certain instruments such as strings and guitars. I enjoyed listening to rock, acoustic rock and metal in particular, but the VALKYRIE MKII seems to handle other genres well too.
Midrange
Male and Female voices are slightly pronounced, but less pronounced than the instruments mentioned in the treble section. This can lead to the band/orchestra coming to the fore. The good thing about it is that the voices are never suppressed and stay nicely separated.I find the midrange to be rather balanced and unspectacular in a good way.
Bass/Subbass
Empire Ears implementation of their next-gen subwoofer "Weapon-9 +" does its job in the VALKYRIE MKII and boy, does it do it with full force. My first thought was, "This is direct competition to EE's excellent Legend I particularly noticed this with the Cayin N8 and N6II. I even had to turn down the volume once or twice when listening to sub-bass heavy music. With a more neutral source like my Burson Conductor 3XR test device, this bass influence is significantly attenuated. Don't get me wrong: this is actually pure fun. Call it a "guilty pleasure" if you want, but I personally don't use that term because there is no guilt in enjoying your music, or?
soundstage
The soundstage is really good for an IEM. You get a good feel for the space around you and an idea of what/who is where in a live recording situation. However, it is not exaggerated, so even more intimate recordings offer exactly the intimacy you need to enjoy them.
Channel separation
Channel separation is very good, but not exaggerated. Just the right amount for my taste. There's nothing more to say.
Neutrality
The VALKYRIE MKII is far from being a neutral IEM. The massive bass and boosted highs are designed for pure fun. It's not a sectional instrument, but something you want to move around, stand on your feet and just enjoy your music.
Gain/Adaptability/Scalability
The VALKYRIE MKII takes full advantage of the source it is connected to. Additionally, this is one of the few IEMs where different sources have a big impact on the overall sound signature, so you should definitely test it with your existing equipment.
While Cayin DAPs like the N6II or N8 offer the full power and glory of VALKYRIE's Weapon 9+ subwoofers, more neutral DAPs like those from Astell & Kern tame the bass a bit, resulting in a more relaxed sound signature. During testing, the Burson Desktop DAC/Amps delivered very good synergy with lots of detail, well-controlled bass and nice stage.
Comparisons
Empire Ears Legend Legend and the only way to find out for sure is with a quick memory refresh. Luckily I had my LX on hand to do this.
Moving to the Legend X, there are some similarities within the family, but the difference is obvious. The LX still delivers the most bass punch even when using the old "Weapon 9 subwoofers, because it has two of them per side!
The LX's soundstage is larger and appears almost three-dimensional. I've said it before: the LX is the most immersive in-ear monitor listening experience I've ever had. This can be good and bad depending on what you like.
Let me put it this way: The LX is pure adrenaline pumping through your veins as if you were an extreme sports junkie jumping out of a plane while holding your breath. The VALKYRIE MKII also gives you an adrenaline rush, as if you were driving downhill at high speed, always knowing you are in control. Does that make any sense?
So this isn't about pitting a $1599 IEM against a $600 more expensive IEM and the latter wins. It's purely a matter of preference.
(One final point worth noting is that the LX is much smaller than the VALKYRIE MKII, which may make it a better choice for people with small ears).
My conclusion
The VALKYRIE MKII are really very good IEMs for the asking price, in fact I consider them excellent value for money! 1599,-CHF is by no means cheap, but for that you get wonderful sound quality across all frequencies with an emphasis on sub-bass performance AND very good detail. You are looking for an IEM that is fun without having to forego audiophile qualities? Grab it and enjoy a guilty pleasure.
More on the topic
Empire Ears Legend EVO - Complete Review by Josh Chan - Audio EssenceBattle of the Bass Gods: Comparison of the Empire Ears Legend EVO with Legend X and Odin - Audio Essence
Very divine - Empire Ears Odin – Audio Essence
The pure truth - Empire Ears ESR MKII – Audio Essence