Warlike divine - Empire Ears Odin

Intro

The Odin is Empire Ears (EE)'s latest top-class in-ear monitor. The Odin features an incredible 11 drivers per device, including not one but two next-generation Weapon 9+ subwoofers. The Odin marks the top end of EE's X series, which is aimed primarily at consumers rather than professionals. 

The Empire Ears Odin is available as a universal and custom model. 

Specifications

11 proprietary drivers, Tribrid design:

• Universal in-ear monitor
• 2 W9+ Next generation subwoofer - Sub-Bass, Bass
• 5 Proprietary Balanced Armature Drivers - 2 Low-Mid, 2 Mid, 1 Mid-High
• 4 high quality electrostatic drivers - 2 tweeters, 2 super tweeters
• 7-way synX crossover
• EIVEC - Empire Intelligent Variable Electrostatic Control Technology
• A.R.C. Resonance reduction technology
• Impedance: 3 ohms @ 1kHz
• Frequency response: 5 Hz - 100kHz
• Sensitivity: 108dB @ 1kHz, 1mW
• Specially made Stormbreaker UPOCC copper wire

Notes

My test report consists exclusively of my own thoughts, opinions and impressions of the product. All images were taken by myself unless otherwise stated.

Test equipment

Burson Audio Conductor 3X Reference (main test source)
Astell & Kern SP1000M DAP
Cayin N8 DAP
Cayin N6 II DAP with E02 module

Music selection/test playlist

Voices, mids, acoustic guitars etc.

Tenacious D - Tenacious D - Boy Wonder
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 Essentials - Ring of Fire
Stephen Coleman - Westworld Season 2 Soundtrack - C.R.E.A.M.

Soundstage, treble, electric guitars etc.

Tenacious D - Tenacious D Live - Rise of the Fenix
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 , Subbass

The Diary - The Gentle Storm - Endless Sea |Gentle Version|
Wardruna - Runaljod: Ragnarok - Tyr
Hans Zimmer - Man of Steel OST - Looking to the Stars
Hans Zimmer - Pearl Harbor OST - 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 as mine In my opinion it makes sense as it shows the consistency across the entire range. You get a beautifully designed white cardboard box with a gold Empire Ears logo and the name Odin in gold letters on it. It is neither too big nor too small and exudes class and style. It consists of an outer "slider" case and a more stable 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 excellent purchase ;-) Hidden underneath the IEM and cable, ready to pull out and enjoy the music.An elegant drawer underneath reveals an aluminum plate with various Final Audio silicone tips 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 adapt to your ears.

Since my ear canals are slightly different sizes, this makes it easier for me to get a good fit. However, I would have liked a selection of foam attachments as I generally prefer foam to silicone. However, the included attachments work well.

Josh from EE told me that the attachments were carefully selected after rigorous testing to provide the best sound and comfort experience, and having had many conversations with him, I can see that EE is very committed is to provide their customers with the best possible product. I could honestly feel this dedication, which, at least for me, makes for a good brand experience.

Last but not least, you get the elegant Pandora case from EE, a black aluminum capsule for safely transporting your precious in-ears. It's built like the proverbial tank and is engraved with the Empire logo and the name of your product.

Build Quality & Fit

IEMs

The build quality of the Odin is, as you would expect, simply outstanding. They look flawless, with no visible seams between the front panel and in-ear.

The Odin have a very special look: to me they just look like a piece of jewelry. My wife was also immediately impressed by the design and declared them to be the most beautiful headphones she has ever seen. I can only agree: they are stunning. They sparkle in the light like precious stones. This look may not appeal to everyone, but photos don't really do it justice. You have to see them in person to appreciate their aesthetics.

The fit and comfort are very good, at least for my ears, with the fairly long neck allowing a good seal for me. Therefore, the IEMs don't sit flush in my ears, but stick out a few millimeters, which isn't a problem for me.

Cable

EE apparently worked with well-known cable manufacturer PW Audio to forge the "Stormbreaker" cable that comes with the Odin. The only connector available is 2.5mm balanced, but you can purchase 3.5mm or 4.4mm adapters from Empire Ears if you need them.

The build quality is excellent. The all-black, fabric-covered cable looks and feels very good, accented by the special CNC silver Valknut Y-split that matches Odin's Bifrost faceplates very well. Visually it's really something special, and I find the whole combination more like "wearing jewelry" than just headphones (I usually never wear jewelry).

The flexibility/usability with the Stormbreaker is quite good, noticeably better than with your Alpha-IV cable and the cable noise is at a rather low level. However, there are aftermarket cables that are even better. The only thing that is a bit visually annoying is the transparent shrink tubing that is used for the over-ear hooks. It doesn't really fit in with the rest of this great cable, but it's not really a problem either. Overall, I love this cable, and although I have plenty of replacement options on hand, I wouldn't dare replace it with anything else.

Sound

Now that we've had our fill of the Odin's stunning visuals, let's see if those visuals are matched by equally stunning sound reproduction!

Overall tonality

I find the overall tonality of the Odin to be balanced, effortless, natural and, at least for me, ultimately satisfying. The Odin were the first in-ear monitors that could actually keep up with (or even surpass) my high-end stereo system. A year ago I would have laughed at such a statement.

Highs

Live recordings of acoustic and electric guitars simply sound so live. I can almost "taste" the strings. The treble generally doesn't seem to push forward to artificially emphasize things, but rather is just so detailed and clean that individual instruments and details stand out in the recordings as if in a live environment.

Despite that Due to the enormous detail reproduction, no hissing sounds can be heard and my ears are quite sensitive.

Middle range

The same applies to the midrange: voices, both male and female, are reproduced very credibly. They stand out, but don't overpower the rest of the music. While voices are slightly emphasized on the Legend X or Hero, there don't seem to be any frequency peaks here. I attribute this to the sheer technical qualities and superiority of the Odin.

Bass/Subbass

The power of two Weapon 9+ subwoofers gives you a sufficient foundation to support the other frequencies and also a decent punch Rumble. However, this bass representation is different from the Legend X, the (in)famous bass queen in EE's lineup.

You might think that there is less bass here. In reality, the bass is very well structured and controlled. It just takes some time to fully recognize and appreciate it. He's there when you need him, he's supportive and provides a lot of fun without suffocating or overpowering everything else. It's probably the best bass quality/quantity balance I've heard in an in-ear or headphone to date.

Soundstage

The Odin's soundstage isn't huge , but quite realistic, I would say.
It is a closed IEM and not an open headphone. No tricks were used to overlay frequencies to "feign" the impression of a large stage, which is perfectly fine with me. I admire the naturalness that the Odin offers here and in general.

Channel separation

The channel separation is very good. It's not as scary as the Legend X, which in turn promotes the feeling of naturalness and lightness. What else is there to say, what else is there to praise?

Neutrality

I have a hard time evaluating and describing the neutrality of Odin. That's not because he's not neutral, but probably because "neutral" is the wrong term for me to describe him. I would describe it as the most balanced IEM/headphone I have ever heard.

Boost/Adaptability/Scalability

The Odin may not need a particularly powerful source in terms of boost, but definitely one that provides good synergy.

The synergy with the Cayin devices from N3pro to N6II to N8 is simply wonderful.Since the Odin is at the upper end of the scale, the better the DAC/Amp connected, the better the result. While the combination with the N8 is probably the maximum possible at the moment, the combination with the N6II was almost as great at a much lower price.

Another great combination is the Burson Desktop DACs/Amps. In fact, this test was carried out using the Burson Conductor 3X Reference, as I consider it to be a fairly neutral but musical source.

In short, the Odin benefits from a "warmer", more musical source with enough amplifier power and scales quite a bit with the right source.


Comparisons

Empire Ears Legend X (US$2199)

The Legend X is a wonderful, engaging and fun in-ear monitor. Its bass is legendary and the detail reproduction is excellent. The LX has almost uncanny channel separation and a fairly large soundstage for an IEM. I like him very much!

So what are the differences that might make you spend $1200 more on the Odin, you ask? It's actually all summed up in a single word: CONTROL.

The Odin does everything the LX does, but everything, every detail is in balance with each other. There is no bass bleeding, not the slightest sibilance, nothing is over the top. Everything is almost perfect. From what I've heard, EE put a lot of effort into tuning the Odin perfectly rather than making it a show-off. That paid off.

Conclusion

For me, the Odin is the pinnacle of what can be achieved through high tech and tuning in an IEM. At the time of this test, I can't think of any other in-ear that could sound even better. Of course, there are similar or even higher priced products out there and I haven't had the opportunity to test them yet. But even if I never do that, for me personally the Odin is (so far) the pinnacle of what you can achieve in terms of sound with an in-ear.

Takeaways

• Incredibly clear, detailed, balanced and powerful sound
• Possibly the best IEM in its class
• Scales well with source
• Stunning looks
• Great cable