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Little Giants - Empire Ears Triton & UM Maven II IEMs
It's been a while since we presented 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 very obvious, wasn't it? 😅🙌
We're talking about the new Empire Ears Triton (LE) and that new Unique Melody Maven II.
And since there are two products, why not two reviewers? So I quickly invited my friend Josh to the showroom to support me with his incorruptible and practiced ears.
Josh has now tested countless IEMs (like me) and even wrote reviews for headfonics.com before new fatherly duties left him with less time for this part-time job.
I love it all the more Glad to be able to do this unboxing and review together with him. 4 ears are better than 2! 🧏
But as usual, let's first take a look at the two new products:
Empire Ears Triton
We tested the Triton in the limited Launch Edition, which, in addition to an additional blue leather case, offers a very special "Monarch" cable.
When designing the Triton, Empire Ears went back to the tried and tested and used a revised version of their "Dragonhide" faceplate, which is already used in a similar way on the Valkyrie MKII. On the Triton, the faceplate has more depth and appears three-dimensional and very elegant in the light.
The Triton only has 4 drivers: Empire Ear's famous W9+ subwoofer, an EMP75 Precision Balanced Armature driver and dual high mass bone conduction drivers.
Instead of mass or number of drivers, class and quality were used here. In addition, the Triton's shells are now smaller than those of the last Empire Ears IEMs.
All in all “back to the roots” or “back to the basics”. A development that I really appreciate!
I can confirm at this point that the use of "only" 4 drivers does not have to have a negative effect on the sound - quite the opposite! 😱🤩
The "Monarch" cable is exclusively supplied with the Launch Edition and is of excellent quality. "Monarch" is a Quinbrid design that features a sophisticated blend of 5 precious 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
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 it, we noticed the extremely low weight of the Maven II.
Unique Melody rely on a total of 10 drivers for the Maven II: Dual Dynamic drivers plus Balanced Armature plus Electrostatic drivers. '
Quality is also very important to Unique Melody, as you can see from the pictures. The printed titanium shells are something special and have their own aesthetic.
In contrast to the EE Triton, the UM Maven II are visually more reserved. Both IEMs are beyond any doubt in terms of quality.
Whether the sound of the two in-ears is as different as the look?
Let's find out! 😊
Test setup
As always, we make no compromises when it comes to setup: our proven Lotoo Mjölnir and Josh's private Cayin N30LE DAP served as source devices.
- Empire Ears Triton LE
- Unique Melody Maven II
- Lotoo Mjolnir
- Cayin N30LE
Sound impressions
I would like to reproduce these below, unchanged, in bullet point form.
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 nicely balanced throughout
- Boosted 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 instruments
-
Goosebumps!!!
UM Maven II
- Smooth and balanced tuning that is slightly more relaxed than 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 a little less prominent than on the Triton
- Excellent separation between instruments
- Goosebumps again!!!
Conclusion
After our test session together, Josh and I discussed our impressions and we agreed:
There has never been so much sound for so little money! Josh said he hadn't heard of anything better under 3000 CHF and I couldn't agree more.
Triton (LE) and Maven II are two exceptional products that are well above their price range and make life difficult for many "real" flagships.
Both are excellent all-rounders that can handle any music and will bring a smile to their owners' faces and goosebumps!
Which one to choose?
If you prefer something quieter and "smoother", choose the Unique Melody Maven II. If a little more “excitement” is desired, the Empire Ears Triton is the right choice. - Although - you actually can't go wrong with either model, because both are absolutely stunning in-ears.
In view of the performance and quality on offer, I would like to talk about two absolute bargains here!
Both IEMs are available in our shop and can of course be tested.