Unboxing & Impressions: Empire Ears & Astell&Kern Odyssey

The time has come

The new Odyssey Flagship In-Ear from Empire Ears and Astell&Kern is here and to increase the anticipation a little, EE and AK have shared a few unboxing pictures that I I don't want to withhold from you.

Last chance

Small reminder: Our Pre-order promotion for the Odyssey (-300 CHF) and the SP3000 DAP (-300 CHF) ends as soon as the devices are in stock, which is probably the case at the end of the week. If you want these two great devices at a cheaper price, you should buy them soon. 😉

AK and EE Odyssey

And...

here are a few new pictures of me

How does it sound now?

In the next few days I will add impressions of the Odyssey's sound and also compare it with the Empire Ears Odin because I believe that these two are the biggest competitors in the fight for the sound crown.

All impressions are my own and based on my personal feelings and preferences (and ears of course😅).

Test equipment

Source: Cayin N8ii
Cable: Eletech "Ode to Laura" & Ares II (standard cable)

The Cayin N8ii is used because for me it is currently by far the best and most flexible DAP (Digital Audio Player). The "Ode to Laura" flagship copper cable from Element Technology has already raised the Odin to new heights and also improves the sound of the Odyssey.

Cable Gate?

I'll be honest: the inclusion of an Ares II cable, which Empire Ears use as the standard cable for most of their cheaper IEMs, is a bit of a disappointment, because a flagship IEM these days should also come with a correspondingly high-quality cable that delivers the performance of the in-ear is not restricted. The Ares II isn't a bad cable in terms of sound, but the Odyssey can only fully exploit all of its strengths with a good upgrade cable. In addition, the usability of the Ares is not the best, because it is quite inflexible and not very pleasant to use.

I once asked why such a "cheap" cable was included in the top model from Empire Ears | Astell&Kern included. I was told that an 8x cable was originally planned, but was rejected by AK because they simply found it too thick. I think that cost-related aspects also played a role, because an 8x cable would have increased the price further and thus possibly limited the number of interested parties.

Fortunately, at Audio Essence we offer the largest selection of upgrade cables in Switzerland, perhaps even throughout Europe, and there are enough products in all price ranges to unleash the Odyssey. 😉🙌

First impressions

How does that thing sound now? Well, to be honest, I had my doubts as to whether the Odyssey could be on the same level as Odin or even surpass it, especially since the cooperation with Astell&Kern - to put it cautiously - was a bit surprising to me had.

I can give the all-clear at this point: Fortunately, my concerns were immediately dispelled after the first bars of the music! 😵😍

After a few hours with a brand new and not burned-in Odyssey and a variety of music, I would assess the Odyssey as follows:

The relationship with Odin is unmistakable.The Odyssey has all of the Odin's strengths such as excellent dynamics, fantastic resolution and wonderfully natural voice reproduction.

The reproduction in the area of the upper mids / highs has been "defused", but without losing any details - probably the biggest point of criticism of the Odin has been revised and improved.

Added to this is an incredibly deep, "bone-shaking" bass - clearly a legacy of the EVO DNA in the form of the new bone conduction driver as well as a larger stage and three-dimensionality, which makes the music appear more airy and spatial.

I had a big grin on my face a few times when soundtracks from Mr. Zimmer or Bear McCreary were playing, whose bass attacks made the hairs on my arms stand on end. 😱😱😱

I don't want to sound too enthusiastic, because a solid review takes more time - but it's already becoming apparent that after almost exactly 2 years, my previous undisputed favorite, the Empire Ears Odin, will probably have to settle for second place from now on.

Odyssey vs Odin

Empire-Ears-and-Astell&Kern-Odyssey

In their basic tonality, Odyssey and Odin are very similar.
But there are certainly differences between the two sound colossi:

The Odyssey is "warmer" compared to the Odin, which, although by no means neutral, is a lot more analytical. This becomes particularly clear in pieces of music that have an emphasis on midrange and high frequencies.
The Odin sounds "brighter" and sometimes, on less good recordings, a little "garrier", while the Odyssey sounds a bit more "good-natured".

Voices are a little more prominent on the Odin than on the Odyssey.
The natural tonality and presence of voices is implemented equally well by both.

When it comes to detail reproduction, Odin and Odyssey are on par. The most obvious difference lies in the spatiality of the performance. Here the Odyssey sets the larger stage and appears more voluminous and “airy”. I can't say whether this is due to the bone conduction driver or the general tuning.

The Odyssey's bone conduction driver is definitely responsible for the even deeper, more powerful bass compared to the Odin. The amazing thing here is that the bass never covers the other frequencies or (as with the EVO) sometimes simply becomes "too important".

The Odyssey can score another plus point when it comes to the separation of voices and instruments Here he has the edge over Odin.

In the end, only the listener can decide whether Odyssey or Odin are better. Technically, both are at the highest level and you can't really go wrong with either flagship and be very happy for a very long time!

Personally, I think both models are simply fantastic and will probably use both alternately - depending on the music and mood.

Empire Ears Odyssey Odin EVO

A word about the physical differences: The Odyssey is significantly larger than the Odin, even slightly larger than the EVO. Nevertheless, it fits easily into my medium-sized ears and is super comfortable to wear.
Little tip: Spintips CP155 ear tips are highly recommended not only for the Odin, but also for the Odyssey.

P.S. For both IEMs, the Eletech “Ode to Laura Cable” and the Spintips CP155 Ear-Tips were used for testing.