Looking to sell my rare original (non-Massdrop) Empire Ears Zeus XR Universals! $400 OBO. The right earpiece is in pristine condition. The left shell and faceplate are severely cracked, but the XR switch is still connected and functional, and the sound reproduction is unaffected. EE quoted me...

What and where is this loaner program you speak of…?

I live in Annapolis, MD and would like to participate in the tour. I agree to follow the terms of the tour. I already have emailed my required ID verification documentation to BillB@audiotiers.com.

I still don't understand why anybody wouldn't just get a custom though. Even 20% off the AION is more expensive. And if the sound is the same, why wouldn't you just go for a perfect fit that can also be personalized and can't be effectively stolen?

Why exactly is an improved universal fit, supposedly with the same sound, worth nearly $800 more than a custom fit? Are three extra pins that important?

Indeed. Consistently among the most pleasant and professional people I've interacted with :)

Well, to get back to EE, do y'all know any DIY repairs I could do on my newly cracked custom Phantom? :triportsad: Like epoxy or something? The shell is solidly in one piece, just with a nasty fissure. I'd rather not drop $300 on a reshell if I can avoid it without damaging the internals or the fit.

I have a custom Empire Ears Phantom that recently developed some large cracks but is still solidly in one piece. Could I repair this with ABS adhesive or something similar? Or could that potentially damage the internals/ruin the fit? I don't care too much about the aesthetics.

Ah, I misunderstood. Certainly throwing significant money at something you haven't evaluated properly is foolish, hence my endorsement of auditions. But, while I think measurements can be as useful as human reviews, it's difficult for me to see them being any more useful, for the same reasons...

Provided your ears and brain are identical to the model and software used to make the measurements…. Besides, the point is that a purchase that makes someone happy isn't frivolous regardless of whether it "should" make a difference.

All good points. More generally, especially for newcomers, I think it's very important to audition any audio equipment you're interested in at a price point you're not comfortable potentially dropping for nothing. Find your way to a CanJam, audio store, or local meet; or request a demo unit from...

This is totally fair. If you can't hear the difference, lucky you, really. But if you can hear the difference, whether or not it's "really" there doesn't matter; what matters is finding what gives you the best experience in your budget. It's the same with any art form: some people think Pollack...

The problem is that "good" is a misdirection. Audio experiences are subjective. If somebody is convinced they hear a difference, that's effectively the same as "actually" hearing it; and, not everybody likes what "objectively perfect" reproduction sounds like. As far as files go, try a <128kbps...

I'm not sure I understand. This assumption seems to take for granted that cables meaningfully affect the sound, but also that there's only one cable that synergizes with any given IEM for all potential listeners (and that the manufacturer correctly identifies it every time). How do those coincide?

Abalone faceplate? If so, EE really needs to step up the previews in their designer….

It's not so much a matter of making it sound good as it is tweaking the presentation to your precise taste. I greatly enjoy both the Phantom and the Zeus with their standard cables. I'd say they both sound excellent as-is. One of my all-time favorite monitors—the InEar ProPhile 8—is mightily...

I can't speak on the Legend X specifically, but I can say that cables make a surprising amount of difference, given they're essentially just better or worse conductors (as far as I'm aware). In my experience, they can be as significant or even more so than the difference between similarly priced...

This is the problem. You can't have it both ways. "Boomy," "anemic," and "like being stuck in a fishbowl full of soup" are all good descriptive words/phrases. They're unique and do a good job of communicating specific and complex characteristics of the sound. However, you're absolutely right...

I agree that comparisons are critical to an informative review, but I think Deezel's earlier comment that genres can be a tool but not a catch-all applies just as well to naming individual tracks. Usually when people list the music they used, it's nothing I've ever listened to or even heard of...

Many thanks to everyone for the kind words and suggestions! I'll be sure to give what I can from above a listen. :) I think this is important to keep in mind. Whenever I read a review I start with the comparisons because they're so much more reliable than the standalone impressions, which I...

I just spent nearly 12 hours auditioning the Phantom with the EA Leonidas II, Thor II 8-Wire, Eros II 8-Wire, and Cleopatra. Some quick 'n' dirty impressions as compared to the Ares II 8-Wire: - The Leonidas II is a weird pairing. Its fundamentals—separation, imaging, detail retrieval...

How is "anemic" any more of a value judgment than "excellent," "wonderful," or "well balanced"? Besides, KuroKitso's point seemed much more that EE didn't take the Zeus's feedback—which consistently criticized the bass quantity—well enough into account when deciding to market the Wraith as a...