As a project, Odin is nearly as old as Empire Ears itself, and has served as the driving force for every ounce of innovation and performance that we are known for. Every milestone, every breakthrough was just a step closer, and now, finally, we are proud to introduce our latest flagship, and the true king of the Empire Ears lineup, Odin.
The Skunkworks
A quick tour through the Empire Ears production space will showcase our state of the art, bespoke manufacturing processes and the most passionate and exacting production staff in the industry. In viewing our cutting edge production facilities, you might notice, buried in the back, some large, darkened windows overlooking the production floor. This is the office of our founder and CTO, Dean Vang. Illuminated only by the worklight under his microscope, Dean labors through all hours of the day and night on his relentless research and development. It is here that limits are pushed, boundaries are challenged, and the essence of what makes us Empire Ears is created. It is here - in the private laboratory of a mad scientist, that Odin was born.
The Ultimate Expression
Many of our previous flagships have had stand-out features that made them statement pieces - the low-end of the Legend X for example - and Odin seeks to bring every one of these statements together into a perfect harmony. The Legend X informed Odin’s low-end, sharing a dual-subwoofer architecture and bringing a depth and texture that many have come to know and love. But, where the Legend X strives for dominance in the low-end, Odin practices balance. Enter Zeus, one of our most beloved models, which has inspired a lush, intimate, and layered mid section that presents with effortless detail. We’ve built atop the technical achievements of Wraith, further streamlining and upgrading our EIVEC and electrostatic systems for a high-end that renders in absolute clarity while maintaining such efficiency as to be driven by any source.
Ultimately, Odin presents with a balanced and measured sound signature. Far from clinical or sterile, it is enthusiastic and bombastic and grand while feeling completely in control. Like a patriarch directing a swarm of grandchildren, it is a balancing act of whimsical freedom and gentle-but-absolute guidance.
11 Proprietary Drivers, Tribrid Design
- 2 Next Generation W9+ Subwoofers - Sub-Bass, Bass
- 5 Proprietary Balanced Armature Drivers - 2 Low-Mid, 2 Mid, 1 Mid-High
- 4 Premium Electrostatic Drivers - 2 High, 2 Super-High
- 7-Way synX Crossover Network
- EIVEC - Empire Intelligent Variable Electrostatic Control Technology
- A.R.C. Resonance Mitigation Technology
- Impedance: 3 Ohms @ 1kHz
- Frequency Response: 5 Hz - 100kHz
- Sensitivity: 108dB @ 1kHz, 1mW
- Bespoke Stormbreaker UPOCC Copper Litz Cable, Quad Conductor Dual Guage Design
The mastery and marriage of these three driver technologies - electrostatic, balanced armature, and dynamic - is purpose driven to create an experience that speaks to the user simultaneously on the levels of mind, body and spirit. This intent is mirrored in the use of the interwoven geometry of the Valknut symbol proudly adorning the stunning Bifrost faceplate. Read more about Odin HERE.
- Alex Twister, Twister6.com
Introducing Hero
What do you get when you take every gruelling lesson, every hard-earned scrap of wisdom, every glorious success and triumph, and you distill them all into a single IEM? You get something that stands apart. Something that redefines the landscape. You get a Hero, a pure, euphonic entity far greater than the sum of its parts. Perfect in its simplicity, Hero sets a new standard in portable audio, delivering flagship performance without the price of admission.
Grounded and sublime, Hero presents an intimate and energetic sound signature driven by a single Weapon IX+ and 3 proprietary balanced armature drivers. There isn’t a genre that Hero doesn’t embrace. You can read more about it HERE.
4 Proprietary Drivers, Hybrid Design
1 Next Generation W9+ Subwoofer - Sub-Bass/Bass
3 Proprietary Balanced Armature Drivers - 1 Mid, 1 Mid-High, 1 High
4-Way synX Crossover Network
A.R.C. Resonance Mitigation Technology
Impedance: 17.6 Ohms @ 1kHz
Frequency Response: 5 Hz - 40kHz
Sensitivity: 105dB @ 1kHz, 1mW
Handcrafted Alpha-IV 26AWG UPOCC Copper Litz Cable
Weapon IX+
When there’s nothing on the market that does what you need, you just have to make it yourself. That was the case for the original Weapon IX subwoofer, and when we needed a follow up, we had nowhere to turn but further inward. Each W9+ dynamic subwoofer is handcrafted here in our lab, and will bring a greater depth, bigger impact, and better resolution to the Empire Ears low-end. A larger voice coil and linear excursion envelope have opened the reproduction capabilities of our subwoofer to a new level, allowing for seamless integration and mitigating phase incoherence.
EIVEC & Electrostatic Drivers
Perhaps the biggest feather in our cap throughout this entire endeavor has been the new implementation of our EIVEC system driving our electrostatic drivers. We have taken the successful aspects about the implementation of EIVEC in Wraith and Valkyrie and examined our work, and additionally - and more importantly, we’ve taken the aspects of our implementation that could be improved upon and drilled down to address things at a fundamental level. The result, perhaps, represents the single largest leap forward out of any of our technologies. In mastering EIVEC, we’ve mastered the electrostatic driver. Now, a much more efficient system with a single transformer at its beating heart crafts an airy and effortlessly detailed high-end. What required bank-breaking sources to power now gets along with just about everything, what throttled and limited the electrostatic drivers now unleashes them. Unrivaled resolution and texture have now become the standard.
A New Triumph, A Familiar Milestone
Odin, the mythical norse figure, was known to wander the land in his endless pursuit of wisdom and knowledge, and similarly, our Odin stands as our pledge to never cease our Pursuit of the Extraordinary.
