Astell & Kern x Empire Ears Odyssey

Empire Ears’ never-ending pursuit of extraordinary drove them to build an IEM that is unashamed without compromise. With technology harnessed from the Odin and Legend EVO, we’ve distilled everything we’ve learned into this epic collaboration to create the next generation in-ear monitor, Odyssey.

Our legacies are proof that attention to detail and visionary innovation conceive magnificent designs. Never before has this been truer than with the partnership between two extraordinary companies collaborating to construct a revolutionary new in-ear monitor category.

Empire Ears

Empire Ears is an avant-garde summit-fi and innovative in-ear monitor company. A record-breaking tradition courses through our history – the result of pushing the boundaries of in-ear monitors to achieve higher standards in ultimate performance.

“The Odyssey has been an extraordinary adventure in engineering and it’s forced me to focus on new technologies and unconventional processes. The idea was to build an IEM of extremes, one worthy of bearing both the Empire Ears and Astell & Kern name. No half-measure. No compromises. We had to use everything in our arsenal to break new barriers.” said, Dean Vang, Founder of Empire Ears

New Rules

We look to the future with a visionary approach, carrying our pursuit of the extraordinary to the extremes. Our advantage is that we champion invention over convention. Our efforts have produced many world’s-first technologies that have changed the IEM industry forever and the Odyssey is no exception – it is a technological showcase.

Quadbrid Design

Even with low-volume quantities, we develop and build several of our own bespoke drivers rather than outsourcing them from other manufacturers. Doing so gives us the freedom to develop groundbreaking technology unrestricted by industry limitations or compromises. The Odyssey is proof of the concept of the incredible engineering at Empire Ears.

At its core is a proprietary 10 drivers Quadbrid system composed of twin W9+ Subwoofers, 5 Balanced Armatures, dual Electrostatics, and a W10 Bone Conductor. With a 7-way synX cross-over network and EIVEC MKII engine, harmonize all 10 drivers of the Quadbrid System, ensuring perfect coherence and timing throughout its remarkable 5Hz-100kHz frequency response range.

 

Five Balanced Armature Drivers

– Custom spec’d Knowles and Sonion balanced armatures are commissioned with a single-minded purpose of reproducing only the purest, breathtaking mid-range frequencies.

Dual Electrostatic Tweeters

– Distortion-free, lightning-fast transient response and hyper treble extension from Sonion electrostatic drivers ensure unparalleled transparency.

Dual W9+ (Subwoofer)

– Legendary, unparalleled bass reproduction is made possible by our purpose-built, W9+ subwoofers

W10 (Bone Conductor)

– Otherworldly imaging, nuance retrieval, and timbre are achieved via bone conduction from our W10 Bone Conduction Ultra Driver.

Dual Conduction Architecture

Empire has a long history of developing innovative, in-house solutions aimed at maximizing in-ear monitor performance. Our no-compromise philosophy inspired the development of our Dual Conduction Architecture – a revolutionary method of audio reproduction through both air and bone conduction to maximize listener immersion with a sound that you cannot only hear but feel, guaranteeing the purest experience possible.

Air Conduction

When you look at our hearing system you can break it down into 3 different regions: the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. Air conduction utilizes all 3 as sound is collected by the outer ear and directed along the ear canal into the eardrum, vibrating the bones of hearing (ossicles) in the middle ear to stimulate the hair cells inside of your cochlea in the inner ear. This stimulation creates electrical nerve impulses which are then carried to the brain by the auditory nerve to be converted into sound.

Bone Conduction

Bone conduction completely bypasses the outer and middle ear components by sending vibrations directly through the skull to stimulate the hair cells inside of your cochlea. Through bone conduction, we can perceive ultrasonic hearing (beyond 20kHz) Bone conduction is generally perceived to have a lower, deeper tone because the skull conducts lower frequencies more efficiently than air.

Dual Conduction

The Odyssey fully exploits the best of both worlds with its pioneering Dual Conduction Architecture (DCA). A full range 5Hz-100kHz frequency response is delivered via air conduction from the dual W9+ subwoofers, five balanced armatures, and dual electrostatics while imaging, soundstage, detail retrieval, low-frequency extension, and reverb are extraordinarily enhanced from 5Hz-40kHz via bone conduction from the W10.

Through the use of DCA and Empire’s masterful tuning, the Odyssey reproduces the most immersive, pure, and stereophonic sound possible.

SynX Crossover Technology

Genetically dissimilar from the rest of the IEM world, our synX crossover network truly stands out with countless bespoke methods and technologies protecting it as a unique masterpiece. A marriage of 4 distinct driver technologies is symphonized via a proprietary 7-way synX crossover network, ensuring maximum performance from all 10 drivers.

EIVEC MKII

The all-new EIVEC MKII engine was developed specifically for Odyssey to ensure optimal timing, phasing and control between the electrostatic and bone conduction drivers – a monumental achievement.

Empire Intelligent Variable Electrostatic Control – EIVEC – is Empire’s approach to incorporating electrostatic EST drivers into IEMs. For all the incredible range and resolution, electrostatic drivers are notoriously hard to control, often overpowering other drivers. EIVEC is our solution to that, and the degree of control provided by EIVEC is so precise that the electrostatics can operate independently, performing disparate tasks within the sound stage to deliver layer upon layer of detail and texture for unparalleled performance.

Dual Tri-Port Exhausts

Due to the nature of the W10’s extreme output, the enclosure’s air volume and vent design were especially crucial for proper tuning. Even the slightest change in diameter and positioning had a dramatic effect on sound quality and performance. By mastering the W10’s volume requirements we’re able to harness its optimal output, capabilities and potential.

PRECISION MOUNTED WEAPON

The W10 is strategically ceiling mounted in a specially designed cavity at the top of the shell. This cavity is engineered to keep all sonic vibrations internal, maximizing bone conductivity transfer through the solid-filled ear canal.

A.R.C. Treated Chassis

Any flex in the enclosure walls will have unequal resonant frequencies and by treating the internals in critical areas with ARC we gain control of the room, allowing what gets reflected and/or absorbed. This eliminates any unwanted sound and allows the tone of the drivers to be as pure as possible.

SOUNDPROOFED BARRIER

Low-frequency energy causes even some of the most stable materials to resonate which is why we’ve sealed the shell with a custom spec cast polymer to channel the internal sonic vibrations towards the listener while reflecting any unwanted energy from the outside.

ENIGMA – A Visual Masterpiece

ENIGMA is an ultra-exclusive, one-of-a-kind dichroic faceplate that features nine individual polymer layers in three proprietary lamination steps. Each lamination is unique in its ability to filter and reflect specific wavelengths of light. This results in a faceplate that will produce breathtaking color transitions as the viewing angle changes — literally shifting before your very eye.

Enigma is masterfully handcrafted in the USA by an award-winning chemist that currently holds two patents in polymer science for high solids coating chemistry.

Designed, Engineered & Proudly Handcrafted in the USA

An elite team of Empire’s finest has been tasked to build the Odyssey at the Empire Ears facility in Atlanta, Georgia USA where 5,000 square feet is reserved exclusively for this collaboration.

Each stage of Odyssey’s production is hand-built by one master technician and engineer and passed onto the next, guiding each pair along its journey to completion through 10 stations for a total of 9 hands-on hours per set.

The Odyssey is not only the most technologically advanced IEM Empire has ever built, but also the most exclusive.

Ares II cable

The Effect Audio Ares II cable boasts a proprietary multi-size stranded 26 AWG UPOCC Litz copper with Ultra FlexiTM Insulation for maximum signal speed transmission, performance, and ergonomics. Each Ares II is terminated with an ultra-premium 4.4 Pentaconn connector.

 Astell & Kern Odyssey Technical Specifications:

• UPOCC Copper Litz
• 26 AWG 4 Wire
• EA Ultra FlexiTM Insulation
• Proprietary Multi-Size Stranded design within a Single Encapsulation
• Satin Black Effect Audio x Empire Ears Connectors and Y-Split

Included accessories

• 4.4mm Bespoke Effect Audio ARES II UPOCC Copper Litz Cable
• 4.4mm to 3.5mm Pentaconn adapter
• 5 pairs of Final Audio E-Type Tips (XS/S/M/L/XL) with an Aluminum Tip tray
• Pandora V2 CNC anodized black aluminum case
• Cleaning Tool
• EE X AK Microfiber Cloth

 Astell & Kern Odyssey Specifications:

Driver	10 Driver Quadbrid, Dual Conduction Design Dual  W9+ Subwoofers Five Proprietary Balanced Armature Drivers Dual Electrostatic Tweeters W10 Bone Conduction Ultra Driver
Cable	4.4mm Bespoke Effect Audio ARES II UPOCC Copper Litz Cable / Pentaconn Termination 4.4 to 3.5 Pentaconn adapter
Material	9 Layer Optical Core, ‘ENIGMA’ Faceplate 3D Printed, Hand Polished A.R.C. Treated Chassis shell
Frequency response	5Hz-100kHz
Sensitivity	100dB @ 1kHz, 1mW
Impedance	2.1 ohms @1kHz