Empire Ears Legend Evo Review

Comparisons

Okay, let’s check out how the Legend Evo compares to different monitors on the market right now. I borrowed a friend’s FiR M5 and Noble Khan to give you more insight.

vs Empire Ears Odin

My Odin is a custom made set, so there’s the form factor difference. The universal Odin is slightly more expensive than the Legend Evo with a retail price of 3,399 USD.

These two clearly come from the same house and share enough similarities to make that clear. Although there are differences of course. The Legend Evo has a more forward low end segment, but both have that incredible extension and quality in their bass. The Evo however does give you more authority in the lows and a more exciting sound that’s asking you to stay on the tip of your toes. The Legend Evo has more weight in the mid-bass, which makes it appear a bit more dynamic to me.

Just like the Evo, the Odin also has a set back lower midrange and puts upper mids more forward in its overall frequency response. But this is where the Odin is obviously different to the Evo. Odin’s upper mids appear even more forward, since its bass is placed a bit more behind. This is something I have heard some people having problems with. Evo’s upper mids are more in line with the rest of the lower spectrum.

Generally the Odin has a more brighter tuned signature in comparison to the Legend Evo, which appears more neutral to me in the top segment especially.

When it comes to resolution the Odin is a pure beast and hard to match in my opinion. But the Legend Evo is only a short bit behind the Odin in my opinion. Both have immense resolution, where the Odin brings out extreme nuances just a touch better. But both create a very sharp picture and when it comes to background I do have to take the Evo before the Odin. It’s just impressive how well the Evo places and paints instruments.

Empire Ears Legend Evo

vs 64 Audio Noir

The Noir is a very different animal than the Legend Evo. It uses only four drivers, but all of them in specifically designed chambers without the use of a single tube. Only 500 sets of these have made it into the public.

The 64 Audio Noir sounds darker overall compared to the Evo. The Legend Evo has more drive and power in its lows, while the Noir gives more attention to the mid-bass, it doesn’t put it as forward as the Evo. The Evo’s low end extension reaches deeper than the Noir, which gives the bass a more dynamic and dense sound.

The Noir has a denser, warmer and fuller sounding mid-range in direct comparison to the Evo. The Evo sounds more neutral to me, with a more forward upper midrange. Treble is sharper and peakier on the Noir, which can cause for some fatigue and sibilance. The Evo on the other hand has a more natural and linear high end.

On a technical perspective the Evo creates a sharper image, blacker background and more precise imaging than the Noir. The Noir on the other hand has a more open sounding stage, where musicians stand on a lighter ground. In terms of stage dimensions the Evo stretches slightly wider and deeper, creating an overall grander stage.

vs FiR Audio M5

Like the Noir, the M5 is a tube-less monitor that uses chambers and open drivers to get the sound to your eardrums. It’s a five driver triple hybrid monitor, similar to the Evo.

The M5 has a similarly constructed low end, with a lot of authority and punch, but the Evo reaches just a touch deeper and has a higher quality bass to me. It has more rumble and texture in its bass than the M5.

Mids on the M5 sound darker and smoother compared to the neutral, natural Evo. The M5 sounds thicker and denser, while the Evo is lighter and more agile. One thing where I have to give props to the M5 though, is how it transports musicians on the background. It’s very uncanny, but somehow it seems like they don’t stand on a background at all. They just appear in space.

The Evo creates a wider stage than the M5 to me. The M5 has a more narrow soundstage, where the music sounds more focused. The Evo has higher resolution and sharper imaging. Treble sounds drier and more straightforward on the M5 than on the Evo, which is softer and more natural sounding. The M5 has a more intense sound overall.

vs Noble Audio Khan

The Khan is another triple hybrid design, but it uses a piezoelectric driver for treble reproduction. Similar to the M5, the Khan has a quite intense sound, although not to the same level as the FiR monitor.

The Khan’s top is more splashy and even a bit metallic. Compared to the Evo it seems quite sibilant and sharp. The Evo is more natural and easier on the ear to me. The Evo however has more presence in the upper mids.

Mids have a smoother and warmer sound on the Khan, but they appear mellower and softer compared to the highly resolved midrange of the Evo. The Legend Evo has an airier sound in its mids in direct comparison.

Bass is more present on the Evo than on the Khan, but the Noble also knows to punch hard. It doesn’t reach as deep as the Evo though. The Evo goes further into sub-bass with higher resolution and better texture and layering.

To me the Khan falls short in every aspect when it comes to technical performance. Resolution, imaging, instrumental placement and sound stage dimensions all go straight to the Evo.

Empire Ears Legend Evo

Final Verdict

I really admire Empire Ears for going the extra mile to get their monitors right. They don’t just throw in a bunch of off-the-shelves drivers and call it a day, no, they go to the drawing board and come up with their own technologies and driver designs. This is something I will always tip my hat to. With the Weapon X driver Empire Ears has once again proven that they are in the pursuit of extraordinary. A bone conduction driver built from the ground up isn’t something you just develop, it’s something you master over time and from what I can tell they have done an excellent job.

The Legend Evo has a natural sound, paired with incredible technical performance and a powerful and dynamic low end that will keep you bopping your head to the rhythm.

If you take a look at Empire Ears’ artist roster it makes abundant sense why they tune their monitors the way they do. These are high class audiophile monitors that set the bar for Hip Hop artists. God that bass!

Bass heads that don’t want to make compromises when it comes to technical performance listen up, this is the one to hear. 100% recommended!

Intro to the brand and Legend Evo – Page 1
Package, Build and Sound – Page 2
Comparisons and Conclusion – Page 3