There are those who push boundaries and those who choose to ignore them altogether. The challenge: Create the highest-performing dual driver in-ear monitor ever. This was no easy task which is why we’ve employed two entirely different driver technologies, a class-leading 4-way synX crossover network, and A.R.C. anti-resonance technology to deliver the most performance possible.
The Empire Bravado redefines the entry-level segment with leading-class performance and technology.
Estimated Custom IEM build time: 4 weeks from the date Empire Ears receives your ear impressions. For your custom IEMs, it is very important to get ear impressions that are correctly made so that we can create the perfect fit. Download our Impression Tip Sheet and share it with your audiologist. If you send us molds that are not up to our standards, it may necessitate a refit and could subject you to additional fees.
Rush orders are available for an additional $300 fee. Estimated build time is 7-10 business days from the date Empire Ears receives your ear impressions.
Designer's Notes
“Pairing a single W9 subwoofer with a balanced armature counterpart, Empire Ears sets the tone for achieving perfect coherency between the best of both worlds: the naturalness of dynamic driven bass, complemented with the clarity and precision up top of a well-placed balanced armature. Designed for perfect neutrality, the Bravado's signature is intent on equality, providing perfect balance between the bass, midrange, and treble. Its entry-level position might be deceiving, for when it comes to performance the Bravado boldly holds its own; the precise imaging and separation one comes to expect from Empire Ears, yet at a friendlier cost.”
Proprietary Technologies
Grammy Award Winning Sound
Every aspect of the Phantom was conceived, designed, and crafted to faithfully reproduce what the artist had intended. With the expertise of producers and mix engineers, including GRAMMY Award winner, Sam Ash, we were able to understand firsthand what they require from in-ear monitors.
synX Crossover Technology
How do crossovers work?
Think of a crossover network as an audio traffic officer, directing highs to your tweeters, midrange to your speakers, and bass to your subwoofers. This is essentially what a crossover does; it takes an input signal and splits it into separate audio bands. Could you imagine having numerous speakers with just a few dedicated audio bands? It would cause a massive audio pile up, forcing the wrong speakers to reproduce the wrong frequencies constantly. We avoid all of this by utilizing specially designed drivers for designated frequency ranges and further maximizing their potential with our latest crossover technology, synX.
Introducing synX
synX is a supercharged crossover design that designates more individual audio bands per driver than any other crossover technology currently in existence. By creating an ultra-wide, multi-channel highway our engineers can manipulate specific parts of the frequency range in order to precision craft the target response and eliminate any signs of phase incoherence between the drivers. Alternatively, mix engineers and audiophiles will have full control of the drivers when equalizing through a mixing console or digital audio player. synX is the industry’s most advanced IEM crossover technology with each model featuring its own uniquely designed synX network.
synX advantages
synX powered in-ear monitors have remarkably high stereo separation and smooth phase response, leading to more dynamic realistic imaging and staging for both live and studio use. synX features a myriad of other advantages including:
- Ultra-Wide Frequency Bandwidth: The Legend X produces a super-wide frequency range, offering listeners unparallel sound quality and details that bests even the most high-end headphones on the market.
- Best Signal-to-Noise: In order to ensure that all of the industry-leading sound quality is heard in your ears we’ve worked to create a unique combination of handpicked resistors, electrolytic capacitors, and filters in order to ensure the cleanest signal path possible while offering an exceptionally low noise floor.
- Low Distortion: Extremely low distortion means that every nuance in your mix will be reproduced faithfully without audible artifacts.
- Maximum Signal Transfer: Every driver and crossover is individually wired and insulated with 7-strand, UPOCC Litz wires to eliminate acoustic feedback and further soldered with highly conductive, ultra pure silver and gold Mundorf Supreme for maximum signal transfer.
Hybrid Technology
The Empire X series model features a combination of both proprietary balanced armature speakers and dynamic range W9 subwoofers in order to deliver maximum clarity while achieving a powerful low end response. Each model is further tuned with a specially designed synX crossover network to achieve studio monitor levels of audio reproduction effortlessly and faithfully.
Weapon IX
After nearly 2 years of relentless R&D Empire is proud to announce the Weapon IX (W9), a proprietary 9mm rare-earth magnet subwoofer with the ability to deliver extreme output, accurate dynamics and sublime sound quality all at the same time. The keys to these performance capabilities lie at the very core of its design, where the woofer is enclosed in a tuned bass-reflex system with a front-firing sound port and rear-firing vent for maximum efficiency.
Conventional dynamic drivers and passive radiators (a speaker without the magnet and coil) often suffer in low octave frequencies and are heavily dependent on internal shell enclosures for volume, limiting form factor and vastly reducing efficiency with limited extension. The W9 is superior in its custom port tuned design, reaching frequencies even lower than its target response while mitigating distortion as the woofer isn’t required to move as far near resonance frequency.
Proprietary Drivers
The Legend X utilizes a number of proprietary balanced armature drivers by Knowles and Sonion, each one purpose-built for a specific target response. Our drivers feature specialized reeds and low-mass diaphragms to reproduce incredible detailed, true-to-recording sound while remaining efficient enough to be powered by everyday devices.
Furthermore, each Empire driver utilizes a NASA-born ferromagnetic liquid technology, Ferrofluid, to dampen acoustics peaks and reduce vibrations in combination with our A.R.C. technology. The end result is extraordinary clarity and increased shock durability.
Bespoke Handcrafted Cables
Every Legend X in-ear monitor includes a bespoke, handcrafted Ares II cable by Effect Audio. The Ares II boasts a proprietary blend of 26 AWG UPOCC Litz copper with ultra-flexible insulation for maximum signal speed transmission, performance, and ergonomics. Each cable is terminated in an ultra-durable 3.5mm, 24k Oyaide gold plated right angle plug.
Effect Audio’s extensive engineering and manufacturing background gives them the edge over all other cables. After extensive testing with numerous other cable manufacturers, Empire Ears is proud to announce our official partnership with Effect Audio to bring you some of the finest cables in the industry and to ultimately defeat the weak link in IEMs.
A.R.C. Technology
Balanced Armature (BA) drivers are vastly used in the IEM industry due to their small footprint and ultra-efficient designs however they suffer from resonant behaviors that may cause peaks, unwanted vibrations, and distortion. To help mitigate this our drivers utilize Ferrofluid between the magnets and armature to provide a wide range of damping values, eliminating the need for a damping screen in the port tube.
Despite this a secondary peak can still occur from the other components interacting with the drivers. Driver peaks can cause fatigue, distortion, and ultimately affect the way music sounds. We sought out to create a remedy for this and after years of relentless R&D we’re proud to announce A.R.C. (Anti-Resonance Compound), a proprietary coating that virtually eliminates unwanted vibrations and resonance from within IEMs.
A.R.C. effectively increases the mass of the components it’s applied to: every driver, crossover, and sound tube. This gives the internals more solidity while serving as a dampener to absorb the unwanted resonance instead of reflecting them out of phase. With A.R.C. clarity is increased substantially, bass is deeper, and the IEM becomes more efficient overall.
Proudly Handcrafted In The USA
Empire Ears has long prided itself for home-grown craftsmanship, with artisans donning lab coats and honing years of OEM factory experience before being entrusted to handle the Empire lineage. While several of our competitors have taken their manufacturing overseas or have turned to automation we’ve remained true to our handcrafted, made-in-USA roots to not only provide jobs to our local community but to ensure that quality is never compromised.
Every Empire Ears in-ear monitor is proudly designed, engineered, and manufactured in Norcross, Georgia USA.
Press and Reviews
Prime Audio Reviews
by Crabbos
Jan. 2019
Head-Fi
by NGoshawk
Mar. 2019
Major HiFi
by Gabby Bloch
Aug. 2018
General Features
- Driver Design
- 2 Proprietary Drivers, Hybrid Design
1 W9 Subwoofer, 1 Mid-High - Technology
- 4-Way synX Crossover System
A.R.C. Resonance Mitigation Technology - Impedance
- 22 ohms @ 1kHz
- Frequency Response
- 8 Hz - 40kHz
- Sensitivity
- 98dB @ 1kHz, 1mW
- Cable
- 26AWG UPOCC Litz Copper
Handcrafted by Effect Audio
Package Includes
- In Ear Monitor
- Empire Pandora Case
- Empire Cleaning Cloth
- Empire Cleaning Tool
- Final Audio Type E Tips - SS, S, M, L, LL
- 3.5mm Cable
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Empire Ears Phantom IEMs$1,799.00 -
Empire Ears ESR IEMs$899.00
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Empire Ears Wraith IEMs$3,499.00
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Empire Ears Valkyrie IEMs$1,599.00
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Empire Ears Legend X IEMs$2,299.00
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Empire Ears EVR IEMs$699.00
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Empire Ears Nemesis IEMs$1,599.00
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Empire Ears Vantage IEMs$1,299.00