General Impressions of the Hero
Many, many thanks to headphones.com for kindly letting me join the loaner tour for the Hero. It was a pleasure and a treat to get to try out these IEMs.
I’m not sure if these are all that different from my first impressions, above - I’ve deliberately avoided reading the first impressions since posting them, though, and if anything, I’ve probably become a bit more critical over time. That said, the Hero are fun and immediately appealing IEMs, and while I might be more discerning about them now, I still find them to be a reasonably attractive offering by Empire Ears, although the tuning isn’t really for me.
I’m at pains to point this out here because the Hero is, perhaps, something of the spinster aunt in the Empire Ears lineup: it hasn’t attracted much attention or hype; this is just the 26th post in this thread whereas the Odin’s has attracted 119, even though it’s a much less affordable and accessible IEM. (It’s probably too bad for the Hero that EE released the two IEMs at the same time). I was interested in comparing the Hero to other IEMs in its $1,000-1,500 price range. I have the Andromeda 2020 and was keen to see how the Andro stacked up against an IEM with a bassier, more v-shaped tuning.
Preferences and Points of Reference
My preferences typically lean towards neutral-bright transducers (my over-ear headphones are the Clear and HD 800 SDR). For the most part, I prioritize technicalities—speed, resolution, and a wide, open and airy soundstage, in particular (insofar as this is possible in personal audio)—and I value such amorphous qualities as musicality and engagement. For these reasons the Andromeda 2020 is my preferred IEM in spite of it having a fairly dark sound signature. I find congestion and mid-bass humps bothersome. I’m not fond of an overly warm tuning. Vocals aren’t a priority for me. I should add, though, that I do like to have transducers with a fun, bassy sound signature. For reference, I also have a pair of Fostex TH-X00 Ebony and the LCD2-Classic headphones.
My perspective in these impressions, then, is influenced in part by A/B comparisons with the Andro 2020. I also had the Odin to hand, thanks to the headphones.com loaner tour, but I shall refrain from too many comparisons of the two given the price difference—such a comparison, after all, would be unfair to the Hero in many ways.
I listened to a variety of test tracks with these IEMs. These ranged from classical music—with orchestral pieces, a string quartet, piano works, and a choral piece—to jazz (Brubeck, Mingus, Miles Davis) and some soundtracks as well as a bunch of classical rock (Dylan, Led Zep, Stooges), 90s alt rock (Sonic Youth, Blur, Beck, PJ Harvey, Radiohead), and a bunch of electronic music (Massive Attack, Underworld, Trentemøller).
Note on sources and tips
I settled on listening to the Hero with my Sony NW-ZX2 DAP playing native FLAC/ALAC files, which worked better than my AK Jr or my Qobuz->MacBook Air/iPad->Lotoo Paw S1 pairings. The Hero isn’t picky when it comes to sources, though. Tips, as is so often the case, make a significant difference to the sound. I’m a big fan of the Azla Sedna tips, and while the Earfit Regular make the Hero too warm and bassy—with the bass bleeding into the mids and upsetting the overall tonal balance too much—the Xelastec were a bit too bright. The goldilocks option, then (for me), were the Earfit Light tips.
Sound Qualities
The Hero is a nice, fun IEM that has a fairly v-shaped sound signature, one that’s not overdone too much. It tilts toward the warm side of neutral and has more bass than treble emphasis.
The bass is rich and satisfyingly well-textured and deep. It’s probably the best feature of the Hero. It has a good amount of heft and plenty of impact and thump. While not fast, it’s not flabby, either, but it’s not particularly tight. If anything, I find the bass to be a bit slow and cumbersome, but that’s probably because I’m coming from BA IEMs, and the trade-off in speed means that you get more texture and rumble with the Hero’s bass. The sub-bass extension is a particular highlight; it reaches down very well and does so robustly; some IEMs sound a bit wheezy when struggling to reach down to the low notes, and that absolutely isn’t the case here. The Hero also does a decent job of presenting different bass timbres with acoustic instruments, the electric bass guitar, and electronic music. The bass can, at times, be overdone, though, and is a bit intrusive in some rock and electronic tracks. This isn’t the kind of bass response you’d want, really, for classical music or jazz.
I see from the specs that whereas the Hero has one, the Odin has two of the Empire Ears W9+ subwoofer drivers for the low-end; the Odin’s bass presentation is better; tighter, cleaner, clearer, and no less impactful and rich, but the Hero’s isn’t too far behind—and certainly not far behind when factoring the price difference.
While the Hero’s bass is impressive and satisfying, the treble is inoffensive and unexceptional. The treble response leaves a bit to be desired: the Hero has a safe tuning, one that’s not fatiguing. It should appeal to a wide range of listeners. (Treble heads should look elsewhere). The treble isn’t the smoothest, though, nor does it extend especially high. Being a bit rolled off in the upper registers, the Hero suffers from a lack of air and sparkle. Arguably this tuning contributes to the Hero’s slightly congested, closed-in sound (a perception heightened by the thick sound). Cymbals sound wrong. They lack the appropriate zing and can get a bit smeared on some tracks (I noticed this on some Led Zep songs).
The mids are hard to describe. I suspect they’re somewhat recessed although it’s hard to tell because of the relatively poor resolution; either way, it seems as though there’s quite some detail missing from the music, and I noticed some glare and haze to the sound with quite a few of my test tracks. At times, the sound had something of a sheen to it, with details being glossed over. The lack of resolution is apparent in and of itself with the Hero. But it’s also all the more conspicuously poor when A/Bing with the Andromeda 2020. I realize that the Andromeda is lauded for its resolving ability and for it technicalities, but the Hero is a more expensive IEM, and these deficiencies, frankly, are disappointing. Please note that I may well be overstating this, though: as noted above, I tend to prefer highly resolving transducers, and my criticisms here have to do with the Hero being an expensive IEM in a highly competitive market.
Given the tuning, then, and the slightly rolled-off treble, as well as the limited resolution, the Hero is probably best suited for rock and electronic music. I’d pick a different IEM for acoustic genres. It’s not a great all-rounder IEM, to me, at least.
Layering and separation are acceptable but, at the same time, they’re not particularly impressive. The soundstage, such as it is for IEMs, is not especially open or spacious. It’s decent enough. Imaging is likewise average. More problematic is the lack of depth to the soundstage; vocals often appeared as overly two-dimensional, as though being located on a plane between the ears and within the head. On a more positive note, the macrodynamics are nice and strong. There’s plenty of slam, and the Hero’s impact can be pretty impressive, especially when overlapping with the strong bass response. For this reason, I keep thinking that the Hero is best suited for fun, uncritical listening. But this then raises the question of value - is this an IEM that’s worth $1,350?
Brief Comparisons
In the end, this is the problem with the Hero: as pleasant and fun as it is, the Hero doesn’t really compete well with other, similarly-priced IEMs. The Campfire Audio Andromeda, for instance, bests it for technical abilities and overall sound quality; on the other hand, the Hero pulls ahead, clearly, on bass response.
The original Solaris makes for a better comparison as it’s also a hybrid IEM. I wasn’t able to compare the two directly, but from memory the original Solaris’s bass is probably not all that far off the Hero’s, and while the Solaris had some recessed areas, I remember it having far superior resolution, richer mids, and better treble extension and sparkle even as it also had significantly better, more holographic 3D staging. The Solaris 2020 likewise performs better than the Hero in most ways except one: its tuning is too aggressive and bright for me, and the Hero makes for a much easier, if less exciting listen.
Ultimately, I’m not sure the Hero is a particularly appealing proposition given the quality of mid-tier IEMs that have been released recently. Apart from its bass response and BA timbre, I’m not sure the Hero is all that superior to the Dunu SA6. The SA6 is less than half the price of the Hero and represents a vastly superior value proposition.
Subjective and miscellaneous stuff
I had no problems of fit or discomfort wearing these IEMs. Empire Ears IEMs are always good for this, in my experience. The shells are nicely made. It was easy to get a good seal, and I got the IEMs seated well at their medium insertion depth. The IEMs’ nozzles are well designed, too; they don’t have a ridge or step on them to keep the tips on; instead, there’s a slight horn-shape to them, which means it’s super easy to switch tips (and yet the tips don’t fall off when you remove the IEMs from your ears). The copper cable is great although I dislike the 2-pin connectors as they’re hard to attach to the shells. I fear for the connectors’ durability. The metal carrying case is a bit like a hockey puck, but heavier and almost certainly more dangerous if given a good whack across an ice rink. Finally, the Hero’s faceplate really is very attractive.
Conclusion
The Hero has a fun tuning; it’s a bit v-shaped but not excessively so. These IEMs make for an easy, forgiving listen, and they’re not fatiguing at all. The Hero lacks top-end air and sparkle. They’re not bright, thanks to the rolled off treble, and they have a bit of warmth to them. Their tone is rich. They’re not the fastest IEMs and they are let down by technicalities, especially resolution and layering and separation. The soundstage is average, not exactly closed in but not spacious, either. The Hero’s virtues are strong impact and slam, solid macrodynamics, and that excellent bass response.
I’m conscious of not being sufficiently enthusiastic or positive about the Hero in these impressions. Clearly, the Hero has its limitations, and much of my lack of excitement can be chalked up to preferences. I don’t mind the slightly rolled-off treble (my Andro 2020 are also lacking in top-end sparkle). The bass is very appealing. But it’s ultimately the fairly poor resolution and the average staging that put me off the Hero. If these aren’t priorities for you, then the Hero could well make for an excellent IEM. Still, the Hero’s not necessarily the best value out there - other IEMs do very well in this price range, and the recent advances in mid-priced tier of IEMs make the Hero a less appealing proposition. Personally, I’d opt for the original Solaris instead or save some cash and get the Dunu SA6 instead.
