Empire Ears is a company that is known for releasing products for the audiophile community. In-ear monitors are their specialty, and they have released a new model that incorporates a lot of different technology. Using dual conduction tribrid drivers, the Triton retails at $1,799 and is certainly something to talk about. I had the opportunity to listen to them, so today we are going to dive into all the finer details of their design and sound quality.
What Comes In The Box
- Triton Dual Conduction Tribrid IEMs
- x5 sizes of eartips
- Metallic Aluminum Case
- Cleaning Tool
- Microfibre cleaning cloth
- Quickstart guide
Aesthetics and Functionality
Empire Ears does not disappoint in the world of aesthetics. Visually, these are a stunning design with bright blue colors and gold accents. They are incredibly lightweight, and do not feel like they carry the quality sound they do. They fit snugly into my ears, and the eartip options made it easy to find the right fit for me. Throughout my listening, they stayed firmly in my ears and the lightweight design made them almost unnoticeable. Personally, the overall size of the monitor is a bit bulky for my ear, and I found it to be uncomfortable to use for an extended period of time.
The IEMs come in a circular aluminum case, which is able to house the cable, eartips, and monitors themselves. The cable is heavy and durable, wrapping around the ear comfortably and does not become easily tangled. The cable ends in a 4.4mm termination, so I needed an adapter to start listening on my devices. The FiiO KA2 DAC/Amp was a great option for me to plug the IEMs directly into my phone, and I was up and listening in no time.
Tech Specs
- Tribrid Drivers:
- 1x W9 Subwoofer Dynamic
- 1x Balanced Armature
- 2x Bone Conductor
- Impedance: 2.8 Ω @ 1kHz
- Sensitivity: 99dB @ 1kHz, 1mW
- Frequency Response: 5 Hz – 40kHz
Bone conduction drivers are not a common choice amongst headphones, especially in the audiophile world. However, they are increasingly becoming more popular due to the benefits of environments they can be used in. These drivers are meant to bypass your ear canal and create sound using the vibration from your bones, not the air, go directly into your ear so you can perceive the waves being made. It’s a technique used by Beethoven when he was losing his hearing: he would put his conductor into his mouth and feel the piano vibrations through his teeth as he played.
These drivers are most commonly used as a gateway for Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing people to enjoy music, since there is often trouble for them perceiving sound through the ear canal. It can also be used as a safety precaution for athletic users, since these do not block your ear canal and you can be more aware of your environment.
Listening Review
Soundstage
The soundstage isn’t too wide on these, but the stereo imaging is very accurate. Listening to several classical pieces, I noticed how the stereo field veered more narrow, but every piece of the orchestrasEverything is right in front of you and has a distinct place in the field. This listening experience is very immersive, and not a lot of power is needed to do that. The signature is certainly bass heavy, but it still balances out with the other frequencies well. It makes a dynamic profile that makes any track more than enjoyable. Ambient noise was easily blocked out and I was able to enjoy all my tracks fully without distraction.
Low Frequencies
This range packs a serious punch. With the subwoofer dynamic driver and bone conduction driver, the low end can sound a bit overwhelming upon a first listen. For people who aren’t fans of strong bass, you may want to approach these with caution. The more I listened, the more interested I became in how detailed and immersive the low end was. It was deep and driving, and it didn’t become muddy or washed out over time. Tuned sub frequencies were even given plenty of detail and didn’t overpower other elements in the range. A lot of genres benefited from this detail, like rock, indie, jazz, and classical. The bassline in “Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve?)” by the Buzzcocks was a highlight, with its plucky and distinct notes coming out to carry through the song.
Mid-Range Frequencies
The mid-range has excellent detail, a lot of attention went into the vocal range. They stand in the front of a lot of tracks, with everything else following closely behind. All the detail provided in this range made it enjoyable to listen to, and I never feared about missing out on my favorite tracks. Even ones I frequented got put into a new light, and it was like listening for the first time all over again. I was impressed by the layers that were brought in Moxy Früvous’ “King of Spain”, with all the layers of vocal harmonies and brass instrumentals. Even in heavy metal rock, I was able to appreciate the guitars and extensive drum kits that make the signature sound unforgettable.
High Frequencies
This end comes as an excellent balance to the already powerful lows and detailed mid range. It is bright and colorful, adding just the right amount of airness to round out the entire sound signature. The high end is impressive with the way it can reach peaks and fade naturally without getting cut off. Classical pieces were natural sounding, feeling like I was in the same room as these large orchestras. Strings and high brass were never shrill or sharp. This is definitely the least noticeable range when first listening, but its presence is definitely noticed and appreciated when it comes together to make the sound signature as a whole. Yseult’s new release “MENTAL” was my favorite to listen to for this range, seeing how well reproduced her vocals were along with the excellent highlights from her post-production mixing.
Summary
Empire Ears has not disappointed with this release. Audiophiles are sure to be impressed with the sound quality and dynamics that the Triton has to offer. The physical design may be a let down for some consumers, seeing as Empire sticks to the material and casings they know best. I would not let the design fool you, as they are delivering in the area that people want to see the most: sound. For people who like a lot of bass and enjoy hearing the smallest details in their tracks, they are sure to be impressed with the delivery from the Triton. At $1799, these are a fair price from a high-end company for the quality of sound they bring.
The Triton is available for purchase and demo at Audio46.