Cable pair up.

I’m aware that some people are skeptical about cable contribution to the audio chain.  It’s not my intent to start an argument here.  Instead, I would like to share what I hear during my testing.  What makes sense to me is that a metal wire is a material with physical properties of resistivity, conductivity, and purity, all of which act as a filter between your source and earphones.  Variations of these physical properties can affect the conductivity of analog signal, resulting in a sound change, from a subtle to a more noticeable level.  If the talk about cables upsets you, please skip this section.  Otherwise, enjoy these short impressions.

Emperor

• w/PWA FT – more holographic imaging, more sub-bass rumble which gives more weight to the bass, more natural mids and treble
• w/LL Venom – more holographic imaging, more sub-bass rumble, and more articulate mid-bass punch, more organic tonality of mids, more natural treble tonality
• w/EA C24 – similar to stock with a bit more sub-bass rumble
• w/EA C24C – more textured articulate bass, more sparkle in treble

Empress

• w/PWA FT – more holographic imaging, deeper sub-bass, a bit more mid-bass punch, more natural mids, and a bit more sparkle in treble.
• w/LL Venom – more sub-bass rumble, a little more mid-bass punch, more organic tonality of mids
• w/EA C24 – similar to stock with a bit more sub-bass rumble
• w/EA C24C – more textured articulate bass, more sparkle in treble

Source Pair up.

In each of these source pair-ups, I was using a stock cable and stock SpinFit W1 eartips.  Also, with its 106dB sensitivity and 15ohm impedance, Emperor and Empress IEMs are relatively easy to drive.

L&P P6 Pro – Both have a neutral signature with a clear natural tonality and forward presentation of the vocals, Emperor has more mid-bass punch while Empress has more sub-bass rumble and flatter mid-bass.

Lotoo LPGT – with both IEMs I hear mids a bit smoother, adding slightly more body to the sound.

Cayin N7 – similar to P6 Pro with a bit more sub-bass rumble and tighter mid-bass punch in both iems.

Hiby R8ii – gives more natural tonality in mids to both IEMs, but also, I noticed a slightly brighter and harsher treble with Empress, but not Emperor.

A&K SP3000T (hybrid) – more sub-bass rumble and more natural tonality in mids, but in hybrid/tube mode there is a little bit of waterfall hissing which you can hear in instrumental tracks.

Conclusion.

Spending time with both Emperor and Empress made me realize that I’m surrounded by too many other IEMs with enhanced bass, textured sound, fuller body tonality, or the opposite with revealing mids, energetic treble, and crisper tonality.  When people ask which IEM is better, I can’t easily answer this question because audiophiles have different sound preferences and look for monitors with different sound tuning.  Colored tuning dominates today’s IEM landscape, especially when it comes to higher-end flagships where it seems like some manufacturers don’t like to take a risk with a neutral reference tuning.  That is why the question of “which IEM is better” makes no sense to me because I intend to describe the sound as accurately as I hear it, and then let my readers decide if the IEM will be their cup of tea based on what is better for them.

However, if you are looking for a flagship sound and build quality IEMs with a neutral resolving tuning and a clear natural tonality, want a clean, transparent sound, and are OK with a neutral bass quantity, either Emperor or Empress will certainly hit your sweet spot.  They do have variations in sound tuning depending on your preference for the bass and treble finetuning.  But if you like to analyze the sound and want to hear more natural resolving details without any exaggeration or coloring, both IEMs will definitely appeal to you, especially since their neutral tuning can complement nicely the rest of your “colored” collection of monitors.