Empire Ears Legend X (Universal)
Built for bass devotees, the Legend X Universal unleashes visceral sub-bass with enormous scale while preserving a super-wide soundstage and incisive vocal placement. The Headphone Show found its grand, V-shaped presentation unusually distinctive, pairing club-ready slam with strong resolution, luxurious acrylic craftsmanship, and a clear center image that keeps the excitement precisely focused.
WATT RECOMMENDS
Save your favorites. Compare them anytime.
Create a free HiFi Hub account to save products to your Wishlist and compare your favorites side by side.
Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
84/100
Fit Comfort Isolation
75/100
Build Accessories
89/100
Value for Money
73/100
Pros
Exceptional bass impact, bloom, and large-scale presentation for bass-focused listening.
Super-wide staging with strong lateral definition and a distinct, forward center image.
Exceptionally clean acrylic construction, with seamless faceplate integration and a clear view of internal components.
Cons
V-shaped tuning recesses male vocals while the upper mids can make female vocals sound sharp.
Bass texture and control trail its sheer impact; notes can sound smoothed over and mid-bass can become less disciplined.
Large shells may protrude in smaller ears, and the connectors do not fully seat into the earpieces.
WATT RECOMMENDS
Save your favorites. Compare them anytime.
Create a free HiFi Hub account to save products to your Wishlist and compare your favorites side by side.
What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 84/100
The Legend X delivers an unapologetically large, bass-led V-shaped presentation with unusually expansive lateral staging and sharply defined central images. Its technical strengths are tempered by a recessed lower midrange, bass that can lose control and texture, compressed treble character, and restrained small-scale dynamic contrast.
Bass
89/100
Bass is the defining attraction: the reviewer calls it an "absolute bass cannon," with huge note size, bloom, and slam that will strongly appeal to bass-focused listeners. Texture and control are less convincing, however, as attacks can sound stretched and smoothed over, while abundant mid-bass can become less disciplined than flagship peers.
Midrange
78/100
The V-shaped balance leaves the midrange comparatively recessed, particularly for male vocals. An assertive upper-midrange rise brings female vocals forward, but can make them sound sharper than the rest of the vocal range.
Treble
80/100
Treble is clearly present rather than rolled off, with emphasis on the leading edge of percussion. The reviewer finds its quality less remarkable than the bass or staging, citing a somewhat compressed character and limited distinction between individual hits.
Resolution Separation
86/100
The review considers the Legend X technically capable and resolving despite its strongly elevated bass response. Its large low end can still add density to the presentation, so fine detail is not always presented with the clearest or most open sense of separation.
Soundstage Imaging
93/100
Imaging is a major strength, with a super-wide stage, strong lateral definition, and a notably distinct, forward center image for vocals. Stage height is above average, though the reviewer does not consider it among the very best in its class.
Dynamics Coherence
77/100
It produces plentiful bass slam and a grand, larger-than-life scale, but this does not translate into equally convincing dynamic gradation. Quieter passages remain too elevated and larger dynamic swings can sound flatter than intended.
FIT COMFORT ISOLATION PERFORMANCE 75/100
The universal shell is reported to fit well, but its larger body can protrude noticeably from smaller ears. Long-term comfort is therefore likely to depend more than usual on ear size, while the available review provides little direct discussion of passive isolation.
Seal Stability
84/100
The reviewer reports a good fit and does not identify seal loss or fit-related bass variation. The larger shells may be less discreet in smaller ears, but there is no indication that they routinely fail to maintain a seal.
Comfort
82/100
Fit is described as good overall, and the supplied Final E tips are said to be very comfortable. The shells are definitely on the large side and protrude in the reviewer's smaller ears, which may limit comfort for some listeners.
Isolation
50/100
The review says little about real-world passive isolation. No specific comparison with other sealed IEMs or report of outside-noise attenuation is provided.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Accessories
89/100
Construction receives especially strong praise: the acrylic shells are exceptionally cleanly finished, with seamless faceplate integration and a clear view of the internal components. The protective Pandora case, comfortable Final E tips, and Effect Audio cable are useful inclusions, although the case is bulky and the reviewer would prefer recessed or more fully seated connectors.
Value for Money
73/100
At roughly $2,279 to $2,400, the reviewer cannot offer a straightforward recommendation against competing flagship IEMs. Its singularly extreme bass-and-stage presentation serves a distinctive niche, but the price is difficult to justify for listeners seeking a more balanced all-round flagship.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
No reviews found yet
YouTube Reviews
Forum Mentions
No forum mentions found yet
Specifications
- Drivers
- 7 Proprietary Drivers, Hybrid Design 2 W9 Subwoofers, 2 Mid, 1 Mid-High, 1 High, 1 Super High
- Crossover System
- 10-Way synX Crossover System
- Resonance Mitigation
- A.R.C. Resonance Mitigation Technology
- Impedance
- 14 ohms @ 1kHz
- Frequency Response
- 5 Hz - 40kHz
- Sensitivity
- 102dB @ 1kHz, 1mW
- Cable
- 26AWG UPOCC Litz Copper Cable, Handcrafted by Effect Audio
Manufacturer's Description — Empire Ears
At long last the Legend has returned to the throne to push the limits of in-ear monitor performance to its highest point ever. Experience a world-class prestige IEM and a new era of uncompromising design and performance. From its arsenal of 7 proprietary drivers (including twin sequential W9 subwoofers) to its industry leading, state-of-the-art 10-way synX crossover network, the Legend X is the culmination of everything extraordinary we do at Empire.
*ATTENTION: THIS ITEM IS OUT OF STOCK WITH A CURRENT BUILD TIME OF 8 WEEKS*
*In stock orders usually process within 24 hours if order is placed before 12 pm (noon) EST. If not in stock, units usually ship within 8 weeks.
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.
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.
Every W9 subwoofer is hand assembled to our exacting quality standards in our Norcross, Georgia laboratory
Proprietary Drivers
The Legend X utilizes a number 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.
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.
Verified Dealers
Online Dealers
All Dealers
Zoom out the map to see more dealers
Authorized dealers for Empire Ears Legend X (Universal)
- Audeos — online and in-store — Żywiec, Województwo śląskie (website)
- Audio essence — online and in-store — Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland (website)
- Audio Magic - EU — online and in-store — Wola, Województwo mazowieckie, Poland (website)
- Audio Sanctuary — in-store — London, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Aural HiFi — online and in-store — Denver, Colorado, United States (website)
- Bloom Audio — online and in-store — Gibbsboro, New Jersey, United States (website)
- HeadAmp — online and in-store — Charlottesville, Virginia, United States (website)
- Headphone Zone — online and in-store — Laxmi Industrial Estate, Maharashtra, India (website)
- Headphones.com — online and in-store — Portland, Oregon, United States (website)
- LP Gear — online and in-store — Henderson, Nevada, United States (website)
and 9 more verified dealers