Astell&Kern Odyssey Earphones

The Astell&Kern Odyssey earphone is the first collaboration with high-end earphone manufacturer Empire Ears.

Astell&Kern is always challenging the possibilities of infinite sound and striving for the purest sound imaginable. Wanting to fully convey the groundbreaking sound of the newest flagship A&ultima SP3000, which was created by Astell&Kern’s continued efforts, through the best IEM that deserves it.

Empire Ears is an uncompromising and prestigious manufacturer of IEMs that combines innovative design with the latest technology. Astell&Kern and Empire Ears collaborated to create Odyssey, a new IEM that exhibits the world class sound found in both Astell&Kern and Empire Ears flagship products.

Odyssey

Empire Ears’ never-ending pursuit of the extraordinary drove them to build an IEM that is unashamedly without compromise. Nothing else matters, but the most immersive listening experience. With technology harnessed from the Odin and Legend EVO Empire Ears has distilled everything they’ve learned into this epic collaboration to create the next generation in-ear monitor, Odyssey.

Our two legacies are proof that attention to detail and visionary innovation conceive magnificent design. Never before has this been truer than with the partnership between two extraordinary companies collaborating to construct a revolutionary new in-ear monitor category.

W10 (Bone Conductor)

– Otherworldly imaging, nuance retrieval and timbre are achieved via bone conduction from our W10 Bone Conduction Ultra Driver. (Full Range)

Five Balanced Armature Drivers

– Custom spec’d Knowles (Upper Mid – High) and Sonion balanced armatures (Lower Mid – Mid) are commissioned with a single-minded purpose of reproducing only the most pure, breathtaking mid-range frequencies.

Dual W9+ (Subwoofers)

– Legendary, unparalleled bass reproduction is made possible by our purpose-built, W9+ subwoofers. (Sub bass – Bass)

Dual Electrostatic Tweeters

– Distortion-free, lightning-fast transient response and hyper treble extension from Sonion electrostatic drivers ensure unparalleled transparency. (High – Ultra High)

Empire has a long history of developing innovative, in-house solutions aimed at maximizing in-ear monitor performance. Our no-compromise philosophy inspired the development of our Dual Conduction Architecture – a revolutionary method of audio reproduction through both air and bone conduction to maximize listener immersion with a sound that you cannot only hear but feel, guaranteeing the purest experience possible.

Air Conduction

When you look at our hearing system you can break it down into 3 different regions: the outer ear, middle ear and inner ear. Air conduction utilizes all 3 as sound is collected by the outer ear and directed along the ear canal into the ear drum, vibrating the bones of hearing (ossicles) in the middle ear to stimulate the hair cells inside of your cochlea in the inner ear. This stimulation creates electrical nerve impulses which are then carried to the brain by the auditory nerve to be converted into sound.

Bone Conduction

Bone conduction completely bypasses the outer and middle ear components by sending vibrations directly through the skull to stimulate the hair cells inside of your cochlea. Through bone conduction we can perceive ultrasonic hearing (beyond 20kHz). Bone conduction is generally perceived to have a lower, deeper tone because the skull conducts lower frequencies more efficiently than air.

Dual Conduction

The Odyssey fully exploits the best of both worlds with its pioneering Dual Conduction Architecture (DCA). A full range 5Hz-100kHz frequency response is delivered via air conduction from the dual W9+ subwoofers, five balanced armatures and dual electrostatics while imaging, soundstage, detail retrieval, low frequency extension and reverb is extraordinarily enhanced from 5Hz-40kHz via bone conduction from the W10.

Through the use of DCA and Empire’s masterful tuning the Odyssey reproduces the most immersive, pure and stereophonic sound possible.

General Specifications

What Is Included

Media Reviews