[SludgeSwan]

Hi everyone,

I've sifted through quite a few threads on a lot of different forums/review pages, looking for amps, DACs + amps, and integrated DAC-amps that have a good synergy with the Meze Empyrean. In doing so, I didn't find a thread that summarizes all this information, so here we go

If you own or have listened with the Meze Empyrean, feel free to share your experience with different amps, DACs, and DAC-amps here!

I'll make a start. I've been using the Empys with two setups (living room and home office) since I bought it:

1) SMSL M500 + Cayin iHA-6: Great bass response, punchy and powerful. Better stage depth than combo 2. Overall still quite detailed across the whole frequency spectrum, but not as "clinical"/achromatic as combo 2 - a tad warmer. I find myself listening to this combo more often.

2) Topping D90 MQA + A90: Really fast, snappy, and "airy". However, especially deep bass is not nearly as pronounced as with combo 1. Also, the stage appears "flatter", something I've heard in many reviews and can confirm. Maybe the overall leaner sound makes it appear a bit more detailed as well, particularly in the treble area.

Looking forward to your experiences!

 

[Loftprojection]

I love mine, probably the last phones I buy for several years to come.

- Mobile setup: Macbook/Audirvana - Chord Mojo - Empyrean; sound is nicely detailed but overall ho-hum compared to my desktop setup

- Desktop setup: Bluesound Node2i - MHDT Orchid DAC - Unison Research SH tube amp - Empyrean; sound is really first class like I like it, treeble is detailed but smooth and easy going so I can listen all day without fatigue, voices are lush with jazz that is well recorde, bass is detailed, goes low but does not overwelm the rest. I had to roll tubes in the Orchid DAC and the SH amp because with the original tubes it was not that great. If I remove the Orchid DAC from the chain and feed directly from the Node2i, even with hi-res recordings, I loose quite a bit of the lush sound, it‘s still not bad overall but the addition of the Orchid DAC is a big plus for my taste. My next upgrade will probably be the tube amp, I’m quite tempted by the Euforia AE or the upcoming McIntosh.

 

[SludgeSwan]

Thanks for sharing your experience!
Amps that I read about again and again in connection with the Empyreans are the Flux Labs FA-10 and the Feliks Audio Euforia. Two different approaches, but both seem to harmonize really well with the Empyreans. Anyone has experience with those, maybe even compared the two?

 

[Loftprojection]

Thanks for sharing your experience!
Amps that I read about again and again in connection with the Empyreans are the Flux Labs FA-10 and the Feliks Audio Euforia. Two different approaches, but both seem to harmonize really well with the Empyreans. Anyone has experience with those, maybe even compared the two?

Well comparing those two is almost like comparing a mouse and an elephant! lol If you really want to make a difference in your setup and you are after a lush and musical sound, not a precise, fast and clinical one, then definitely look more towards a first class tube amp like the Feliks. The Empy is a high end headphone that deserves a top notch DAC and amp in order to get the most out of what it can do.

 

[Tanalasta]

Moon 430HAD. Leather pads. Opened up the soundstage and fullness of the sound beautifully. The Empyreans scale well and the musicality paired well in this circumstance. You probably can’t do a lot better in SS Amp if lush is what you’re after

Using the inbuilt DAC. Which isn’t as good as if you were to plug a better one in.

A simple pad or cable change can alter the Empy’s.

 

[Loftprojection]

Moon 430HAD. Leather pads. Opened up the soundstage and fullness of the sound beautifully. The Empyreans scale well and the musicality paired well in this circumstance with tubes. You probably can’t do a lot better in SS Amp if lush is what you’re after

Using the inbuilt DAC. Which isn’t as good as if you were to plug a better one in.

A simple pad or cable change can alter the Empy’s.

Interesting Moon 430HAD, we don’t hear a lot about Moon but I always loved their sound signature with speakers, in the SS world I find their sound really nice, unfortunately overall tube sound attracts me more.

 

[bAsschiP]

At CanJam SoCal '22 I heard my Empy with Feliks Envy (both standard and performance versions) and they were both FANTASTIC to my taste. Another winner was the LTA Z10e with the Denafrips Pontus II.

 

[malenak]

I have now at home TT2, Lyr 3 and EF400. Empys sounds amazing with every one of these amps. All the amps brings something. TT2 is no surprise the better one in the way how much authority, dynamics and details it brings and how the staging and imaging can sounds with Empyrean. Just amazing. But, they sounds great even with Lyr 3 and I think they sounds spectacular with EF400. I had Audio-gd C2 in the past and it was also a great combo.

 

[kumar402]

I enjoyed Empy when I had it in 2019 with Feliks Euforia and Lyr3 a as amp and I had Schiit Gungnir as DAC that time

 

[incredulousity]

Among reasonably-priced tier of equipment, Empy is great with RME ADI-2 DAC FS + either GSX Mini or Phonitor X. I liked it with Euforia AE, but preferred it with hotter power tubes than stock, such as TS 5998, or even more complicated combinations. It is solid with RME + Singxer SA-1 as well, for a lower price point. I cannot recommend the cheap THX amps.

Empy scales up with better stuff too, but not nearly as much as Elite does.

 

[HD650GotMeHooked]

Listening to it now with a Woo Wa8 (3 tubes, velour pads). Sounds great! Like it better on the Wa8 than with Wa 6Se with Bifrost 2 (although, less detail, more sparkle and bass with Wa8). Very good combo.

 

[Loftprojection]

Listening to it now with a Woo Wa8 (3 tubes, velour pads). Sounds great! Like it better on the Wa8 than with Wa 6Se with Bifrost 2 (although, less detail, more sparkle and bass with Wa8). Very good combo.

Wow that’s quite a surprises, a transportable dac/amp with a generic ESS dac chip and it souds better than a full blown seperate desktop R2R dac and amp! I always wondered how the WA8 sounded and it seems like it is really good or there is really no synergy between WA6SE/Bifrost and the Empy’s. I have an MHDT NOS dac with an EL84 class A amp and they sound wonderful.

 

[bAsschiP]

Any further updates regarding DAC AMP combos with the Empyreans? I am especially interested in any DACs and streamers with those who may be fortunate enough to have a Feliks Envy with the Empys.

 

[Flaze]

I wouldnt worry to much about specific pairings, since og empys arent that sensitive to gear. Thats what you get with easy to run cans, its both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you dont need fancy gear.... but on the other hand, if you do have fancy gear money, it wont change the sound that much