[Alcophone]

Closed vs Open?

Always the same question... will my wallet stay closed... or will it open?

 

[Ciggavelli]

@Ciggavelli

When u have some free time could you do me a favour, and have a listen to the album Stella and Steve by Benee.



It isn't anything masterful and does not offer much in terms of showing off headphone technicalities or soundstage/imaging etc but it remains one of my favourite albums. I love her voice and the constant bass notes/melody and punch.

Could you listen to a few songs and share what u think of the sub-bass, leading punch/snap to the bass, and also her voice (whether u notice any sibilance or etch). I also like how her music has a lot of small elements in the background, which can be easily made out and isolated on the Utopia/Susvara.

Her voice (and it's leading edges) and the snap of the snare drum element keeps the whole album engaging for me. It's when I fell asleep to this album when listening with the original Empy that I realized it had to go... Just wondering if the same thing may happen with the Elite.

I just listened to it. Bass punch with the Elites is pretty good, sub-bass is easily heard. Imagining is pretty good. I hear slight sibilance with her voice. Soundstage is somewhat small compared to my other headphones. Detail is still around LCD-4 levels. There's slight warmth with this album (not LCD-4 levels, but more than say a perfectly neutral pair of headphones). Dynamics are pretty good. The album is fun to listen to, and I feel the Elite helps with this "fun" aspect.

Compared with the Susvaras on the same album: Detail is clearly better on the Susvaras, dynamics are pretty similar (I guess). The soundstage is definitely larger on the Susvaras. The bass punch is larger on the Elites. I feel the underlying bass quantity is a bit larger on the Elites, but perhaps the bass quality is a bit better on the Susvaras.

If I had to choose between the Susvaras and Elites on this album, I'm choosing the Susvaras. I'm not sure it's a fair comparison, given the Susvaras are more expensive, but I guess with discounts, it may be similarly priced. But, the sound quality is noticeably better on the Susvaras. There is almost no sibilance with the vocals on the Susvara (you have to look for it to notice it, while on the Elites, it's pretty easy to hear the "shhh" and "sttt").

 

[BassicScience]

FWIW, last night I listened to that Benee record on my Susvara chain (see below, except with DAC2 as preamp in lieu of the Ref 6SE). Definitely a tasty piece of modern pop confection (thanks, @Roasty ). One thing that struck me was how huge and full the soundstage was, and not a rough edge in sight. Bass definition and level was perfect. Total sonic bliss. I found myself thinking that if it could get any better than what I was hearing, it wouldn't be worth the effort to find out. Maybe I should post this in the "How do you know when you've reached your endgame" thread.

Back on topic: I am looking forward to auditioning the Elite at CanJam at the end of the month. I've never heard the OG Empys, but based on what I've read they don't have the resolution I crave.

 

[driftingbunnies]

The bass punch is larger on the Elites. I feel the underlying bass quantity is a bit larger on the Elites, but perhaps the bass quality is a bit better on the Susvaras.

This is pretty interesting to me. I think it is dependent on your amplification. Unfortunately I couldn't use the same amp with the Elite due to noise but I was able to get more bass quantity and quality out of the Susvara (Lux L550axii taps) compared to the Elite (GSX-Mini).

 

[Ciggavelli]

This is pretty interesting to me. I think it is dependent on your amplification. Unfortunately I couldn't use the same amp with the Elite due to noise but I was able to get more bass quantity and quality out of the Susvara (Lux L550axii taps) compared to the Elite (GSX-Mini).

I listened to both of them off my WA33 EE JPS. I think amplification probably helps with bass quantity on the Susvaras, as many people use speaker amps. I will try both the Susvara and Elites off of my HSA-1b later, but I do not have a speaker amp readily available

 

[newtseverywhere]

Here the Susvaras are 6k€. I've never listened to them, but I guess it's a good sign the Elite keeps being considered quite close (if slightly inferior) to headphones that are 50% more expensive?

 

[Ciggavelli]

Here the Susvaras are 6k€. I've never listened to them, but I guess it's a good sign the Elite keeps being considered quite close (if slightly inferior) to headphones that are 50% more expensive?

The Susvaras are even more expensive because you also need a suitable amp, while the Elites are very easy to drive. From a price point perspective the Elites definitely win. But, from a sound quality perspective, the Susvaras are better in my mind.

I think I’ll try comparing the Elites more with my LCD-4 and Utopias, as they are all the same price point

 

[MatW]

Waiting for the first one with an Empyrean to compare them to the Elite… or did I miss someone?

 

[driftingbunnies]

Here the Susvaras are 6k€. I've never listened to them, but I guess it's a good sign the Elite keeps being considered quite close (if slightly inferior) to headphones that are 50% more expensive?

That's one way of looking at it. However, for those wanting something that is TOTL, the Sus is the easier choice. Also if you're willing to do some homework and reach out to dealers, you'll be surprised that sometimes you can get prices closer than you would think.

 

[Newsee]

Waiting for the first one with an Empyrean to compare them to the Elite… or did I miss someone?

No, you didn't.
Ciggavelli is the very first to have the Meze Elite. Impressive impressions out of the box, taking into account that some were swearing to 200 hrs burn in time for the Empys.

 

[MatW]

You didn't.

My dealer will receive one tomorrow..

 

[Newsee]

My dealer will receive one tomorrow..

Will you be the 2nd one?

 

[MatW]

Will you be the 2nd one?

I meant that I suppose I could be the first one with an Empy to compare it to the Elite, if I chose to buy it tomorrow.. However, since I already have the Susvara, I am not sure if it makes much sense to go this route… The big question for me is how “Empy-like” the Elite sounds, i.e. is it still warm and laidback, and at the same time more controlled in the bass and more detailed?

 

[Solasuke]

Reply from Meze on whether there will be an upgrade scheme for existing Empyrean owners:


“Thank you for reaching out! We appreciate your support and interest in our products.
We will be discussing potential upgrade options internally and I'll make sure to let you know once we have reached a conclusion.

Have a great day!

”

So it sounds like they are open to offering something!

 

[slainte]

My Elites should be here tomorrow. If time allows, I'll try to post some impressions compared to the Empyreans.