That looks a very good price for cable using OCC wire trob, and with decent shielding should prove more than good enough lol!
But yes, that's one FAT cable!!
Hi freesole. I'm sure you won't be disappointed with the Empyreans...well done!
As for the Senn 6XX series, although I personally have only had the 650s, as far as I'm concerned - and in my system! - they were very good, but when fast A/Bing with the 800's there was simply no comparison IMHO. And the same goes for my Beyer T1s (with upgraded cable). The 650s do upscale surprisingly well (for the money), but are not in the same league...if one is honest lol!
The 800s - with the sort of gear that complements them well, like the 'tuned for' Questyle CMA800, including upgraded cables, or tube amps such as Euforia, with warmer tubes - can indeed sound extremely good, as mentioned previously. But they deliver a signature that is certainly not to everyone's taste, and can be very difficult to match up just right with the rest of one's system.
The Empyreans however - again as mentioned in my last post - are proving to be much easier to match well with a wider variety of gear. And I, along with most others, would say the Mezes are definitely a much 'warmer' headphone, which gives a 'smoother' overall sound experience, albeit not quite so
precise as the 800's. And so also, therefore, be much more forgiving of less-than-perfect recordings. Plus, I'm sure that in most cases they will prove to be more conducive to long listening sessions lol!
But my mini-meet did show up a couple of pertinent facts...Not only do the Mezes benefit greatly from an upgraded cable - as do the Senns, but also from really good quality cables elsewhere in the system. And this even includes such as a digital coax cable! It wasn't until a better headphone cable was substituted, and leather pads replaced with Alcantara(!!) that my 800-loving friend began to find the Empys more interesting...(he always looking for
negatives before the
positives!). But this changed a good deal - much to his surprise, and
mine, when we replaced his amazing-looking £1000 worth monster of a coax cable from Hugo2 to his Questyle, with a very humble looking one I made using Neotech silver/gold plus a copper UP-OCC wires (cost under £40). Neither of us could believe the difference...the Empys delivering the smoothest, most seductive sound I myself have ever heard (and I could tell that Olli also, if even reluctantly, was lost for words...which is a rare occurrence indeed lol!
)...A quick photo of said transforming cable...
Now, I realise that this particular mod may not apply to most folks, but it just shows what the Empyreans are in fact capable of achieving...over and above their already superlative performance.
I would finally like to make another recommendation concerning these headphones. Unless one
loves bass and lower mids emphasis in their sound, be careful not to have too many other elements in the system - including cables(!) - that lean towards the 'dark' side. Although at first it can seem
extra seductive, in recordings that are already biased towards these frequencies it can soon dominate, upsetting the overall balance. And worse, the bass can become a bit 'flabby', less tight and not so well controlled....(especially with the stock cable lol!!).
But bear this in mind, and your Empyreans will reward you with a truly wonderful, satisfying sound....CHEERS!...CJ
