[bettyn]

Two different kinds of headphones, but which sounds best? Have avoided planars in the past because they are usually too heavy for me.

 

[Ragnar-BY]

Both are great. Meze for relaxed, very forgiving and dark sound. Focal for speed, sense of clarity and sparkling highs.

 

[silversurfer616]

Had the Utopia and have the Empyrean right now. Sold Utopia due to a soundstage that annoyed me constantly and going to sell the Empyrean.
The latter is highly musical and super comfortable but just can’t compete with my Final Audio D8000Pro or Verite C.
So I tried both headphones and they weren’t for me...that’s all.

 

[Garak]

Diana V2/Phi are lighter than both. They're also better than both imo.

 

[bettyn]

Thanks.

 

[HBen]

If you play in this price range why not go for an abyss, a susvara or a TOTL electrostat ... in my opinion sound quality wise a league above the empyrean and much more versatile than the utopia

Also, there is no "best". All headphones have their pros and cons. If you want to stick to your original question: The utopia and the empyrean are vastly different headphones with very different strenghts and weaknesses. It all depends on your music style, preferences etc. etc. In this case I would not say one is overall much better than the other - it's like comparing an LCD3 to a HD800

 

[justin w.]

Two different kinds of headphones, but which sounds best? Have avoided planars in the past because they are usually too heavy for me.

We've had many customers directly compare those exact two -- Empyrean and Utopia. Some decided on Empyrean and some went with Utopia. I hope this is helpful

 

[bluecar]

Two different kinds of headphones, but which sounds best? Have avoided planars in the past because they are usually too heavy for me.

That will, 100%, depend on your preferences and your equipment.

Don't get hung up on weight - fit is more important than +/- 100g either way - the fit on both Meze and Focal is very, very good - extremely comfortable over long periods of listening.

As for sound, you need to judge that in the context of your system and your preferences.....my experience is...

Utopia has a narrower stage than the Empyrean, but clearer placement...
Empyrean has more low-end oomph than Utopia, but (to my ears) Utopia has more bass detail and timbre...
Empyrean is refined and subtle with upper-mid and treble.....Utopia is more detailed, and arguably more defined...

from my own demos and home sessions with both Headphones, I'd say the Empyrean is a more flexible option, in terms of amps and pairing - both will work fine with almost any amp, but the Empyrean will sound better with a broader range of setups - Don't get me wrong, you can plug the Utopia into anything and it will be fine, but to be truly amazing, careful pairing is helpful..

I bought the utopias, but thoroughly enjoyed the Meze - will buy a set to replace my LCD3s when they finally break (if ever!). They sounded great, but maybe I'm just being cheap, and want to re-use the aftermarket cables from my Audeze's

Have fun..

 

[Ciggavelli]

If you play in this price range why not go for an abyss, a susvara or a TOTL electrostat ... in my opinion sound quality wise a league above the empyrean and much more versatile than the utopia

Also, there is no "best". All headphones have their pros and cons. If you want to stick to your original question: The utopia and the empyrean are vastly different headphones with very different strenghts and weaknesses. It all depends on your music style, preferences etc. etc. In this case I would not say one is overall much better than the other - it's like comparing an LCD3 to a HD800

I’m one to definitely recommend the TCs or Susvaras, but I do want to caution that either of those 2 headphones would likely require a new headphone amp, as they are notoriously hard to drive. The Utopias and Empyreans can be driven well with “normal” headphone amps.

But yeah, if you have a powerful headphone amp or don’t mind buying one, I’d recommend the TCs, then the Susvaras, then the SR1a (same price range with the JotR)

 

[judomaniak57]

Diana V2/Phi are lighter than both. They're also better than both imo.

sound fantastic but wow, the most uncomfortable headphone

 

[driftingbunnies]

Utopia sounds the best out of those two. Now if you're asking which one do people prefer and why, that's a different question.

 

[hughtrue]

I owned Diana v2, utopia, and empyrean. technical performance I think utopia > empyrean> d2, but empyrean is the comfiest one among three and has a very colorful signature. Diana V2 is my daily driver, and a bit harder to drive than the other two, problem is it is not that comfortable on my head without mod (I put dekoni nuggets there). Utopia probably is more natural, more comfortable than stock Diana v2, though still a bit heavy for a long time listening period.I personally like both utopia and empyrean, they are both good in their own ways, I just switch between the two when I have a different mood.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Personally Utopia is a better headphone overall (in term of sound quality), but I able to enjoy Empyrean as much as Utopia too. Simply because Empyrean has more unique character that may suit to my mood better.

If I only have to pick one headphone, then Utopia it is. More all-round, versatile to various genres, because it's more neutral and transparent with set up.

p.s: A bit of both headphones above, blend in perfect way, that is ZMF Verite, and that's what I own now.

 

[PcChip]

I've tried the Utopia, 1266 TC, and Empyrean

The Utopia was good, I didn't fall in love with it but it was a really good headphone
The 1266 TC I couldn't stand to listen to for more than a few minutes at a time
The Empyreans are the best headphones I've ever used, both in comfort and sound. They're magical IMHO

 

[broadey]

Listened to both on an extended demo through my Auris ha2-se tube amp. Based on my amp, the utopias were the best. Take what people have said on the above comments re there sound, as I agree with them. I'll add they were more dynamic, faster and entertaining than the empys. The empys relaxed sound would probably suit a solid state amp.