[ufospls2]

Meze Audio ELITE + iFi xDSD Gryphon = Transportable goodness. Seriously impressed with the Gryphon in its product class so far. So much functionality.

 

[Slim1970]

Meze Audio ELITE + iFi xDSD Gryphon = Transportable goodness. Seriously impressed with the Gryphon in its product class so far. So much functionality.

I really want to hear the Gryphon. Not just with the Elites, but with other headphones as well.

 

[ufospls2]

I really want to hear the Gryphon. Not just with the Elites, but with other headphones as well.

I thought it was a bit expensive for what it is (not feeling that way as much now,) and I think if they had managed $500USD that would make it unbeatable currently for its use case. With that being said, even at MSRP, if you don't need the power of the Micro iDSD signature, its a compelling option. Also, if you want bluetooth and such, it makes that possible also. It's a very impressive little unit.

 

[Slim1970]

I thought it was a bit expensive for what it is (not feeling that way as much now,) and I think if they had managed $500USD that would make it unbeatable currently for its use case. With that being said, even at MSRP, if you don't need the power of the Micro iDSD signature, its a compelling option. Also, if you want bluetooth and such, it makes that possible also. It's a very impressive little unit.

I have my eyes on this one for sure.

 

[betula]

How much of the original charm of the Empyrean's sound is still retained in the Elite? I mean a warm, sweet tone that always asks for the next track.

As an Empyrean owner and fan I can still see this headphone's shortcomings: bass could be cleaner and more impactful, everything could be a bit clearer and cleaner. Yet I find this imperfect charm of the Empyrean's warm and enveloping tone unique and addictive.

I wonder if I should go for the Elite as a retailer gave me a good offer. Unfortunately it is kind of hard to audition in my area.

 

[Arcamera]

I couldn't hold out anymore-- I should have the Elite next week, if all goes well. Haven't tried them, just confident I'll like them. Either way, I've no intention of letting my Empyrean's go.

 

[ThanatosVI]

How much of the original charm of the Empyrean's sound is still retained in the Elite? I mean a warm, sweet tone that always asks for the next track.

As an Empyrean owner and fan I can still see this headphone's shortcomings: bass could be cleaner and more impactful, everything could be a bit clearer and cleaner. Yet I find this imperfect charm of the Empyrean's warm and enveloping tone unique and addictive.

I wonder if I should go for the Elite as a retailer gave me a good offer. Unfortunately it is kind of hard to audition in my area.

While the Empyrean has a warm, sweet tone, that always asks for the next track.
The Elite has a neutral, sweet tone, that always asks for the next track.

Imo Meze managed to Port the musicality into a more detailed headphone. The Empyrean has the warmer and bassier signature, but both have this addictive trait that let's you sink in and hear track After track.

 

[Hoegaardener70]

How much of the original charm of the Empyrean's sound is still retained in the Elite? I mean a warm, sweet tone that always asks for the next track.

As an Empyrean owner and fan I can still see this headphone's shortcomings: bass could be cleaner and more impactful, everything could be a bit clearer and cleaner. Yet I find this imperfect charm of the Empyrean's warm and enveloping tone unique and addictive.

I wonder if I should go for the Elite as a retailer gave me a good offer. Unfortunately it is kind of hard to audition in my area.

I owned the Empy and have the Elite now. With a slight bass boost on the Elites, I get all what the Empy gave me plus a ton of detail and more dynamic sound. The Empy was great for all except classical music; the Elite is great for all types of music especially classic.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

How much of the original charm of the Empyrean's sound is still retained in the Elite? I mean a warm, sweet tone that always asks for the next track.

As an Empyrean owner and fan I can still see this headphone's shortcomings: bass could be cleaner and more impactful, everything could be a bit clearer and cleaner. Yet I find this imperfect charm of the Empyrean's warm and enveloping tone unique and addictive.

I wonder if I should go for the Elite as a retailer gave me a good offer. Unfortunately it is kind of hard to audition in my area.

Elite has closer relation to Empyrean when it comes about translating emotion from a song, compared to any other brand like Hifiman, Audeze, Abyss, RAAL, and Kennerton.

Enveloping addictive tone is what Elite do the best, set aside it also perform well in technicalities.

 

[KerrangZ]

I owned the Empy and have the Elite now. With a slight bass boost on the Elites, I get all what the Empy gave me plus a ton of detail and more dynamic sound. The Empy was great for all except classical music; the Elite is great for all types of music especially classic.

Can you share where you applied the boost?

 

[Andykong]

TT2 owners — I assume it has enough Juice to power the elites without a separate amp?

You don't have to with Elite, if the TT sound signature fit your taste perfectly, spend the money else where. On the other hand, if you want to add another tonal option in your system, tighten up the bass and authority in some genres or tracks, adding a headphone amplifier is an effective treatment.

 

[Andykong]

Sorry, I only speak Elite language.

Well, how come your Elite language is so much more appealing than mine? Maybe my teacher is right, I am bad in language.

 

[Andykong]

Very interesting indeed. I listen to quite a variety of music through the day... and more often than not, most days, it's for 6-7 hours at a time. One of the reasons I loved the Meze Empyrean & now the Elites is that they are completely non fatiguing. Entertaining but never tiring. Maybe the TT2 is the sweet spot?!? I can hear my wallet heaving a sigh of relief ... apart from the idea of more headphones (which does sound good).

Being able to listen to your fluorite music for 6-7 hours at a time is a blessing, even when you are working in between. I am happy for you.

When I start my audio journey, it was way before CAS (Computer Audio Source), let alone streaming. There is no shuffle playback or playlist features in our sound system, we normally listen to an album from start to stop, so our listening sessions are counts in number of albums: today I'll listen to 1 album, or 3 albums. At that time, speakers and headphones (I had a HD600 at that time) are designed for long listening sessions, a must, or even a criteria we had taken for granted.

Unfortunately, this become an uncommon or even rare design consideration nowadays. I have come across many headphone system that sounds fascinating in the first 10 minutes, but I probably won't sit down and listen to a complete album with that. I am glad that Meze always put long listening hours as their priority design objective, from 99Classic to Elite.

One of the reasons I loved the Meze Empyrean & now the Elites is that they are completely non fatiguing.

Only music lovers who spends hours and hours enjoying their music will appreciate this.

 

[Andykong]

OK, I will say that I like the SP2K a little better and It has a couple other advantages, Roon ready, lots of storage. But my main point especially with the Kann is that one does not NEED the latest and greatest to make the Elite sound good. And since the Kann has twice the storage capacity of any other portable DAP I know of ( ok the DX120 and that Pioneer thing) it will get plenty of use.

A lot of consumers (and reviewers) are comparing headphone by dollar, they didn't compare them from a total system perspective. The Elite is a lot cheaper than many similarly priced headphones if we look at them from a total system cost to deliver satisfactory performance.

 

[implicitzen]

Being able to listen to your fluorite music for 6-7 hours at a time is a blessing, even when you are working in between. I am happy for you.

When I start my audio journey, it was way before CAS (Computer Audio Source), let alone streaming. There is no shuffle playback or playlist features in our sound system, we normally listen to an album from start to stop, so our listening sessions are counts in number of albums: today I'll listen to 1 album, or 3 albums. At that time, speakers and headphones (I had a HD600 at that time) are designed for long listening sessions, a must, or even a criteria we had taken for granted.

Unfortunately, this become an uncommon or even rare design consideration nowadays. I have come across many headphone system that sounds fascinating in the first 10 minutes, but I probably won't sit down and listen to a complete album with that. I am glad that Meze always put long listening hours as their priority design objective, from 99Classic to Elite.


Only music lovers who spends hours and hours enjoying their music will appreciate this.

I use my elites all day when I work from home now and, if I'm not on a meeting, I'm blasting music the entire time. I truly enjoy these headphones, but I'm thinking I'm going to have to let them go soon. Getting married next year and selling these would go a long way towards that expense. Will probably try to pick up a good condition arya v2 as a cheaper alternative. Really going to hate to part with the elites though.