[Toonartist]

And yet they compete.
There is the DCA Stealth which is a clear notch above, but that's about it

I have no doubt they’ll compete as they are very good. I would add the Verite Closed Back, Atrium Closed back and Focal Stellia to the list of competitors.

 

[Newsee]

And yet they compete.
There is the DCA Stealth which is a clear notch above, but that's about it

Any yet I did not like the Stealth and I like the Liric. A bigger one that sounds even closer to the Empy or Elite would be welcome.

 

[rsbrsvp]

I am not clear from the seemingly contradictory reviews if the Empy 2 is more bassy, richer, thicker or less bassy, thinner than the Elite...

 

[rsbrsvp]

Is Empy 2 or Elite better for Rock and Roll and modern genras in general?

 

[ThanatosVI]

I am not clear from the seemingly contradictory reviews if the Empy 2 is more bassy, richer, thicker or less bassy, thinner than the Elite...

More V shaped.

So either bassier and brighter, or with recessed mids, depending on how you volume match

 

[gammi]

And yet they compete.
There is the DCA Stealth which is a clear notch above, but that's about it

There's definitely a major hole in the market for true TOTL closed backs like the Stealth. Everything else is capped around Liric level.

 

[dbull12]

There's definitely a major hole in the market for true TOTL closed backs like the Stealth. Everything else is capped around Liric level.

I think the Caldera Closed will probably fix this

 

[Alboxhen]

How can there be a hole in the market if closed back seals the hole

 

[swedishpat]

I think the Caldera Closed will probably fix this

That’s what I’m hoping too! I really need a good closed back in my life! Tried pretty much all but haven’t found one I like yet.

 

[SolarCetacean]

I'll be the contrarian here. I listened to the Empy 2 at CAF yesterday both at the HeadAmp booth with the GSX and at the LTA Lounge with the Z10e. The duo pads were used in all cases. I would take either the original Empyrean or the Elite over the Empy 2. The Empy 2 is sort of soft-sounding, particularly in bass. I would go as far to say that the Stax SR-X9000, an electrostat, has better bass impact than the Empy 2. Listening to Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" with both of them plugged into the Z10e, the X9K has bite and snap and slam to the leading edge of drum hits while the Empy 2 just lands with a thud. Compared to the Empy 1 on the same chain, the original has more bass and low-end, plus a sort of "dreamy" character to vocals and the midrange, while the Empy 2 tries to be more neutral in the midrange but loses its character in the process. Comparing against the Elite on the GSX, the Elite has more "snap" to the sound with sharper notes in general, while not having the general bassiness of the original Empyrean. I'm pretty disappointed in the Empyrean 2, all things considered.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

I’m wondering how the Empy 2 sounds compared to the OG Empy with Angled Alcantara pads. It seems like you might be able to get the best of both worlds with a simple pad swap on the OG. This would be the much cheaper option with the prices on used OG Empy’s coming down.

 

[ThanatosVI]

This would be the much cheaper option with the prices on used OG Empy’s coming down.

Actually there could be a Trend reverse.
Considering the Empyrean sounds very different from it's successor and being discontinued at the same time, it's now probably more valuable to some than it was before

 

[ThEvil0nE]

I think they have peaked on the Elite and the only way to keep things interesting and moving is for a somewhat departure from it's usual sound signature. I remember auditioning the Elite and saying to myself "this is it". The Empyrean was just too dark or "lushed" for my liking. I wonder if the Empyrean 2 takes some of the Liric tuning but tweaked and polished.

 

[Dragonmilenario]

I think they have peaked on the Elite and the only way to keep things interesting and moving is for a somewhat departure from it's usual sound signature. I remember auditioning the Elite and saying to myself "this is it". The Empyrean was just too dark or "lushed" for my liking. I wonder if the Empyrean 2 takes some of the Liric tuning but tweaked and polished.

Couldn't have said it better, 100% agree.

 

[C_Lindbergh]

Will be interesting to read various takes on the Elite vs Empy II here on head-fi. You can pretty much get a pair of used Elite's for the same price as a new Empy II, I'm far less interested in a Empy vs Empy II comparison since the former will become so much cheaper on the used market.

I've been eyeing the Elite's for quite some time, but on the other hand getting a pair of fresh and new HP for the same price is pretty tempting as well.