[betula]

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.

New Empy II. is $3K. Used Elites go around $2.5K.

 

[C_Lindbergh]

New review:

https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/meze-audio-empyrean-ii

 

[PixelSquish]

Bloom Audio lets you pay with Shop Pay payment plans or PayPal Credit. They are located in New Jersey.

great bunch of guys that own and run that shop, excellent customer service, good knowledge of the products, ship fast as well.

 

[gammi]

great bunch of guys that own and run that shop, excellent customer service, good knowledge of the products, ship fast as well.

+1 on that. I bought my CA-1a and Svanar Wireless from them (I think maybe my Expanse too?) and I've been to their shop multiple times to test gear. Great people.

In fact I'll be there end of this week to compare the Elite to the Empyrean 2 and if I like the 2 better, buy it from them.

 

[bunnygal23]

+1 on that. I bought my CA-1a and Svanar Wireless from them (I think maybe my Expanse too?) and I've been to their shop multiple times to test gear. Great people.

In fact I'll be there end of this week to compare the Elite to the Empyrean 2 and if I like the 2 better, buy it from them.

Please see if you could also do some pad swapping, really curious about the Duo on the Elites, you might get more info than I did from a noisy show floor.

 

[djentbat]

I’m torn between the Empy II and the Diana MR. I got to hear the MR and I just loved the subas extension on it. Hopefully my local shop with have an Empy II to demo soon

 

[Currawong]

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.

I think this is a good observation. The II doesn't have as much slam in the bass. It's more even for music where that doesn't matter, but when you want more dynamic impact from notes, it feels somewhat behind. I think where it does well is when you want to relax listening, and enjoy the nuances, rather than rock out.

 

[Slackaveli]

So, for House and trance and rap music, Empy I, Empy II, or Elite?

 

[Toonartist]

So, for House and trance and rap music, Empy I, Empy II, or Elite?

I prefer Elite with angled pads for tight bass with a deep soundstage and pace… I had no complaints with OG Empy though. When I want extra sub bass I now have the Atrium Closed but I still really like the Elite combo for EDM.

 

[ThanatosVI]

So, for House and trance and rap music, Empy I, Empy II, or Elite?

Haven't heard Empyrean II yet, but so far Elite with Hybrid Pads would be my go to for House and Trance.

 

[ThEvil0nE]

I think this is a good observation. The II doesn't have as much slam in the bass. It's more even for music where that doesn't matter, but when you want more dynamic impact from notes, it feels somewhat behind. I think where it does well is when you want to relax listening, and enjoy the nuances, rather than rock out.

With that, I guess Empyrean (sound) has left the building with the 2. Which is more and more looking like a Liric-like tuning but optimized for open back. This move would be an easy sell to Meze diehards but would be a bit tougher for the OG Empy fans and even more so to Elite owners. Plus if Meze did dabble into the more neutral presentation, there's going to be competition in that category, the (super hyped) Composer is one and could be a lot in the 1k and under.

 

[ThanatosVI]

the (super hyped) Composer is one and could be a lot in the 1k and under.

Composer is 2.5k, why would you compare it to 1k and under?

 

[ThEvil0nE]

Composer is 2.5k, why would you compare it to 1k and under?

I'm pointing out to type of tuning (neutral) in the 1k and under. With regards to Empy 2 vs Composer, I did say in that category.

 

[ThanatosVI]

I'm pointing out to type of tuning (neutral) in the 1k and under. With regards to Empy 2 vs Composer, I did say in that category.

Empyrean II is V shaped and certainly not neutral in the 1k and below frequency range

 

[ThEvil0nE]

Empyrean II is V shaped and certainly not neutral in the 1k and below frequency range

Mines are speculative and to what I've been getting in some of the comments, I still have to audition the II.