Meze EMPYREAN - the First Isodynamic Hybrid Array Headphone

[Etx1]

You have no good words to say about the 109's either, if I was you I would keep away from the Meze make as they really do seem not to agree with your taste.

 

[CulturedNerd]

I do find the Empyreans are very good in terms of both listening fatigue and comfort when wearing them for a few hours while working. Their widely praised comfort was a big factor in drawing me to them in the first place. I don't have overly large ears but I do seem to have trouble with shallower earpads and anything pressing on my ears for long, so the depth of the earpads was a point in their favor. They really do seem to be a step above in comfort, and the design and build quality is unique and impressive.

Sound-wise I admittedly don't have the broadest range of things to compare them to, having worked my way up from headphones at the level of Focal Elears. Compared to those though, they definitely provide more detail and resolution as I'm hearing sounds I didn't pick up on with the Elears. But they somehow don't bother me the same way in terms of treble either. The Elears can sound wonderful with some music for a while, but I can't listen to them for as long. Some music I find myself avoiding with them. They do seem to warm up a little with a little more volume on some recordings, but I often don't want to turn them up that high as it's just too much. The Empyreans don't seem to have that problem. I've listened continuously for hours without feeling like stopping. And their tonality (timbre?) just seems more natural as well, as I find the Elear do have a little metallic touch to the sound that I can mostly ignore but I do notice at times.

 

[Etx1]

Am I correct that the mini xlr connection of the Empyrean is the same fitting that is found on the Audeze LCD-2, LCD-3 and LCD-X ? Asking as there is a big choice of cables out there for the Audeze.

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[turbofeet]

Am I correct that the mini xlr connection of the Empyrean is the same fitting that is found on the Audeze LCD-2, LCD-3 and LCD-X ? Asking as there is a big choice of cables out there for the Audeze.

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Yes that's right, plus ZMF.

 

[Etx1]

Yes that's right, plus ZMF.

Thanks.

 

[Wladimir]

@feank - a statement like this has close to zero value, since we don't know the rest of the system you're listening on.

When I heard my Empys for the first time, the old but gold 99 Classics were sounding better to me as well, which didn't make any sense. And I had RME ADI-2 DAC at that time, so no low-end / chi-fi or underpowered portable device. So you have to understand that Empys are, contrary to popular opinion, VERY demanding headphones to sound the best, but on the other hand, they scale tremendously with a better system...

 

[feank]

You have no good words to say about the 109's either, if I was you I would keep away from the Meze make as they really do seem not to agree with your taste.

Is a long story with 109, at the beginning it didn’t like me, in fact I sold to a friend, after try Hadenys it didn’t like the bass timbre and interchange by the 109 to that friend and after around 2 months is one of my favorites now, burn in?, I don’t t know , but it has a different warm and great bass with extended sub bass, even so much than my LCD2 CB