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Meze EMPYREAN - the First Isodynamic Hybrid Array Headphone
Jan 20, 2019 at 3:50 PM Post #2,221 of 12,975
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Well guys i enjoy a great set of cans being that i live in a condo. I feel the headphones are more intimate and eliminate the acoustic properties of a room. Not that i don't enjoy my B&Ws with my VTL S-400 amp but each has it's place in my living quarters. In a condo late nights don't work with speakers. I have a Violectric V281 and the new Manley Absolute amp. Both are great IMHO. I'm currently using Hifiman HE1000V2 but ordered a pair of Meze Empyrean's from ViolectricUSA. Arthur says they are coming into stock in a week so i pre-ordered since he's only getting 8 pairs intially. I've read good things about these cans and Headfonia calls them the new King of Cans. Any opinions out there from anyone that has heard them.
I'm using an EMM Labs DA2 DAC from Ed Meitner so my source is top gun... I'll report back once i get them in a few weeks. I bought them without first hearing them just because of a few friends that heard them at a show. Hope they are truly the new King of Cans. Tired of giving my money to Dr Wong at HifiMan especially when he picks selling price not on R&D and cost of materials but based on "what he thinks he can charge"
*** sorry for the large pictures... Trying to figure it out...
 
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Jan 20, 2019 at 4:17 PM Post #2,222 of 12,975
RickY B said:

Well guys i enjoy a great set of cans being that i live in a condo. I feel the headphones are more intimate and eliminate the acoustic properties of a room. Not that i don't enjoy my B&Ws with my VTL S-400 amp but each has it's place in my living quarters. In a condo late nights don't work with speakers. I have a Violectric V281 and the new Manley Absolute amp. Both are great IMHO. I'm currently using Hifiman HE1000V2 but ordered a pair of Meze Empyrean's from ViolectricUSA. Arthur says they are coming into stock in a week so i pre-ordered since he's only getting 8 pairs intially. I've read good things about these cans and Headfonia calls them the new King of Cans. Any opinions out there from anyone that has heard them.
I'm using an EMM Labs DA2 DAC from Ed Meitner so my source is top gun... I'll report back once i get them in a few weeks. I bought them without first hearing them just because of a few friends that heard them at a show. Hope they are truly the new King of Cans. Tired of giving my money to Dr Wong at HifiMan especially when he picks selling price not on R&D and cost of materials but based on "what he thinks he can charge"
*** sorry for the large pictures... Trying to figure it out...
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To answer your question - "Any opinions out there from anyone that has heard them" - you should find a few comments on this thread of how people have found the empyrean - just have a read

and i think you may be looking for this thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sho...state-no-old-pictures-please.529140/page-1552
 
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Jan 21, 2019 at 4:06 AM Post #2,224 of 12,975
Hoegaardener70 said:
For those who have compared both - is it worth giving up my beloved HD800s for the empyrean? I can only own one pair....
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For me, it would be worth to replace HD800 even with a more entry-level Planar, like LCD2Classic, so The Empyrean would be an absolutely yes :)

Planars have a huge headroom just based on the driver technology, this means that even if you want a slightly different tuning / signature, you can EQ them a lot, so I wouldn't worry
 
Jan 21, 2019 at 9:08 AM Post #2,225 of 12,975
Dobrescu George said:
For me, it would be worth to replace HD800 even with a more entry-level Planar, like LCD2Classic, so The Empyrean would be an absolutely yes :)

Planars have a huge headroom just based on the driver technology, this means that even if you want a slightly different tuning / signature, you can EQ them a lot, so I wouldn't worry
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with all the love and money that i have put into my hd800 (woo wa2, plus tube$ metrum hex, norne cables) they will never go anywhere. They still impress me.

Everything else is dispensable and will be sold around them if needed to get to the next level/different sound (eg empyrean when i hear them)
 
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Jan 21, 2019 at 10:08 AM Post #2,226 of 12,975
thecrow said:
with all the love and money that i have put into my hd800 (woo wa2, plus tube$ metrum hex, norne cables) they will never go anywhere. They still impress me.

Everything else is dispensable and will be sold around them if needed to get to the next level/different sound (eg empyrean when i hear them)
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That is also a very solid and good position! :)

I liked HD800 very much when I first heard them and was totally a fan!

I just was jubjected to things that were more pleasing and more convenient. For example, Audeze LCD MX-4 which was possible to drive from most portable sources, like iFi iDSD BL Micro, iFi xDSD, iBasso DX200, FiiO X7mkii, Hiby R6, and even something smol like NextDrive SpectraX. In this sense, if I was able to get the same enjoyment from them without having to use large amps, and I could even enjoy their might on-the-go, I didn't keep Hd800 and their picky nature quite as close.

I do wonder where HD820 is at nowadays, but there seem to be almost none in the wild to date.
 
Jan 21, 2019 at 10:47 AM Post #2,227 of 12,975
I'd say dump the HD800. I got into cans with the HD800s. Never pulled me in and after a year + of owning them i sold them. To me they were to sterile sounding. I never got engaged to the music. I'd listen for 15 minutes then turn i'd turn on the speakers. I started with a Jack Woo amp with Sophia Electric tubes then UPGRADED to the Pathos Aurium. The Aurium made the Woo seem muddy and slow. After the Pathos i bought the Violectric V281. The V281 was superior to the Pathos in my opinion. Back to cans. I then bought the Audeze LCD-X which hooked me on cans. They were superior to the sterile HD800. My problem was the weight of the AUdeze after extended listening hurt my neck so i bought the HiFiMan HE1000V1 then V2. They were my favorite. Couldn't stop listening and for almost a year i didn't turn on my speakers. I still have the V281 but also bought the magnificent new Manley Absolute amp. Lastly on a few friend's suggestions i ordered the Meze Empyreans from ViolectricUSA and i am waiting for their arrival into the states.
There are many better cans than the HD800

EMM Labs DA2 DAC
Placette Audio Passive Vishay Volume control
Manley Steelhead Phono Preamp
Kuzma TT
VTL S-400 reference amp
Meitner Audio interconnects
High Fidelity Cables CT2 PC and interconnects
Furutech Power Cables
Kimber PK10 Palladium PC
BW 802Diamonds
MacMini modified by Uptone Audio running off a Linear Supply with a three drive Raid system
Violectric V281 can amp
Manley Absolute can amp
 
Jan 21, 2019 at 3:20 PM Post #2,228 of 12,975
Sitting on the edge of my listening chair waiting for these beauties to arrive. Was told by Arthur Power of ViolectricUSA that they had to fill orders for Europe before shipping to the USA. Suppose to ship this Friday. From what i've read they should be the new "King" of cans but not 4-6K like some others. I'm guessing i'll be selling my HiFiMan HE1000V2 in the near future. Not sure how they'll sound just yet but as far as machining goes they are magnificent looking.

Read this review.... https://www.headfonia.com/review-meze-audio-empyrean/

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Jan 21, 2019 at 8:42 PM Post #2,229 of 12,975
RickY B said:
I'd say dump the HD800. I got into cans with the HD800s. Never pulled me in and after a year + of owning them i sold them. To me they were to sterile sounding. I never got engaged to the music.
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I read this many times in forums etc, and I am always wondered if there is something wrong with my ears. To me, they sounded (and still sound) so good, and I couldn’t imagine anything better. Then I realized ... it all depends to what type of music you are listening to. There are many better headphones out there for general music and rock/pop etc.. But for classical large orchestra music, there is nothing out there like the HD800S with a powerful amp. Not even my Utopia (which I love) can beat the HD800S for this, and I doubt the Meze Empyrean will.

Plus, the HD800S are perfecto for gaming :)
 
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Jan 21, 2019 at 9:08 PM Post #2,230 of 12,975
Of course, to each his own. For my ears i could not enjoy my music through the Sennheiser"s. I listen to jazz 95% of the time and some R&B and R&R. I have heard some classical and had no complaints. I could only share my personal experiences with the forum.
I'm sixty-seven and have been an audiophile since i was twenty, but only got into headphones about five years ago, so not much exposure.
These are the cans that i've had and to me each was an improvement to my ears...
1. Senn HD800
2. Audeze LCD-X
3. HiFiMan HE1000V2 (current cans and will sell after the Meze arrives)
4. Meze Empyrean

Amps;
1. Woo WA6
2. Pathos Aurium
3. Violectric V281
4. Manley Absolute
5. ??????
 
Jan 22, 2019 at 12:23 AM Post #2,234 of 12,975
I know that many of you own or owned both Focal Utopia and Meze Empyrean.
I finally have a chance to get a new utopia at a reasonable price, am considering to get one to satisfy my curiosity.
If you own both the utopia and the empyrean, do you think the utopia is still a keeper? Do you prefer the empyrean to the utopia?
 
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