[bimmer100]

I’m about a month into Empy ownership and I’m still smitten. They just destroy my Elears (as you’d expect) in every way - SQ, imaging, palpability, comfort.....love them to bits. And I listen to LOTS of 80’s music! Talking Heads, Roxy, Depeche, Peter Gabriel, Talk Talk, Tears For Fears......great stuff on these cans.

Everything sounds sooo good. Even the 80’s. Hah.

 

[hypnos1]

I’m about a month into Empy ownership and I’m still smitten. They just destroy my Elears (as you’d expect) in every way - SQ, imaging, palpability, comfort.....love them to bits. And I listen to LOTS of 80’s music! Talking Heads, Roxy, Depeche, Peter Gabriel, Talk Talk, Tears For Fears......great stuff on these cans.

These Empys can indeed rise to the challenge of pretty well any sort of music you can throw at them...incredibly versatile. And although I myself am mostly a 'Classical' music lover, these cans not only do wonders for this genre, but Genesis's 'Duke' and Dire Straits's 'Love Over Gold' have never sounded so good...not to mention ELO, Fleetwood Mac etc. etc. But what opened my eyes even wider yesterday was what came out of the Mezes when playing 'Elements'...The Best of Mike Oldfield. The selection of tracks is a very good testing bed for different aspects of performance IMHO...simply wondrous!

 

[Pharmaboy]

Not sure about @LCMusicLover, but the whole Disco thing was an era of shame and disgrace, I survived on classic rock, the blues, jazz and classical, not emerging until “Smells Like Teen Spirit” hit the airwaves.

I liked/still like a lot of disco, just on its own merits. Sure it's a confining and artificial musical approach in some ways. But you had a lot of heavyweight R&B players using it, and when music is good, it's just good, regardless of form.

What I hated/still hate about disco is that it metastaticized & overtook nearly the entire popular music for a number of years, effectively starving out all manner of jazz geniuses, singer/songwriters, and instrumentalists of all kinds. Some were just gone, never to return; others weathered the storm and managed to keep careers going. That whole one-genre-replaces-others thing sucked majorly.

 

[Pharmaboy]

It was meant in jest (and hopefully taken that way). Sorry if you were offended

I do recall the horror of my neighbor's Disco obsession in 1980 - 1981. It turns out that all Disco sounds the same through the wall -- Thump, thump, thump, thump...I suppose that should have been called 'Post-Disco'. I've never been an 'Arena Rock' guy, and the whole 'Glam Metal' thing didn't appeal to me either.

I believe that one can love music selectively. For example, I'm not much of a Bach fan, while I listen to a lot of other classical, especially the romantic composers.

I'm probably not the only one who noticed that J.S. Bach totally stopped composing & performing during the Disco era. Just couldn't get gigs or commissions...sad.

 

[franz12]

I liked/still like a lot of disco, just on its own merits. Sure it's a confining and artificial musical approach in some ways. But you had a lot of heavyweight R&B players using it, and when music is good, it's just good, regardless of form.

What I hated/still hate about disco is that it metastaticized & overtook nearly the entire popular music for a number of years, effectively starving out all manner of jazz geniuses, singer/songwriters, and instrumentalists of all kinds. Some were just gone, never to return; others weathered the storm and managed to keep careers going. That whole one-genre-replaces-others thing sucked majorly.

I agree with your thought, but I was not sure whether I could blame such music genre on that basis. Musicians play their own music.

To my eyes, what starved those poor musicians out was because people changed their tastes/preferences or were heading into other directions.

Who should get blamed? Common people? Or disco musicians? Or should people never hear disco?

 

[Wildcatsare1]

I liked/still like a lot of disco, just on its own merits. Sure it's a confining and artificial musical approach in some ways. But you had a lot of heavyweight R&B players using it, and when music is good, it's just good, regardless of form.

What I hated/still hate about disco is that it metastaticized & overtook nearly the entire popular music for a number of years, effectively starving out all manner of jazz geniuses, singer/songwriters, and instrumentalists of all kinds. Some were just gone, never to return; others weathered the storm and managed to keep careers going. That whole one-genre-replaces-others thing sucked majorly.

While I share your passion for jazz, and too a slightly lessor level R&B, the only time I tolerated disco was when there was a woman involved . Tucson at the time was a hotbed of country rock, Americana, even had a “four step swing” which originated there. As a rule, I don’t like country, but I do like it with the added rock component. I worked on a couple ranches in high school and college, had the prerequisite Wrangler Jeans and Roper Boots. Plus, I worked the doors or bartender while Howe Gelb, Rainer, and other innovators in that genre.

 

[Pharmaboy]

While I share your passion for jazz, and too a slightly lessor level R&B, the only time I tolerated disco was when there was a woman involved . Tucson at the time was a hotbed of country rock, Americana, even had a “four step swing” which originated there. As a rule, I don’t like country, but I do like it with the added rock component. I worked on a couple ranches in high school and college, had the prerequisite Wrangler Jeans and Roper Boots. Plus, I worked the doors or bartender while Howe Gelb, Rainer, and other innovators in that genre.

Well, damn. Your comments illustrate how real the differences in NE vs SW musical trends are/always have been. Disco was HUGE in Northeast. I was living in Boston mid-'70's and so many people my age went out dancing in disco clubs every day of the week.

The styles you mention were certainly present in NYC & Boston (for example), but were distinctly fringe elements, not main action.

I had a traveling sales job for 15 years starting '81, and I remember how amazing it was to visit Austin, Tx & hear alt. country music that hadn't yet reached up east (one example of many...New Orleans was another place of joyous discovery for me). AZ was not among the 39 states I traveled to, damn the luck, so I never had the change to hear the stuff you mention (or get tossed out a club by yours truly!

(heh, heh)

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

I'm probably not the only one who noticed that J.S. Bach totally stopped composing & performing during the Disco era. Just couldn't get gigs or commissions...sad.

He stopped composing so he could front Skid Row

 

[nephilim32]

Everything sounds sooo good. Even the 80’s. Hah.

Typically most 80’s music, especially on CD have far greater DNR than 21st century recordings, so really with high end equipment in use you are way better off grabbing original cd recordings from that era.
Luckily for me, my favorite artists/bands exist in the 80’s so it is win win for me.
And yes. The Empy’s Are awesome.
They demand quality sources.

 

[Currawong]

Do you mean more detail than the utopia?

And by underlying detail do you mean overall and little nuances of detail, like, i think you have siad before, the singer parting their lips and all that kind of stuff or perhaps better separation or clarity of instruments?

(Ps i hope this doesn’t sound like the spanish inquisition. I respect you opinions/reviews)

(For some reason I can’t seem to be able to paste the monty python Spanish inquisition gif here)

No worries about the questions. I feel like I can resolve the texture of, say, a drum hit or hand clap more so with the Empyrean. That is where I really notice it.

 

[thecrow]

No worries about the questions. I feel like I can resolve the texture of, say, a drum hit or hand clap more so with the Empyrean. That is where I really notice it.

Ah yes. I know what you mean.

Am i right thinking you haven’t heard the lcd4?
If not put me on the list of people who would be keen to hear your impressions of that one.

A question on your studio six too. How expensive can the tube rolling get on that one for better regarded tubes?
With my woo wa2 buying a range of tubes with the best detail (eg including extension on the sound) and character can cost as much as the amp (but has been worth it for my hd800). Luckily nothing like 300b tubes. But where does the studio six go in terms of cost?

There is no way i could buy a tube amp and not go down that rabbit hole.

 

[diadack]

Ah yes. I know what you mean.

Am i right thinking you haven’t heard the lcd4?
If not put me on the list of people who would be keen to hear your impressions of that one.

A question on your studio six too. How expensive can the tube rolling get on that one for better regarded tubes?
With my woo wa2 buying a range of tubes with the best detail (eg including extension on the sound) and character can cost as much as the amp (but has been worth it for my hd800). Luckily nothing like 300b tubes. But where does the studio six go in terms of cost?

There is no way i could buy a tube amp and not go down that rabbit hole.

The LCD 4 sound way different that the Empyreans. The soundstage is more intimate and the instrument placement is wider. The Empyreans to me sound like the utopias but with more sounds stage, warmth, mid range and bass. And I think that’s why I don’t like the Empyreans, they remind me too much of the Utopias. I loved my LCD 4 but they were too heavy, uncomfortable and not as clear as a headphone I’d like them to be. I’m trying the D8000 on Monday and I may also try the Hifiman 1000se and the LCD MX4.

 

[up late]

it's been quite a while since i've heard the lcd4 but i do recall being impressed by its clarity, and i was comparing it to the sr007 at the time. its weight would always be a deal breaker for me, unfortunately. the empyrean bears little resemblance to the utopia to my ears.

 

[diadack]

it's been quite a while since i've heard the lcd4 but i do recall being impressed by its clarity, and i was comparing it to the sr007 at the time. its weight would always be a deal breaker for me, unfortunately. the empyrean bears little resemblance to the utopia to my ears.

That’s interesting, some reviewers have called the Empyreans the love child of the Focal Utopia and LCD 4 and I absolutely agree with them

 

[CaptainFantastic]

I loved my LCD 4 but they were too heavy, uncomfortable and not as clear as a headphone I’d like them to be. I’m trying the D8000 on Monday and I may also try the Hifiman 1000se and the LCD MX4.

If it happens, I would absolutely love to hear what you think about Empyrians vs MX4 with a proper listen.