[betula]

Time to time I give a try to the suede pads but the leather ones seems to be my obvious preference for now. The leather pads are cleaner, more articulate. Better bass thump and impact. Better soundstage depth which pretty much equals better layering.

The suede pads sound much softer. To my taste they are too soft and too gentle. The soundstage might get a bit wider, but definitely looses a bit of depth.
It is awesome to have the option for fine tuning to personal preferences though.

I also think that with different gear you might prefer different pads. After listening to other gear I have realised my Qutest + Taurus MKII combo sounds quite thick due to the amp. Still a TOTL SS amp performance, but I am really curious to see if my pad preference changes once my Hugo TT2 arrives. (Which sounds cleaner and much more transparent as I remember from auditioning.)
To be honest I doubt my pad preference will change but still potentially refines.

Anyway, I find it amazing that the Empyrean is never fatiguing even with the slightly more intense sounding leather pads. I have got pretty sensitive ears, I was unable to live with the TH-X00 or Clears. The Empyrean for me has just hit the sweet spot. I can't really think of any other headphone that brings comfort, sound and build quality equally to the same high level.

The sound can be personal preference, but it is hard to imagine anyone not liking this sound (I already know a peculiar bird from the LCD2C thread who doesn't like it).
To me personally the sound too hits my sweet spot. I was never into analytical cans but I always liked details and insight. I always preferred a laid back and entertaining/relaxed/musical sound as that is what I want when I am listening to headphones. Until now however it was difficult to find headphones that offer an engaging musical experience with the technical performance of true TOTL headphones. Compromises had to be made in the past.

The Empy's bass is ever so satisfying. Even to a sophisticated bass-head like me. Beautiful bass (deep, layered, clear, impactful). Mids are lifelike, airy. Treble is airy too, detailed, natural, however never ever fatiguing or piercing. Clean, clear, detailed but never harsh.

I think the popularity of the Empyrean has surprised even Meze. As far as I know they were only planning to make 500 Empyreans but later on decided to 'mass' produce. Thanks God as my serial number is well over 700.
My point is, that the Empys are even better than the creators had ever imagined. A truly unique gift from the highest of heavens (meaning of Empyrean).

I promise I will stop singing praises of these headphones but these are just simply perfect for me. I couldn't wish for more and I have never experienced this feeling in this hobby (started more than 10 years ago).
It feels like I have finally arrived after a very long journey.

 

[ken6217]

Time to time I give a try to the suede pads but the leather ones seems to be my obvious preference for now. The leather pads are cleaner, more articulate. Better bass thump and impact. Better soundstage depth which pretty much equals better layering.

The suede pads sound much softer. To my taste they are too soft and too gentle. The soundstage might get a bit wider, but definitely looses a bit of depth.
It is awesome to have the option for fine tuning to personal preferences though.

I also think that with different gear you might prefer different pads. After listening to other gear I have realised my Qutest + Taurus MKII combo sounds quite thick due to the amp. Still a TOTL SS amp performance, but I am really curious to see if my pad preference changes once my Hugo TT2 arrives. (Which sounds cleaner and much more transparent as I remember from auditioning.)
To be honest I doubt my pad preference will change but still potentially refines.

Anyway, I find it amazing that the Empyrean is never fatiguing even with the slightly more intense sounding leather pads. I have got pretty sensitive ears, I was unable to live with the TH-X00 or Clears. The Empyrean for me has just hit the sweet spot. I can't really think of any other headphone that brings comfort, sound and build quality equally to the same high level.

The sound can be personal preference, but it is hard to imagine anyone not liking this sound (I already know a peculiar bird from the LCD2C thread who doesn't like it).
To me personally the sound too hits my sweet spot. I was never into analytical cans but I always liked details and insight. I always preferred a laid back and entertaining/relaxed/musical sound as that is what I want when I am listening to headphones. Until now however it was difficult to find headphones that offer an engaging musical experience with the technical performance of true TOTL headphones. Compromises had to be made in the past.

The Empy's bass is ever so satisfying. Even to a sophisticated bass-head like me. Beautiful bass (deep, layered, clear, impactful). Mids are lifelike, airy. Treble is airy too, detailed, natural, however never ever fatiguing or piercing. Clean, clear, detailed but never harsh.

I think the popularity of the Empyrean has surprised even Meze. As far as I know they were only planning to make 500 Empyreans but later on decided to 'mass' produce. Thanks God as my serial number is well over 700.
My point is, that the Empys are even better than the creators had ever imagined. A truly unique gift from the highest of heavens (meaning of Empyrean).

I promise I will stop singing praises of these headphones but these are just simply perfect for me. I couldn't wish for more and I have never experienced this feeling in this hobby (started more than 10 years ago).
It feels like I have finally arrived after a very long journey.

+1. You’re spot on

 

[EDWARIS]

my first couple of hours with Empy at home. comparing it with LCD-4 and ZMF Auteur. amazing headphones, what can I say, from first minute of lisyening and on any genre. but woman vocals almost make me cry...

 

[betula]

my first couple of hours with Empy at home. comparing it with LCD-4 and ZMF Auteur. amazing headphones, what can I say, from first minute of lisyening and on any genre. but woman vocals almost make me cry...

I auditioned all these three. Empy came out as a winner.

 

[MezeTeam]

Empyrean for me was love at first sight (first audition), but we know that can be misleading.

Happened to me with the Clear actually, I loved them at audition, bought them and then couldn't live with them as they were too energetic, borderline aggressive.

The Empyrean keeps growing on me day by day. I just love them more and more. They offer the technicalities of a true TOTL flagship while staying musical, entertaining, alive, fun, engaging and addictive.

Funny the storage issue came up, I was about to ask how you guys store your Empys. I am also a bit worried about dust getting into the cups and drivers.
Putting the headphones back into the case would be a bit of a hassle mostly due to detaching the cable each time.

I was looking into the Stax cover? But it looks a bit silly. I found these which could possibly work. Anyone using something similar? Is it just another silly idea?
I quite like the IKEA box too..

What does @Meze say? How important is dust protection?

For regular use, you don't have to worry about dust protection because you are wearing it on your head and have a reasonable seal to stop the dust getting into the earpad.

For long term storage, it depends. We don't anticipate any problem with regular household environment, but if want you live in a fairly dusty environment, long term exposure might be a hassle. In fact we have anticipated the worst condition and that's why we custom-designed the suitcase style storage case for Empyrean.

Someone has raised the concern about plug/unplug headphone frequently. When we develop Empyrean, we have considered several connector options and mXLR stands out because of its build quality and robustness over other options such as 2.5mm TS or 3.5mm TS connectors. When operated properly, the mXLR connectors can easily handle several thousands of plug/unplug action. So please enjoy your Empyrean without worrying about the durability of the connectors.

 

[MadDane]

For regular use, you don't have to worry about dust protection because you are wearing it on your head and have a reasonable seal to stop the dust getting into the earpad.

For long term storage, it depends. We don't anticipate any problem with regular household environment, but if want you live in a fairly dusty environment, long term exposure might be a hassle. In fact we have anticipated the worst condition and that's why we custom-designed the suitcase style storage case for Empyrean.

Someone has raised the concern about plug/unplug headphone frequently. When we develop Empyrean, we have considered several connector options and mXLR stands out because of its build quality and robustness over other options such as 2.5mm TS or 3.5mm TS connectors. When operated properly, the mXLR connectors can easily handle several thousands of plug/unplug action. So please enjoy your Empyrean without worrying about the durability of the connectors.

Brilliant!

 

[betula]

For regular use, you don't have to worry about dust protection because you are wearing it on your head and have a reasonable seal to stop the dust getting into the earpad.

For long term storage, it depends. We don't anticipate any problem with regular household environment, but if want you live in a fairly dusty environment, long term exposure might be a hassle. In fact we have anticipated the worst condition and that's why we custom-designed the suitcase style storage case for Empyrean.

Someone has raised the concern about plug/unplug headphone frequently. When we develop Empyrean, we have considered several connector options and mXLR stands out because of its build quality and robustness over other options such as 2.5mm TS or 3.5mm TS connectors. When operated properly, the mXLR connectors can easily handle several thousands of plug/unplug action. So please enjoy your Empyrean without worrying about the durability of the connectors.

Thanks, that's a relief. I also think the mini XLR is the best headphone connection after owning some Audeze headphones. However I won't detach the cable each night to put them in the pretty case purely because it is a hassle.
I decided to go for the omega shaped headphone stand. This prevents any dust getting into the cups and hopefully doesn't put any significant pressure on the headband or cups either. (My stand is arriving in 3 days.)
The AQ Perch stand is great (which I own atm). It is tall enough, sturdy, has a heavy bottom that makes it very stable, but doesn't seal the cups which I think is important for dust protection on this level.

 

[nwavesailor]

Yes, the mini XLR are indeed solid. I do, however, wish that they were a little easier to disconnect from the Empy's. I have a Norne S3 cable ordered and hope their mini xlr's are a bit easier to remove. Small gripe for an otherwise fantastic headphone!

 

[MezeTeam]

this is how I am using it right now. So handtowels from dollar tree and ikea display case for $29. So whole package is $31 and no more stress on headband etc and no worries of dust.

This looks interesting, but the height of the display case probably is not tall enough to "display" the Empyrean in upright position?

If this is for the sake of convenient storage, an alternative to the Ikea display case is plastic storage case with air-tight lid, something like the Lock & Lock or Rubbermaid plastic food container. You need something like 30cm x 25cm or 30cm diameter if you want to store the Empyrean with the factory headphone cable. I have go though the Lock & Lock website briefly and shortlisted two storage case that might work for Empyrean (depends on the size and length of cable):


HSM954H /Round/ 5.5L
Ø325×130㎜

HPL887BP / Breathing fermentation container/ 7L
315*236*155(mm)

Just cut a piece of anti-slip mat, put it at the bottom of the container and put some silica gel/moisture bead at the corners underneath the anti-slip mat, you have a DIY dust-proofed dry box for your Empyrean.

 

[betula]

This looks interesting, but the height of the display case probably is not tall enough to "display" the Empyrean in upright position?

If this is for the sake of convenient storage, an alternative to the Ikea display case is plastic storage case with air-tight lid, something like the Lock & Lock or Rubbermaid plastic food container. You need something like 30cm x 25cm or 30cm diameter if you want to store the Empyrean with the factory headphone cable. I have go though the Lock & Lock website briefly and shortlisted two storage case that might work for Empyrean (depends on the size and length of cable):


HSM954H /Round/ 5.5L
Ø325×130㎜

HPL887BP / Breathing fermentation container/ 7L
315*236*155(mm)

Just cut a piece of anti-slip mat, put it at the bottom of the container and put some silica gel/moisture bead at the corners underneath the anti-slip mat, you have a DIY dust-proofed dry box for your Empyrean.

LOL!

 

[EDWARIS]

I auditioned all these three. Empy came out as a winner.

I am testing it for just few hours and feel the same. you are probably right. but I am thinking what to do with LCD-4 - to sell them it or keep as a second headphones and it is a very very tough decision to make...

 

[Rowethren]

This looks interesting, but the height of the display case probably is not tall enough to "display" the Empyrean in upright position?

If this is for the sake of convenient storage, an alternative to the Ikea display case is plastic storage case with air-tight lid, something like the Lock & Lock or Rubbermaid plastic food container. You need something like 30cm x 25cm or 30cm diameter if you want to store the Empyrean with the factory headphone cable. I have go though the Lock & Lock website briefly and shortlisted two storage case that might work for Empyrean (depends on the size and length of cable):


HSM954H /Round/ 5.5L
Ø325×130㎜

HPL887BP / Breathing fermentation container/ 7L
315*236*155(mm)

Just cut a piece of anti-slip mat, put it at the bottom of the container and put some silica gel/moisture bead at the corners underneath the anti-slip mat, you have a DIY dust-proofed dry box for your Empyrean.

On the topic of storage, any suggestions on a smaller case for taking the Empyrean on holiday? The briefcase it comes with is very nice but a bit too big to fit in a backpack unfortunately.

 

[betula]

I am testing it for just few hours and feel the same. you are probably right. but I am thinking what to do with LCD-4 - to sell them it or keep as a second headphones and it is a very very tough decision to make...

Give it some time, it is going to get clearer. Don't rush!

The LCD4 is really great. I did like them. That bass is exemplary. Empy's bass however is almost the same and does everything else better (IMO). The LCD4s are very heavy. And to my ears the upper mids and treble are somewhat shadowed/recessed compared to the Empys. If the LCD4 wins 10/10 on bass, the Empy is 9/10 on bass which is still exceptional. On the rest however (upper mids, lifelikeness, naturalness, treble clarity, airiness, natural timbre etc) Empy clearly wins over the LCD4 to my ears.

Versus the Auteurs, it is a matter of taste and preferred music genres. The Auteur doesn't have the low-end extension of planars. It is a more natural, more organic sound but that doesn't work with all genres. ZMF also needs a powerful amplifier. For acoustic music with powerful tube amps I can see some people preferring the Auteur, but with modern stuff Empy literally slaughters all ZMF.

 

[MadDane]

I so want to try these!!

 

[racebit]

Putting the headphones back into the case would be a bit of a hassle mostly due to detaching the cable each time.

To me detaching the cable each time is completely out of the question. Even with my Clear that uses easier to connect 3.5mm plugs, it is out of the question.
Therefore the Empyrean case (as it comes) is completely useless to me, as it is the Clear case. However the Empyrean case can be corrected by changing the foam inside, while with the Clear case that is not possible.
However the problem is not only keeping the cables attached, but also keeping the pivots position (set for our head size), which are even more difficult to reset and set each time.
Additionally even with the pivot fully retracted, if we are not very careful, the golden pivot can touch the case hinge and get scratched. It should not be so close to the hinge.
So for all these 3 reasons the foam cutting is not appropriate. So much space inside the case wasted and there is no adequate space for the actual headphone in ** ready to use state **. Fortunately this is fixable by replacing the foam.