[paulchiu]

My local dealer is getting two of the Copper edition. One is already sold but maybe i can swap my non copper version for a new one. Lets see.

Gorgeous. Wished I waited for this.

 

[betula]

I've been using my empyrean with a TT2 using a silver/gold cable and fed by a Nucleus for a few months and now has come the time to add some impressions to this thread.

Coming from an Elear that I very much liked but did find a bit bloated in the bass and limited on the treble extension, I was first struck by how recessed the mids were on the empyrean. But came to realize that those mids are actually splendid and I can’t find anything wrong about it. It’s actually the bass that is overly present, especiallu with the leather pads. I actually had to eq it by -4 or 5db. Let’s talk about that bass. It’s powerful, it’s somewhat clean, maybe not as fast as I’d like it to be, it can have good impact when the record calls for it (Archive “Londinium” album for example) but the sub-bass is somewhat missing. The oomph is not there. I don’t have that deep rumble that dynamic drivers might have. Treble? Excellent. Clean, extended. Just the right amount IMO. I don’t understand those comments saying the empy is shy on the treble. Of course it’s not a Beyer T1 and it’s a good thing! In short, medium and up, awesome, bass, too much and lacks some finesse and slam. It did improve through usage (i'm close to 100hrs i think) but I don't think it will ever get ever fast and clean.

The other aspect of this headphone that does take some time adjusting to is the staging. Yes it’s wide and precise, but it’s like the sound is coming from the side of my ears, or even behind my head (?!)… for some reason the stage is never "in front" of me, even with crossfeed activated. I never heard that before and can’t tell why it’s happening. My right ear is not in top shape and does struggle to hear high freq. I don’t know if had anything to do with it. Fact is though, no headphone has ever stressed so much the difference between my 2 ears The fact the pads are so thick and distant from the ear could also explain this. It would be great if Meze could develop some angled pads for the empy instead of tweaking the material.

I am not questioning your experience just trying to give a more diverse picture to readers by adding my thoughts. So everyone can draw their own conclusions.

My setup is similar to yours, TT2 with silver cable.
I have to say I didn't like the Elear at all. I think the Clear is a much better headphone, even though it is still not my taste I see it as a matter of preference. The Elear simply didn't sound right to me regardless preference. IMO the LCD2C is a much better headphone than the Elear, especially when it comes to bass. The 2C has sub-bass which is non-existent on the Elear.

I agree with your impressions regarding the treble on the Empyrean. I find it strange that you are unhappy with the mids as most reviews put the mids of the Empyrean as the highlight of the show. I also think mids are very natural and airy.
Regarding bass performance I agree that Empy bass is not the tightest and fastest when it comes to flagship headphones, but at the same time it is not that much behind something like the LCD4. IMO Empy does have sub-bass, but at the same time mid-bass is slightly more emphasised versus the ruler flat response of Audeze. Perhaps the slightly emphasised mid-bass is why you think the Empy doesn't have enough sub-bass?
I personally would prefer the ruler flat LCD4 bass response, but to me the Empy brings so much more to the table that even as a true bass addict (listener of progressive ambient) I can absolutely forgive this 9/10 bass versus a 10/10 bass.
To me the Empy sounds much airier and more natural in the mids and treble than the Audeze flagship. To my ears while bass is a bit better on the LCD4, mids and treble are much better on the Empy. Empy bass still absolutely kills everything under 2K, but loses versus bass kings like LCD4 or Abyss.

According to an email I changed last year with Rinaro, Meze is coming out with a few new ear-pads this year. At least one of the pads are supposed to alter the bass response the way I (and you) like: slightly less mid-bass, slightly more sub-bass. We will see I guess.

And then I must say a few words about comfort.
The past year I started to appreciate comfort much more than before. Comfort greatly helps you to connect with music. It is not enough to have great sound if the headphones on your head start to annoy you after 30-60 minutes. Let it be weight or just an awkward fit. Comfort is not just a secondary feature after sound quality, it is an essential component in the connection between you and your music. The Empy is extremely comfortable. You can almost forget they are on your head even after hours of listening. This can't be said about other flagship headphones to my experience. Long usability is a great asset to me therefore I am more forgiving when it comes to subtle sq differences.
IMO as an overall package it is hard to beat the Empy around £2-2.5K. It is actually one of the most affordable flagships if you look around.
The Empy is perhaps not the most technical flagship, but it does offer a flagship sound which was designed for a relaxed musical enjoyment and unmatched comfort.

 

[cspersel]

I am not questioning your experience just trying to give a more diverse picture to readers by adding my thoughts. So everyone can draw their own conclusions.

My setup is similar to yours, TT2 with silver cable.
I have to say I didn't like the Elear at all. I think the Clear is a much better headphone, even though it is still not my taste I see it as a matter of preference. The Elear simply didn't sound right to me regardless preference. IMO the LCD2C is a much better headphone than the Elear, especially when it comes to bass. The 2C has sub-bass which is non-existent on the Elear.

I agree with your impressions regarding the treble on the Empyrean. I find it strange that you are unhappy with the mids as most reviews put the mids of the Empyrean as the highlight of the show. I also think mids are very natural and airy.
Regarding bass performance I agree that Empy bass is not the tightest and fastest when it comes to flagship headphones, but at the same time it is not that much behind something like the LCD4. IMO Empy does have sub-bass, but at the same time mid-bass is slightly more emphasised versus the ruler flat response of Audeze. Perhaps the slightly emphasised mid-bass is why you think the Empy doesn't have enough sub-bass?
I personally would prefer the ruler flat LCD4 bass response, but to me the Empy brings so much more to the table that even as a true bass addict (listener of progressive ambient) I can absolutely forgive this 9/10 bass versus a 10/10 bass.
To me the Empy sounds much airier and more natural in the mids and treble than the Audeze flagship. To my ears while bass is a bit better on the LCD4, mids and treble are much better on the Empy. Empy bass still absolutely kills everything under 2K, but loses versus bass kings like LCD4 or Abyss.

According to an email I changed last year with Rinaro, Meze is coming out with a few new ear-pads this year. At least one of the pads are supposed to alter the bass response the way I (and you) like: slightly less mid-bass, slightly more sub-bass. We will see I guess.

And then I must say a few words about comfort.
The past year I started to appreciate comfort much more than before. Comfort greatly helps you to connect with music. It is not enough to have great sound if the headphones on your head start to annoy you after 30-60 minutes. Let it be weight or just an awkward fit. Comfort is not just a secondary feature after sound quality, it is an essential component in the connection between you and your music. The Empy is extremely comfortable. You can almost forget they are on your head even after hours of listening. This can't be said about other flagship headphones to my experience. Long usability is a great asset to me therefore I am more forgiving when it comes to subtle sq differences.
IMO as an overall package it is hard to beat the Empy around £2-2.5K. It is actually one of the most affordable flagships if you look around.
The Empy is perhaps not the most technical flagship, but it does offer a flagship sound which was designed for a relaxed musical enjoyment and unmatched comfort.

I agree entirely with your assessment of the Empy mids. They are the best mid-range headphones I've ever heard. Vocals are a transcendent experience.

 

[betula]

I agree entirely with your assessment of the Empy mids. They are the best mid-range headphones I've ever heard. Vocals are a transcendent experience.

By 'best mid-range headphones' I guess you meant headphones that produce mid-range frequencies the best and not that the Empy is a mid-range headphone.

 

[cspersel]

By 'best mid-range headphones' I guess you meant headphones that produce mid-range frequencies the best and not that the Empy is a mid-range headphone.

Correct.

 

[Afsa]

Gorgeous. Wished I waited for this.

If i want them i have to pay 600 Euros. Il have to sleep on that one......

 

[LeMat]

I am not questioning your experience just trying to give a more diverse picture to readers by adding my thoughts. So everyone can draw their own conclusions.

My setup is similar to yours, TT2 with silver cable.
I have to say I didn't like the Elear at all. I think the Clear is a much better headphone, even though it is still not my taste I see it as a matter of preference. The Elear simply didn't sound right to me regardless preference. IMO the LCD2C is a much better headphone than the Elear, especially when it comes to bass. The 2C has sub-bass which is non-existent on the Elear.

I agree with your impressions regarding the treble on the Empyrean. I find it strange that you are unhappy with the mids as most reviews put the mids of the Empyrean as the highlight of the show. I also think mids are very natural and airy.
Regarding bass performance I agree that Empy bass is not the tightest and fastest when it comes to flagship headphones, but at the same time it is not that much behind something like the LCD4. IMO Empy does have sub-bass, but at the same time mid-bass is slightly more emphasised versus the ruler flat response of Audeze. Perhaps the slightly emphasised mid-bass is why you think the Empy doesn't have enough sub-bass?
I personally would prefer the ruler flat LCD4 bass response, but to me the Empy brings so much more to the table that even as a true bass addict (listener of progressive ambient) I can absolutely forgive this 9/10 bass versus a 10/10 bass.
To me the Empy sounds much airier and more natural in the mids and treble than the Audeze flagship. To my ears while bass is a bit better on the LCD4, mids and treble are much better on the Empy. Empy bass still absolutely kills everything under 2K, but loses versus bass kings like LCD4 or Abyss.

According to an email I changed last year with Rinaro, Meze is coming out with a few new ear-pads this year. At least one of the pads are supposed to alter the bass response the way I (and you) like: slightly less mid-bass, slightly more sub-bass. We will see I guess.

And then I must say a few words about comfort.
The past year I started to appreciate comfort much more than before. Comfort greatly helps you to connect with music. It is not enough to have great sound if the headphones on your head start to annoy you after 30-60 minutes. Let it be weight or just an awkward fit. Comfort is not just a secondary feature after sound quality, it is an essential component in the connection between you and your music. The Empy is extremely comfortable. You can almost forget they are on your head even after hours of listening. This can't be said about other flagship headphones to my experience. Long usability is a great asset to me therefore I am more forgiving when it comes to subtle sq differences.
IMO as an overall package it is hard to beat the Empy around £2-2.5K. It is actually one of the most affordable flagships if you look around.
The Empy is perhaps not the most technical flagship, but it does offer a flagship sound which was designed for a relaxed musical enjoyment and unmatched comfort.

please re-read my post. I didn’t criticize the mids at all. They are absolutely splendid!

 

[betula]

If i want them i have to pay 600 Euros. Il have to sleep on that one......

600 euros for a different colour? I don't know man... The original looks good enough to me.

please re-read my post. I didn’t criticize the mids at all. They are absolutely splendid!

You said you were 'struck by how recessed the mids were on the empyrean' after the Elear.

 

[LCMusicLover]

please re-read my post. I didn’t criticize the mids at all. They are absolutely splendid!

...You said you were 'struck by how recessed the mids were on the empyrean' after the Elear.

Wow, talk about quoting a few words out of context. He actually said:

...I was first struck by how recessed the mids were on the empyrean. But came to realize that those mids are actually splendid and I can’t find anything wrong about it...

So your message could have been:

You said that "...those mids are actually splendid and I can't find anything wrong about it."

 

[betula]

Wow, talk about quoting a few words out of context. He actually said:

So your message could have been:

You said that "...those mids are actually splendid and I can't find anything wrong about it."

Somewhat fair point, but that was all he had to say about mids, while he was going on about other aspects of sound in details...
(Nothing personal to anyone.)

 

[CreditingKarma]

If i want them i have to pay 600 Euros. Il have to sleep on that one......

It is cheaper than a custom color on the abyss. I think it is over $1k for the Diana's and close to $2k for the 1266 if I am not mistaken.

 

[Roasty]

I find the normal version much nicer!

It is cheaper than a custom color on the abyss. I think it is over $1k for the Diana's and close to $2k for the 1266 if I am not mistaken.

U can do custom colours on the abyss???

I still prefer the original colour of the empy over the copper one.. Or maybe a combination of the two. Copper grills with the rest of the original headphones.

 

[CreditingKarma]

I find the normal version much nicer!


U can do custom colours on the abyss???

I still prefer the original colour of the empy over the copper one.. Or maybe a combination of the two. Copper grills with the rest of the original headphones.

Yes there is a member that has a purple diana phi here.

 

[Dan Lee]

@betula and @Afsa thanks for the responses. I thought for certain I was losing the ability to differentiate the subtle differences in headphones. Betula your review of the two mirrors my observations almost word for word what I've been thinking in my head for the last couple weeks. I especially like that you share my observations about the bass being about a 9 of 10 for Emp and 10 of 10 for the 4 but all the other positive qualities of the Emp make it quite hard to choose the 4 over the emp. Also like you I am truly beginning to understand the often forgotten quality that is comfort. In all honesty I wonder if the LCD-4 were as comfortable as the Empyrean would it sound significantly better. I have to imagine that for every outside distraction you do away with the sound quality becomes more present to you.

Even though we both agree that the bass edge goes to the 4 I wouldn't necessarily say that it makes it better than the Empyrean bass. Yes the 4 wins hands down with regard to accuracy and sub bass depth and many other descriptive words for it. However I do feel that the Empyrean bass must be looked at differently in that it has a rather different presentation of it which I tend to find attributable to the more airy nature to the sound. It just seems like it hits in a different manner than I am used to with other headphones. I still love what the 4's do with accuracy and depth they are capable of presenting, but the Empy is still just as enjoyable to me in that area.

I must also add that when researching this headphone I kept reading about how warm this headphone was and how it lacked detail and how the soundstage wasn't anything special. Having heard it first hand now I have absolutely no idea where those conclusions could possibly have come from. Certainly they are not as detailed and treble happy as something like the SR-009 or Utopia, but to say the empyrean lacks detail or has an overly warm treble is a bit absurd. The soundstage is grand enough and 3 dimensional enough that just before I began typing this a song started playing and I thought someone had just walked up behind me only to turn around and see that it was just part of the music. I must admit I love when headphones can create that effect.

I didn't purchase this headphone with high hopes, but I am officially a believer. In my mind there is no other headphone on the market right now that can provide the sound quality to cost value this headphone does. At $500 to $1K less than most other flagships the Empy is being found by many of us to have bested some of those more pricey headphones. The Empyrean is truly a TOTL can.

Also guys while I agree that the black and bronze unit looks sexy since listening to these I've not thought about the color once. Its all musical bliss to these ears.

Love Y'all

 

[thecrow]

@betula and @Afsa In my mind there is no other headphone on the market right now that can provide the sound quality to cost value this headphone does. At $500 to $1K less than most other flagships the Empy is being found by many of us to have bested some of those more pricey headphones. The Empyrean is truly a TOTL can.

Also guys while I agree that the black and bronze unit looks sexy since listening to these I've not thought about the color once. Its all musical bliss to these ears.

Love Y'all

Not to discount your love of the empys at all.....
I enjoy my empys but if I could only have one headphone my hekse would be the winner for my tastes and preferences

also I feel the synergy of one’s dac and amp is very important re what one can get out of the empy

and i agree with both of these youtube reviews that have somewhat different opinions of the empy:




And after spending sometime with the empys i appreciated this review more