[betula]

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.

You are right, 600 euros is a bargain then. Everything is relative.

@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

100% agreed.

 

[thecrow]

You are right, 600 euros is a bargain then. Everything is relative. .

600 euros for a change of colour is just over 1 weeks mortgage payment/ weeks rent - that’s what it is relative to for me

so I wouldn’t call it a bargain for me

(let’s not bring in my total expenditure on headfi gear because that’s another story that caiuld be considered by myself as ridiculous - that’s the “relative” we don’t talk about)

 

[sweetben]

Chord Hugo 2 or Woo Audio WA11 Topaz for the Empyreans? I need a portable amp and am set on one or the other. I know the Topaz has a little more power, but I also hear it has a thicker sound...maybe it might muddy up the Empyreans, as they are voiced a bit warm to begin with. Maybe the Hugo 2 plus the Empyreans with the alcantara pads might be best for me? I love my bass but I don't want to loose too much detail.

 

[joefig44]

Chord Hugo 2 or Woo Audio WA11 Topaz for the Empyreans? I need a portable amp and am set on one or the other. I know the Topaz has a little more power, but I also hear it has a thicker sound...maybe it might muddy up the Empyreans, as they are voiced a bit warm to begin with. Maybe the Hugo 2 plus the Empyreans with the alcantara pads might be best for me? I love my bass but I don't want to loose too much detail.

I have the Topaz with Empyreans . sounds great for a semi-portable setup. Definitiely use the balanced port on the Topaz though.

 

[ceeloChamp]

Hey All,

So I am an avid IEM fan, but I will admit that I don't know nearly as much about over-ear headphones. Recently a friend of mine has expressed some interest in getting a TOTL Headphone, but is new to the hobby. The first thing he said was 'I was looking at the HD800s', I advised him against it as a first Headphone, it is hard to drive and it's SQ is IMO pretty divisive. Having heard the Meze Empyeran I am inclined to recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone, but I have only heard it once and my biggest concern is how hard is it to drive.

How hard is the Empyrean to drive? Does it sound good out of a lot of different sources, does it sound good with the Mojo?

 

[kumar402]

Hey All,

So I am an avid IEM fan, but I will admit that I don't know nearly as much about over-ear headphones. Recently a friend of mine has expressed some interest in getting a TOTL Headphone, but is new to the hobby. The first thing he said was 'I was looking at the HD800s', I advised him against it as a first Headphone, it is hard to drive and it's SQ is IMO pretty divisive. Having heard the Meze Empyeran I am inclined to recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone, but I have only heard it once and my biggest concern is how hard is it to drive.

How hard is the Empyrean to drive? Does it sound good out of a lot of different sources, does it sound good with the Mojo?

It’s not difficult to drive but scales better with desktop amp. You can get it pretty loud out of Mojo but I felt soundstage suffered the most out of Mojo in comparison to desktop amp.

 

[ceeloChamp]

It’s not difficult to drive but scales better with desktop amp. You can get it pretty loud out of Mojo but I felt soundstage suffered the most out of Mojo in comparison to desktop amp.

What are some entry-level DAPs/DAC-AMPs that pair well with it?

 

[LCMusicLover]

Hey All,

So I am an avid IEM fan, but I will admit that I don't know nearly as much about over-ear headphones. Recently a friend of mine has expressed some interest in getting a TOTL Headphone, but is new to the hobby. The first thing he said was 'I was looking at the HD800s', I advised him against it as a first Headphone, it is hard to drive and it's SQ is IMO pretty divisive. Having heard the Meze Empyeran I am inclined to recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone, but I have only heard it once and my biggest concern is how hard is it to drive.

How hard is the Empyrean to drive? Does it sound good out of a lot of different sources, does it sound good with the Mojo?

Easy to drive — sounded good from my Opus #2 without an external amp.

As for the Mojo, I’ve never heard that pairing, but I recall the Mojo highs as a bit subdued, which might tilt the Empy/Mojo pairing a bit too far. I’m sure that others with this pairing will chip in.

Personally, I would not recommend Empy as a first headphone. It’s way up the price ladder. An HD-600 plus a competent DAC/Amp combo would serve as a better intro and cost about a fifth as much as the Empy/Mojo combo. I mean your fiend might listen to Empy for a while and end up wishing he’d spent that money on a Utopia (which is about as easy to drive).

Heck, an HD-6xx & Lyr w/ multi-bit DAC module would be less than a third the price. I’m in no way suggesting that the HD/Lyr (or whatever) combo is gonna sound better than an Empy/Mojo combo. But it would give your friend an intro to mid-fi+ equipment and a chance to educate himself regarding his sonic preferences. Just saying that starting out with Empy is jumping right in to the deep end of the pool.

 

[ceeloChamp]

I get what you are saying about my friend not 'swinging for the fences and buying a $3000 headphone as his first', but I can't stop him from spending the money and he seems determined to buy somthing in the 2-3000$ price bracket, but isn't probably going to be hooked on the hobby. I think the HD600 is a great headphone if you are interested in exploring amp/dac pairings, but if you don't want to take the time to do that it is a very mediocre headphone. It was my first headphone and I still have it to this day, but if someone were determined to get one headphone and 1 source and they wanted to spend a lot of cash who am I to argue with them. I am merely trying to direct his purchase in a good direction.

I am planning on loaning him my HD600, Clears and a few sources so that he can determine what he likes. I am not going to suggest he get an HD800s, or an LCD4 or somthing difficult to drive, but if the Empyrean is easy to drive and scales well, then why not start there, assuming you want to spend the money?

 

[LCMusicLover]

What are some entry-level DAPs/DAC-AMPs that pair well with it?

Entry-level is a bit ambiguous. But I would say Empy deserves a competent source. I liked it best with my Opus #2 <edit> of all my portable sources </edit> which is a bit brighter and slightly more dynamic than my Plenue II. You can probably find it used for $500 - 600, although I see that one went for $300!

 

[kid vic]

What are some entry-level DAPs/DAC-AMPs that pair well with it?

There really is no good reason to buy TOTL headphone and an entry level source component with no plans of upgrading. The reason being is that TOTL front ends generally expose the strengths and weaknesses of the preceding chain even handedly. The first thing we need to know is whether or not your friend will be using them as a portable setup, if not, I suggest an Ayre Codex and Empyrean combo. A Codex can be found used for as low as $800usd or bought brand new and will not bottleneck the Empyrean (the most important part of getting a front end worth having).

 

[thecrow]

Hey All,

So I am an avid IEM fan, but I will admit that I don't know nearly as much about over-ear headphones. Recently a friend of mine has expressed some interest in getting a TOTL Headphone, but is new to the hobby. The first thing he said was 'I was looking at the HD800s', I advised him against it as a first Headphone, it is hard to drive and it's SQ is IMO pretty divisive. Having heard the Meze Empyeran I am inclined to recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone, but I have only heard it once and my biggest concern is how hard is it to drive.

How hard is the Empyrean to drive? Does it sound good out of a lot of different sources, does it sound good with the Mojo?

IMHO I have enjoyed the empyrean out of some gear and not from others

my he1000se is easy to drive and sounds great even out of my iPad mini 5 and scales well with my desktop gear

but best to demo for personal preferences.

 

[Ragnar-BY]

I am not going to suggest he get an HD800s, or an LCD4 or somthing difficult to drive, but if the Empyrean is easy to drive and scales well, then why not start there, assuming you want to spend the money?

If price does not matter Empyrean is a good start. These cans are well-designed, they are nice and very comfortable. Also, sound signature is very forgiving for bad recordings. And I think it's one of the easiest to sell TOTL headphones now, which is good if he change his mind.

I love Chord, but Mojo is slightly dark source and would not be the best choice. Maybe something from Schiit? New Asgard would cost $399 with multibit DAC card. Empyrean deserves way better source, but for a start Schiit might be good idea. And it also could work as an amp, so your friend could listen to your Hugo2 via it and understand the importance of a good DAC.

 

[ceeloChamp]

If price does not matter Empyrean is a good start. These cans are well-designed, they are nice and very comfortable. Also, sound signature is very forgiving for bad recordings. And I think it's one of the easiest to sell TOTL headphones now, which is good if he change his mind.

I love Chord, but Mojo is slightly dark source and would not be the best choice. Maybe something from Schiit? New Asgard would cost $399 with multibit DAC card. Empyrean deserves way better source, but for a start Schiit might be good idea. And it also could work as an amp, so your friend could listen to your Hugo2 via it and understand the importance of a good DAC.

I actually have an Asgard and modi he could use too, thanks for the suggestions. If I was a really good friend I’d tell him to not get into this awful hobby, before it’s too late

 

[cspersel]

I actually have an Asgard and modi he could use too, thanks for the suggestions. If I was a really good friend I’d tell him to not get into this awful hobby, before it’s too late

I have both the Schiit Mjolnir 2 ($850) and Feliks Audio Echo ($650) amps. One a hybrid (Schiit) and the other full tube (Feliks). One would think the Mjolnir 2 would be the best pairing with the Empy's, but after extensive A-B testing I have to say the Feliks Echo, surprisingly, came out on top. Close, but the Mjolnir was tad too bright in the upper frequencies with the Meze. The Feliks had excellent synergy with the Empy's. Very balanced, organic and lush without any loss of detail. I haven't yet tried them with my Schiit Jotunheim (w/multibit DAC) because it is my desktop amp and I use my closed back ZMF headphones in that location. If I get time I'll give them an audition with it and post my impressions.