[340519]

I maybe the person that just bought the BHA-1 for $USD 980 from Canada that is mentioned here.

BTW - I bought this unit because of the great feedback on this thread about the unit.

Crap I did it to myself. I should not have spoken so highly about it.

 

[yyzSB]

Crap I did it to myself. I should not have spoken so highly about it.

I based the buy decision from your feedback. I also have the Benchmark HPA4 so I figured I would also like the HPA-1 based on your comments. I am in California.

 

[ThanatosVI]

I based the buy decision from your feedback. I also have the Benchmark HPA4 so I figured I would also like the HPA-1 based on your comments. I am in California.

Make sure to give Feedback between hpa4 and the bryston

 

[MezeTeam]

Worse case scenario when dust and dry skin get into the drivers, what is the best method to clean them? Lay it face down and play high volume music to shake off the dust?

We haven't receive any user feedback regarding similar problem.

Let's take a look into our driver structure and placement.

The back is fully covered, so it is unlikely happened. For any foreign object to enter the driver from the front, it need to go through the metal net of the earpad, and then the metal frame and magnet, in most cases, it will be trapped between the gaps, unless you are in a positive pressure zone.

If in the case you have foreign object trapped on the driver surface, you should hear distortion at loud passage. If that happened, you need to send the driver back to us for inspection and cleaning. Do not try to dismantle the driver unit and clean the diaphragm yourself because we need to do that in a clean room.

 

[MezeTeam]

I have to say I am very I impressed with Meze interacting here with this forum. Bravo.

I'm glad to hear that you approve of the icon/empyrean combo!

Thanks for your endorsement

Not exactly an approval of a particular combo but because Empyrean has a fairly easy going character when come to pairing with headphone amplifier, we always invite our users to try out as many combination as possible. In our experience, the Empyrean is very scalable and transparent enough to reflect the sound signature of upper stream, its unlikely that Empyrean will sound bad in the mix and match game, so everything is worth trying out.

 

[340519]

I based the buy decision from your feedback. I also have the Benchmark HPA4 so I figured I would also like the HPA-1 based on your comments. I am in California.

Yup that's you alright lol. Well I'm getting a new one so it's all good!

 

[340519]

New bryston ordered. We'll see how long it takes to get it.

 

[340519]

I based the buy decision from your feedback. I also have the Benchmark HPA4 so I figured I would also like the HPA-1 based on your comments. I am in California.

I like benchmark as well. I have a dac2 and dac3, but bryston is definitely my amp company. Well I have their bda3 now as well which I prefer over the benchmark dacs.

 

[Noobzilla]

My Empy's are arriving two days sooner than expected. Out for delivery right now! 3 day shipping from Romania!
*heavy breathing intensifies*

 

[Bompah]

My Empy's are arriving two days sooner than expected. Out for delivery right now! 3 day shipping from Romania!
*heavy breathing intensifies*

Mine arrive tomorrow, carrying on doing the DIY I've promised the missus will require serious self-control once they've been delivered.

 

[Noobzilla]

Mine arrive tomorrow, carrying on doing the DIY I've promised the missus will require serious self-control once they've been delivered.

You can hand over the package to her and say not to give it to you until you finish the DIY. I'm sure that DIY will be done in no time!

 

[yyzSB]

I like benchmark as well. I have a dac2 and dac3, but bryston is definitely my amp company. Well I have their bda3 now as well which I prefer over the benchmark dacs.

The DAC3B is a very good DAC but not the best I have heard. It does sound very good with the HPA4 and the price was right. Better than the DAC3 HGC into the AHB2 amp which I sold a few years ago. I want to buy the AHB2 amp again to pair with the HPA4. I might buy a BDA2 to pair with the BHA-1.

I wish I had some free coins today to buy this DAC.
https://www.usaudiomart.com/details...labs-invicta-mirus-pro-signature-edition-dac/

They know the ESS DAC's better than anyone since they designed the chip when they worked for ESS. I believe the company is no longer around or they are trying to reboot the company. Anyways, this is the very best implementation of the ESS chip I have ever heard (actually heard the lower model, the link is for the supercharged version).

 

[Zurv]

A have a small but dedicated room fully treated with diffusion , hybrid absorption and bass traping.
Speakers are now Audiophysic at dedicated stands positioned by the book.
I listen near field so detail retrieval is headphone like.
The system is effortless , natural , dynamic with all the fine detail available but not thrown at your face.

I have performed a test today.
I have listened this http://open.qobuz.com/album/0886445001426 firstly with my speakers and then after a few hours with the Empyrean through the very humble btr5.
Guess what - well almost exactly the same experience.
Tonality of the Empyrean is for my tastes just perfect.
Every instrument sounds exactly as it should be , rounded and full bodied.
Vented instruments are to die for.
Just like the speakers.
Very visceral sounding with perfect rendering of all the difficult decaying instruments like bass drums , gongs , bells etc.
I am hearing the membranes vibrate after they are struck , amazing.
Dynamics are out of this world as for the detail it all there.
But lying in the background it doesn't draw your attention it is just there were it should be.
The Empyrean are a masterpiece and I congratulate the Meze team for not following the trend and the totl headphones war
to build another headphone with focus on fake detail retrieval , early excitement and bad tonality.
Instead they have concentrated to pure musical enjoyment and they have build a real musical instrument.

your Qobuz list isn't working (at least for me)

I just got the headphones this weekend and i feel trapped (when i put them on.) My speakers huge me and the band is playing in front of me (not just at the speakers, but a full stage) - with the empyrean, they are at my ears and in my head. While i like the sound of them more than the HD800s that they replaced... i'm.. hrmm.. not there yet for the love. I like them, but i feel like i'm missing something that everyone else is hearing.
Right now i'm at the stage of: they sound great, but i'd only use them if my wife tells me to shut the speakers off.

Of course i might be looking at this totally wrong. Maybe i shouldn't be looking to created a nearfield speaker sound/feel... (I should stop comparing and find what I enjoy, not what is different.)

Any tricks? High or low gain? any tubes that are a nice fit?

My chain: PC Qobuz -> usb -> Yggy (a2/unison) -> xlr -> Schiit Mjolnir 2 (with 1971 Tungsram tubes... for now...)-> xlr -> Empyrean.

(Maybe i'll borrow a Dave to see how it sounds on that.)

side note,
It kinda pisses me off that all the reviewers got multi headphone cables and one of them (the XLR) was the $500 extra cable... well, it doesn't bug me that they got them for review, but the reviews made it sound like the product came that way by default. (The reviewers clearly thought so.) Now do I need to spend $$ to see what the reviewers did? (Not likely.. i'm just bring grumpy and also expecting a headphone to sound like a speaker )

 

[340519]

The DAC3B is a very good DAC but not the best I have heard. It does sound very good with the HPA4 and the price was right. Better than the DAC3 HGC into the AHB2 amp which I sold a few years ago. I want to buy the AHB2 amp again to pair with the HPA4. I might buy a BDA2 to pair with the BHA-1.

I wish I had some free coins today to buy this DAC.
https://www.usaudiomart.com/details...labs-invicta-mirus-pro-signature-edition-dac/

They know the ESS DAC's better than anyone since they designed the chip when they worked for ESS. I believe the company is no longer around or they are trying to reboot the company. Anyways, this is the very best implementation of the ESS chip I have ever heard (actually heard the lower model, the link is for the supercharged version).

That dac is so ugly. Wow. That's my subjective opinion of course, but it would look just horrific next to my ugly 1266 TCs enroute.

 

[340519]

your Qobuz list isn't working (at least for me)

I just got the headphones this weekend and i feel trapped (when i put them on.) My speakers huge me and the band is playing in front of me (not just at the speakers, but a full stage) - with the empyrean, they are at my ears and in my head. While i like the sound of them more than the HD800s that they replaced... i'm.. hrmm.. not there yet for the love. I like them, but i feel like i'm missing something that everyone else is hearing.
Right now i'm at the stage of: they sound great, but i'd only use them if my wife tells me to shut the speakers off.

Of course i might be looking at this totally wrong. Maybe i shouldn't be looking to created a nearfield speaker sound/feel... (I should stop comparing and find what I enjoy, not what is different.)

Any tricks? High or low gain? any tubes that are a nice fit?

My chain: PC Qobuz -> usb -> Yggy (a2/unison) -> xlr -> Schiit Mjolnir 2 (with 1971 Tungsram tubes... for now...)-> xlr -> Empyrean.

(Maybe i'll borrow a Dave to see how it sounds on that.)

side note,
It kinda pisses me off that all the reviewers got multi headphone cables and one of them (the XLR) was the $500 extra cable... well, it doesn't bug me that they got them for review, but the reviews made it sound like the product came that way by default. (The reviewers clearly thought so.) Now do I need to spend $$ to see what the reviewers did? (Not likely.. i'm just bring grumpy and also expecting a headphone to sound like a speaker )

Interesting as I just sold all of my speakers and gone totally headphone. No room interactions and I like the musicians in my head.