[Coffee Music]

Unlike you, I had a mental breakdown because they were too good.

I think Headphones and DAC/Amp behave similar to Lens and Camera selection.

As a photographer we always strive to gain great detail, contrast with as little distortion and imperfections as possible with the imagery we capture. I have several lenses which make the Empy seem cheap, designed to work with high quality, high MP cameras. They make my life easier as I have to spend less time processing images dealing with those imperfections.

If I take a cheaper lens and use it on a cheaper camera body that resolves to say 16-20mp sensor, it can look very good. Take that high end lens and stick it on that camera and the image will look a little better but not fantastic given the price difference. But on a camera with a bigger / better sensor the lens really shines and produces bags more detail and excellent micro contrast.

However, there are downsides with the better cameras... they do need those better lenses. If you pop that cheap lens on them they will reveal / magnify all the imperfections and weaknesses of that lens. Most likely will look soft (focus), especially on the edges and corners with poor detail and plenty of aberrations. This is why you tend to buy the best lenses you can afford as they'll allow you to upgrade camera later on without having to replace the lenses.

Headphones and DAC/Amp combinations seem to work the same way. You could have the best DAC/Amp in the world but if you use budget headphones and speakers it will never impress. But, you could have the best headphones in the world and they'll only reveal the maximum level of detail that the DAC/Amp is capable of... no more.

Consideration has to be given to the whole chain to maintain a good balance and not to sacrifice one element over another. That includes cabling and power.

No wonder you take breath-taking pictures.

A shorter version of what you're saying is that higher-end model is more revealing of perfections and imperfections. And pairing them with lower models reveal more imperfections than otherwise. While that is mostly true, some products like the HD 600/650 will rock your heart when paired with top gears

 

[Toonartist]

No wonder you take breath-taking pictures.

A shorter version of what you're saying is that higher-end model is more revealing of perfections and imperfections. And pairing them with lower models reveal more imperfections than otherwise. While that is mostly true, some products like the HD 600/650 will rock your heart when paired with top gears

Basically... yes. There are always outliers or bits of gear that punch well above their weight

 

[Eduardo C]

We all value different things. Some like sparkle and punch. I am extremely sensitive to stridency, metallic sheen, and brightness. So after much trying this is currently my headphone chain:

Headphones -> Meze Empyrean (gentle and unoffensive).
Dac -> Metrum Acoustics Onyx (dense, dark, lovely. No Chord nonsense)
Amp -> Moon 430HA (calm, detailed)

Some may say this is overkill, too much of a good thing. Me? I am enjoying music like never before.

 

[kumar402]

We all value different things. Some like sparkle and punch. I am extremely sensitive to stridency, metallic sheen, and brightness. So after much trying this is currently my headphone chain:

Headphones -> Meze Empyrean (gentle and unoffensive).
Dac -> Metrum Acoustics Onyx (dense, dark, lovely. No Chord nonsense)
Amp -> Moon 430HA (calm, detailed)

Some may say this is overkill, too much of a good thing. Me? I am enjoying music like never before.

I'm big fan of Metrum and Cees designed DAC. Everything is musical and pairs very nicely with Meze. Try out ZMF/HD800 headphones as well with Metrum DACs

 

[thecrow]

I'm big fan of Metrum and Cees designed DAC. Everything is musical and pairs very nicely with Meze. Try out ZMF headphones as well with Metrum DACs

Did someone say hd800????

 

[kumar402]

Did someone say hd800????

Corrected my post, we can't miss out on HD800 with R2R NOS DAC

 

[Newsee]

Did someone say hd800????

Is Metrum back in business? I thought they were bankrupt for a while.

 

[kumar402]

Is Metrum back in business? I thought they were bankrupt for a while.

Yes, they are. Cees is still associated with it but not as a designer.

 

[thecrow]

Is Metrum back in business? I thought they were bankrupt for a while.

I believe owners and/or management changed again and i think, not sure, cees is back in town. Have a look at the sonnet /orpheus thread and the metrum thread for a few more details (if you haven’t already)

 

[thecrow]

Corrected my post, we can't miss out on HD800 with R2R NOS DAC

My metrum hex dac and woo wa2 otl amp are very good with auteur and superb with hd800. Not a cheap package together.
but the dac is easily one of my most prized possessions - no itching at all to get rid of that dac ever since i bought it about 4 years ago

 

[Zhang Enyuan]

Introductory line
Han Sound NYX 8Thigh

 

[moemoney]

My 2nd setup

 

[ThanatosVI]

Oh, don't worry guys, we've kept ourselves busy during the lockdown. And given the fact that we were unable to meet with you guys at audio shows, we didn't manage to give you some sneak peeks into our most recent work. What we can tell you is that there's something good coming your way, but, as you already know, nothing will see the light of day until we're 100% sure that it is perfected to our standards.

Any estimations when it should be ready for the public?
Still 2020?

And please go easy on my wallet

 

[iFi audio]

That's a heck of a setup. I see you have ADX5000 and HD800S's. The Empyrean's should complement both of those headphones very nicely.

Indeed, but if I had to pick just one, Empyreans would be it. Just saying

 

[Ichos]

Hey , I have been enjoying the Empyreans from the humble Zen Can that I have for review!
That's an achievement!