[godmax]

I am now looking for a amp/dac combo and was thinking of getting RME Adi-2 Dac FS, anyone tried it with Empys? Still loving these by the way.

The RME ADI2-DAC will work with the Empys just fine, even I think something like the Burson Soloist 3XP + Composer 3XP stack or – if it should be one unit – the Burson Conductor 3XP might be more 'exiting' in the long run. Sold my ADI-2 DAC some time ago and not used it very often with the Empys when I had it around. The headphone amp has enough power, well implemented DAC, the EQ and Spectral Analyzer is great, but overall I like(d) the Empys more on the Soloist+Composer and now also on GSX-mini+Gustard X26Pro. But don't get me wrong, the RME is definetly not a bad buy!

 

[Tanalasta]

umm.... wow. Just wow.
I don't know why I didn't do this sooner.

Empyrean. Silver coated Meze cable. Unfortunately 4-PIN XLR so I had to use a Moon Silver Dragon 4-Pin XLR -> quarter inch. Chord TT2. Leather pads.

The Empyrean definitely do scale. The tuning reminds me so much of Oriolus ; Isabellae and the Trailii. Whilst the placement, separation and detail are technicalities the Trailii do better, the Empyreans remain just so enjoyable. There's something lovely about the tuning with the Empyreans.

Whilst the Chord TT2 isn't something everybody has, it pairs so magnificently with the the Empyreans I think it's my favourite source for it.

 

[elisiX]

It's funny to see how many people who own the Empyrean also own Utopia/Stellia and HD800S

For me it's a deliberate attempt at owning different ends of the spectrum.

 

[Lokiiami]

Hi trouble you guys to share the best way to remove the dust and particles in these earpads?

 

[Fife]

Deleted

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Hi trouble you guys to share the best way to remove the dust and particles in these earpads?

Guess a lint roller will do the job.

 

[Dalmonegrig]

Good afternoon.
I have a feeling that Hugo 2 can not fully drive Meze Empyrean.
Below are DAC / AMP. Which option is best for Meze Empyrean. Maybe there’s another better one.

DAC / AMP
1) Burson Audio Conductor 3X Reference
2) NuPrime DAC-10H
3) RME ADI-2 DAC FS
4) Audio-gd D-28.38
5) Schiit Jotunheim Multibit
6) Topping D90SE / Topping D90 MQA + Topping A90

AMP
1) Hugo 2 (DAC) + FLUX FA-10 PRO (AMP)
2) Hugo 2 (DAC) + Topping A90 (AMP)
3) Hugo 2 (DAC) + Gustard H16

I know about Chord Dave and other hi-end. Budget up to $ 2000.

Or it’s all a waste of money.
Thank you.

 

[VladYR]

Good afternoon.
I have a feeling that Hugo 2 can not fully drive Meze Empyrean.
Below are DAC / AMP. Which option is best for Meze Empyrean. Maybe there’s another better one.

DAC / AMP
1) Burson Audio Conductor 3X Reference
2) NuPrime DAC-10H
3) RME ADI-2 DAC FS
4) Audio-gd D-28.38
5) Schiit Jotunheim Multibit
6) Topping D90SE / Topping D90 MQA + Topping A90

AMP
1) Hugo 2 (DAC) + FLUX FA-10 PRO (AMP)
2) Hugo 2 (DAC) + Topping A90 (AMP)
3) Hugo 2 (DAC) + Gustard H16

I know about Chord Dave and other hi-end. Budget up to $ 2000.

Or it’s all a waste of money.
Thank you.

Meze Empyrean scales up well with better gear. Hugo 2 ought to be sufficient to drive them properly, just not to their full extent. Before I bought Chord Dave, I powered them with Sony TA-ZH1ES. Its DAC is quite good and the amount of power that they push is considerable, especially in balanced mode. Given that Empyrean is low impedance, it can be driven to extremely loud volumes without distortion. Check it out. It’s possible to find it at considerable discount these days, especially as demo units at some stores.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Good afternoon.
I have a feeling that Hugo 2 can not fully drive Meze Empyrean.
Below are DAC / AMP. Which option is best for Meze Empyrean. Maybe there’s another better one.

DAC / AMP
1) Burson Audio Conductor 3X Reference
2) NuPrime DAC-10H
3) RME ADI-2 DAC FS
4) Audio-gd D-28.38
5) Schiit Jotunheim Multibit
6) Topping D90SE / Topping D90 MQA + Topping A90

AMP
1) Hugo 2 (DAC) + FLUX FA-10 PRO (AMP)
2) Hugo 2 (DAC) + Topping A90 (AMP)
3) Hugo 2 (DAC) + Gustard H16

I know about Chord Dave and other hi-end. Budget up to $ 2000.

Or it’s all a waste of money.
Thank you.

There is no single "best" option.
Especially with the Empyrean it's a matter of taste since the raw power is less of an issue and other qualities of the chain become more Important.

 

[LCMusicLover]

... I have a feeling that Hugo 2 can not fully drive Meze Empyrean...

What specifically do you feel is 'missing' or 'deficient' with this pairing?

Are you saying that Hugo 2 may not have enough power or current to drive Empyrean? That seems unlikely to me. Empyrean are quite efficient, with relatively low impedance, so not particularly power hungry. And their current demand shouldn't tax Hugo 2 either.

Perhaps I'm mis-understanding, and you are talking about another aspect of sound quality, not power/drivability.

 

[Arcayne]

Good afternoon.
I have a feeling that Hugo 2 can not fully drive Meze Empyrean.
Below are DAC / AMP. Which option is best for Meze Empyrean. Maybe there’s another better one.

DAC / AMP
1) Burson Audio Conductor 3X Reference
2) NuPrime DAC-10H
3) RME ADI-2 DAC FS
4) Audio-gd D-28.38
5) Schiit Jotunheim Multibit
6) Topping D90SE / Topping D90 MQA + Topping A90

AMP
1) Hugo 2 (DAC) + FLUX FA-10 PRO (AMP)
2) Hugo 2 (DAC) + Topping A90 (AMP)
3) Hugo 2 (DAC) + Gustard H16

I know about Chord Dave and other hi-end. Budget up to $ 2000.

Or it’s all a waste of money.
Thank you.

Lately I've been using my Schiit Bifrost 2 > Lokius > Jotunheim 2 a lot for my Empyrean. In fact, since adding the Lokius to the chain, I've been spending less time with my Euforia and more with my Jot 2, which, considering how much I love the Euforia + Empy combo, is significant. Sometimes music just calls for a little more of this or a little less of that, and the Lokius allows me to dial that in on demand. So yeah, highly recommended, incredibly fun stack to pair with Empyreans.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Lately I've been using my Schiit Bifrost 2 > Lokius > Jotunheim 2 a lot for my Empyrean. In fact, since adding the Lokius to the chain, I've been spending less time with my Euforia and more with my Jot 2, which, considering how much I love the Euforia + Empy combo, is significant. Sometimes music just calls for a little more of this or a little less of that, and the Lokius allows me to dial that in on demand. So yeah, highly recommended, incredibly fun stack to pair with Empyreans.

You should use Bifrost 2 > Lokius > Euforia.
That's basically the best of both

 

[Arcayne]

You should use Bifrost 2 > Lokius > Euforia.
That's basically the best of both

I have done that, and it's nice. But the Euforia doesn't play all that well with a generous sub bass boost when driving Empy. The Jot unsurprisingly maintains control over Empy's bass much better than the Euforia when given a proper boost to have some fun with, which for some heavy duty trance, techno or drum & bass, is just a stupid amount of fun. Especially because unlike with digital EQ, the Lokius actually makes the bass slam harder without softening dynamics/transients higher up.

Naturally this is mood dependent, and when I'm in the mood to relax and wind down, I still go for the Euforia and bypass the Lokius. But if I'm using my HD580, I do use the Lokius to get the best of both, and that's been fantastic too.

 

[Newsee]

Good afternoon.
I have a feeling that Hugo 2 can not fully drive Meze Empyrean.
Below are DAC / AMP. Which option is best for Meze Empyrean. Maybe there’s another better one.

DAC / AMP
1) Burson Audio Conductor 3X Reference
2) NuPrime DAC-10H
3) RME ADI-2 DAC FS
4) Audio-gd D-28.38
5) Schiit Jotunheim Multibit
6) Topping D90SE / Topping D90 MQA + Topping A90

AMP
1) Hugo 2 (DAC) + FLUX FA-10 PRO (AMP)
2) Hugo 2 (DAC) + Topping A90 (AMP)
3) Hugo 2 (DAC) + Gustard H16

I know about Chord Dave and other hi-end. Budget up to $ 2000.

Or it’s all a waste of money.
Thank you.

I am really enjoying the Empy from the Conductor 3XR. However, if I could could choose again I would choose the separate Soloist & Composer 3X Performance Combo
, which is right now on sale at Burson, just a little bit above your budget cup. You could go also go with Hugo2 + Soloist 3XP for $1140.

 

[Dalmonegrig]

What specifically do you feel is 'missing' or 'deficient' with this pairing?
Perhaps I'm mis-understanding, and you are talking about another aspect of sound quality, not power/drivability.

In this sound, Meze Empyrean doesn’t have a great microdynamics (macrodynamic).
For me comfortable volume in the area of red color (from yellow color decrease by 8-5 divisions). With these Chord Hugo2Go volume settings is hard to hear overtones, has no easy playback. When the volume is increased (to yellow level), overtones is already heard, but it is still not easy to reproduce (Meze Empyrean does not sing with freedom and full diаphragm). If I listen for a long time (1-4 hours) on this volume (yellow), I get a headache.
When listening to music using Chord Hugo2Go + FitEar MH335DW SR everything is just great (they sing freely and authentically).