Meze EMPYREAN - the First Isodynamic Hybrid Array Headphone
Aug 29, 2021 at 5:42 PM Post #10,936 of 12,975
I feel like Meze and Audeze are closer together in terms of competition, as opposed to Focal or Hifiman, so comparisons to them seem more appropriate. I know summit-fi collectors will probsbly have them all, but most folks don’t tend to get multiple flagships lol, right?
 
Aug 29, 2021 at 6:46 PM Post #10,937 of 12,975
i'm thinking to myself that as i am more than merely mildly pleased with my Empyreans, that I actually will not upgrade to the Elite Empyreans for a change. typically, i'd jump on this so i'll get to enjoy the full product life cycle of the Elite Empyrean, so buying it early on in its product life cycle will ensure that i get to enjoy it for most of its cycle.

in this particular case, i am really not feeling "hungry" for much improvement at all. sure, i want slightly more bass, more powerful bass, more solid bass, but really, it's more than just adequate bass - it's perfectly fine, even though the Empyrean's strength isn't bass, obviously. it's also not necessarily a weakness either. just not a strength.

all in all, i don't know why i'd be unhappy about the Empyrean. if Meze didn't have the Elites coming out, i'd be blissfully not thinking about upgrade-itis whatsoever in this atypical case!

any thoughts, comments, fellow high end lovers?
 
Aug 29, 2021 at 6:55 PM Post #10,938 of 12,975
i'm thinking to myself that as i am more than merely mildly pleased with my Empyreans, that I actually will not upgrade to the Elite Empyreans for a change. typically, i'd jump on this so i'll get to enjoy the full product life cycle of the Elite Empyrean, so buying it early on in its product life cycle will ensure that i get to enjoy it for most of its cycle.

in this particular case, i am really not feeling "hungry" for much improvement at all. sure, i want slightly more bass, more powerful bass, more solid bass, but really, it's more than just adequate bass - it's perfectly fine, even though the Empyrean's strength isn't bass, obviously. it's also not necessarily a weakness either. just not a strength.

all in all, i don't know why i'd be unhappy about the Empyrean. if Meze didn't have the Elites coming out, i'd be blissfully not thinking about upgrade-itis whatsoever in this atypical case!

any thoughts, comments, fellow high end lovers?
The Empyrean is my favourite headphone among all flagships.
Sure I got the Solitaire P as well, which bests it in certain aspects, but if I could have only one it would be the Empyrean.
Nothing matches it in musicality, just captivating you. Making you sink into the music.

That means that even the Empyrean Elite has to proof that it's better for me. Sure it might improve in detail, speed and certain other aspects. More importantly though it musn't Lose what makes the Empyrean so special.

I will own both simultaneously and compare them thoroughly. Hopefully the Elite is the same at the core with certsin improvements, so thst I could sell the Empyrean to make up for the investment.
Even this task Isn't easy to achieve though.
Maybe I will have to keep both...
 
Aug 29, 2021 at 7:07 PM Post #10,939 of 12,975
The Empyrean is my favourite headphone among all flagships.
Sure I got the Solitaire P as well, which bests it in certain aspects, but if I could have only one it would be the Empyrean.
Nothing matches it in musicality, just captivating you. Making you sink into the music.

That means that even the Empyrean Elite has to proof that it's better for me. Sure it might improve in detail, speed and certain other aspects. More importantly though it musn't Lose what makes the Empyrean so special.

I will own both simultaneously and compare them thoroughly. Hopefully the Elite is the same at the core with certsin improvements, so thst I could sell the Empyrean to make up for the investment.
Even this task Isn't easy to achieve though.
Maybe I will have to keep both...
@ThanatosVI:

i concur. i HATE overly analytical headphones like the Utopias, et al.

if i were listening to a pair of speakers, and it is highly analytical, but with harsh highs and fatiguing highs and mid-range, it is an immediate deal breaker for me. immediate! i dislike fatiguing speakers/headphones immensely. harshness, bright sound, fatiguing, are the biggest criticisms i have for high end equipment. like you, i'd like to enjoy the music, relax, and not suffer any ear-bleeding brightness, harshness, rendering the speakers/headphones fatiguing.
 
Aug 29, 2021 at 7:12 PM Post #10,940 of 12,975
I feel like Meze and Audeze are closer together in terms of competition, as opposed to Focal or Hifiman, so comparisons to them seem more appropriate. I know summit-fi collectors will probsbly have them all, but most folks don’t tend to get multiple flagships lol, right?
I think a lot of people insane enough to buy multi-thousand dollar headphones are insane enough to buy multiple thousand dollar headphones :wink:

My insane-ometer caps out at "one headphone per use case." Right now that's one open-back headphone and one IEM.
 
Aug 29, 2021 at 7:19 PM Post #10,941 of 12,975
The Empyrean is my favourite headphone among all flagships.
Sure I got the Solitaire P as well, which bests it in certain aspects, but if I could have only one it would be the Empyrean.
Nothing matches it in musicality, just captivating you. Making you sink into the music.

That means that even the Empyrean Elite has to proof that it's better for me. Sure it might improve in detail, speed and certain other aspects. More importantly though it musn't Lose what makes the Empyrean so special.

I will own both simultaneously and compare them thoroughly. Hopefully the Elite is the same at the core with certsin improvements, so thst I could sell the Empyrean to make up for the investment.
Even this task Isn't easy to achieve though.
Maybe I will have to keep both...
Yup, these are my exact feelings.
 
Aug 29, 2021 at 8:02 PM Post #10,942 of 12,975
I think a lot of people insane enough to buy multi-thousand dollar headphones are insane enough to buy multiple thousand dollar headphones :wink:

My insane-ometer caps out at "one headphone per use case." Right now that's one open-back headphone and one IEM.
But you have the hekv2 and empyrean?
They are a few thousand each are they not?
(Or does your signature need updating?)
 
Aug 29, 2021 at 8:28 PM Post #10,943 of 12,975
i'm thinking to myself that as i am more than merely mildly pleased with my Empyreans, that I actually will not upgrade to the Elite Empyreans for a change. typically, i'd jump on this so i'll get to enjoy the full product life cycle of the Elite Empyrean, so buying it early on in its product life cycle will ensure that i get to enjoy it for most of its cycle.

in this particular case, i am really not feeling "hungry" for much improvement at all. sure, i want slightly more bass, more powerful bass, more solid bass, but really, it's more than just adequate bass - it's perfectly fine, even though the Empyrean's strength isn't bass, obviously. it's also not necessarily a weakness either. just not a strength.

all in all, i don't know why i'd be unhappy about the Empyrean. if Meze didn't have the Elites coming out, i'd be blissfully not thinking about upgrade-itis whatsoever in this atypical case!

any thoughts, comments, fellow high end lovers?
It's hard for me to say anything definitive about upgrading without knowing that the Elite brings to the table. But given how much I enjoy the Empyrean, the Elite would have to address all my little nitpicks and quibbles without taking anything away that I already love. And that doesn't seem particularly likely to happen. The assumption we're all making is that Meze is responding to some user feedback regarding the balance between driveability and technical performance, sorta like some Beyerdynamic models range from 32 to 600 ohm. In that case, I'd be excited to see how far they go. But that's just speculation based on drips of teases, and rumor of the name itself.
 
Aug 29, 2021 at 9:19 PM Post #10,944 of 12,975
But you have the hekv2 and empyrean?
They are a few thousand each are they not?
(Or does your signature need updating?)
I'm currently auditioning them both! I've had the HE1000 V2 for a few months but was having comfort issues for long listening and gaming sessions. When I saw a good deal for an Empyrean I figured it's renowned comfort was worth a try. Truthfully, I hadn't tried the Empyrean before because I was expecting to hate its sound signature...

... I was dead wrong. The Empyrean presents the soul of music that the V2 simply cannot convey. The Empyrean conveys the physical feeling of the pluck of a guitar string or a hammer hitting the felt of an intimately recorded piano. There's an addicting thickness to bass notes and kick drums. These qualities are what I love the most about music. Auditioning these cans side by side makes it painfully clear that these qualities simply aren't there on the V2.

The V2 is more resolving, has a more expansive stage width and images better than the Empyrean for sure. Every time I switch from the Empyrean to the V2, however, I feel like the life of the recording gets completely sucked out. The increase in technical performance is noticeable, but it's not worth the complete loss of presence that the Empyrean has in spades.

I'm going to keep auditioning for another week or so but it's highly likely that I'll soon be selling the V2 off. I went from expecting Empyrean to be a disappointment to uncontrollable excitement for the Elite!
 
Aug 29, 2021 at 9:29 PM Post #10,945 of 12,975
i'm thinking to myself that as i am more than merely mildly pleased with my Empyreans, that I actually will not upgrade to the Elite Empyreans for a change. typically, i'd jump on this so i'll get to enjoy the full product life cycle of the Elite Empyrean, so buying it early on in its product life cycle will ensure that i get to enjoy it for most of its cycle.

in this particular case, i am really not feeling "hungry" for much improvement at all. sure, i want slightly more bass, more powerful bass, more solid bass, but really, it's more than just adequate bass - it's perfectly fine, even though the Empyrean's strength isn't bass, obviously. it's also not necessarily a weakness either. just not a strength.

all in all, i don't know why i'd be unhappy about the Empyrean. if Meze didn't have the Elites coming out, i'd be blissfully not thinking about upgrade-itis whatsoever in this atypical case!

any thoughts, comments, fellow high end lovers?
That's how I'm feeling as well. Of course I want to hear it, and I've thought about the option of upgrading to it. But now that some impressions have been shared, including a couple friends whose ears I trust, it seems that the Elite is not a linear upgrade over the OG, but a complement to the OG for those who prefer a more neutral/technical interpretation of the Empyrean. Some of us who currently own an Empy might find the Elite worth upgrading to, but I'm sure there will be plenty of folks leaning towards preferring the "fully flavored" Empy, or even end up finding it worthwhile to own both as complements to one another.

I'll figure out which camp I'll fall into once I've auditioned it, but like you I'm also in a position where I don't crave any upgrades. Even if I do end up finding it an improvement, does the scale of improvement justify the cost of upgrading? That's going to be the challenge. For a slight preference towards the Elite, I'm not going to be interested in spending €2k+. It would be far more compelling to upgrade if Meze would offer an upgrade service for Empy owners, where we could send out Empyreans in and get them back with the Elite drivers, pads and whatever else, costing just the difference in MSRP between Empy and Elite.

Either way, don't sweat it. If all you'd like from an upgrade is a more robust and impactful bass response, you might even have greater success by looking for an amp that brings out these qualities in the Empyrean.
 
Aug 30, 2021 at 3:25 PM Post #10,946 of 12,975
...but most folks don’t tend to get multiple flagships lol, right?
I think a lot of people ... are insane enough to buy multiple thousand dollar headphones :wink:

My insane-ometer caps out at "one headphone per use case." Right now that's one open-back headphone and one IEM.
So you guys are suggesting that I'm insane? Probably :)
Biggest question for me is if they will retain their ease to drive. That is a hinge part of their appeal for me, no other flagship that I know of can be driven so easily...
HEKse -- 'Hold my beer' (96 dB & 35 Ohms)
Utopia -- 'No, hold my beer' (104 dB & 80 Ohms)

Empyrean -- 'Nope, neither one of you are quite as easy to drive as I am' (100 dB & 32 Ohms)

HEKse & Utopia together -- 'Close enough'
 
Aug 30, 2021 at 3:48 PM Post #10,947 of 12,975
So you guys are suggesting that I'm insane? Probably :)

HEKse -- 'Hold my beer' (96 dB & 35 Ohms)
Utopia -- 'No, hold my beer' (104 dB & 80 Ohms)

Empyrean -- 'Nope, neither one of you are quite as easy to drive as I am' (100 dB & 32 Ohms)

HEKse & Utopia together -- 'Close enough'
Empyrean is actually 107db sensitivity
 
Aug 30, 2021 at 4:07 PM Post #10,948 of 12,975
That's how I'm feeling as well. Of course I want to hear it, and I've thought about the option of upgrading to it. But now that some impressions have been shared, including a couple friends whose ears I trust, it seems that the Elite is not a linear upgrade over the OG, but a complement to the OG for those who prefer a more neutral/technical interpretation of the Empyrean. Some of us who currently own an Empy might find the Elite worth upgrading to, but I'm sure there will be plenty of folks leaning towards preferring the "fully flavored" Empy, or even end up finding it worthwhile to own both as complements to one another.

I'll figure out which camp I'll fall into once I've auditioned it, but like you I'm also in a position where I don't crave any upgrades. Even if I do end up finding it an improvement, does the scale of improvement justify the cost of upgrading? That's going to be the challenge. For a slight preference towards the Elite, I'm not going to be interested in spending €2k+. It would be far more compelling to upgrade if Meze would offer an upgrade service for Empy owners, where we could send out Empyreans in and get them back with the Elite drivers, pads and whatever else, costing just the difference in MSRP between Empy and Elite.

Either way, don't sweat it. If all you'd like from an upgrade is a more robust and impactful bass response, you might even have greater success by looking for an amp that brings out these qualities in the Empyrean.
And not only the amp of course...DAC, cables and source. Having first upgraded all my cables - signal and power - for my TT2/mscaler, using Neotech's UP-OCC solid silver and copper wires (DIY), I was surprised at my Empys' improved performance from doing the same for its own cable...and even more so when some Neotech AG-GD (silver with 1% gold) was added! And the benefits were across the board - from bass response thru mids to much enhanced treble (sparkle, even). Plus clarity; detail; dynamics; spatial stage etc. But for me, the Meze's true potential caught me unawares even more so when I replaced my Naim UnitiCore server/player with an Antipodes DX... further overall improvements once more, especially in this headphone's ability to keep all the extra detail/separation/placement provided by the New Zealander in flawless control, with wonderful focus and uncanny imaging. And an already much enhanced bass became even tighter, more solid/textured and extended...something I never expected from these headphones to this degree (as many might also feel :wink:). Any more and it would be - for me, badly out of balance and destroy that special, smooth delivery matched by very few other top class cans IMHO.

ps. Did I mention speed/PRaT I hadn't noticed before?...

In brief, I cannot now think of any area of performance that could be improved upon via another model...and certainly not anything this side of realistic affordability! And thus I too suggest looking to the rest of one's system first lol :slight_smile:.
 
Aug 30, 2021 at 6:19 PM Post #10,949 of 12,975
I'm pretty curious how the Elite will sound! I absolutely love the non fatiguing tuning of the Empyrean, as I'm very sensitive to harshness.

Not to mention how comfortable it is! The ZMF Aeolus I used to own (I love this one too) wasn't as form fitting as I'd have liked. The weight felt more noticeable , even though mine weighed about the same as the Empy.

If the Empyrean Elite is made of Magnesium as was possibly hinted a number of posts back, I have a feeling my wallet will hate me again soon.
 
Aug 30, 2021 at 6:22 PM Post #10,950 of 12,975
I'm pretty curious how the Elite will sound! I absolutely love the non fatiguing tuning of the Empyrean, as I'm very sensitive to harshness.

Not to mention how comfortable it is! The ZMF Aeolus I used to own (I love this one too) wasn't as form fitting as I'd have liked. The weight felt more noticeable , even though mine weighed about the same as the Empy.

If the Empyrean Elite is made of Magnesium as was possibly hinted a number of posts back, I have a feeling my wallet will hate me again soon.
Beautiful chain you got there.

May into MZ3 into Empyrean must be amazing
 

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