[paul2qute]

I totally prefer headphones to speakers. I love the intimacy of headphones and the fact that nothing interferes with the sound if you have a quiet room or decent isolation. However, I do not like in-ear monitors.

It's mad how we are so different, the best buzz I've ever had from hi-fi is a iPhone Hugo original and sennheiser ie800 in ears,

 

[delirium]

It's mad how we are so different, the best buzz I've ever had from hi-fi is a iPhone Hugo original and sennheiser ie800 in ears,

What gear do you have......much depends on that.....you know....

 

[paul2qute]

Lap top chord m scaler chord hugo TT 2 Meze audio Empyrean headphones and focal aria 936 when they arrive

 

[Quadfather]

It's mad how we are so different, the best buzz I've ever had from hi-fi is a iPhone Hugo original and sennheiser ie800 in ears,

My Questyle QP1R and my Lotoo Paw Gold Diana with my AKG K812 headphones gets me high!

 

[paul2qute]

My Questyle QP1R and my Lotoo Paw Gold Diana with my AKG K812 headphones gets me high!

Not heard of them mate but whatever gives you that buzz that's what it's all about

 

[bimmer100]

I totally prefer headphones to speakers. I love the intimacy of headphones and the fact that nothing interferes with the sound if you have a quiet room or decent isolation. However, I do not like in-ear monitors.

I can totally relate. Although I appreciate loudspeaker systems. I just don’t have as many opportunities to enjoy a loudspeaker system. My wife is too sensitive to loud music and I really like to turn up the volume if using a loud speaker system. Our system is decent yet easily prefer a session on my empyreans with my dialed in audio gear. It really makes a difference what gear you are using with heapdhones to truly get the best experience.
We all are sooooo different as you would know this and isn’t really surprising. But I can also agree that iem’s are less enjoyable than heapdhones. At least for me anyhow.

The empyreans are able to cleanly reproduce sub bass that no iem could ever dream of doing. (Cough) physics (Cough) I’ve spent upwards of 2K on iems and tried too many to know they are simply not for me. I have had custom ear tips made and it improves the experience too. Oddly I found some magnetostatic iems that sounded impressive to me, and didn’t break the bank. But still strongly prefer heapdhones.
Funny, I spend more time with my Sony wh-1000xm3’s since they are good noise canceling and help when I’m at my shop working on my cars. Lots of loud air tools and such, the only way to listen to music and protect my hearing.

I would like to see if meze audio would make a flagship closed back for those needing such a thing. Their neo99 and neoclassic walnut are actually pretty darn good I must admit. I have a pair of each and found them to have an excellent sound stage. In fact I bought a pair of the neo99 for my younger brother for Christmas. He is much much younger and just started college, so a pair of those along with a portable amp/dac was given as a combo and his first ever audio setup.

I just mentioned a closed back flagship, but I’d you notice the images for the empyrean online show some prototype designs and it appears they experimented with a closed back design. I wonder how that went. I would really like to see it. And know it’s not comparable to open backed headphones. Too many variables that affect sound staging . Some companies have done fairly well with making a closed back headphone but in the end, they are still closed back and sound closed back! I appreciate them all for what they are!

Headphones surely are my passion. God knows if I sold them all I could afford a really really nice loud speaker system that I would rarely get to enjoy. And really it’s about enjoying as much music as possible. Music is my passion and I want to listen as often as possible. Headphones are intimate as you said! The empyreans are the only headphones recently that have truly impressed me to the point I found myself listening til 3am or later. This is rare I lose track of time and find them to be deliver neutral sound. I personally would not really consider them V shaped in signature. We all hear very differently. The leather pads clearly have a bump up of the lower frequency (50hz - 200hz and possibly the lower sub bass a little 5-20hz) and also miss slightly around 2k-3K is subtle and more notable high end around 11k-14k when using leather pads. Just a bit more definition for sure! The Alcantara Pads are definitely more neutral and “rolled off” is not the correct term, but neutral. Since many headphones in this range are super bright in comparison and far from neutral when compared to even the leather pads. The empyrean I would not consider to be a warm headphone but more a wet/neutral sound if paired with the proper amp/dac. Some dacs will make these sound bright, since certain dacs have awfully nasty bright signatures to begin with. Especially a few dacs that are found in some cellphones. Delirium just mentioned the importance of gear, and sooo so very true indeed. They will make or break the overall experience with headphones.

Anyhow, this is me rambling. When really I just want to agree with your statement... we are in a headphone forum!!!

 

[bimmer100]

Which makes me wonder if the Empyrean might sound too laid back and relaxed over time, and you might want a little more spark and jump that you now realize isn't there.

OR....perhaps it's presentation will always remain musical and satisfying....and no headphone will ever be all things to all people.

The later quote sounds accurate. They are musical and satisfying to my ears, but that means nothing to the next person. We as people all hear different... at least this is what I think is true And it’s a guess what anything may sound like until you try it on your own setup as well as a few others for good reference. Usually any audio show would never do justice to a pair of headphones.

One guy mentioned “wrangling” his big ears into the empyreans and it dawned on me that even these headphones with moderately roomy ear pads will not fit everyone and not work for everyone. But I understand the design concept to improve sound quality. It’s like being a basketball player and jumping into a tiny two seater sports car. Just doesn’t work for everyone.

 

[paul2qute]

I can totally relate. Although I appreciate loudspeaker systems. I just don’t have as many opportunities to enjoy a loudspeaker system. My wife is too sensitive to loud music and I really like to turn up the volume if using a loud speaker system. Our system is decent yet easily prefer a session on my empyreans with my dialed in audio gear. It really makes a difference what gear you are using with heapdhones to truly get the best experience.
We all are sooooo different as you would know this and isn’t really surprising. But I can also agree that iem’s are less enjoyable than heapdhones. At least for me anyhow.

The empyreans are able to cleanly reproduce sub bass that no iem could ever dream of doing. (Cough) physics (Cough) I’ve spent upwards of 2K on iems and tried too many to know they are simply not for me. I have had custom ear tips made and it improves the experience too. Oddly I found some magnetostatic iems that sounded impressive to me, and didn’t break the bank. But still strongly prefer heapdhones.
Funny, I spend more time with my Sony wh-1000xm3’s since they are good noise canceling and help when I’m at my shop working on my cars. Lots of loud air tools and such, the only way to listen to music and protect my hearing.

I would like to see if meze audio would make a flagship closed back for those needing such a thing. Their neo99 and neoclassic walnut are actually pretty darn good I must admit. I have a pair of each and found them to have an excellent sound stage. In fact I bought a pair of the neo99 for my younger brother for Christmas. He is much much younger and just started college, so a pair of those along with a portable amp/dac was given as a combo and his first ever audio setup.

I just mentioned a closed back flagship, but I’d you notice the images for the empyrean online show some prototype designs and it appears they experimented with a closed back design. I wonder how that went. I would really like to see it. And know it’s not comparable to open backed headphones. Too many variables that affect sound staging . Some companies have done fairly well with making a closed back headphone but in the end, they are still closed back and sound closed back! I appreciate them all for what they are!

Headphones surely are my passion. God knows if I sold them all I could afford a really really nice loud speaker system that I would rarely get to enjoy. And really it’s about enjoying as much music as possible. Music is my passion and I want to listen as often as possible. Headphones are intimate as you said! The empyreans are the only headphones recently that have truly impressed me to the point I found myself listening til 3am or later. This is rare I lose track of time and find them to be deliver neutral sound. I personally would not really consider them V shaped in signature. We all hear very differently. The leather pads clearly have a bump up of the lower frequency (50hz - 200hz and possibly the lower sub bass a little 5-20hz) and also miss slightly around 2k-3K is subtle and more notable high end around 11k-14k when using leather pads. Just a bit more definition for sure! The Alcantara Pads are definitely more neutral and “rolled off” is not the correct term, but neutral. Since many headphones in this range are super bright in comparison and far from neutral when compared to even the leather pads. The empyrean I would not consider to be a warm headphone but more a wet/neutral sound if paired with the proper amp/dac. Some dacs will make these sound bright, since certain dacs have awfully nasty bright signatures to begin with. Especially a few dacs that are found in some cellphones. Delirium just mentioned the importance of gear, and sooo so very true indeed. They will make or break the overall experience with headphones.

Anyhow, this is me rambling. When really I just want to agree with your statement... we are in a headphone forum!!!

Apologises

 

[LCMusicLover]

The later quote sounds accurate. They are musical and satisfying to my ears, but that means nothing to the next person. We as people all hear different... at least this is what I think is true And it’s a guess what anything may sound like until you try it on your own setup as well as a few others for good reference. Usually any audio show would never do justice to a pair of headphones.

One guy mentioned “wrangling” his big ears into the empyreans and it dawned on me that even these headphones with moderately roomy ear pads will not fit everyone and not work for everyone. But I understand the design concept to improve sound quality. It’s like being a basketball player and jumping into a tiny two seater sports car. Just doesn’t work for everyone.

LOL! Made me think of that car ad with Shaq. First they show him standing outside the car admiring it. Then they show him sitting in the car. But they never show him getting in or out of the car.

 

[Beagle]

The later quote sounds accurate. They are musical and satisfying to my ears, but that means nothing to the next person. We as people all hear different... at least this is what I think is true And it’s a guess what anything may sound like until you try it on your own setup as well as a few others for good reference. Usually any audio show would never do justice to a pair of headphones.

But for $3000 you'd reasonably expect more than just another 'color' that is readily available in much cheaper headphones? Again, as you point out 'accuracy' and preference are in the ear of the beholder. The Diana is 'accurate' in terms of not favoring one aspect of the FR, but there are times when I wish for some 'flavor', even after I've begged for 'flat' and 'unbiased' and got it. Maybe it's like food, where we love something but would not want to eat it every day. But it's a sickness, an abnormal behavior, since we don't change power amps and loudspeakers for different pieces of music. Maybe a 500 lb. headphone that we have to crawl under and listen.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

The Diana is 'accurate' in terms Maybe it's like food, where we love something but would not want to eat it every day. But it's a sickness, an abnormal behavior, since we don't change power amps and loudspeakers for different pieces of music. Maybe a 500 lb. headphone that we have to crawl under and listen.

What??? Hahaha.

 

[Deftone]

It's mad how we are so different, the best buzz I've ever had from hi-fi is a iPhone Hugo original and sennheiser ie800 in ears,

I thought you hated the IE800?

 

[Deftone]

I want to apologise to Antonio, I'm all mixed up with what I want in life, it's been a long road losing my job my health but I've got a permanent job today so I don't feel I need to rush or part ex stuff, I'm keeping the Meze audio Empyrean headphones and I'm gonna spend a good year making my impressions, I don't mean impressions in here but my own impressions for me

I think its a good idea to really settle down with the Empyrean and really get to know them, they may start to really blossom within a couple of weeks.

I didnt quite like the sound of of IE800-S and LCD2 in the first week but then they grew on me like mold.

 

[Beagle]

What??? Hahaha.

If you can't lift it, you have to keep it.

 

[Rowethren]

Yes they are end game headphones the best I've heard but do they blow me away like a high quality pair of speakers probably not but 7 hrs use on any piece of kit surely isn't enough so I'm gonna listen to someone else for once... My dealer hope he's right

Well if you change your mind I know somone who would be very interested in a B-stock Empyrean from Nintronics "wink wink nudge nudge"