[betula]

delete

 

[nwavesailor]

Betula is WAY better at describing what he hears from hp A to hp B than me.

I am a big Empy fan and thought I was getting plenty of detail with the Empy using a GS-X mini or Liquid Platinum with very reveling tubes like Telefunken 12AU7 smooth plates. I then tried a Chord Qutest DAC and found WAY more detail while still paired with the GS-X mini or LP. Are there parts of tracks that I know well that I can hear with my 2 channel rig more clearly, yes....... but the comfort and overall hp experience is so good with the Empy's that I'm fine with that. I also own the Ether 2 hp that now gets almost no listening time. The E2 does have a bit more detail, but overall not as enjoyable as the Empy at least for me.

Betula is right about this as well, the bass using the E2 isn't even close to the Empy's IMO.

EDIT : I do enjoy the added detail I got from the Qutest but am honestly not looking for any additional detail!

 

[betula]

Betula is WAY better at describing what he hears from hp A to hp B than me.

I am a big Empy fan and thought I was getting plenty of detail with the Empy using a GS-X mini or Liquid Platinum with very reveling tubes like Telefunken 12AU7 smooth plates. I then tried a Chord Qutest DAC and found WAY more detail while still paired with the GS-X mini or LP. Are there parts of tracks that I know well that I can hear with my 2 channel rig more clearly, yes....... but the comfort and overall hp experience is so good with the Empy's that I'm fine with that. I also own the Ether 2 hp that now gets almost no listening time. The E2 does have a bit more detail, but overall not as enjoyable as the Empy at least for me.

Betula is right about this as well, the bass using the E2 isn't even close to the Empy's IMO.

Thanks for your kind words.
I am only sharing my experience and sticking with my perception regardless the price tag of the equipment I try. My personal taste must shine through the comments I post.

 

[thecrow]

They had it on the Sennheiser HDV 820 balanced.

I believe that amp has an output impedance of 40 so that should/could give you a (somewhat) bloated bottom end so not the best amp for the empy or non high impedance headphones.

my experience has me believing the empy is a very good and forgiving headphone but the gear it is used with plays a big part in the value it delivers

 

[kumar402]

When I had Empyrean and Verite , the most contrasting difference was instrument separation and spacing or air between instrument. I found it better in Verite as compared to Empyrean. Also somehow I felt bass or rather sub bass was better in Verite compared to Empyrean. Empyrean definitely has more mid bass.

Also I never found it laid back sounding but with good amount of air and energy in treble. It definitely has lot going on after 10k. My only issue was mushing of instrument sometimes.
Headphone on hand looks very robust and I am quite sure if handled with care it will stay with you for long long time.

 

[JinTam]

Does anyone know how to take apart the original cable with the 2.5mm and mini xlr connectors? I want to rewire them with a softer and longer material.

 

[mixman]

When I had Empyrean and Verite , the most contrasting difference was instrument separation and spacing or air between instrument. I found it better in Verite as compared to Empyrean. Also somehow I felt bass or rather sub bass was better in Verite compared to Empyrean. Empyrean definitely has more mid bass.

Also I never found it laid back sounding but with good amount of air and energy in treble. It definitely has lot going on after 10k. My only issue was mushing of instrument sometimes.
Headphone on hand looks very robust and I am quite sure if handled with care it will stay with you for long long time.

I have both here right now, with the Empy on loan. I find that the separation thing is very pad dependent on both HP's. I feel the leather pads on the Empy, while giving the best tonal balance seems to crowd the soundstage ina bit too much. While on the Veritee the Universe pads are great for a spacious sound they are not great for pinpoint imaging. I really feel like these two headphones are just the same general class of headphones with one being the impactful planar sound and the other being an excellent dynamic type of sound.

Does anyone know how to take apart the original cable with the 2.5mm and mini xlr connectors? I want to rewire them with a softer and longer material.

Wouldn't it be better to just either build a cable from scratch or buy a good, inexpensive cable?

 

[JinTam]

I have both here right now, with the Empy on loan. I find that the separation thing is very pad dependent on both HP's. I feel the leather pads on the Empy, while giving the best tonal balance seems to crowd the soundstage ina bit too much. While on the Veritee the Universe pads are great for a spacious sound they are not great for pinpoint imaging. I really feel like these two headphones are just the same general class of headphones with one being the impactful planar sound and the other being an excellent dynamic type of sound.


Wouldn't it be better to just either build a cable from scratch or buy a good, inexpensive cable?

The original cable is little over 3 feet, not much use except for a portal player I guess. I guess it's not worth it to reuse the connectors other than for their Meze Audio print. It was just sitting around, I was thinking about rewiring it so I can actually use it.

 

[llamacans]

The Empyrean might not present as much detail as other TOTL headphones when listening to audiophile recordings, but it will make great albums that were poorly recorded or mastered sound way better than other TOTL headphones. At least that's my hot take.

Ultimately, if you love music from many different genres, both mainstream/indie, or perhaps old pre-1960s music, you might find that the Empyrean is absolutely worth it because you won't be in a situation where your gear dictates what you want to listen to.

Are the Empys worth it if I can only buy one headphone at this price point?

 

[LCMusicLover]

Are the Empys worth it if I can only buy one headphone at this price point?

Speaking as someone who owned and then sold Empyrean, I would say 'it depends'.

Basically, they are very well made and extremely comfortable. I think they sound quite good and technically very competent. All that said, they are not neutral/referency, so...

...it really depends on individual preferences -- they were just a bit further away from neutral than I prefer (according to my ears). But note that my faves tend to be very close to neutral (HEKv2, Utopia, Auteur, Ether 2). Also, the headstage is quite lush and enveloping, sort of the opposite of the open airy stage of my HEKv2. Again, it's all about your preferences.

 

[betula]

Are the Empys worth it if I can only buy one headphone at this price point?

IMO Empy is the best all-rounder flagship because it can do EDM and classical music both to such satisfying level, no other flagship can match in one package. You get the impact, bass quantity and treble sparkle for EDM and you also get the nuances and sophisticated sound, positioning and layering of classical music without an overwhelming bass.

If you like your bass, you listen to a lot of different music genres including modern music, you like the impactful planar sound and you love comfort, the Empy might just be the perfect choice for you. Empy is about enjoying your music and not about studio level recording quality check.

If you fancy the most spacious sound over anything else, look into the HE1000SE instead. If you want the absolutely perfect bass available today and you don't mind comfort too much, check out the LCD4/z. If you like dynamic drivers and the way they perform versus a planar sound, check out ZMF Verite. If money is not an issue at all and you have substantial amplification available, have a look at the Susvara or Abyss TC.

I keep only one headphone at home and I listen to a variety of genres. I love my bass with EDM but also like a spacious and natural sound that works with classical too. The choice for me was obvious, but ymmv. Empy is pretty much the upper limit of my headphone budget and I think it gives me the most for the money as a 'one for all' package at least for my listening habits and needs.

 

[PopZeus]

Are the Empys worth it if I can only buy one headphone at this price point?

The best I can answer that is with a "possibly". I'd say if you listen to a lot of modern music: pop, lo-fi, indie, punk, EDM, hip-hop, etc. (either bass-heavy genres, or anything that is compressed or noisy), then it's hard to find a headphone that better serves all of those genres than the Empyrean. This pretty much describes me, but also I like my deep bass.

If you listen to more audiophile type recordings and fewer of the genres mentioned above, you'll probably get more from a technical monster like those mentioned by others as TOTL winners.

 

[Bonddam]

I’d go with the Verite open or closed

 

[Wraith.]

Selling my whole rig over in the classifieds if anyone is looking:

Empyrean's
Hugo TT2
M scaler
Innuos Zenith

 

[betula]

Selling my whole rig over in the classifieds if anyone is looking:

Empyrean's
Hugo TT2
M scaler
Innuos Zenith

Why? If I may ask.