[k3kz]

Yeah sure, i mean the feeling that youre listening to speakers, without being in the music. For me the utopias deliver such a kind of liveliness and space between the instruments that it really puts you in the music. When i was looking for headphones more than a year ago i wanted to be sure that bass was presented well. So naturally i started to listen to audeze. I was wary of too much high tones (i liked sennheisers but they tire me because of too much brightness in the sound). Then i decided to listen to utopia versus the audeze line up and there was no doubt that i liked utopia better. Still i miss the lows of audeze. Audeze for me was flatter in that it missed some energy in the sound because of the lack of energy in the higher spectrum. I maybe think that too get the good lows you have to lose some of the highs ( a bit like fender vsgibson)?

Oh I remember feeling like this the first few days with Empyrean, a tiny bit. As in, everything feeling just a step or two away, less immediate, less involving (than my LCD-i4s).
That is something that definitely resolved itself in the next few weeks due to run-in. It is still never going to be as "in-your-face" as the i4 (or the Utopia), but the distanced feeling subsided for me.

Still, the thin/rolled-off bass you described doesnt sound normal - looking forward to your experiences when you get to compare them to another set.

 

[Ichos]

OK , let's get serious!

Thin bass and Empyrean = no way something is wrong...

 

[Razza1974]

OK , let's get serious!

Thin bass and Empyrean = no way something is wrong...

Yeah i am going to compare if i am getting the chance. Again it does not sound bad, not at all, but.....compared to the utopia it is thinner, less involving and less defined (talking only about the bass). This is not what should be expected right?

 

[Ichos]

Yes you shouldn't.
Listen to this
http://open.qobuz.com/album/xtch46ob6rkpc
It should hit like a hammer.
You must be able to hear every stroke on the instruments membranes.
It should be tight , well defined and crystal clear.

 

[Zhang Enyuan]

BHA100 Someone used？

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Yeah i am going to compare if i am getting the chance. Again it does not sound bad, not at all, but.....compared to the utopia it is thinner, less involving and less defined (talking only about the bass). This is not what should be expected right?

Empy should has thicker body. Definition should be on utopia. Of course set up also take a part here.

 

[Mike C]

A fairly simple circuit but kind of solid, really.

As Ichos said, indeed sometimes the truth lies in simplicity!

I have put a lot of work into developing headphone amps (with valves); strangely enough, they seem somewhat hard. In my time I've done SET amps, preamps, and phono stages (the latter are *hard*); but headphone amps have taken more effort than any of these. I have heard pro gear; built a kit then modified it; modified a Cayin HA-1A (not bad after the mods); and tried about 5 configurations of my own designs.

And the best by far is the simplest!
Just a single stage triode driving an output transformer. No driver stage, no buffer before the valve (all tried).
Top quality valve rectified power supply (high power) with3 choke stages. No voltage regulation. Nothing but simple components well configured.
I tried a transformer volume control as some folks rave about them, and technically it fitted the amp very well - but a simple stepped attenuator sounded better.
Valve choice was critical as it had to have gain of about 20 and reasonable power output; a very special trioded tetrode worked well.

Yes, simplicity can work wonders. And ... a really good valve amp with the Empyrean can work wonders.

Just a note for non believers. Valve gear has a reputation for 'warm and cuddly' sound, for smoothing things over, and lacking speed, attack and dynamics. Good valve gear can be quite different from that. In particular it can have speed, clear fast leading edges, extended high frequencies without harshness; these things are to me part of the magic of valves.
A good valve amp with such a high quality top end works wonders for the Empy; no lack of resolution, detail, transparency here.

 

[shafat777]

I am using my Empy with my GSX-mini. I LOVE the sound signature. Warm, with crisp treble with a neutral (not forward) mids/vocal. I am currently using the Alcantara pads since the leather pads sounds a little boomy in the low-end for me. The alcantara pads smooths out the treble and the bass, but still maintains the punchiness and depth. Despite having all the other cans in my collection, i keep running back to these due to their unique sonic quality, not to mention, these are so darn comfy. All the other cans can get a little tiresome on my head and neck after a few hours, but the Empys can sit of my head for days without any discomfort. Its a great headphone overall.

 

[Supermessi]

I am using my Empy with my GSX-mini. I LOVE the sound signature. Warm, with crisp treble with a neutral (not forward) mids/vocal. I am currently using the Alcantara pads since the leather pads sounds a little boomy in the low-end for me. The alcantara pads smooths out the treble and the bass, but still maintains the punchiness and depth. Despite having all the other cans in my collection, i keep running back to these due to their unique sonic quality, not to mention, these are so darn comfy. All the other cans can get a little tiresome on my head and neck after a few hours, but the Empys can sit of my head for days without any discomfort. Its a great headphone overall.

I agree. I'm aslo pairing my Empy with GSX-mini. In the previous post, I mentioned I like the vegan leather pads the most, but recently I quite like the alcantara pads with MEZE's own SPC. The only sonically weakness of alcantara pads is the mids could sound little bit dry and dull. However, I found this only happens when I'm using a pure silver cable. With MEZE's SPC, the mids is back to smooth and focused. MEZE's own cable really makes the vocals shine. The highs and low-end definitely sound better on alcantara than on leather pads. Right now the sound signature of my system is quite perfect to my liking.

 

[scottshields]

Just a note for non believers. Valve gear has a reputation for 'warm and cuddly' sound, for smoothing things over, and lacking speed, attack and dynamics. Good valve gear can be quite different from that. In particular it can have speed, clear fast leading edges, extended high frequencies without harshness; these things are to me part of the magic of valves.
A good valve amp with such a high quality top end works wonders for the Empy; no lack of resolution, detail, transparency here.

Anyone who's head a Feliks Euforia knows this to be true. I'm breaking in an Anniversary Edition and all of this applies. Per all the hype and reviews this amp with the Empyrean is an awesome match.

 

[kkugel]

Please disregard my answers for comparisons, I just realized default android upsamples Tidal HiFi and introduces artifacts, I heard the Empys and Susvaras Over a Hugo 2 from Tidal on my LG. I managed to disable the upsampling and the difference is night and day now.

 

[Junglebook3]

I recall the Empyrean got my ears hot with the default leather earpads, I'm considering buying the Empyrean again, can anyone compare ear-heat using the Alcantara pads?

 

[Ichos]

The Alcantara is more hot for me.
In the summer I am using the leather pads.
Alcantara sweat a lot and then they become wet.

 

[k3kz]

I recall the Empyrean got my ears hot with the default leather earpads, I'm considering buying the Empyrean again, can anyone compare ear-heat using the Alcantara pads?

I use Alcantara for that reason (luckily i also prefer the sound signature) - leather is too hot for me.

The Alcantara is more hot for me.
In the summer I am using the leather pads.
Alcantara sweat a lot and then they become wet.

Wow different strokes i guess - I prefer Alcantara because it is cooler to me But I also use the LCD-i4 as my summer headphone, nothing covering the ears is by far the best option. Therefore, I rarely use the Empy when it's hot outside.

 

[ThanatosVI]

I use Alcantara for that reason (luckily i also prefer the sound signature) - leather is too hot for me.


Wow different strokes i guess - I prefer Alcantara because it is cooler to me But I also use the LCD-i4 as my summer headphone, nothing covering the ears is by far the best option. Therefore, I rarely use the Empy when it's hot outside.

I prefer the sound of the leather pads, but the feel of the alcantara.