Meze EMPYREAN - the First Isodynamic Hybrid Array Headphone

[turbofeet]

I love the oratory EQ settings with the Alacantra pads. I use it on everything. I bring the low end up a few dB bit as I'm a bit of a bass head.

Never listen to them without that EQ any more as it improves them a lot imo.

 

[Hoegaardener70]

I love the oratory EQ settings with the Alacantra pads. I use it on everything. I bring the low end up a few dB bit as I'm a bit of a bass head.

Never listen to them without that EQ any more as it improves them a lot imo.

Would you mind sharing your low end setting changes? Thanks in advance, I am not very experienced with changing the eq values.

 

[turbofeet]

Sure thing but all I did was lift some of those bars up on the left, haha it wasn't exactly technical.

Sounds great to me though.

 

[Hoegaardener70]

Sure thing but all I did was lift some of those bars up on the left, haha it wasn't exactly technical.

LOL, thank you. I'll try that ...

 

[betula]

For some the Empyrean is the unreachable dream headphone. Others on the forum speak of it belittling.

The roughly 2500 Empyrean owners in the world of 7,674,000,000 human beings have a responsibility to share an honest and unbiased opinion.

At the same time we must remember, how extremely lucky we are to own such a rare masterpiece. And say thanks for the senses that can appreciate such a rarity.

I have been in the hobby for many years. Always on a relatively low budget compared to other actual forum members. I am sure, I am one of the poorest Empyrean owners. But I own a pair of Empyreans.

The technicalities of these headphones are enough for me. And the musicality they offer I just find unparalleled. And I tried quite a few other flagships, although not all of them. (Tried: HE1000V2, Susvara, HD800S, Verité open, LCD4. Want to try: Abyss 1266, Verité closed, D8000pro).

 

[ThanatosVI]

For some the Empyrean is the unreachable dream headphone. Others on the forum speak of it belittling.

The roughly 2500 Empyrean owners in the world of 7,674,000,000 human beings have a responsibility to share an honest and unbiased opinion.

At the same time we must remember, how extremely lucky we are to own such a rare masterpiece. And say thanks for the senses that can appreciate such a rarity.

I have been in the hobby for many years. Always on a relatively low budget compared to other actual forum members. I am sure, I am one of the poorest Empyrean owners. But I own a pair of Empyreans.

The technicalities of these headphones are enough for me. And the musicality they offer I just find unparalleled. And I tried quite a few other flagships, although not all of them. (Tried: HE1000V2, Susvara, HD800S, Verité open, LCD4. Want to try: Abyss 1266, Verité closed, D8000pro).

You should definitely also try the T+A Solitaire P or P-SE considering a tighter Budget.

 

[betula]

You should definitely also try the T+A Solitaire P or P-SE considering a tighter Budget.

They are definitely on my radar. I hear more and more positive opinions about them. I think Solitaire is going to sound louder and louder in summit-fi.
The only thing that limits me is budget. Between 2-3K is what I can spend on my one and only TOTL hp right now.

 

[Hoegaardener70]

They are definitely on my radar. I hear more and more positive opinions about them. I think Solitaire is going to sound louder and louder in summit-fi.
The only thing that limits me is budget. Between 2-3K is what I can spend on my one and only TOTL hp right now.

Just get the Empy and be happy.

 

[ThanatosVI]

They are definitely on my radar. I hear more and more positive opinions about them. I think Solitaire is going to sound louder and louder in summit-fi.
The only thing that limits me is budget. Between 2-3K is what I can spend on my one and only TOTL hp right now.

Yeah they were really silent on release here on head-fi. Probably due to the limited availability outside of germany.

The Solitaire P-SE costs 3000€ just like the Empyrean, so maybe you find a deal in your desired price region.

 

[betula]

Just get the Empy and be happy.

I already have the Empy (second time). And I am very, very happy.

 

[betula]

Yeah they were really silent on release here on head-fi. Probably due to the limited availability outside of germany.

The Solitaire P-SE costs 3000€ just like the Empyrean, so maybe you find a deal in your desired price region.

Maybe. But I would really want to audition first, which is quite unlikely to happen.
I managed to get a new Empyrean for much less than the retail price.

 

[VladYR]

Either of those Solitaire headphones look very tempting. I have a dealer nearby (45 miles) so maybe they’d have a pair. I’ve seem someone recently listing their pair for $4000. Looks like a good price considering that a new pair goes for $6000.

 

[Yoram Diamand]

For some the Empyrean is the unreachable dream headphone. Others on the forum speak of it belittling.

The roughly 2500 Empyrean owners in the world of 7,674,000,000 human beings have a responsibility to share an honest and unbiased opinion.

At the same time we must remember, how extremely lucky we are to own such a rare masterpiece. And say thanks for the senses that can appreciate such a rarity.

I have been in the hobby for many years. Always on a relatively low budget compared to other actual forum members. I am sure, I am one of the poorest Empyrean owners. But I own a pair of Empyreans.

The technicalities of these headphones are enough for me. And the musicality they offer I just find unparalleled. And I tried quite a few other flagships, although not all of them. (Tried: HE1000V2, Susvara, HD800S, Verité open, LCD4. Want to try: Abyss 1266, Verité closed, D8000pro).

I can relate to this, I bought the Empyrean second hand while I pay for them to the bank 63 euro each month for three years, I am not the richest, but I am ejoying the music

 

[Arcayne]

For some the Empyrean is the unreachable dream headphone. Others on the forum speak of it belittling.

The roughly 2500 Empyrean owners in the world of 7,674,000,000 human beings have a responsibility to share an honest and unbiased opinion.

At the same time we must remember, how extremely lucky we are to own such a rare masterpiece. And say thanks for the senses that can appreciate such a rarity.

I have been in the hobby for many years. Always on a relatively low budget compared to other actual forum members. I am sure, I am one of the poorest Empyrean owners. But I own a pair of Empyreans.

The technicalities of these headphones are enough for me. And the musicality they offer I just find unparalleled. And I tried quite a few other flagships, although not all of them. (Tried: HE1000V2, Susvara, HD800S, Verité open, LCD4. Want to try: Abyss 1266, Verité closed, D8000pro).

I'm kinda with you on this. I'm not all that wealthy, not that I have any right to complain, but to get the funds together for a flagship headphone like the Empyrean took me well over a year of following a strict savings plan. I can't see myself being able to go shopping for super cars, Rolexes, yachts or dream mansions, but I music has always played an invaluable role in my life, and a top tier headphone system wasn't out of reach. It just required determination. So I quit smoking and put the money I didn't spend on weed and cigarettes away for audio purchases as my motivation. Once I finally had a proper budget to work with, I started auditioning as much gear as I could, to make sure I wasn't gambling with my money and knew what I was paying for.

The Empyrean was kind of a love at first listen for me. It was the first headphone I put on where I was just really enjoying the experience, and "forgot" to even evaluate its qualities and weaknesses. That was the sign for me that I found "my sound". Didn't buy it right away, as I wanted to let it rest for a bit and look into all the negativity around it to figure out if I was missing something that would make me regret my purchase later on. So I went back to audition it again, taking all public criticism into account, comparing it head to head against other flagships, and ultimately found that what bothered those who were highly critical of it, just didn't seem to bother me, or were contributing factors to what made me love it as much as I did.

This is a picture I took just a few minutes before I made the purchase a little over a year ago (taken at Headphone Auditions Amsterdam, a place I'd highly recommend any head-fi'er to pay a visit to some time), which symbolizes the effort I took to make sure the Empyrean was the right choice for me. Surely the Empyrean didn't win this battle, but (partially thanks to that Solaris) it stood its ground in its own way, and got me everything I could've wished for to satisfy me for the long term. So all of the criticism it gets from so many, just doesn't bother me. I just wish for those people to find the same level of satisfaction with another headphone, as I'm getting from the Empyrean.

 

[Newsee]

They are definitely on my radar. I hear more and more positive opinions about them. I think Solitaire is going to sound louder and louder in summit-fi.
The only thing that limits me is budget. Between 2-3K is what I can spend on my one and only TOTL hp right now.

The Solitaire P share some features with the Empy, like rocksolid build quality and high comfort for long listening sessions. Though, combined with more conventional look.
The sound presentation differs a lot. It is somehow super detailed without being harsh, it dissects the music and puts into the 3D space with a laser sharp focus that I never heard before. Very good for music where the position information is important. One can hear the separate singers in a chorus . It sounds very life-like. When I was listening to the bass in Carmen Gomes sings the blues "God bless the child" I understood what people mean with elevated bass on the Empy. (I like elevated bass
However, at the right tracks, bass is very convincing. I liked it for good jazz and classical recordings. Some of my favourite songs (more on the pop or electronic side) did not like to be dissected.
The Solitaire P-SE has a similar, but airier presentaton, in return it has lighter bass, at least I had the impression in a short comparing session.