[ThanatosVI]

Once again I have withdrawn my Empyrean sale. For two months I have been going back and forth between my Empyrean and D8000 (pro pads, XLR). I love both of these headphones, but can't really justify keeping both as there are so many other things in life that require funds. (I use my Soloist 3XP and testing the iFiPro iCan Signature.)

Without question the D8000 is a technically better headphone with faster transient response, deeper soundstage insight and detail, a better balanced and punchier bass. On the Final there is a real sub-bass presence as opposed to the slightly unrefined mid-bass quantity on the Empyrean. Perhaps the better bass impact and drum sound reproduction on the D8000 is the most immediate difference between these headphones. (Apart from the slightly larger but less refined soundstage on the Empyrean.)

That said, both the Final and the Meze excels in creating a lifelike and tangible sound/timbre. Both are exceptional and in many ways similar, yet different enough.

What I still really enjoy in the Empyrean is the soft, warm and enveloping sound presentation. Perhaps not the most rounded, not the most detailed, not the punchiest and not the most dynamic.
Yet it offers and excellent relaxed listen. Perhaps the most relaxing yet still TOTL level sound delivery I have heard to date.

Makes me wonder if I should sell both the Empy and D8000 for the Elite? I will definitely wait a few more months to see how the Elite holds up and most of all try to audition one.

Whatever you do, don't do it blindly.

 

[betula]

Whatever you do, don't do it blindly.

Sure, I try to audition as much as I can, but it is not that easy in rural England.

 

[Terriero]

Once again I have withdrawn my Empyrean sale. For two months I have been going back and forth between my Empyrean and D8000 (pro pads, XLR). I love both of these headphones, but can't really justify keeping both as there are so many other things in life that require funds. (I use my Soloist 3XP and testing the iFiPro iCan Signature.)

Without question the D8000 is a technically better headphone with faster transient response, deeper soundstage insight and detail, a better balanced and punchier bass. On the Final there is a real sub-bass presence as opposed to the slightly unrefined mid-bass quantity on the Empyrean. Perhaps the better bass impact and drum sound reproduction on the D8000 is the most immediate difference between these headphones. (Apart from the slightly larger but less refined soundstage on the Empyrean.)

That said, both the Final and the Meze excels in creating a lifelike and tangible sound/timbre. Both are exceptional and in many ways similar, yet different enough.

What I still really enjoy in the Empyrean is the soft, warm and enveloping sound presentation. Perhaps not the most rounded, not the most detailed, not the punchiest and not the most dynamic.
Yet it offers and excellent relaxed listen. Perhaps the most relaxing yet still TOTL level sound delivery I have heard to date.

Makes me wonder if I should sell both the Empy and D8000 for the Elite? I will definitely wait a few more months to see how the Elite holds up and most of all try to audition one.

I have a similar experience from yours with my headphones. Ignoring the HD 800 -detail monster that I love in certain moods and situations- and the DT 1990 Pro -which I love for certain genres or albums but I find it's resolution subpar against 9200s resolution-, when I'm listening to my 9200s sometimes I think in selling the Sony Z7s, but these days I'm listening to the Sonys and they don't have the Denon technicalities, but give me a really different aproach to some albums and genres and I feel inmerse in the music without analizyng it.

The Z7s are not balanced and have it's failures but presents the music with grandeur (right now listening to "Braveheart OST" with them and enjoying a lot).

 

[betula]

I have a similar experience from yours with my headphones. Ignoring the HD 800 -detail monster that I love in certain moods and situations- and the DT 1990 Pro -which I love for certain genres or albums but I find it's resolution subpar against 9200s resolution-, when I'm listening to my 9200s sometimes I think in selling the Sony Z7s, but these days I'm listening to the Sonys and they don't have the Denon technicalities, but give me a really different aproach to some albums and genres and I feel inmerse in the music without analizyng it.

The Z7s are not balanced and have it's failures but presents the music with grandeur (right now listening to "Braveheart OST" with them and enjoying a lot).

God save our wallets.

 

[henriks]

Should i upgrade my empy to a PCUHD upgrade cable, or save up to a pair of Liric's. I don't really need a closed back or portable headphone?

 

[ThanatosVI]

Should i upgrade my empy to a PCUHD upgrade cable, or save up to a pair of Liric's. I don't really need a closed back or portable headphone?

The Liric has a completely different sound signature than the Empyrean.
So the question is
Do you want to improve your Empyrean or do you want to taste something different?

 

[rdnrvn]

I want to improve my Empyreans. Cant decide whether to go with Copper or Silver plated PCUHD cable. I wonder if silver is too analytical and copper may work better for me. I enjoy more laidback / non-fatiguing sound signature. Anybody who has tried both with their Empys?

 

[Toonartist]

If you want to lighten the tone, open the mids a little… basically reduce the warmth a touch and provide a bit of clarity… the silver upgrade cable is very good. When I first bought the Empyrean I knew I wanted to do just that and bought the silver and it did the job well!

 

[Arcamera]

I want to improve my Empyreans. Cant decide whether to go with Copper or Silver plated PCUHD cable. I wonder if silver is too analytical and copper may work better for me. I enjoy more laidback / non-fatiguing sound signature. Anybody who has tried both with their Empys?

Opinions will vary for sure. I have both, and I prefer the copper. I prefer a similar sonic signature. The silver gives just a bit of a detail etch that is less appealing to my ears. (That said, I'm still keeping the silver-- both are fine).

 

[rdnrvn]

Opinions will vary for sure. I have both, and I prefer the copper. I prefer a similar sonic signature. The silver gives just a bit of a detail etch that is less appealing to my ears. (That said, I'm still keeping the silver-- both are fine).

I’m in half mind getting both and seeing which I like better. I’m just afraid I’ll end up keeping both
Do these ever go on sale?

 

[henriks]

I have bookmarked a couple of eu sites, hoping for blackfriday sale.

 

[realmassy]

The more I listen to these headphones the more I like them, love them in fact.

For a few days I only used the HD800s, I enjoy them a lot, but I notice they tend to trigger my tinnitus. So today, after my daily run, had a bit of time to just chill out and enjoy some music with the Mezes. My composer of the week is Dvorak and I went through some chamber recordings…and this was just unbelievable

You know when you get those goosebumps moments? I had a few today… my neck hair and even my beard stood up LOL

The Empyereans were fantastic to highlight the cello lines in the last movement of the “American” quartet (no. 12 in F major) that remind a chugging steam train…fun fact: Dvorak was really passionate about trains, he kept track of the schedules and he was often seen at the train station watching them.

Anyway, the Empyreans have this great ability to capture my total attention, forget about everything else, leave tablet and phone on a side and just focus on music…active listening they call it.

 

[PrTv]

Given that the Empyrean uses miniXLR cable, and I also have other headphones that use this termination (Verite Open/Closed and LCD-X), I have various after-market cables that are compatible with the Empy, including Meze's own Silver-Plated cable.

These are (from left to right starting from top row), Cardas Clear / Moon's Silver Dragon / Synergistic Research Atmosphere X / Lavri Grand Silver / WyWires Platinum and lastly, Meze Silver Plated Cable.

From the above, below are my preference with the Empy:
1. Lavri Grand
2. WyWires Platinum
3. Silver Dragon
4. Synergistic Research
5. Meze Silver Plate
6. Cardas Clear

For me, the Emze has relaxed sounding and needs a bit of boost in treble area (and some nerf on the low-end to reduce bass quantity), and Lavri Grand does just that. For me, Meze's silver plate cable is not good at all! It's quite bland and lack dynamic. Lavri Grand adds that much needed sparkle, making the bass tighter, and that mid-section sweeter a tad... Highly recommended.

On the other side of the spectrum, we have Cardas Clear, which is not good at all with the Empy. The cable has warm sonic signature and even make the Empy sound overly warm. No go at all with the Empy!

BTW, I also found that my 300B tube amplifier pairs a lot better with the Empy, than my V281.

 

[phillevy]

Once again I have withdrawn my Empyrean sale. For two months I have been going back and forth between my Empyrean and D8000 (pro pads, XLR). I love both of these headphones, but can't really justify keeping both as there are so many other things in life that require funds. (I use my Soloist 3XP and testing the iFiPro iCan Signature.)

Without question the D8000 is a technically better headphone with faster transient response, deeper soundstage insight and detail, a better balanced and punchier bass. On the Final there is a real sub-bass presence as opposed to the slightly unrefined mid-bass quantity on the Empyrean. Perhaps the better bass impact and drum sound reproduction on the D8000 is the most immediate difference between these headphones. (Apart from the slightly larger but less refined soundstage on the Empyrean.)

That said, both the Final and the Meze excels in creating a lifelike and tangible sound/timbre. Both are exceptional and in many ways similar, yet different enough.

What I still really enjoy in the Empyrean is the soft, warm and enveloping sound presentation. Perhaps not the most rounded, not the most detailed, not the punchiest and not the most dynamic.
Yet it offers and excellent relaxed listen. Perhaps the most relaxing yet still TOTL level sound delivery I have heard to date.

Makes me wonder if I should sell both the Empy and D8000 for the Elite? I will definitely wait a few more months to see how the Elite holds up and most of all try to audition one.

I'm listening to mine as we speak and totally agree. After a few weeks of playing with different EQ settings and switching between pads, I've settled on alacantra with no EQ. The smooth relaxed presentation immerses me and I stop analysing technicalities any more!

 

[shafat777]

I'm listening to mine as we speak and totally agree. After a few weeks of playing with different EQ settings and switching between pads, I've settled on alacantra with no EQ. The smooth relaxed presentation immerses me and I stop analysing technicalities any more!

I too pick the alcantara over the lambskin pads. With my setup, the lamb pads are a little too boomy (muddy bass) which sometimes and bleed over the mids and vocals. The alcantara pads tightens the bass without changing the top end. Also, its more comfortable than the lambskin pads