[betula]

Any reason you kept the Empys?

But at the cost of 3000$ I kind of was not surprised they sounded best from what I've heard to that point.

Luckily with some patience you can get a second-hand Empyrean around $1600 these days, so you do not have to save up $3000.

To me the Elite replaced the Empyrean without a second thought (higher resolution, more details, better balance, bigger space), but it is good to see that the Empyrean is still getting love and preference to other flagships. Well-deserved for a thick and fun, natural sound!

@Greg121986 The Elite is actually a pretty good shot if you want something between the Empyrean/Susvara, but it depends on what traits you like from those headphones. I already mentioned the areas where the Elite is clearly better than the Empyrean, but as other members said the more detailed and better-balanced Elite still contains the signature 'Meze fun and engagement'. The Susvara (once driven by a proper chain which can cost a lot) can sound even more detailed and better balanced than the Elite, but to me they are just less fun and the Elite to me offers enough TOTL details. (Unlike the occasionally too thick and hazy Empyrean.) I want to enjoy music with a lot of details, but I don't want a microscope.

 

[arielext]

I pulled out the Alcantara pads today after I've been using the Elite hybrid pads on my Empyrean for a while.
Damn those Alcantara pads are so soft on the head! I have to give them some more time but on a very first listen the difference was less then I remembered.

 

[EarFatigue]

I'm with you...I've been using the Alcantara pads almost exclusively...the hybrid do bring out a bit more detail but it's almost not worth it for the comfort...

 

[Arcamera]

Big fan of the Alcantara pads here too. Use them on both my Empyrean and Elite. For my preferences they strike the best balance between enough detail and warmth/smoothness/comfort.

 

[Ateefi]

I recently got mine and haven't a clue if i like them or not. They do everything good, but not great . When i listen to them i expect more for £2500 plus headphones. Definitely a love/hate relationship

 

[realmassy]

I’ve been using mine for more than one year now, and despite being tempted to upgrade to the Elite a few times, I’m still very much enjoying my Empyreans.

I’ve never found them boring, thick or fun, but lifelike and close to acoustic live music, and every time I wonder what other headphones might sound like, I ask myself what else do I need? Nothing has changed on my setup in the last 12 months or more, maybe: Empys and HD800s, driven either by the Manley Absolute or the Fluxlab FA-12, connected to a Denafrips Venus II. All controlled by Roon streaming to a Pi4.

I’m sure st some point in the future I’ll be itching to try something different, but for now I’m still totally happy with the rig…always thrilled to switch it on.

 

[gdwallasign]

Jesus man the empys make this incredible

 

[betula]

I’ve been using mine for more than one year now, and despite being tempted to upgrade to the Elite a few times, I’m still very much enjoying my Empyreans.

I’ve never found them boring, thick or fun, but lifelike and close to acoustic live music, and every time I wonder what other headphones might sound like, I ask myself what else do I need? Nothing has changed on my setup in the last 12 months or more, maybe: Empys and HD800s, driven either by the Manley Absolute or the Fluxlab FA-12, connected to a Denafrips Venus II. All controlled by Roon streaming to a Pi4.

I’m sure st some point in the future I’ll be itching to try something different, but for now I’m still totally happy with the rig…always thrilled to switch it on.

Indeed, the Empys are still very enjoyable headphones in 2022. Upgrading to the Elite is only recommended to folks who want more resolution and a better balanced/more linear bass response. (And as a side effect an even more spacious sound.)

 

[Neweymatt]

I’ve been using mine for more than one year now, and despite being tempted to upgrade to the Elite a few times, I’m still very much enjoying my Empyreans.

I’ve never found them boring, thick or fun, but lifelike and close to acoustic live music, and every time I wonder what other headphones might sound like, I ask myself what else do I need? Nothing has changed on my setup in the last 12 months or more, maybe: Empys and HD800s, driven either by the Manley Absolute or the Fluxlab FA-12, connected to a Denafrips Venus II. All controlled by Roon streaming to a Pi4.

I’m sure st some point in the future I’ll be itching to try something different, but for now I’m still totally happy with the rig…always thrilled to switch it on.

I'm in pretty much the same boat, had my Empyrean for 1 year now, and haven't thought much about other headphones at all. For me I don't think there is 'better' out there, just 'different'. Interesting your other HP is the HD800s, if I was to consider another, that's probably what I'd look at for the contrast with what I already have.

Indeed, the Empys are still very enjoyable headphones in 2022. Upgrading to the Elite is only recommended to folks who want more resolution and a better balanced/more linear bass response. (And as a side effect an even more spacious sound.)

Haven't heard the Elite and while it may be an upgrade to the Empy in some ways, it's too similar for me to get excited about, so I went in a different direction for this kind of thing and got a 64Audio A12t. Yes I know it's not apples/apples between IEMs and headphones, but I like having a diverse range of gear around to keep mixing things up.

 

[realmassy]

I'm in pretty much the same boat, had my Empyrean for 1 year now, and haven't thought much about other headphones at all. For me I don't think there is 'better' out there, just 'different'. Interesting your other HP is the HD800s, if I was to consider another, that's probably what I'd look at for the contrast with what I already have.

Yep, that’s the reason why I went with them, they are different and they give me a different flavour of the same music.

Haven't heard the Elite and while it may be an upgrade to the Empy in some ways, it's too similar for me to get excited about, so I went in a different direction for this kind of thing and got a 64Audio A12t. Yes I know it's not apples/apples between IEMs and headphones, but I like having a diverse range of gear around to keep mixing things up.

I’ve not been as lucky with IEMs. Got a pair of U6T and IE900, none of which play in the same league. Funny enough my preferred IEM are the the AirPod Pro and now the AirPod Pro 2…they are a great mix of convenience of reasonable sound quality. The 2 are powerful…big big bass

 

[The1Signature]

i want to buy this dual case from geekria for my meze elite and sennheiser 820.

does anybody know if the meze empyrean (or elite in my case) fits into it? especially given that the ear pads from meze will be vertical as the examples from the picture and not flat like in the original meze case.

edit: the manufacturer told me that a meze empyrean elite would fit without problems.

 

[Kenion]

I'm thinking of pairing my Empys with the new Topping A90D Amp together with the Meze upgrade silver cable (4,4mm).
Anyone that is considering the same pairing or got it already?

 

[Greg121986]

I'm thinking of pairing my Empys with the new Topping A90D Amp together with the Meze upgrade silver cable (4,4mm).
Anyone that is considering the same pairing or got it already?

I'm using an A90D with a Holo Spring 3 KTE and I think it sounds fantastic with the Empyrean. The A90D seems to bring out some detail and reduce the darkness that I had experienced with the Empyrean with other amps. The Empy still has its typical sound signature of great bass, wide soundstage, subdued treble and thick midrange. It's a good pairing. I think ultimately the A90D will just make the Empy sound exactly like they are supposed to.

I have been wanting to get a silver cable for the Empy, but I am still using the stock balanced Meze cable. I do wonder if the silver cable will reduce the thickness of the midrange and add a bit more clarity. I'd like to hear if anyone has found this to be true.

 

[Kenion]

I'm using an A90D with a Holo Spring 3 KTE and I think it sounds fantastic with the Empyrean. The A90D seems to bring out some detail and reduce the darkness that I had experienced with the Empyrean with other amps. The Empy still has its typical sound signature of great bass, wide soundstage, subdued treble and thick midrange. It's a good pairing. I think ultimately the A90D will just make the Empy sound exactly like they are supposed to.

I have been wanting to get a silver cable for the Empy, but I am still using the stock balanced Meze cable. I do wonder if the silver cable will reduce the thickness of the midrange and add a bit more clarity. I'd like to hear if anyone has found this to be true.

Thank you for sharing your insights!
I will buy an A90D soon and pair it with my Schiit Modi Multibit DAC. I will let you know about how it sounds compared to my excisting pairing together with the silver cable

 

[Tonza]

I'm thinking of pairing my Empys with the new Topping A90D Amp together with the Meze upgrade silver cable (4,4mm).
Anyone that is considering the same pairing or got it already?

I'm also using Empyrean with the A90D. The combo is very good to my ears. Still thinking about a better/different dac to match the other chain but I'm very happy with it so far.