Meze EMPYREAN - the First Isodynamic Hybrid Array Headphone

[MasterHead]

Meze Empyrean are completely consistent and do not cause any tendencies to sibilation. At all levels they retain full sound naturalism and great reverberation. The sounds is smooth, full of life, have a rich texture and proper scale, and the space is constantly present and charms us with its depth.

 

[glpsace]

Thank you guys.

Question is that we are talking about a 600€ HP vs a 1900€ one in the used market. Of course it is always subjective but in terms of SQ, will one be wowed by the Empyrean or do you need to do some "analytical" listening to perceive real differences in terms of quality? Is the bass different? I believe it should be one of the strongest points, together with soundstage, of most planars but it seems that the Meze are sort of different in this matter.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Is the bass different? I believe it should be one of the strongest points, together with soundstage, of most planars but it seems that the Meze are sort of different in this matter.

All Meze Planars have amazing Bass.
They have a very dynamic impact on top, maybe you meant that with they are different in that manner

 

[roskodan]

Hello friends,

I have the Meze 109 Pro and would be very interested if someone could compare the Empyrean to it. I like the 109 Pro bass and I also think its resolution is enough for me. I quite enjoy the signature (don't know if that is a transversal to all Meze HP). Some people complaints about the treble but I have no issues with it.

Anyway, I already have too many Dynamic HP and wanted a Planar one, but not too heavy as the 109 Pro is almost at the limit of what I would consider comfortable for my neck.

So the obvious choices seem to be on the Meze brand and If I consider the Elite a tad too expensive (on the used market) for what is acceptable to me, the Empyrean seems to be a good compromise, more expensive than the liric but seems also better in almost every department and since I don't need a closed back HP, I've ruled out the liric, rightfully I hope.

It is warmer it seems but how does it compares to the 109 Pro in that department? I listen mostly to Progressive Instrumental Metal and the Empyrean seems to fit the bill in many ways.

Anyway I would really appreciate some insight from people who know well these 2 models, or even better the all Meze range!

Cheers.

I've both. The 109 pro have thinner bass and mids, they accentuate higher frequencies, the Empyrean have a fuller bass and mids, treble is still very present but seamlessly integrated. Soundstage wise the 109 pro accentuates width more than depth, the Empyrean are more encompassing and portray a bigger deeper sound. 109 pro has more a Beyerdynamic kind of sound while the Empyrean are definitely in the planar ballpark. Imo very different in both sound signature and stage. Empyrean may be a little too bold in the bass. I didn't find either too aggressive in the treble, but the Empyrean behaves better at higher volumes.

 

[MasterHead]

Has anyone chance to listen to Empyrean with HoloAudio May? Or Spring? Or maybe has this chance every day because is a happy owner

I've seen so many positive reviews of May DAC and I wonder how Empyreans play with him?

 

[Neweymatt]

Of course it is always subjective but in terms of SQ, will one be wowed by the Empyrean or do you need to do some "analytical" listening to perceive real differences in terms of quality? Is the bass different?

I’m still wowed immediately ever time I press play with Empyrean, it’s definitely not something you have to analyse to appreciate at all. To me the quality of Empyrean is in it’s warm lush tuning that envelops with a rich deep sound that is very relaxing while still letting me hear a high level of detail. There are other headphones that may extract details better, and if you want the absolute best in detail retrieval, then Empyrean may not be for you. But if you want something that connects you into the feeling or mood of the music, and is very comfortable and non-fatiguing to use for hours, Empyrean is hard to beat.

 

[MatW]

Has anyone chance to listen to Empyrean with HoloAudio May? Or Spring? Or maybe has this chance every day because is a happy owner

I've seen so many positive reviews of May DAC and I wonder how Empyreans play with him?

They match quite well, if you have the copper version that is…

The May is a very good DAC, and to my ears works well with pretty much any headphone and IEM you throw at it.

 

[turbofeet]

I’m still wowed immediately ever time I press play with Empyrean, it’s definitely not something you have to analyse to appreciate at all. To me the quality of Empyrean is in it’s warm lush tuning that envelops with a rich deep sound that is very relaxing while still letting me hear a high level of detail. There are other headphones that may extract details better, and if you want the absolute best in detail retrieval, then Empyrean may not be for you. But if you want something that connects you into the feeling or mood of the music, and is very comfortable and non-fatiguing to use for hours, Empyrean is hard to beat.

Perfect description

 

[CL14715]

I’m still wowed immediately ever time I press play with Empyrean, it’s definitely not something you have to analyse to appreciate at all. To me the quality of Empyrean is in it’s warm lush tuning that envelops with a rich deep sound that is very relaxing while still letting me hear a high level of detail. There are other headphones that may extract details better, and if you want the absolute best in detail retrieval, then Empyrean may not be for you. But if you want something that connects you into the feeling or mood of the music, and is very comfortable and non-fatiguing to use for hours, Empyrean is hard to beat.

Still wondering if I should sell my Elites and grab the Empyreans. Elite's are amazing but I am wondering if I'd rather be fat and happy than agile.

 

[MasterHead]

Still wondering if I should sell my Elites and grab the Empyreans. Elite's are amazing but I am wondering if I'd rather be fat and happy than agile.

I'm considering the opposite, thinking about going for the Elite. My Empyreans are still amazing. But I'm curious about Elite. What drives you to make that decision? What are they missing?

Many reviewers on YT claim that Elite is an evolution in every dimension. I listened to them at the audio show for 15 minutes. I really liked them. It's hard to compare exactly, listening was difficult because a lot of noise around.
Somehow they seemed similar to me in SF, with better separation and with tighter, better controled bass, perhaps with a bit more wider soundstage. They certainly seemed more interesting to me than many other top models out there.

 

[arielext]

I've made the switch from Empyrean to Elite just over a week ago. I had the change to briefly listen to the two with all the pads on both headphones. The Elite is Empyrean's evolution. They both share the same DNA and the difference isn't night and day. The OG pads of Empyrean don't do the headphones justice. With the 4 pads I disliked both og pads. Empyrean with the angled pads is darn close to Elite. Elite however is the better headphone and sounds fantastic with all 4 pads where I give the edge to the hybrid pads over the angled pads. Is it worth the extra asking price? That's up to the buyer to decide. For me it was/is but if I have to spend my money again I would probably stop at Empyrean.

 

[MasterHead]

I've made the switch from Empyrean to Elite just over a week ago. I had the change to briefly listen to the two with all the pads on both headphones. The Elite is Empyrean's evolution. They both share the same DNA and the difference isn't night and day. The OG pads of Empyrean don't do the headphones justice. With the 4 pads I disliked both og pads. Empyrean with the angled pads is darn close to Elite. Elite however is the better headphone and sounds fantastic with all 4 pads where I give the edge to the hybrid pads over the angled pads. Is it worth the extra asking price? That's up to the buyer to decide. For me it was/is but if I have to spend my money again I would probably stop at Empyrean.

It's interesting. So maybe I'll try angled pads first. Thanks!

 

[CL14715]

I'm considering the opposite, thinking about going for the Elite. My Empyreans are still amazing. But I'm curious about Elite. What drives you to make that decision? What are they missing?

Many reviewers on YT claim that Elite is an evolution in every dimension. I listened to them at the audio show for 15 minutes. I really liked them. It's hard to compare exactly, listening was difficult because a lot of noise around.
Somehow they seemed similar to me in SF, with better separation and with tighter, better controled bass, perhaps with a bit more wider soundstage. They certainly seemed more interesting to me than many other top models out there.

Seems counterintuitive right? I know. I really enjoy the Elite. But like you mentioned, they are lauded for being the evolution of the Empyreans. The “audiophile” community typically, I say typically very loosely, regards more detailed headphones as subjectively better and sometimes won’t appreciate a piece of gear as top tier if it doesn’t hit a certain technical threshold. Well what about how musical or natural it sounds? Everything I see about the Empyrean makes it seem as if they just let you listen to the music and not your gear. The Elite allow this as well with a higher level of detail retrieval and tightened up mid bass region… but I have a schiit stack.. with a Lokius.. Even with the Elite that 20hz and 120hz knobs are turned up.

Just, that if I’m gonna turn those EQ knobs to effectively put the bass back where the Elites removed it anyways, why not find a well priced Empyrean and recoup some cash selling the Elite’s. I guess I’m wondering if I’m justifying their cost or value if I’m still so inclined to EQ certain ranges for the, ‘better’ one to make it sound like the one that needed so called improvements.

 

[MasterHead]

Seems counterintuitive right? I know. I really enjoy the Elite. But like you mentioned, they are lauded for being the evolution of the Empyreans. The “audiophile” community typically, I say typically very loosely, regards more detailed headphones as subjectively better and sometimes won’t appreciate a piece of gear as top tier if it doesn’t hit a certain technical threshold. Well about about how musical or natural it sounds? Everything I see about the Empyrean makes it seem as if they just let you listen to the music and not your gear. The Elite allow this as well with a higher level of detail retrieval and tightened up mid bass region… but I have a schiit stack.. with a Lokius.. Even with the Elite that 20hz and 120hz knobs are turned up.

Just, that if I’m gonna turn those EQ knobs to effectively put the bass back where the Elites removed it anyways, why not find a well priced Empyrean and recoup some cash selling the Elite’s. I guess I’m wondering if I’m justifying their cost or value if I’m still so inclined to EQ certain ranges for the, ‘better’ one to make it sound like the one that needed so called improvements.

I fully understand your approach.
Thank you for your feedback!

I needed some time to discover this (now kinda obvious) truth... Buying and testing various types of gear to learn that what is "objectively" the best audiophile gear is not always the best for me. Because for me the best means the one that gives me pleasure from listening to music, and not to constantly interpret its technical aspects. I love good quality sound, however, in the end, I just want to have fun with a smile on my face. And the Empyreans gives me that. Time to check out the angled pads.

 

[CL14715]

I fully understand your approach.
Thank you for your feedback!

I needed some time to discover this (now kinda obvious) truth... Buying and testing various types of gear to learn that what is "objectively" the best audiophile gear is not always the best for me. Because for me the best means the one that gives me pleasure from listening to music, and not to constantly interpret its technical aspects. I love good quality sound, however, in the end, I just want to have fun with a smile on my face. And the Empyreans gives me that. Time to check out the angled pads.

Exactly. Objective doesn’t exist in this hobby and a headphones technicalities, ironically, are also a subjective metric that can’t be measured, so it’s all a personal quest. You may absolutely love the Elite. I know I do. Just curious if I need to take the Empy for a spin and see where I’m at from a pure enjoyment stand point, which does include detailed sound to some extent.