[Rowethren]

These are all marketing gimmicks to draw attention to their products and to justify an insane price. I can safely bet that if they manage to sell all 500 units at $3000+ (which I wish them to be able to, even if it will not be a piece of cake at that price), there will be a slightly modified second series, then maybe a closed version, and so on.

I expect you are most likely right. That would make sense from a business sense anyway, test the water then go all in. I imagine the R&D cost for these must have been fairly high, due to using a 3rd party developer, so they would probably want to use the same tech in different products.

 

[VandyMan]

My impression... first rate $800 headphone, selling for 3K. Pretty good bass and super smooth from top to bottom. Smooth to the point of losing a lot of detail, IMO. Comfort was excellent and I like the look of two of the three color schemes. The folks at Meze were so nice I debated if I wanted to post anything negative or not, but...

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

Is the Empyrean a closed back headphone?

 

[javertim]

I only listened briefly, but they reminded me of the HE-1000 more than anything else. They are HUGE but exceedingly comfortable. Ergonomics reminded me a lot of the Nighthawk. I was very impressed, but I better be for that MSRP.

 

[Pharmaboy]

I haven't yet read this entire thread (will do so later today). But I've read just enough to get the skepticism here about this particular company (known for high-value mid-level headphones) suddenly launching a $3K+ headphone. Well, after hearing the Empyrean at CanJam/NYC yesterday, and discussing it w/Antonio Meze, I have some counter-impressions.

First, for purposes of context, I heard 8-9 unfamiliar headphones yesterday. Most were open planar designs (my next headphone buy will be of this type); 3 were dynamics; plus a couple of electrostats. 2 of these headphones towered above the others: the Empyrean & the Final D8000. Both are in the mid-to-high $3K range; both featured refined & intriguing sound signatures; and they couldn't have sounded less like each other.

I entered the Meze/Empyrean room with some trepidation. I had no particular interest in hearing another pricey headphone, and while I've never heard the previous, well-regarded Meze designs, I'd picked up some of that prejudice about a mid-level designer launching an expensive endgame planar. I only put on a pair & listened because my friend was sitting next to me, doing the same thing.

Well ... ~20" listening in this rather quiet room off the main hall completely erased any doubts about this model's sound or authority to vie for endgame status. I won't claim great familiarity w/its sound (need more extended exposure in my system w/familiar music for that), but I was very impressed:

• It's beautiful: the design is rather daring because it's retro, all curves--I dubbed it the "Jules Verne look," as I so easily imagine this headphone hanging on a stand in a stateroom in one of JV's submarines. The grill is especially handsome, intricate, flowing, reminiscent of early 20th century decorative metal screens found in Chicago buildings designed by Louis Sullivan. The silver model is a true visual statement, but all 3 iterations I saw are very handsome.
• It's very comfortable: not heavy; well balanced; with deep, soft/supportive leather pads. I'm not normally fond of oblong earcup/pad designs (ie, the very good-sounding Aeon Flow, where I find the shape distracting)--but this oblong is quite spacious with plenty of room for the ears. A benefit of the oblong shape is better alignment with the curve of the jaw just below the ear (the back-facing edge of the pads seem to fit right about that curve, preserving a good seal).
• Sound: I was immediately struck by the midrange, which sounded ravishing, detailed, musical, smooth. The highs & bass are also top-notch, but IMO the midrange is the anchor of this headphone's sound--indeed, it's the best midrange I've ever heard, slightly better than top designs like the ZMF Eikon or Senn HD650. The Empyrean's midrange is rich with musical detail, but not bright. Overall, the sound is very smooth yet detailed, with no apparent peaks or valleys. The best qualities of planar drivers are on display here: a sense of calm/quiet at low levels, then instantly scaling up when the music calls for it. I heard none of that "speakers strapped to ears" sense one sometimes get from dynamic designs...the Empyrean is intimate, ear-friendly, a sonic immersion experience:
  • Compared to other planars (my ZMF Ori or the Final D8000), the Empyrean's bass sounded dead-neutral, neither elevated nor recessed. This runs counter to many headphone designs, where bass is emphasized (sometimes at the expense of midrange quality). The Empyrean has musically faithful bass that seems to exert zero effect on the all-important mids. I didn't have the time or the right music to assess the bass in detail (ie, dynamics; timbral fidelity with instruments like string bass, electric bass, cello, marimba; and absolute depth including sub-bass)...but would love to do so.
  • Also didn't have time to check out the Empyrean's soundstaging--I was so taken with the midrange that I didn't think about this until afterwards. In this short exposure, the soundstaging didn't sound deficient or hyped...but I really wasn't paying attention.

It was a real pleasure to discuss this design with Antonio, who seemed quite aware of the risk/benefit mix it poses for Meze: the Empyrean sharply breaks with the mid-level focus/reputation of Meze's current designs, and it's unsure how the market will react. On the other hand, he stated that certain design features of the Empyrean will "trickle down" to newer designs on the horizon. Antonio struck me as being very knowledgeable, bright, articulate, and accessible. I can imagine Meze 1-2 years from now, with 2-3 additional designs influenced by the Empyrean--that's a nice picture IMO.

Price: the final retail price of the Empyrean has not yet been set. It will likely be in the $3K-$3.5K range. That's above my limit, but it's a testament to the quality of the Empyrean that after hearing it even briefly, I can't get it out of my head...it's an impressive & auspicious debut.

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

@Pharmaboy Thanks for the write up!
Please, can you explain a bit more about Final D8000's sound?

PS: yes, I know this is Meze's thread, there's another thread called "Final Audio New Planar Magnetic" if you don't want to "pollute" this one with impressions of other headphone

 

[Pharmaboy]

@Pharmaboy Thanks for the write up!
Please, can you explain a bit more about Final D8000's sound?

PS: yes, I know this is Meze's thread, there's another thread called "Final Audio New Planar Magnetic" if you don't want to "pollute" this one with impressions of other headphone

Will do (in a few minutes)

2 really fascinating headphones...

 

[BuddhaBruce]

I haven't yet read this entire thread (will do so later today). But I've read just enough to get the skepticism here about this particular company (known for high-value mid-level headphones) suddenly launching a $3K+ headphone. Well, after hearing the Empyrean at CanJam/NYC yesterday, and discussing it w/Antonio Meze, I have some counter-impressions.

First, for purposes of context, I heard 8-9 unfamiliar headphones yesterday. Most were open planar designs (my next headphone buy will be of this type); 3 were dynamics; plus a couple of electrostats. 2 of these headphones towered above the others: the Empyrean & the Final D8000. Both are in the mid-to-high $3K range; both featured refined & intriguing sound signatures; and they couldn't have sounded less like each other.

I entered the Meze/Empyrean room with some trepidation. I had no particular interest in hearing another pricey headphone, and while I've never heard the previous, well-regarded Meze designs, I'd picked up some of that prejudice about a mid-level designer launching an expensive endgame planar. I only put on a pair & listened because my friend was sitting next to me, doing the same thing.

Well ... ~20" listening in this rather quiet room off the main hall completely erased any doubts about this model's sound or authority to vie for endgame status. I won't claim great familiarity w/its sound (need more extended exposure in my system w/familiar music for that), but I was very impressed:

• It's beautiful: the design is rather daring because it's retro, all curves--I dubbed it the "Jules Verne look," as I so easily imagine this headphone hanging on a stand in a stateroom in one of JV's submarines. The grill is especially handsome, intricate, flowing, reminiscent of early 20th century decorative metal screens found in Chicago buildings designed by Louis Sullivan. The silver model is a true visual statement, but all 3 iterations I saw are very handsome.
• It's very comfortable: not heavy; well balanced; with deep, soft/supportive leather pads. I'm not normally fond of oblong earcup/pad designs (ie, the very good-sounding Aeon Flow, where I find the shape distracting)--but this oblong is quite spacious with plenty of room for the ears. A benefit of the oblong shape is better alignment with the curve of the jaw just below the ear (the back-facing edge of the pads seem to fit right about that curve, preserving a good seal).
• Sound: I was immediately struck by the midrange, which sounded ravishing, detailed, musical, smooth. The highs & bass are also top-notch, but IMO the midrange is the anchor of this headphone's sound--indeed, it's the best midrange I've ever heard, slightly better than top designs like the ZMF Eikon or Senn HD650. The Empyrean's midrange is rich with musical detail, but not bright. Overall, the sound is very smooth yet detailed, with no apparent peaks or valleys. The best qualities of planar drivers are on display here: a sense of calm/quiet at low levels, then instantly scaling up when the music calls for it. I heard none of that "speakers strapped to ears" sense one sometimes get from dynamic designs...the Empyrean is intimate, ear-friendly, a sonic immersion experience:
  • Compared to other planars (my ZMF Ori or the Final D8000), the Empyrean's bass sounded dead-neutral, neither elevated nor recessed. This runs counter to many headphone designs, where bass is emphasized (sometimes at the expense of midrange quality). The Empyrean has musically faithful bass that seems to exert zero effect on the all-important mids. I didn't have the time or the right music to assess the bass in detail (ie, dynamics; timbral fidelity with instruments like string bass, electric bass, cello, marimba; and absolute depth including sub-bass)...but would love to do so.
  • Also didn't have time to check out the Empyrean's soundstaging--I was so taken with the midrange that I didn't think about this until afterwards. In this short exposure, the soundstaging didn't sound deficient or hyped...but I really wasn't paying attention.

It was a real pleasure to discuss this design with Antonio, who seemed quite aware of the risk/benefit mix it poses for Meze: the Empyrean sharply breaks with the mid-level focus/reputation of Meze's current designs, and it's unsure how the market will react. On the other hand, he stated that certain design features of the Empyrean will "trickle down" to newer designs on the horizon. Antonio struck me as being very knowledgeable, bright, articulate, and accessible. I can imagine Meze 1-2 years from now, with 2-3 additional designs influenced by the Empyrean--that's a nice picture IMO.

Price: the final retail price of the Empyrean has not yet been set. It will likely be in the $3K-$3.5K range. That's above my limit, but it's a testament to the quality of the Empyrean that after hearing it even briefly, I can't get it out of my head...it's an impressive & auspicious debut.

It sounded like a slightly better aeon flow to me. It was extremely well built and very comfy, but idk about 3k worth

 

[Pharmaboy]

It sounded like a slightly better aeon flow to me. It was extremely well built and very comfy, but idk about 3k worth

Interesting comment. That thought did occur to me: the oblong shape of the earcups on each headphone + the fact they are both open-back planars invite comparison. I did hear the AFO at some length yesterday.

Despite surface similarities in sound (emphasis on smoothness; not bright), I think there are pretty differences between them:

• Empyrean is considerably larger than AFO. Some of the additional money is evidenced in design quality/complexity (not all, but some)
• While the midrange of the AFO is nice (all of the AFO is rather nice), I heard more midrange quality/quantity in the Empyrean. Midrange was the most striking thing about this design. It sounded endgame to me, and the AFO's did not fly quite that high.

I'm hardly an authority on this subject, though. It would take a lot more listening to each headphone to get a better sense of how they differ in sonic profile, voicing, etc.

 

[franz12]

These are all marketing gimmicks to draw attention to their products and to justify an insane price. I can safely bet that if they manage to sell all 500 units at $3000+ (which I wish them to be able to, even if it will not be a piece of cake at that price), there will be a slightly modified second series, then maybe a closed version, and so on.

I suspect that they make only 500 units because they KNOW that it cannot compete with utopia, lcd4, diana, etcetra at this price range. Otherwise, i guess there are no reasons not making more profits with greater production. And 500 units may be threshold to finance its initial R&D costs, 500*$3000=1.5 million. Good money.

 

[bronco1015]

at Pharmaboy: They're show impressions, so i'm definitely taking that into consideration, but curious, have you ever owned/listened to an HD 800S? and if so, how would you compare those Vs. your initial impressions of Empyrean After reading comments posted after I saw this initially, i'm starting to think maybe these are just slightly better AFO's. I've been leaning toward d 8000 anyway, because of what they do that my HD 800S don't, your thoughts on empyrean made me think of my HD 800S so had to ask.

 

[BuddhaBruce]

Interesting comment. That thought did occur to me: the oblong shape of the earcups on each headphone + the fact they are both open-back planars invite comparison. I did hear the AFO at some length yesterday.

Despite surface similarities in sound (emphasis on smoothness; not bright), I think there are pretty differences between them:

• Empyrean is considerably larger than AFO. Some of the additional money is evidenced in design quality/complexity (not all, but some)
• While the midrange of the AFO is nice (all of the AFO is rather nice), I heard more midrange quality/quantity in the Empyrean. Midrange was the most striking thing about this design. It sounded endgame to me, and the AFO's did not fly quite that high.

I'm hardly an authority on this subject, though. It would take a lot more listening to each headphone to get a better sense of how they differ in sonic profile, voicing, etc.

It definitely sounded more open than the aeon open, and the mids were more clear and engaging. Compared to the empyrean, the aeon seems slightly veiled. I contribute them similar as they are both planars with a warmer tone and rather intimate against the likes of the autuer, hex v2, hd800.

They definitely had a very nice sweet sound to them. I would say less warm in general than the aeons.

 

[VandyMan]

It sounded like a slightly better aeon flow to me. It was extremely well built and very comfy, but idk about 3k worth

I had that thought when listening too. Reminded me of my Aeon Flow Closed, in terms of sound signature. That is why I said they are an $800 headphone, although maybe that is a bit unfair because there are aspects of the Empyrean that are much better than the AFC. However, I prefer the AFC overall.

 

[sansfin]

Compared to the empyrean, the aeon seems slightly veiled.

The Aeon is veiled compared to many headphones that are in the $1k+ bracket, i.e the Clear, the HD800/s, the HEX.

 

[YtseJamer]

https://www.themasterswitch.com/canjam-nyc-2018-day-1