I have compared the Empyrean and the Abyss AB1266 using a wide variety of music that I usually use for comparisons. Amongst others this includes: Master and Commander, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Lou Reed Walk on the Wild Side, various Joni Mitchell, Guess Who Follow your Daughter Home, Gotan Project Chunga's Revenge and La del Russo, Miles Davis Kind of Blue, Klaatu Little Neutrino, Interstellar, Inception, B52s, various Zappa. I used iMac / Roon> optical>Chord Hugo M-Scaler>Chord DAVE > XI Audio Formula S with Powerman. The Empyreans are very efficient in comparison to the Abyss and are easily driven direct from the Dave (unlike the Abyss). But to minimise variables I went from the Formula S for both for this comparison.
They are beautifully packaged, best I have seen for headphones. Funny thing, opening the case and taking them out I couldn't help thinking of a hitman assembling a gun. Build quality is amazing, I almost didn't want to handle them because they looked like a work of art. Nevertheless they are solid and can be handled without fear. Really well assembled and a lot of attention to detail. The cable however is poor: stiff, fiddly, a bit microphonic.
Wearing them they look a little odd (alien torture device), comparable to the Abyss (medieval torture device) in that respect. They are light and comfortable. Overall initial comfort is a bit better than the Abyss (which are heavier, but have no clamping force), and a bit less than the HD800 (which are lighter and have less clamping force). I have not worn them long enough to judge comfort for extended listening, it will come down to the clamping force (more) vs weight (less). Note this is comparative, in absolute terms these are amongst the most comfortable headphones I have worn.
I have listened to them all day. My initial impression was a dark, rich sound, with solid bass. This remained throughout the day and across all music. Overall quite pleasant and non-fatiguing. Really an excellent set of headphones. But overall I preferred the Abyss. Here are some of the main points of comparison:
- Tonal balance is noticeably darker for the Empyreans. The Abyss actually sounded a bit thin at times compared to them
- The amount of bass is excellent, with same kind of slam as the Abyss. Great slam without being excessive
- The bass is however thicker and not as well defined as the Abyss
- Transients are not quite as crisp throughout the frequency range, which I can readily hear on percussion
- Detail is better for the Abyss
- The Empyreans are more closed in, with less depth
- Instruments are a bit less localised
- The above add up to less presence, noticeable on e.g. vocals, saxophone
I also quickly compared to the HD800, in this case the Empyrean was my preference.
It has been a while since I heard them, but perhaps they remind me of the LCD4. I will have to compare back in at my dealer's.