[hristo]

From what I've heard these are two similarly priced amazing top tier headphones.

Which one of the two has a wider soundstage, is more comfortable and fun to listen to?

I understand that it all comes down to personal preference and I am looking for subjective opinions.

Has anyone of you had the chance to audition both?

Which one would you choose if you had to keep only one and why?

ZMF would probably have a higher resale value as I see Empys sell for under 2k nowadays but let that be out of the equation; let's assume you'd never sell your pick.

 

[Monsterzero]

Two very different headphones. It mainly boils down to what the rest of your chain consists of. If you like to listen on the go out of a DAP or a phone then the Empy will be what you want. Similarly, if you have an entry level desktop solid state amp the empy will still be the one to have.

Now if you are farther along in the hobby and have a full sized tube amp, then thats where the Atrium will pull away from the Meze.

And yes, ZMFs hold their value better.

 

[kumar402]

I agree with @Monsterzero
At one point I had ZMF Verite and Empyrean. Now I have ZMF
Out of good quality amp with higher output impedance, ZMF pulls ahead.
For DAP/ THX amp etc go with Empy.

 

[monkey4054]

I've heard both and preferred the Empyrean personally. Really subjective though. It depends on the sort of music you listen to and how you like it presented.

 

[monkey4054]

From what I've heard these are two similarly priced amazing top tier headphones.

Which one of the two has a wider soundstage, is more comfortable and fun to listen to?

I understand that it all comes down to personal preference and I am looking for subjective opinions.

Has anyone of you had the chance to audition both?

Which one would you choose if you had to keep only one and why?

ZMF would probably have a higher resale value as I see Empys sell for under 2k nowadays but let that be out of the equation; let's assume you'd never sell your pick.

Wider soundstage... probably Atrium
More comfortable.. both very comfortable, Empyrean is lighter.
I've tried both and own Empyrean now.
I listen to metal and rock, mostly modern stuff. Empyrean clearly better suited to those genres.
If you like vocal heavy, acoustic, softer, more mellow stuff... Atrium is the better pick.

 

[Wladimir]

Really no contest, at least with the Atrium Closed. But you gotta feed the Empys with proper gear and especially headphone cable.

 

[tjzurlaaa]

Atrium all day