Meze Empyrean

Too damn old to care about a pat, but I'll share a few thoughts on these - FWIW. It's rare that my tastes align with prevailing preferences around these halls, and I suspect that trend will hold true again.

My tastes, old ears (~14k roll-off), yada, yada.

I'm driving them with my 3F & modified DG300b (c-core OTL's, components selected for neutrality), they've also been driven by my WA8. I've tried both pads, but prefer the alcantara pads.

• I like them very much. But then, I really liked the HE1Kv2 so...
• Slightly recessed mid / upper mids.
• Slightly less resolution vs. Utopia.
• Bass has good weight and definition. Can get woolly if not properly driven.
• A few things I really enjoy about them:
  • Build quality and comfort.
  • I perceive slightly more precise imaging, well-delineated instruments.
  • In my current chain(s), I find them very musical and engaging.

My 2-cents.

 

I have a pair on long term loan right now, I'll throw 2 cents in.

AIO PC > Gungnir D/S via USB (Gen5) > ifi iCAN Pro

My (fairly old) ears agree with Mr. Rogers impressions. I find them quite enjoyable. Bass is powerful, but not as bad as I feared from previous comments. If you're coming from something/neutral thin, it's a shock, but I don't think it's too far north of Aeolus with universe pads. Definitely not as clean, but not horrible.

Mids are super smooth...some will find them recessed, but not objectionable to me. Definitely not for mid-heads, reduction in guitar bite etc., but I don't think it's smothered. It does take the edge off of hot recordings (Bonamassa's guitar, Adel's vocals).

Treble is mostly well behaved, somewhat splashy, but again not mount Beyer. Splashiness is magnified with velour pads.

Decent wide stage, fairly tall & deep...not exaggerated, not as wide as 800s, but not constrained.

Detail retrieval is very good, not in your face...probably a few notches behind the Sennheiser all stars, but better than most.

I find them to be an enjoyable listen. Tonally I think I prefer the Verum prototype I heard (would prefer a wider stage) or the Hifiman Edition X2 but I do like them.

Value wise, I wouldn't pay the asking price, but I definitely don't dislike them.

 

@Jinxy245 & @MisterRogers : Nice write-ups which generally match my impressions.

For me, the negatives are ‘too smooth’ and headstage depth and precision.

Strangely, those things are tied together. I’m hearing a lot more headstage depth out of my Liquid Platinum than my Bryston BHA-1. Unfortunately, LP tends to turn ‘too smooth’ into gooey with all the tubes l’ve tried.

Part of the problem is that I’m deep into my affair w/ Ether 2, which has the best headstage of all my cans, and which totally shines from LP.

Empyrean stage isn’t bad — just seems a bit smeared compared to E2, Auteur, and especially Utopia’s very precise instrument placement. And to my ears E2 depth kills Empy depth.

Overall, Empyrean makes me wish the firmware on my Sonica exposed the 9038 digital filters so I could switch to ‘Sharp’. Gooey probably isn’t the correct word, nor does ‘too smooth’ really convey the impression I’m trying to express. Other words I’ve tried and discarded are: pillowy, fluffy, creamy, soft, feathery...not hard-hitting, unimpactful. And it’s not a huge, horrid problem. Just a veer away from the sound I like. Maybe it’s a little recessed mids shaken with a bit of elevated mid-bass and a dash of woolly. ‘Lush’? vs ‘Lean’ for E2?

 

I've had my pair for about a month. Mostly listening to Qobuz through Roon with either an iFi Pro stack or Hugo 2. The Empy has been very enjoyable for me. I'm no expert, but I have many TOTL headphones in my office, and I find myself wanting to use the Empy the majority of the time (unless I need to go closed back when I'm not alone, then I use Stellia). I think the main reason for this is the comfort. The suspension wings are a godsend to me and even though these are HUGE headphones, they sit on my massive head like a dream. I also prefer the leather pads more and find they achieves a very nice, neutral balance in which nothing is overemphasized. IMO, if you're spending $3K or more on headphones, the Empyrean should absolutely be in the running.

 

I had a chance to audition these for a good spell at a local meet yesterday. I got there early and was able to listen before the room got loud. Here are some off the cuff impressions.

1. Comfy for a bulky and somewhat heavy can.

2. Very accommodating for larger heads.

3. Shitty stock cable, but otherwise build quality is very good.

4. Easy to drive.

5. Sound:

*the empy has what I'd call "fun" bass. Big, fat and large. This is not what I consider audiophile bass with texture, refinement and extension. It certainly bleeds into the mids to an appreciable degree.

*I was hearing a dip in the upper mids and problems with the bass to mid transition.

*there was a small spike in the lower treble that seemed to be trying to balance out the sound and give it some sense of hi end/flagship. But there was an overall lack of cohesion.

These just didn't work for me in the end and if I'd auditioned them without knowing the price I would have said a fair price based on build quality and sound would be around $1k. If I had later found out that they were asking $3k I would have likely crapped myself. Or laughed so hard that I wet myself...or both.

Good first effort. Meze needs an Empy Jr. at 1/3 the price with the frequency response dialed in and then they would have a winner.

 

May the Continence Fairy continue to shine brightly upon you...

 

Hey @Ice-man , nice to see that you’re back, hope you’re feeling better!

 

It's occurs to me that what I hear from the Emperean is to a large degree, the opposite of the hd800. The crown jewel of the hd800 is the treble extension (well, sound stage and imaging as well). This is both a blessing and a curse for many. You can pair the 800 with a really good OTL amp to reign in that treble and make the signature more "musical" but it's still a treble centric headphone.

The Empy hangs it hat on serious bass response. And like the hd800, it gives up a big chunk of the remainder of the signature to accomplish this. I can see people who buy this headphone chasing the right amp and silver cables to try to reign in the bass response. At the end of the day, this is still going to be a signature that is substantially south of neutral, but also one that many people will like. Ultimately it's just too thick and bass oriented for me.

 

Do you have the same perceptions w/suede pads & leather pads?

 

No. Only one set of pads were available.

 

Which set of pads have you heard?

I ask because I heard the Empyrean numerous times at shows, always sounding quite good (w/different DACs & amps). At CanJam NYC I had plenty of time to experiment with pads & found significant/interesting differences in their sound, with the suedes being apparently more neutral/flatter; and the leathers being more bassy, slightly V-shaped overall.

I then bought a gently used pair of Empyrean, but have barely listened to it (medical issues). A friend now has them on loan. When I get them back & resume listening to HPs, task #1 is to confirm these perceptions of the sound of each pad-set.

 

I heard them with suede pads.

 

Hah! Guess it’s a good thing you didn’t hear them w/ leather pads. You might not have been so forgiving.

Personally, I agree with you. I’ve carefully packed up the leather pads in the case. I am listening via SS amp (vs tube hybrid) and silver cables. Struggling to decide if I need something this far from neutral in my stable. The other stalls hold Utopia, Auteur, Ether 2, HEKv2.

They are quite fun though. Lots of bass impact. ‘Lush’ keeps popping up in my descriptions. And they are absolutely the opposite of ‘fatiguing’.

 

Well, it's pretty clear you wouldn't appreciate the leather pads, based on your comments about this headphone's bass performance. Guess the Empyrean just isn't a viable option for you.

 

Hey @Pharmaboy , hope you’re on the road to recovery, I’m looking forward to reading your comparison of the Vérité and Empyrean!

 

Perfectly stated. Fun, impactful, lush, and non-fatiguing are excellent descriptors of the Empy.

 

I guess my ears are burning in — w/ brighter chain (Sabre DAC, Brimar tubes in LP, silver cables) I’m getting more comfortable with Empy. Still more ‘fun’ than reference, leaning warm, with the bass feeling a little thick. But really surprisingly detailed given overall tonality. Also, excellent micro-dynamics.

I get that the whole ‘once you tune your chain’ thing can be seen as a criticism, but I’d say the same about Utopia.

Was just listening portable (Opus#2 ==> Algorythm Duet ==> silver Lavricable ==> Empy) all balanced. Plenty of power straight out of Opus, but the Duet produces a much deeper headstage. I’ve noted this to lesser or greater extent with all my DAPs and cans. Very noticeable with this chain.

Afro-Celt Sound System, Bruce Cockburn’s voice, Jakob Dylan, Sade ... all sound inviting, even enveloping. Van Morrison ‘Crazy Love’ really demonstrates this.

Lana del Ray sounds slightly pornographic, in a good way

Conversely, Gretchen Peters’ higher pitch seems a a little ... less. Less immediate, up front, penetrating ... I don’t know the right words. But her voice always seems to be mixed forward, like she’s at the front of the stage, leaning over, singing right at you, with the band lined up behind her. From Empy you loose that sense of engagement. Striking difference on ‘This Town’, Empy vs BW Auteur.

Nowhere near the Deadphones that BW Auteur are.

I won’t enter into the ‘for $3k they better be...’ argument.

 

^^ZMF Autuer, Vérité, Aeolus all should get an designation as the Official Headphones for Deadheads!!!^^^

 

It's the pornography of melancholy...

 

FYI, just put my Empyrean up F.S. Pls message me if any interest.