Yep! There’s really not a bad headphone in the totl level. Just preference.
I enjoy the Empyrean. Some don’t. Some will like things I don’t, etc.
Buy and try. Or try if you don’t have to buy 
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@Solan - I just heard the Empyreans briefly at a show, but really enjoyed the short time with them. They are exceptionally crafted - certainly among the best (or the best) build of any I’ve seen, and among the most comfortable - with all the metal they look very heavy, and then it’s almost a trick of perception when you pick them up to see how amazingly light they actually are - takes a second to register. From what I’ve heard (from people who’ve had more time with them and in better environments) these are not the most detailed of this tier or category, but are very good in general - so really depends on what you are looking for. If it sounds like this is still what you have in mind, you should enjoy them (check out the Empyrean thread link @perogie just posted above).
You don’t want to worry about expensive amps, but for your budget you could also get a Hugo 2 and it would make these or any choice sound its best, and a pretty simple to use pairing. If I had ~ $5000 to play with right now, I myself would get one of the headphones in your consideration set and the Hugo 2 (or qutest to pair with another amp) and be happy for a while at least!
(Plenty of other good choices here too, tubes, etc. but this is a good all around one that plays nice with everything.) And of course they do a 365 day return policy here so you could always audition if you need the pairing or not:
Everyone’s preferences and hearing are different. Unless you did go for the HE-1 Orpheus, nobody will ever agree that any one recommendation is the absolute best, and even then some would say the Raal with the right gear or something else is better.
And whether you ended up with the Empyreans, Focal Clear or Utopia, ZMF, or Hifiman He-1000s or Arya or something in that line, you’ll be getting one of the best headphones in the world.
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@Ateno - I believe that for under 100 many people here would say without hesitation - go for the Koss Porta Pro + Yaxi pads (3rd party pads that need to be ordered separately). A bluetooth model is available, too. These are really loved and respected by people who also like the really expensive high end stuff. Happy birthday!
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I’d like to reiterate my opinion that more treble does not = more detail.
The Empyrean are the Anti-Utopia. Instead of force feeding you every bit of detail and cramming it into your skull with the force of a nail gun, the Empy just presents it in a kinder / gentler way. BUT…
There was not a single detail the Utopia presented which could not also be heard on the Empy when I directly compared both over my week with Utopia loaner. Read that again, please. That the Empyrean has better, more holographic and 3D staging with equal ability for instrument placement should be a boon to many a listener. And, as someone else said, the more you listen to it, the more you appreciate how natural and right everything sounds. (Paraphrasing there)
Anyway, I do agree it comes down to preference. If you want a hyper impactful sound, look to the Focal line. If you want something that just disappears and lets you float in a musical ether, Empyrean is king. Even compared to my ZMF Auteur or VC, Empy does amazing things, although I will say the ZMFs are more immediately engaging.
Now, as for amps. Synergy is key. I think the best bang for the buck pairing is the Schiit Jotunheim. Staging is a little intimate, as with most SS amps, but the impactfulness and tonality are a great pairing. Pendant with Telefunken EL84 and Amprex 6201 is currently my preferred pairing, as it just explodes the staging and has an impactful and musical mid and treble range that is very intoxicating. It might also be the best bass I’ve heard from a $2000 tube amp both in terms of quantity and quality. (That combo is also a good synergy with Auteur.)
Anyway, not trying to throw shade on tjg, but I felt the above was worth mentioning.
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I’m doing the same research myself:).
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It does indeed. I live in a country where these things are quite costly. I COULD of course enter the physical stores where they sell them at a significant markup on the online price, listen to, and not buy with them but online instead, but I’d feel like a shit for doing so in a way. So then test listening comes at a serious premium! A premium of 30-60%, so it’s almost tempting to add just a little more premium and buy BOTH, if I am between two headphones.
Anyway, so unless I get my ass abroad to where I can buy at more reasonable prices, I’ll have to read reviews and compare to what I’ve already got. I have Grado RS-1, which I love except for the crumbly pads, and markl modded Denon AH-D5000 which I love the sound of even a bit more. And Roxannes, which are great but at that point I feel I could perhaps want a little bit more clarity / treble.
I hope what I have is at least good enough that I can simulate the tonality of the others through eq, like with https://www.toneboosters.com/tb_morphit_v1.html Then the rest, I will have to learn via reviews. I must admit, though, that I have in sequence fallen in love with LCD-4, Utopia, Stellia, Verité, and Empyrean. But I will have to choose one. Might well, be bought used, if that is advisable. And then finding good amping next, of course.
So I really appreciate the dialogue we have here, and the advice and input from more experienced members.
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Well I have my DAC (Schiit Modius), amp (Schiit Jotunheim) and tube pre-amp (Fosi Audio Tube P1) purchased and setup thanks to a lot of great input and help from the folks on this forum. I am really enjoying listening to this.
I have this setup on a very crowded desktop in my home office. I am looking for a rack to help clean things up. Apos Audio has a great acrylic two shelf rack that is very reasonably priced at $36 but it is made for the smaller Topping DAC/AMP stack. I need something a bit larger that would accommodate the Schiit components which are approximately 9" wide and 6" deep.
I have tried to attach an image of the stand.
Here is a link to the item. https://apos.audio/collections/black-friday-cyber-monday-2020-specials/products/topping-acrylic-rack
I have searched everywhere but no luck. All of the racks I saw were full-sized for regular AV components. Any suggestions?
Thanks
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You’d think there would be a market for medium-size desktop racks. I’ve searched everywhere and haven’t found one. The best I could find was this Monoprice monitor stand, which comes in different sizes.
The black tempered glass looks really nice but it’s not stackable, so I put my large gear (i.e. tube amps) on top and smaller gear (DAC) below the shelf.
I did just find that Monoprice also makes a spiked amp stand, which may be stackable, but I don’t have one of those to confirm.
The only downside of the spiked stand is that those “bolts” may restrict the usable surface, wherease the monitor stand has one large flat pane of glass.
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Grado Pads can be picked up anywhere.
That’s the official Grado Pads. YAXI makes an S pad, and several other have will-fit pads. No need to put up with crumbly’s
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I think I’ll do just that. The current ones have the headphones themselves resting right on my ear now.
One thing I’ve been wondering, though, is if there are other types of pads for the grados that will not end up in crumbly territory after a while. Leather or something more solid, perhaps. But that might alter the sound in a not all too good way.
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Just a heads-up that this was very useful in forming an impression as to the sounds of different headphones:
According to those descriptions, I am more in the planar camp than in the dynamic. I hope you guys don’t get tired of me thinking aloud for a few weeks here, but just say-so if you do. My current drool list, ordered, looks like this:
- MezeEmpyrean (beautiful!)
- Audeze LCD-4 (well, … BIG!)
- ZMF Verité (stunning!)
Honorable mentions to Stellia for beauty, but it doesn’t seem to be a contender with the above three for sound. I may be mistaken, of course, which is why I keep writing. 
You might look in the Grado thread:
I recall that someone has a lambskin or hybrid pad, not cheap. But I can’t find it right now.
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I think the pads you are thinking of is made by Beautiful Audio, and yes they are not cheap, about $150/pair but they are very comfortable but for me they altered the sound a bit too much.
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In which direction did they alter the sound?
Pendant FS at great price:. https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/fs-zmf-pendant.10235/
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The Beautiful Audio pads made my RS2e, SR225e, and Ypsilon R1 too smooth by rolling off the highs a bit too much and also making the so-so sound stage even more intimate. For some this might actually be good since many think Grado are too bright but I still prefer using generic G-pads (about $4-6 from ebay). I usually buy 1 pair from 4-5 different vendors to see which is best since they are all different (looks like an OEM pair but slight differences in foam density, depth, and even diameter at times. OEM G-pads ($45) are made with 2 different types of foam glued together and since the part that touches your ears/head is the harder of the two it a bit uncomfortable for me where the generic ones are one type of foam and a bit softer
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If interested in planars, you might want to consider the Rosson RAD-0.
Note that some of these cans mentioned are heavy so you might want to inquire into their weight and comfort depending on your preferences/criteria.
Pardon if these have already been considered or mentioned.
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No, you are the first to mention them. I found a review from your hint, so thank you! Seems it’s Audeze by another name, since it’s made by a former Audeze CEO, but divergent evolution. And an abundance of colours! Seems their strength is in treble tuning and also to some extent mids, which isn’t such a bad idea in the planar company, whereas the weakness is sub-bass and (to me, a hammerhead) clamping.
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