The black were the originals they added copper though!
the OG was gunmetal…!!! I know this because I had them. And the next offering was copper with black housing which I have now.
Gotcha I thought you were talking grill color 
not body color… I have the gun metal version. Usually people call them by the grill color not the body color.
I thought the original was more of an olive toned. Pretty green looking in some photos. Now the gunmetal looks more grayish, like a truer gunmetal.
but it looks like gunmetal isn’t offered anymore. I’m wondering what the next headphone will be. Some say Empyrean Jr. I wonder what they will cut out to lower the price.
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Now it looks like Copper with Black, and Jet Black are the new options.
When I first bought the Empyrean it had a gunmetal grill and body. year later the copper version was offered so I sold my old set. The other day Meze emailed me about new color all black. So I believe copper came first as black was not available at the time of my purchase.
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The body and grill were gunmetal? mine are def gun metal body with a black grill.(they still call the olive color gun metal btw)
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So the grill was black for some reason my memory said it was a gunmetal grill.
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No worries, I was wondering if there was a version I didn’t know about
I picked up a gently used (not fully burned in) Empyrean ~1 year ago, after loving the sound of them everytime I heard one at CanJam. But it was not meant to be…
My perceptions of the Empyrean were pretty close to what’s in your review. What pushed me into selling was that the Empyrean couldn’t compete with the loaner ZMF Aeolus I had IMS at the same time. The Empyrean’s design is stunning & the comfort far above average–but the sound just couldn’t equal the organic, lively fun of the Aeolus. I always reached for the Aeolus first…
A year later, I’m enjoying a new blackwood Aeolus. Zero regrets. But I still wish that the Empyrean’s sound & entertainment value had been a match for its very handsome, architectural design.
I still hope to find a planar that is endgame for me, as there are certain things planars do very very well, and differently from dynamics.
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The original was definitely gunmetal (dark grey), not green. Depending on the light that gunmetal took on greenish hues (not sure why).
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Have you gotten the opportunity to try the RAD-0 or the LCD 4’s? After owning the Empyrean for 9 months I am selling mine due to the same reasons. I ended up purchasing a set of LCD-4’s instead… with the Reveal plugin they are incredible.
I’d love to try the LCD-4…but it’s out of my $$ range. Owned a pre-fazor LCD-3 w/lovely sound (sold), still own a pre-fazor LCD-2.1, also with great sound (will soon sell that). I’m not a fan of the frame design of the LCD series, though the newer carbon fiber headbands help mitigate the discomfort.
RAD-0 is a different story. I’m very interested in that (any TOTL planar that’s not over ~$3K) – but had very mixed results with my brief audition of it at CanJam:
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1st issue is on me: I had a migraine that. Not only did it constrain how many things I listened to (and how loudly), but I’m no good at distinguishing musical/sonic nuance when in that state. So I couldn’t tell if the RAD-0 sounded good or not (all on me…nothing to do w/the RAD-0);
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2nd issue is that uncomfortably padded headband. In pictures I saw the odd downward-facing hump of the padding & imagined it could be uncomfortable. And it was uncomfortable.
If I owned one & never intended to resell, I’d cut that padding away from the headband then stick a ZMF Pilot Pad over the band…that would take care of it. But IMO it’s weird to entertain such drastic mod thoughts about an otherwise very attractive, well-designed headphone.
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Sub $3k you can find used LCD-4’s or even new b stock ones with full warranty (usually around black friday) if you’re lucky. If you’re interested keep an eye out!
Sound wise the RAD-0 does about 90% what the lcd4 does… which is pretty damn good but since you can get a b stock one at close to the same price I think it’s worth the patience.
For whatever reason I found the RAD-0 less comfortable than the LCD-4 even with the weight of the LCD… (If I remember right a lot of clamping pressure went into my temples).
The new headband design on the LCD really does help and I can listen to it for 8 hr plus sessions without any problems. Additionally with the RAD-0 I find the cable connection choice to be quite idiotic (I wish everyone would just run mini XLR already). Not to say the LCD 4 is perfect… I wish the treble was a little less rolled off (cymbals could be more present) and you really do need to run the reveal plugin for them to truly shine. But they are pretty great.
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I wonder if Dekoni nuggets would fix the rad headband?
I found LCD-4 Open Box with Warranty for sub 3K USD. It is a nice headphone. RAD-0 I have is now lighter then what was in the reviews here, ( you should be able for find one new b-stock for 2.1K USD and easier to drive then the LCD-4, RAD-0 even sounds good on iPAD in a pinch
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Just got these today and wow these are comfortable and luxurious feeling. They definitely rival Focal Stellia in comfort and luxury. The leather pads are like butter and this review will be using the leather pads. The sound really feels a cross between my Stellia and my Audeze LCD-3. The dark, close sound of the LCD-3, but with more of the treble and detail retrieval of the Stellia.
Source: Mytek Brooklyn Bridge or iFi xDSD; using Tidal Hi-Fi
I am loving the bass slam on these. The bass borders on boom-y without being obnoxious. A pleasant change from the neutral bass of the LCD-3 and Stellia. The bass drums in Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes”, I hear them next to me and feel them. The same thing in Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”. These are the best headphones I have heard for drums and bass. Much preferred to the much cheaper Fostex TX-00 Mahogany and Denon D9200 in those areas.
Listening to Yosi Horikawa’s “Bubbles”, the crisp detail isn’t there like the Focal Stellia. The sound is close, evoking a child-like wonderment hearing the bubbles burst in my ears. There is more resonance coming from the cups than I usually hear.
The separation, clear treble, and detail that I miss compared to my Stellia is apparent when I go to Angel Olsen’s “Lark” and “All Mirrors”. The same loss is felt with Regina Spektor. But then as I move to Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever’s “Falling Thunder” that California rock sound is mellowed just enough to not be fatiguing like it is on my Stellia. The bass-forward sound really lifts Car Seat Headrest’s “Weightlifters” and “Can’t Cool Me Down.”
Songs like The Deer’s “Confetti to the Hurricane” that feel congested on other headphones have a balance that places vocals, instruments, and bass on a level playing field. These headphones are more apt to incite body movements than either my Stellia or LCD-3.
This Empyrean’s intimacy is a warm hug when I put on Big Thief’s “Rock and Sings”. The intimacy is a plaintive ballad from the ghost of a former lover in a lamp-lit piano bar when I listen to Lana Del Rey’s “Norman Fucking Rockwell”. LDR’s “NFR” was my favorite song on the LCD-3. With the Meze Empyrean, Lana’s vocals become the focus of the portrait, the instruments fade into the depth-of-field. On “Love Song”, her voice becomes a whisper in my ear, rising in harmony at the song’s end. One of my favorite albums is transformed with new intimacy by the Empyrean.
The slow decay of Sasami’s vocals on “I Was a Window” really drags on the Empyrean and I cannot help but imagine that is how she intended the song to sound.
Summary
What’s become very clear is these can transform songs into a new experience in ways that any of my previous pairs of Focal headphones could not. When they reach for greatness, the Meze Empyreans are transformative. But more often than not, they float in the air of “very good.”
As other reviewers have noted, these headphones are amp-dependent. I switched to my iFi xDSD with MQA and these are entirely different headphones. The bass is toned down, but present. The intimacy with Lana Del Rey steps back from a small lamplit bar to a small or medium-sized concert hall. With the xDSD the Meze Empyreans become a more neutral reference sounding headphone with clear articulate and detail befitting of a TOTL can. For this reason, I highly recommend experimenting with different amps and finding the ideal synergy before purchasing.
Versus the Focal Stellia
The Focal Stellia perform at an exceptional level for any genre of music. The Empyreans’ emotional highs are higher. When not reaching those highs, I know I’ll want to grab the Stellia or LCD-3 more because they perform at high levels across a wider spectrum of music. These are a nice complement to the all-around performance of my Focal Stellia.
Versus the Audeze LCD-3
The Meze Empyrean make me ask tough questions about the Audeze LCD-3 and if I can justify having these in the same household. I think the answer is yes, but the LCD-3 are on thin ice. At $1000 over the LCD-3’s MSRP, the Meze should evoke tough questions about the LCD-3.
Detour on MQA
MQA seems to balance the sound and boom to more balance with Jay-Z’s “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)”. On the whole, these sound better and transparent on the Mytek Brooklyn Bridge without MQA and with the default filters. Prefer no MQA with female vocals and more instrumentation. Prefer MQA for hip hop. But on a song like Beyonce’s “Sorry” I become torn because the sound is fuller, more bass forward and I want to bounce with it, but without MQA, Beyonce’s vocals are more forward. Which do I choose? I go to Beyonce’s “All Night” and I clearly prefer non-MQA because the instruments and the vocals are more forward, letting the bass take a backseat.
Short MQA summary: MQA on Mytek Brooklyn Bridge moves the sound closer to the LCD-3 and non-MQA is the more transparent, detail Stellia. I prefer LCD-3 and Stellia with MQA, but these seem more transparent without MQA. Also, most of my listening choices have less bass and are more indie rock, folk, and vocal forward.
Side Notes
- These do not block out a lot of external sound. They are VERY open backs even if they look almost closed.
- The total package of carrying case, cables, and extra pads are all premium, befitting the $2999 MSRP. These are the most comfortable pads on any set of headphones I have owned.
- Meze does a phenomenal job with the style and simplicity of the Empyrean’s cables.
- I prefer the leather pads, as opposed to alcantara for the increased transparency.
- The pads sometimes put more pressure on my glasses than the Stellia or LCD-3. This can be resolved by adjusting placement.
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Hey Victor,
first, congrats on your new headphones!
Thank you for the writeup. Everytime I see the Empyrean at my local dealer, they feel better and better.
From the Jokes to the pads… simply brilliant.
Cool how you implemented the songs, in your describtion. Most of them are very familiar, to me.
And what you wrote about the female vocals and mqa- I am with you!
Have a good time with the new ones!
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Thanks sir. Yeh I did a stream of consciousness impression last night when I listened. These are really fun sounding, comfortable, and gorgeous headphones.
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