Meze Empyrean over-ear Headphones - Official Thread

[lost33]

Well sir I went off into the deep end of the pool and have a pair of Empys winging its way to me from Romania via Seattle…Should be here next week I hope!

I have gone thru many headphones, Grados, AKG, Audio Technica, Senns, Focal, Beyer, Sony, HEDD’s, and Audeze…listened to many more, Aeon 2, Ananda, Susvara’s etc…

My love has centered on the Focal Clears, HEDD’s and now venturing into the world of Meze.

Read ALL the reviews, good and bad and think these are something special, and I always like the controversy and differing opinions on audio stuff…but there is ONLY one way to really tell if u like stuff and that is to buy it and try it…

Will post first impressions and the rest of the gorp soon!

Alex

[prfallon69]

Congratulations Alex. I am greatly looking forward to your thoughts on them.

[lost33]

Morning!

Me too…lots of controversy over how these headphones in cost performance. As expected when new TOTL cans come on the scene there is the almost immediate "do these unseat the in “vogue” headphones and the nitpicking starts.

All the experts come out and state their cases…

For me the only way to really know if something is great, mediocre and lousy is just to try them myself.

So this is why I say I am stepping off the deep end…but i know how to swim well!! LOL.

I have read ALL the reviews and listened to the mantras of many…and for the most part the Emperyeans seem to please a lot of folks who just like to listen to good music.

I am hoping I will like them as much as these folks do!

Alex
:>)

[prfallon69]

Good luck. I hope you enjoy them too.

[Lars]

I got a pair of Meze Empereans a few months ago, and I enjoy them a lot. They tend to be a bit ‘darker’ than I’d like, but I think that’s more to do with my own hearing deficiencies than the cans themselves, and I got an aftermarket XLR cable from Corpse Cable which helps give it a bit more brightness and air. I use them with a Hugo 2 as the DAC and an iFi Pro ICAN as the headphone amp. I’ve got a Loki tone control in there too to give me more balance in the higher frequencies when needed.

[PaisleyUnderground]

I’m looking forward to your review Alex, and I’m thankful that your curiosity results in you going through so much equipment! Reading through all your amp & DAC reviews was really helpful to me when I was buying my own, since I didn’t have the advantage of listening first hand. Reading all your posts enabled me to get a sense of what you like/dislike and figure out where the 2 of us overlap (or not).

[lost33]

Thanks Much!!

Its really appreciated!!

I am retired and have lots of spare time on my hands…and this stuff keeps me busy…its always great to share our experiences with others!!

At 71 yrs young and with still fairly good hearing I love this hobby, listening to great music and testing stuff.

I think my taste can be sum’d up with just wanting the music to sound as real as it is in real life as best possible…

Its an illusion at best, sometimes really close and other times not.

Dont get hung up on anyones experience no matter how much of an expert they state they are…

and lastly Enjoy the Music, while you can!!

Alex

[lost33]

They arrived yesterday and I have a good three hours on them.

All the way from Romaina!

Sweet packaging…first class for sure!

Love at first site!! lol

Touch of Class!

[lost33]

Yes these headphones have a set of mixed reviews and there are many opinions on them, they usual are these the new “kings”, are they worth $3000m etc and the comparsions to the Abyss, Utopias, and others yadda, yadda, yadda…

Some reviewers I respect are not enamored about them, others laud them to no end…so its up to YOU to decide, not a reviewer etc…with all due respect.

A friend at our discord has these and uses them with a Schiit Asgard 3 and a Feliks Audion Euphoria. He tells me the Asgard3 does a decent job if driving them. But the Euphoria for him takes it into rarified “air”.

I got the headphones from headphones.com and they are a good folks to deal with. Had to order from Meze in Romania, thought it would be several weeks, but surprise they shipped out in less than a week!
It was neat to follow the tracking information as they left Romania, went to Liepzig, Germany, Midlands UK. Los Angles, to Seattle and then on to me here in North Carolina! Technology!

When I got home i missed the delivery! Argh!! Another days wait! NO! Ha! Checked online and saw the UPS truck was in our area at a store near me and I went and found him and voila I got the headphones!
Again technology, has is good sides!! LOL!

First impresions…excellent build quality. Wonderful case. Light weight. Perfect fit. Very comfortable. Easy to adjust. Very adjustable. Plush leather pads. A second set of Alcantara type pads. Pad changeout absolutely first class…others should learn from this. Case provides excellent protection.

How do they sound?
Next…

Well I have tried them with a Schiit Jotenheim, Schiit Asgard 3, Schiit Lyr 3, Schiit Magni 3, Jim Hagermans Tuba, and a new DIY Waye Colburn of Pass Labs “Whammy”…op amp based SS amp.

All drive the Empys very well, they are relatively easy to drive.

Are some better than others, sure.

The Lyr 3 and Jotenheim are the best parings for me here…need to play with some op amps in the Whammy later today and do some comparisons with my HEDDS and Clears…

But first impressions with these from a person that love the Clears and HEDDS for specific reasons:
Having music be reproduced with accurate tonality, balanced presentation and a lifelike experience…ie excellent soundstage, good depth and width and height.

I can sum up the entire 3 hour listening experience with “these headphones are made for music lovers!”

You can nit pick almost any headphone searching for perfection. Its not out there. Some much better than others etc…and we all here differently and have our preferences for sure.

Bass…oh my…very very nice…low “guttoral” bass, full bodied and textured…its doenst muddy up the rest of the stuff going on…not boomy at all. This quality and quanity of bass presentation is missing from many other headphones. It fits well IMO, when u listen to stuff with bass in it , it will make you smile. Eva Cassidy in Live at Blues Alley, listened to this many, many times…and its like being there in the nightclub!

Mids, vocals etc excellent.

HIgh end…where the some think they are are kind of rolled of…well they are and arent IMO. All the treble stuff is there, but its not pushed at you, female voices can be sibiliant at times and you turn down the volume so it isnt as sibilant of harsh…not with the Empys…its just “correct” sounding and fits in with all the other stuff in the music. I see this as a BIG positive.

Some notes I took yesterday:

low end with gobs of texture…
wide soundstage, good depth front to back and up and down(edited)
good with all kinds of music
Eva Cassidy Live at Blues Alley is 10/10
like your in the nightclub
her voice and many female vocalists can be sibilant the Empys take care of this very well…
along with the bass kick drum, guitar so musical…
Shawn Colvin, Feist, Norah Jones, very intimate performance…
So well balanced overall…
Dont want to stop listening!
In a special niche all by themselves…
Keepers…

Today I will do a comparison to the Clears and Hedds.

Already am doing this as i type…

Later!
Life is Good!

Enjoy the music while you can!
Alex

[prfallon69]

Great first impressions Alex.

[lost33]

Clears is like having a great craft beer with great taste but without no nice “foam” head!! lol

Listening to this:

Jazz Club recording with heavily mic’d bass…its like its real…really realistic…heavy deep bassy notes…with the texture etc…just close to perfect.

HEDDs do this very well too, but not with as much body…

Alex

[prfallon69]

I’m a big Clears fan myself. It certainly sounds like you have your bases covered.

[ProfFalkin]

Your thoughts on the sound and amp pairing seem to be similar to mine. I think the Jotunheim is one of the better amp pairings I have for them.

Thanks for the write-up

[lost33]

Playing really busy stuff like Joe Satriani’s Electric Joe Satriani: An Anthology , “Satch Boogie” is a joy to listen to with the Empys…its handles everything so well…not conjested at all!!

Beach Boys Sounds of Summer!! OMG…like being back in the 60’s!!
"I can hear music:…awesome soundstage, layering…just really very very nice…giddy nice here!!

Alex

Close to that “holographic” description we all use loosely…

Enya’s stuff is indeed holographic!

[prfallon69]

Going by your impressions and others too they very much seem to be headphones for really enjoying music with.

[lost33]

Yes, still love my Clears and Hedds for sure…but going back and forth with the Clears its like I am missing a part of the realism in the actual performance…the HEDDS got me in this direction and the Empys do this even a bit better with the full bass end…

Gosh its really nice to be able to compare,its the real fun part of the hobby but the music is where its at for me!

Alex

[lost33]

Luscious is a good descriptor for these headphones…

[ProfFalkin]

I don’t know if you mentioned it, leather or suede?

[lost33]

Right now its all leather, havent use the alcantara pads yet.

LIstening to Feist, album is “The Reminder” song is “Intuition”…this will tell u that the treble and female voice is excellent…

Give u a great experience where u can here her voice vibrating thru the recoding or hall…marvelous…

So with these cans the resolving power is powerful and if the recording u use is crap its going to come across as crap.

Alex

[lost33]

Ok started the day with Clears, to Empys to Hedds…

Oh my! What a quandry…

All good…but differing flavors for sure…

Hedds are indeed more clear than the empys…but are missing that emphasized low end. The upper registers are more crisp and in your face…Very good soundstage…

The Hedds grab you around your neck and tell you that your going to listen and its going to be really good!
The Empys grab you buy your neck but put u into a plush lazy boy recliner, give you a drink and light your cigar and say “listen to the whole album please!”…

The Clears tell you your going to listen to every little thing in the song…and your going to here everything in that song. Clearly, Accurately, Crisply and Tonally pefect.

So hows that for a objective analysis!!

The Clears dont need much power to play.
The Hedds need more power to light up.
The Empys are in between IMO.

Not a fan of the alcantara pads, wish u could choose a second set of the leather pads…

I shamlessly took these comments I found of another owner of these headphones:
(I couldnt agree more). And why re-invent the wheel? :>)

“I’ve tried everything from the Audeze LCD-4z to the Sennheiser HD800s and still the Empyreans truly impressed me. While the HD800 has better distance to the soundstage and the LCD-4Z has better bass oomph. The Empyreans carve their own niche in that they do EVERYTHING well and enjoyably. They are not harsh or analytical. They’re the flagship you can hand to anyone and they’ll be truly impressed, audiophiles or not. The quality of the headset is sublime and you can tell it is a product that will last for ages even with regular use. The sound quality is great for any track from a symphony to a garage rap track and anything in-between. I can easily say I will probably be using these every single day despite having dozens of high-end choices in my repertoire and that should say all you need to know. Despite being newer to the headphone game, Meze has proven themselves able to go toe-to-toe with headsets widely considered to be the best of the best.”

Alex