Meze Empyrean one of the best sounding headphones


Being Zeos reviewed this headphone it needs a forum. If there are any fans or owners please post your thoughts

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Was thinking about it, but I didn’t like it as much as other planars. Build is crazy good though

They are an engineering delight. The design of the drivers, the comfort of the ear pads. The fact that they magnetized the ear pads is awesome, easy removal. The head band just fits to your head like melted butter.

I let my wife listen and she said shes heard things she has never heard before in her favorite tracks. The soundstage is nice and big, its revealing. But then when I listen I find this mid range dip, this buried vocal feel. I had to boost 1k to hear vocals front and center. Granted it might just be a flaw on listening to outboard audio from a computer.

This headphone is just an artistic delight. If you look at music like fine art this is a headphone you should consider.

Did you pad swap? I find the leather pads throw it more in your face. I have the hekv2 for those laid back sessions.

It wasn’t bad at all, I just didn’t think it was what I was looking for. I preferred it with the leather pads

I just ordered a pair and should have them in a couple weeks. I have heard them in noisy environments, so I am really looking forward to giving them a chance at home. I enjoyed the sound, but the build is clearly what sets them apart from anything else I’ve seen

Yeah only issue was the wait time to get a set. They don’t make lower rez files sound better. I’m guessing they are warm with nice treble. Haven’t had an issue with vocals as pushfadercashcheck did. two of my favorite attributes is the bass and treble(nice recorded high hats).

It’s one of the few headphones where every youtube review seems to universally praise them and even say the cost is justified. Most of the reviews also end with “Thank you Meze” or congratulate them for their accomplishment. Zeos seems to be one of the few reviewers who preferred the Alcantarra pads to the pleathers for what it’s worth

With the pads at this point I’m for the leather but who knows, I haven’t sat long enough with the Alcantrra pads. I like laid back like hekv2 and Empyrean I don’t find them to be.

build and comfort is crazy good, the design is outstanding
had listened to it out of a Cayin N8 in tube mode …sure not the highest resolving “endgame” but very forgiving pleasing sound
congrats to everyone owning this beauty

cough I have access to a famous test rig.
The ability of this headphone to reproduce low frequency content is incredible.

Edit: this is with leather pads

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It seems like a lot of retailers are out of stock. I elected to go with a floor model vs waiting for a TBD ship date, so mine will be arriving tomorrow instead of mid-October at the earliest. I’m really looking forward to it. This is my last audio purchase for the year aside from maybe some cables and tubes, but I still have Argons, a THX 789, and a La Figaro OTL amp due to arrive at some point.

Its understandable, It probably takes a ton of effort to make one of these. You made a good decision!
I would never purchase my self, I’m not actually an audiophile but I get to spend a ton of time with them at my works personal collection of headphones. They are definitely an end game set of cans.

The dealer I bought them from said they have been having supply chain issues. He is still waiting on his order from July to arrive. On the head-fi forums they announced they are also rolling out a new color scheme, so maybe some of their resources are moving to them. I don’t hate them, but I’m glad to be getting the original color scheme:
mezeaxpona18-e1524253763167

The price is really prohibitive, and I would normally never drop that kind of money on a single, non-auto purchase, but I really really loved them when I tried them out. The hope is that this will stop me from purchasing $400-$600 headphones at the rate I have been since the difference will be more pronounced

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3000 dollars for a headphone is a travesty. I would love to see a cost to manufacture analysis. I bet they dont cost nearly that much to manufacture. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a 800% markup. They should really examine their process and re-evaluate.

I would love too see a campaign to boycott manufacturers like these and their ridiculously expensive headphones. Look for a company that puts out a good headphone for a decent price like the headphones that Massdrop puts out. The Blon B20 is available right now for 350$ Get the velour pads and you have a truly great headphone.

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3000usd is too much. I bought my Arya and that is the most ill pay for a headphone

You pay for everything that went into that headphone. I would say it’s justified, it’s not like a necessary item or anything. There is a lot that goes into making something like this

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Of course it’s serious money
If someone decides to pull the trigger - fine.
I think it is worth it after I had a 30 Minute listening session
The r&d(this 2way driver is new on the market) plus build quality and of course the luxurious extra 1000 for entering the club of High end…
I would not get my wifes ok but maybe some time later a used one under 1800…
It’s not only the soundquality… the comfort is even better than Mr Speakers - who I always thought is not beatable… the design is so cool… the box… 2 pads. …
Cables…
Focals case is 149 and the pads are 200 and more- for example
At the moment I really scratch my head for the Aoelus money, after spending over 3k Euro in last year for audio (DACs, Amp, mobile DAC/Amps, IEMs, headphones, speakers and custom cables)

I admit when I saw $1000+ headphones, I immediately thought snake oil…but having heard the HFM Arya, HE-1000 v2 and the Focal Stellia, I can assure you, it is not snake oil, there are headphones that sound so good they’re worth money.

keep in mind a few things though. you are paying for the R&D that went into engineering these and. you are paying for the materials…keep in mind that these headphones are not massed produced, so they don’t buy the materials to make these at volume rates. you likely don’t realize what goes into the engineering and development of these. considerations on weight, the metals and plastics used, the shapes, the machining so the click stop on the headband works like a gear and so forth. all those tiny and tasteful touches actually do cost an arm and a leg.

another thing to keep in mind is the cost of a stereo system that would sound as good as something like a Focal Stellia or Stax L700. we’re talking 5 or 6 digits. so in reality, you are getting quite the bargain!

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The perfect example: I listened to the Empyrean out of Cayin N8 DAP in tube mode
Lots of asian audiophiles don’t have the space for a nice speaker setup or are not allowed to use it in a Apartment. The asian market is far more into IEMs and headphones. The big crowded citys force them into it.
So what marzipan sayed - absolutely. 5k for a DAP + 1 headphone is High End bargain
The Meze might produce sound worth 1500 and is build like 6k, some one said.