MEZE EMPYREAN PLANAR MAGNETIC HEADPHONE; THE ELECTRONIC MUSIC HEADPHONE KING?
Hey friends, good to see you again! If this is your first time visiting the website, my name is Marcello. In this article, I will be reviewing the Meze Empyrean!
Meze was founded in 2011 in Romania. The founder, Antonio, was on a quest to find a pair of headphones he could connect with in the same way he did with his Fender Stratocaster guitar. In 2015 Meze launched the 99 Classics, which received numerous awards. In 2018 Meze Audio came together with Rinaro Isodynamics from Ukraine to develop, in my opinion, one of the most beautifully designed and incredible sounding headphones in the world.
For this review, I will be utilizing several headphone amps and digital-analog converters to draw my conclusions about the sound of the Empyrean, as well as comparing the sound signature primarily to 2 other headphones I had on hand during the review, the ZMF Verité Open Desert Iron Wood Limited Edition and the Rosson Audio Rad-0. I will discuss my audio chain throughout the review and list the gear used in the video description at the bottom of the article for you to check out.
As with all my audio reviews, I will also provide the music playlists I used to evaluate the headphones so you can listen along. I am not being compensated for this review, and all thoughts and impressions are my own. The review will cover five main areas. Build Quality and Comfort, Quality of Sound, including Bass, Mids., and Treble; Tonality; Imaging and Soundstage; and lastly Synergy and Comparisons. Then stick around to the end, giving my overall conclusions and comparisons to a couple of other headphones. So, let’s jump right in! First off, I want to thank Taron from Headphonescom for sending me out the Meze Empyrean for the review! The support of great companies and individuals sending me products to review is a massive help to continue bringing you guys new content!
So, let’s talk Build Quality, Specs, Comfort, and Design. The Meze Empyrean comes in a cool-looking High Strength Aluminum suitcase that made me feel like a Romanian hitman when I opened it. Inside the case, you will find two sets of earpads, one set is leather, and the other set is Alcan Tara. The earpads have isomagnetic earcup to earpad coupling technology, which is a fancy way of saying the ear cups attach brilliantly using magnets and the demagnetizing field generated by the driver. Using this technology, Meze states the Empyrean can use the patented ferromagnetic plates to channel the magnetic field back into the driver, increasing efficiency. This is by far my favorite pad swapping and attachment strategy I have utilized with headphones so far. You have the option to choose a 2.5m OFC Cable with 4pin mini XLR terminated plugs and a 6.3 jack, or a 1.2m OFC cable with a 3.5 jack, or a 2.5m OFC cable with a four-pin XLR. Included with the purchase of the Empyrean is a 2-year warranty from Meze.
I can say the Empyrean are some of the best-built headphones I have had the privilege of auditioning. They use a beautiful open ear cup design, and the cups are made from a lightweight sculpted aluminum skeleton that takes, according to MEZE, about 20 hours of CNC milling to create. The rest of the high-precision cup is CNC sculpted from a single piece of solid aluminum. The Empyrean cups are an authentic piece of art.
The Empyrean uses what MEZE calls pressure distribution wings, allowing the leather headrest to relieve pressure points. I can confirm they work flawlessly for my head. At the time of filming this video, the Empyrean is the most comfortable flagship headphone I have ever worn, weighing only around 430gm. The leather headrest is securely attached to a flexible carbon fiber headband which connects to the easily adjustable rods allowing the headband to be adjusted for different sized heads.
So, let’s talk a little more about one of the most essential parts of the design of the Empyrean, the isodynamic driver manufactured by RINARO. Each driver is hand-assembled and tested in Ukraine. Housed in fiberglass infused ABS Frame, the RINARO isoplanar diaphragm weighs only .16gm while still having 4650mm of an active area. Using neodymium magnets, in a HYBRID MAGNET ARRAY, the magnets are positioned symmetrically on each side of the diaphragm, creating a highly efficient Isodynamic magnetic field allowing for uniform activation across the whole diaphragm surface. These Hybrid Dynamic Array Drivers utilize independently shaped voice coils within the same diaphragm, which deliver accurate audible performance. The Empyrean’s Drivers combine individual switchback and spiral-shaped voice coils, which allow sounds to be more accurately targeted into the ear's natural shape. By having a dual driven system, Meze and Rinaro have created an outstanding soundstage to my ears, which I will discuss more when we get into sound quality. By allowing the switchback coil to focus on reproducing the lower frequencies and the spiral coil to concentrate on producing the middle and high frequencies directly over the ear canal, the EMPYREAN creates a unique sound all its own.
The Meze Empyrean is relatively efficient with an impedance rating of 31.6 ohms and 100db per 1 MW. They have a maximum SPL of 130db and a THD of .1%. For the sake of time, I will link to the rest of the design, specs, and history of the Empyrean in the YouTube video description below so you can dive in deeper, as there is a lot of other excellent tech stuff about the Empyrean worth checking out. At the same time, you are there don’t forget to subscribe and smash that like button for me!
Now time for my favorite part; how do the Meze Empyrean sound!? For most of my review, my impressions are based on the leather pads, as those were my preferred pads. Let’s first talk about the bass on the Empyrean. Utilizing the switchback coil of the hybrid array to produce the lower frequencies, I was immediately struck by how killer bass sounded on this headphone. It very much reminded me of having a 2.1 speaker system or, in the case of the Empyrean, a 2.2 system with separate subwoofers or switchback arrays in the case of the Empyrean, taking up the task for reproducing the lower frequencies. I enjoyed the unique headphone sound signature from the Empyrean as I have a 2.1 channel stereo system and 5.1 channel surround sound system at home. Their sound signature is very different from any other headphones I have tried. Having the switchback coil mounted above the spiral coil on the hybrid array allowed the sound sensation of the bass to be perceived audibly as if it was all around me on certain tracks.
Electronic music to my ears sounds so good on the Empyrean. An incredible example of this is from Infected Mushroom, “Return to the Sauce,” listening to the LYR 3 headphone tube hybrid amplifier paired with the Matrix Element X as the DAC, and this track just blew me away when listening to the Empyrean. Not only is there an excellent quantity and quality of sub-bass and mid-bass to my ears when listening, but the Empyrean packs a punch and is very dynamic when the bass hits. This is another quality I enjoy about them. Listening to Blinding lights from the Weekend on several tube amplifiers and Digital analog converters, the Empyrean sounds incredible on this track. Tracks produced with good sub-bass and mid-bass just sound fantastic to my ears. The 2016 Remaster of Blue Monday from New Order just crushes it on the Empyrean. Listening via the Mogwai OG paired with the Chord TT2 and the ZMF Pendant paired with the Bifrost 2, the dynamic sound of the hybrid array, along with the open stage and the perceived sense of the bass enveloping around me, make this song sound so good. Synthesizer, off the All-blessed Album from Faithless, is a track that again shows off the excellent bass skills of the Empyrean, giving me tingles from the synthesizer production combined with the vocals and dynamic bass hits! The next track on this album, “Remember,” has the switchback coil rumbling the bass all around me while allowing the vocals from the separate spiral coil to come through clean.
There are times on some tracks I did hear the bass bleed into the midrange a little too much for my liking. One example of this was Love, by Lana Del Rey. I was listening off the ZMF Pendant and Bifrost 2. I found there was just too much bass bleed into Lana’s vocals taking away from her voice a bit too much for my liking. How the bass presents itself will significantly come down to the track and the production on that specific track. I was extremely pleased with the warmer lower end from the Empyrean, especially with electronic music, rock, and most pop.
The midrange on the Empyrean is very good for most of my test tracks, with excellent clarity and a slightly forward energetic sound in the upper midrange to my ears. Strings have very enjoyable tonality, which I enjoyed from violins, guitars, and the cello. The timbre of the Empyrean in the midrange may not sound as sweet as some of the other headphones it competes with, but the midrange sounds good and different from the other headphones on most recordings I compared it too. I see this as a benefit if you are the type of audiophile who likes multiple hi-end headphones in your collection. With the Upper midrange sounding a bit more forward in the mix to my ears, some vocals sound more present and closer to me, which I liked on most recordings. On some recordings and especially when using more clinical sounding amplifiers I tested the Empyrean with, I didn’t like the more energetic presentation of the upper midrange as much as other headphones I compared them to.
So, your source gear, such as your amplifier and your DAC, as with any headphone, become essential to help shape the sound to your liking. I like shaping the sound using Tube Amplification vs. EQ, as I am a bit more of a purist at heart. I will discuss this a bit more in the synergy section of the review, so stay with me, and don’t forget to subscribe to our email list and YouTube channel.
Treble to my ears sounds very good, allowing images to be well defined. The Empyrean has an open sound that is highly enjoyable, like being present at the performance. I didn’t find the treble to ever come across as harsh, which I thoroughly appreciated when listening to the Empyrean. Cymbals, snare drums are easily placed in the mix on recordings. The Empyrean sounds fast, present, with more than enough sparkle and detail for me to enjoy the music I listen to without issue. Some people claim that there is not enough resolution or detail from the Empyrean. My take on it is a little different from that. To my ears, all the detail and resolution are there when compared to other flagship headphones it competes with. The difference to my ears is that it is much more natural, less in your face. Some of the so-called resolution kings in the flagship headphone space emphasize this region to make sure it stands out in the mix.
Next, let’s talk about the imaging and soundstage of the Meze Empyrean. To my ears, the Empyrean stage very well, sounding open, airy, and somewhat speaker-like in their presentation. Being able to test the Empyrean on an Endgame Tube amplifier such as the Nautilus from ampsandsound and then having the ability to switch and listen to my KEF LS50Meta speakers, it was amazing to hear how well the Empyrean mimic the imaging and staging of excellent speakers. I was thoroughly impressed with the stage of the Empyrean, and at the time of filming, this video would say it is one of my favorite stages I have heard for its ability to envelop me in the music as well as its excellent imaging and overall euphonic sound quality.
The Empyrean has a strong center image and excellent left to right size stage width. The sound stage allowed me to place sounds on recordings such as Bubbles easily and Wandering from Yosi Horikawa, all without the images sounding artificially sharpened. The easiest way for me to describe the Empyrean stage is that it pulls me into the stage instead of some headphones that almost force you to focus on their stage.
Ok, so let’s get into Audio Chain Synergy with the Empyrean and a couple of quick comparisons, then stick around for my overall conclusion. Always remember that whenever I describe my preferences or impressions, they are my subjective impressions, and you may have a different opinion, which is cool! So, suppose you have been reading my reviews or watching my YouTube channel for a little while now. In that case, you will probably know that I tend to prefer pure Tube amplification or hybrid tube amplification over most solid-state amplifiers I have heard. My top headphone amplifiers and digital-analog converter combos I enjoyed most with the Empyrean were the Ampsandsound Nautilus paired with the N A DC 658 BluOS Streamer, The ZMF pendant paired with the Bifrost2 or D90 Digital analog converter, the Mogwai OG paired with the D90 DAC or the Chord TT2 DAC and the LYR 3 paired with the Matrix Element X as it’s DAC. An honorable mention goes to the solid-state AMP-DAC of the Chord TT2, which I enjoyed most with the Empyrean of the solid-state amps I had on hand.
I felt these amps and DACS helped bring out the best of the EMPYREAN over a couple of weeks I listened to them. This again will come down to your preferences and what you like. I am a music-first type of listener who strives to always listen with my ears and not my eyes, so I don’t allow the measurements posted online by other reviewers to influence my impressions.
Ok, so let’s talk quickly about comparisons between the Empyrean, The Verité Open, and the RAD-0. To my ears, the Empyrean and Rad-0 have the better bass presence, especially in the sub-bass region, making them the two headphones I preferred most for electronic music and some pop. All three headphones sound very dynamic and pack a significant punch. The midrange is a bit sweeter sounding from the Verité Open vs. the Empyrean, with most vocals sounding a bit warmer and lush in their presentation. However, on some recordings, the vocals could sound a little farther away on the Verité than they did on the Empyrean. The Rad-0 has a very lovely mid-range closer to the warmer signature of the Verité, however placing the vocals even farther away on most tracks when compared to the Empyrean and Verité Open to my ears. The Empyrean, to my ears, had the most energetic upper midrange of the three.
I think treble is well executed on all three of these headphones. None of these headphones are what I would consider being treble head tunings, which is probably why I like all three of them so much. Soundstage and imaging are most impressive to my ears from the Empyrean and the Verité Open as they have the most three-dimensional and life-like sounding stages. The Rad-0 images very well but has the smallest and least open sounding sound stage of the three headphones to my ears. Timbre wise, I would say the most natural-sounding to my ears presenting the best tonality for most music I listen to would be the ZMF Verité, then the Rad-0, which to me sounds very much like a Planar Magnetic version of a ZMF headphone, which is a massive compliment to them—followed lastly by the timbre of the Empyrean. There is a caveat here though, the timbre and overall presentation of the EMPYREAN is one of my favorites so far, specifically for most electronic music I listen to, followed closely by the RAD-0.
All three of these headphones are beautiful looking and have an incredible build quality uniquely their own; however, the Empyrean was the lightest and most comfortable, followed by the Verité Open and then the Rad-0.
In conclusion. Is the Empyrean suitable for you? As always, for the price of any of these headphones discussed during this review, you need to hear them for yourself, with the audio chain you have at home. Only then will you know if they are right for you. That is why it’s so important to choose an authorized dealer with a flexible return policy to make sure you are going to be happy. The affiliate links I have included in the article and the video description are a great place to start if you are interested in the Meze Empyrean. You also help to support me and the website by using those links to keep bringing you more new content. I would love to own the Meze Empyrean, as electronic music is one of my favorite genres. At the time of this video, the Meze Empyrean is one of the best, if not the best, headphones for electronic music I have heard. The Empyrean just crushes it with electro, dub, house, trance, trip-hop, ambient electronic music, and more. Tripping with Nils Frahm, Tycho, Massive Attack, Daft punk, Kraftwerk, and many other electronic artists just sound so fitting to me on the Empyrean, as do many different genres of music as well. The Empyrean is an absolute engineering achievement, with one of the most beautifully designed cups and driver arrays I have ever seen. They have excellent bass, an energetic mid-range, and excellent treble in my opinion. Their sound stage is one of the most enjoyable stages I have heard from a headphone thus far, and lastly, comfort is at the time of this review the very best of any flagship headphone I have worn. They are different and break the mold from what a flagship headphone should look and sound like, and I love that about them. Good for you, Meze for being original.
Don’t forget to sign up for our email list and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Thanks again for reading, please share this article with someone who might appreciate it. Let me know your thoughts on the Empyrean and any other audio gear you want me to review next in the comments below. Until next time friends MUCH LOVE!
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All impressions are my own, and we all hear differently, and that’s totally cool! I have listed some audio gear I use or recommend with affiliate links if I am affiliated with the company that sells them so you can check out some of the gear discussed and viewed In the video. If you have any questions or comments, please leave me a comment in the video comment section. I will always do my best to respond to each comment! If you enjoyed this video, please consider giving it a like and subscribing today. Don't forget to click the bell Icon to get updates when I upload another video! Stay tuned for more headphones, headphone amp, and audio gear reviews! Do you have an audio product you would like me to review for your company? Would you like to sponsor future videos and advertise your products, brand, or service to our channel viewers? Please feel free to drop me a message at marcello@mrhifireviews.com to discuss! Some of the links above are affiliate links. Every time you use one of my links as an Apos Audio/Headphonescom/DROP/Adorama affiliate, I earn a small commission which helps to support my family, me, and a large amount of hard drive space and filming/editing time needed for the channel so I can continue to bring you more video content! Using one of my links doesn't cost you anything more; it shows your channel support. Thank you again for your support. Much LOVE, friends! Marcello.
Music Playlists to test gear with:
