[csch92]

10% really doesn't sound much too me for what they coast. the 109 just makes me happy overall.

but meze will be my way to go in the future. hifiman is a no go to me because they have QC issues

 

[OnlySoMany]

I'm with you. I think that both Elite and Empyrean should be co-flagship status in my opinion. Some people will definitely prefer the sound of the thicker diaphragm. I feel like with the race to the thinnest diaphragm planars we get a lot of micro detail, but sometimes at the expense of thickness of sound. Empyrean is a great headphone to just sit back and sink into music with. People who love that mid bass may prefer to sacrifice some of that TOTL micro detail. That being said, I really need to spend more time with a pair of elites on different chains to make such claims haha. I do really like them too.

As someone who has owned both, the OG model is not a competitor for the Elite. It's a vastly superior headphone.

 

[OnlySoMany]

I'd like to hear impressions of these with the ZMF Caldera and LCD-X

Comparing the Caldera vs Elite is fairly easy. The Elite is more technical, and the Caldera more musical. To my ears at least.

Both are amazing for edm. Elite sounds almost technically perfect. Caldera sounds like it has a soul.

Elite is less amp dependant.

 

[gammi]

Gotta say, I'm really confused and I think my plans to buy a used Elite just got put on hold until I can AB the Elite and Empy 2.

The OG Empy was one of my first truly high end headphones and I always loved it for its lush musical sound. But once I started hearing technically better headphones, I couldn't go back to it knowing what I was missing even though the sound profile is so smooth and appealing on the OG Empy.

Anyway, as someone who loves that Meze house sound that the OG Empy had, am I correct in saying it seems most people are saying the Elite is closer to that and the Empy 2 is more neutral?

 

[Alenotta]

As someone who has owned both, the OG model is not a competitor for the Elite. It's a vastly superior headphone.

Yeah, I don't think they need to compete. They are different flavors. I think this one seems interesting if the tuning is between the two. No doubt the Elite is a better technical performer. There must be enough folks like me that prefer the Empyrean tuning to warrant a sequel though. Sometimes I'm not reaching for the best technical headphone on the shelf.

 

[Alenotta]

Gotta say, I'm really confused and I think my plans to buy a used Elite just got put on hold until I can AB the Elite and Empy 2.

The OG Empy was one of my first truly high end headphones and I always loved it for its lush musical sound. But once I started hearing technically better headphones, I couldn't go back to it knowing what I was missing even though the sound profile is so smooth and appealing on the OG Empy.

Anyway, as someone who loves that Meze house sound that the OG Empy had, am I correct in saying it seems most people are saying the Elite is closer to that and the Empy 2 is more neutral?

I think it is the other way around actually. The Empyrean II will be closer to the OG tuning, but somewhere between that and the Elite. The Elite was a more neutral tuning to my ears the times I've sat with it. Like the Empyrean with more detail, separation, soundstage etc. More of most stuff, but less warmth in the lower mids. Tighter more controlled bass with none of the mid-bass bloat some people didn't like about the OG. If you like a lot of warm lushness you may prefer the Empyrean tuning to the Elite, but I bet you can warm up the Elite with the right chain too. If you have the opportunity why not A/B them! Both will be great I'm sure.

 

[gammi]

I think it is the other way around actually. The Empyrean II will be closer to the OG tuning, but somewhere between that and the Elite. The Elite was a more neutral tuning to my ears the times I've sat with it. Like the Empyrean with more detail, separation, soundstage etc. More of most stuff, but less warmth in the lower mids. Tighter more controlled bass with none of the mid-bass bloat some people didn't like about the OG. If you like a lot of warm lushness you may prefer the Empyrean tuning to the Elite, but I bet you can warm up the Elite with the right chain too. If you have the opportunity why not A/B them! Both will be great I'm sure.

Hmm this quote from the headphonia review says the Elite is closer in sound signature to OG Empy than Empy 2 is
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/new-meze-empyrean-ii.970441/page-2#post-17811247

"the ELITE’s midrange timbre is richer and more romantic"
"if you still want some of Meze’s house sound (well up to now) with a high resolution and spacious rendering, than the ELITE will be the one for you"

Idk what to believe.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

@gammi Don’t forget you can tune the sound of the Elite a bit with pad changes. I’ve settled on the more technical Angled Alcantara pads, but if I want more of that mid-bass lushness I can always put on the Hybrid pads. I know some Elite owners even like the leather pads from the OG Empy. I haven’t tried those myself, but I am eager to hear how the new Duo pads sound on the Elite.

I also prefer the Angled pads because they’re more comfortable for my rather large ears. With the Hybrid pads, my ears slightly tough the driver mesh. It’s not uncomfortable, but my ears don’t touch at all with the Angled pads.

 

[Alenotta]

Hmm this quote from the headphonia review says the Elite is closer in sound signature to OG Empy than Empy 2 is
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/new-meze-empyrean-ii.970441/page-2#post-17811247

Interesting. That seems super counter intuitive to make it more neutral, but I believe Headfonia. I knew it was brighter up top, but I thought they kept a lot of the warmth in there.

I know some Elite owners even like the leather pads from the OG Empy. I haven’t tried those myself, but I am eager to hear how the new Duo pads sound on the Elite.

I actually really wanted to try this since I liked the Elite pads on the Empyrean. I figured it may work the other way around too haha.

 

[gammi]

@gammi Don’t forget you can tune the sound of the Elite a bit with pad changes. I’ve settled on the more technical Angled Alcantara pads, but if I want more of that mid-bass lushness I can always put on the Hybrid pads. I know some Elite owners even like the leather pads from the OG Empy. I haven’t tried those myself, but I am eager to hear how the new Duo pads sound on the Elite.

Yeah, I'm really curious how the new duo pads sound on the Elite as well. Guessing that might be the best of all worlds. Better technicalities from the thinner Elite driver, lush bass/mids from the leather and airiness from the alcantara.

Long story short, I need to find a way to try these!

 

[ckhirnigs113]

I actually really wanted to try this since I liked the Elite pads on the Empyrean. I figured it may work the other way around too haha.

If you do a search on the Elite thread, you’ll find quite a few opinions on the Empy leather pads on the Elite. For example, here’s post #4,292:

“Just got the Empyrean leather pads in for my Elite. Holy s_$t do they open them up and add just enough lushness to be the best of both worlds.”

 

[ADUHF]

The reviews are really promising from DMS, Joshua Valour, and Resolve (Headphoneshow).
Zeos also likes it.
TLDW: Way less bloaty, much more clear, a very strong competitor to any headphone at any pricepoint. Weakspot: Dynamics.

DMS's review seemed a bit more glowy. But Resolve also had positive things to say. And graphs look fairly decent, though there are some imbalances visible in the raw plots imho..

https://forum.headphones.com/t/meze-empyrean-2-official-thread/22280?u=resolve

Not within my budget tho.

 

[Charente]

Excellent comparison analysis @Currawong !

 

[NierSighted]

Really interesting thoughts on this one. Definitely looking forward to hearing it at Canjam 2024, Im sure there will be tons of units around. Listened to the 109 Pros and Empyreans side by side several times there, and no way did the Empyreans justify the huge price increase in pretty much any way in my opinion (if some just like Meze comfort and looks though, I understand)

 

[ThanatosVI]

This weekend we will probably receive a lot of impressions from Canjam Dallas.

The Empyrean II is certainly the most V shaped open back Meze so far.