Same. I love DankPods for his entertainment value and hype for audio stuff (I credit him for motivating me to become an audio enthusiast), but for full details in audio, I prefer GoldenSound.
One thing I noticed is that they both used different cushions. DankPods used the leather ones which gives better air tightness whereas Golden used the other ones.
@@itsacookie1 nah dankpods has some proper kit as well. But I recently discovered goldensound like most of y'all and yeah I love how articulate and technically knowledge he is
Dank Pods said himself, that he is a point of first contact; where he can get people into even thinking about trying fun audio tech. His reviews aren't meant to be incredibly technical but fun as well as being informative. And his genuine enthusiasm for the topic also makes his videos must more fun to watch.
Watching this video on my Meze Empyrean which I literally just received yesterday 😅 Edit: As much as I'd love to have my purchase justified by a reviewer I trust, I appreciate your honest review. I don't have "golden ears" and they sound phenomenal to me so it's not like I'm going to return them now. I think they perfectly round out my current collection of cans. And congrats on finishing Uni!
I came for the MQA study but this is a spectacular review that blends the real time personal nature of Zreviews, but the analytical nature of Metal571. The song choice is great, the sections are as long as they need to be with little to no fat/filler. You’ve got my sub
Ikr I enjoy Zeos, but he is not who you go to for an analytical review, and he also tries to sell products (he makes money threw the links in description).
I got these one year ago this month during the intense covid lock downs. There were no shows or anywhere to test tons of different headphones. I was able to demo them at home for a few weeks from my local dealer. Those few weeks gave me enough to know I would be very happy with them. Sitting here 1 year later and still very happy and use them constantly. Ended up upgrading my DAC and amp this past year and finally have my PC audio set up complete. Friends who aren't in the hobby are blown away how good they are. Think I'll stick with them for awhile although I am dying for a chance to hear the Susvara soon! If they are good enough guess it's time to start saving :) While they list at $3,000 I ended up paying about 75% of that for a new pair which made it more palatable. Still a lot of money for headphones though lol!
As somebody who has had both LOL, I am telling you they stand head and shoulders above other flagships, because they do everything exceptionally well, But no headphones I have tested touches susvara They are in a league of all of their own Within three days I put up 10 K worth of audio gear for sale
@@ConvinceMeAudio Damn are the susvara really that good over the Empyrean? I am ok with spending the money on them if they really are. Looking for a show or something in the Chicago area this year so I can give them a test. Hopefully sooner rather than later!
@@hajoob yes, they are in a league of their own. You’ve got to take into account that they also require a 10 K set up to run them to the best full capability The review is on my channel, and Golden will be reviewing his one soon to
@Aunchient Pistol you can run it on a topping a90 with a $500 DAC and still get about 70% of the performance. It was that set up I ran it on and decided I want it, but yes you do need a 10 K set up for its full capabilities. They are not heavy they are the most comfortable head phone on the planet, even more than empyrean Imagine Empyrean Comfort, but having the pads be able to breathe because they’re so open Also you can get one used for about 3.6 K Plus the a 90+ the DAC you can have a dam good set up for about 4.5
Nice review! I have had mine for about 6 months now and got a great deal from my local HiFi store. Ex-demo (as new) for the local equivalent of US$2700. For me they are the best cans I have owned and I like them much better than the LCD-3s or HD800s which are the other “flagships” I have spent most time listening to. To my ears they are rich, full and detailed without being fatiguing (I am very sensitive to zingy treble), easy to listen to for hours on end and do my music justice across every genre. Comfort and build is impeccable. I have them hooked up to a Topping Dx7/A90 stack and see no need to upgrade or experiment further in the headphone domain… (remind me of this in 12 months time…)
Great review. I got the impression that you reviewed them on the alcantara pads. Idk if that's true, you just didn't mention the differences when they are significant. The leather are the stock option and quite a bit less dark and have better depth + separation.
@@GoldenSound I actually got a really nice pair of IEMs from Fiio recently and have been working on a review of them. For $60 I'm very happy with them. They're the Fiio FD1s, and they're really great for pop and classical.
Thomas & Stereo’s recent video opens a discussion on a topic I’ve been pondering for quite some time now-“more” is not necessarily better for everyone. I find the Empys a headphone to not get technical, to not be wow’d, but to rather sink in and just relax. Nothing sounds bad. Pop, electronica, rap, and hip hop sounds fun. If anyone wants a headphone that does “more”, these aren’t it. If someone’s looking for a headphone to have fun and relax, I find these check that box. Back to Thomas’ point, “more” might not be better, and whatever you’re budget might be, everything within that budget should be fair game, retail price notwithstanding. “Everything sounds good” seems to be the running theme from friends who have tried them. One even went as far to say, “It makes badly recorded music sound good.” Great review! Thought it was well articulated and detailed. 👍
Absolutely spot on review. I feel exactly the same way. I recommended these to a friend who just wanted some good headphones without having to obsess over the hobby like me and he loves it for all the reasons you stated. When I listed to it though, I always just feel that I'd rather listen to my Susvara or VC.
The Susvara is twice the price so, not sure how helpful the comparison is. Other headphones in the same price range would be interesting to compare to.
@@magicmulder I do agree the prices are absurd. I only buy used and recommended my friend do the same. He got his for $2K so while not cheap, it's a far cry from four grand.
Been in this audiophile hobby for well over 30 years and many of the Empyrean reviews, including yours are weirdly inconsistent. You say it's enjoyable and engaging and then you say they're not worth it, even given the build and presentation? I suppose everyone has a different measure of "great". But aren't we in this hobby to enjoy music? And given that most music is imperfectly recorded, it would appear that Meze has built a excellent headphone. For those who want to listen to the gear and not the music. I get your point. To each their own. For me the Empyrean is about enjoying the music and each time I sit down in a quiet room and sink back in my chair they do just that. Empyrean is not about taking apart the music or upstream gear. IMO
It can be enjoyable, yeah. But at $3000? You'd expect it to compete with gear at that price, like the Focal Stellia or the Stax SR-007. And yet, it doesn't. It's unfortunately priced too high.
@@jamescruz8678 It doesn't. In your opinion. :-) . This hobby is not about absolutes, IMO. If it was we would have a single headphones model, a single source model and a single amp to choose from.
@@ocramidajzj I am aware. I am simply addressing the issue brought up where mentioning that a headphone is "enjoyable" but "not worth it" is an inconsistency, which it isn't.
@@ocramidajzj I have these headphones and I really enjoy them. In the review, I notice he is using the alcantara pads throughout. He didn't talk about whether he tried the other, but in my opinion, the alcantara pads are not even close in terms of sound quality to the leather. You wouldn't think the pads would make a big difference, but when I swapped back and forth, it's night and day. The bass, soundstage, imaging, pretty much everything sounds way better with the leather pads.
Really interesting, well done on this, the recent MQA examination and your content in general. Being able to produce quality content this rapidly is deeply impressive. When I see you on my feed I know I'm in for a good ride. P.S:- Hoping the comments on the HE1000SE intimate a future in depth review. Really curious for potential comparisons with Susvara, perceived difference, and things you may even be able to do with the analyser. Hoping THD on headphones is something you're interested in, only really seen on the T+A Solitaire P and missing transducer side in general IMHO (beside Soundnews). (Though measurements solely does not a good headphone make ofc)
Man, congrats with finishing the university! Really looking forward to the future stuff. You've became my most favorite headphone & audio gear reviewer really fast, i love everything about your content.
I would love to have these, but they are ouside of my reasonable price range. However the price is also kind of what I appreciate about these headphones. They manufacture these as their flagship and they sell it as a flagship. They are a romanian company and manufacture in Romania and they give you a lot of extras like an extra set of ear pads, a stellar case and a the balanced cable. They could easily have these be produced in China, get rid of the aluminium case, remove the extra cable and the ear pads, and sell them significantly cheaper, but they don't. I personally wish they would've gone for a midrange Planar that I could reasonably afford first, but when companies release a flagship product, it should have no compromises in terms of build quality, overall quality and accessories and I think that's exactly what Meze has done here. If you compare that to the trend some smartphone manufactures started to get into, where they sell their flagships without charger an manufacture them in China, i think what Meze does with the Empyreans is admirable. And I don't know what it is, because if Apple just included a charger and asked for 40€ more, I would have had no issues with it, but having to order a charger seperately when I buy a phone for over 1K, having to order the charger seperately just annoyed me.
11:05 potential answer. The drum doesn’t sound as powerful because the transient response of these headphones is so fast compared to others which probably make the drum louder because the diaphragm is playing for longer.
Nice review! I like your channel a lot! I'd like to ask you though, how did you like the sound with the leather pads? I didn't hear you talking about it in the video. According to a lot of people they're supposed to be more dynamic sounding compared to the alcantara pads.
I have these and the Utopias. While Utopia is definitely a technically better headphone, for listening while I work, the Empyrean is the best. The sound quality is good, the comfort superb and it works with all kinds of music.
I'd love to see you review the Unique Melody Mest MKII. I've tried so many IEMs over the years, that nothing wowed me the most than the Mest MKII. To my ears, the Mest MKII are my endgame IEMs, and I will not be looking into buying anymore at all.
As someone who is very new to the hobby experience wise I found the way you described the way these sound compared to other headphones around the same price to be very interesting and informative on how music and such can be staged, presented etc etc. Like everything you said about the empy I can kinda visualize or imagine in a way but when you were talking about separation and stage and all that and compared it to other headphones it made them sound like an outright different class of sound compared to empy. Is this kinda why I've seen these called the peak/King of midfi? Also I think explaining the difference between like midfi and hifi would be a cool Idea for a video and would help people like myself understand the difference between them a bit more. Anyways love your vids and I wish you the best, also congrats on finishing with uni!
@DifferentEra He mentioned he was borrowing these from their owner, Cody, at the start of the video. Either way, that dent should be covered by their warranty.
Good video GoldenSound. Interesting that you prefer them on an amp with a bit of warmth, I would have assumed that it's warmer nature would have benefitted from a more neutral amp. It's great that you have so many dacs and amps on hand to have a good idea of what pairs well and what doesn't.
You’re welcome 🐅 Though me and you disagree in regards to staging and imaging and layering, The ear placement inside the cup in conjunction to the driver is critical, and that sweet spot is essential. But my word, they are pretty
I was wondering why your impressions were initially different to mine, then I realised that you weren't using the leather pads. Also, the older stock cable made them sound muffled. I can't help wondering if they didn't assume people would all choose the "good" upgrade cable.
he has made a lot of controversy review like the MQA topic. Empyrean needs high current to drive for acceptable treble, soundstage and bass... anyway, it's good to see there is a review with different angles.
Unless the manufacturer makes all details extremely clear, customers and reviewers will go with their assumptions. It is the manufacturer's responsibility to advertise accurately and communicate every single thing they possibly can about their product; if they don't then they have no right to complain about bad reviews using something wrongly.
The right cup seems dented. Did you notice? Great review. Didn't care about the bass comparison to the Susvara. You went on A LOT about the price of these, but didn't mind comparing them to a 6k headphone on that point - didn't make sense - by the logic you use in the whole video, the Susvara should be twice as good. Other than that, faultless review.
I think that's just his point of reference for TOTL sound that he has heard himself. And he's not the only one that mentioned that while the Meze Empyrean is an amazingly built and looking pair of headphones, their sound don't really match the price. As he put it, build quality of a 5k headphone but sounds like a 1.5k pair.
I'm torn. I tried these at CanJam London in 2019 and was absolutely floored by the build quality, comfort and sound as well! I really remember thinking that it was on another level at the time, compared to some of the other headphones I tried e.g. Focal Stellia and Utopia, Audeze LCD-4 and others, and some Hifiman ones - didn't try the Susvara though sadly. I guess the build quality, comfort and presentation might've just made such a stellar initial impression on me that it made me blind to some of its flaws in terms of sound that majority of people seem to agree on are present. Especially considering I thought it just sounded fun, dynamic and yes, good, as well. I couldn't really find any music that sounded bad on it when I demo'd it, granted for 10 - 15 short minutes in a big loud hall... I really need to give them a listen again and compare them with other headphones at a local hifi place some time.
Have both the ZMF VCs (African Blackwood, Auteur Lambskins) and the Meze Empys (Leather Pads). Running balanced off both Cayin HA-300 and iFi DSD Pro. While I like the detailed review, it just convinces me of the truth that there are no headphones extremely competent on all types of music, and depending on what you're planning to listening to or the mood you're in that day, you can definitely use a different setup to give you what you want. I would rarely ever be listening to the selection used in this review for the Empys. I can attest that listening to Charlie Hayden's Art of Song on the Empys driven by the HA-300 (with WE300Bs) is superb, in warmth, balance, soundstage, pretty much as good as I've ever heard. Cranking up Pat Metheny's Are You Going With Me (Live) on the Empys on the iFi, you can definitely hear the separation and layering of this very busy track, not quite missing as the review implies. The ZMF VC is indeed more heavily coloured and richer, and might fit the kind of music selection in this review.
VC character and specific timbre is fantastic to me, so much pleasure on right tubes. Now I'm looking at open back options like Atrium or Empyrean maybe D8000 pro but those are rare finding on ebay
Glad to see a review that doesn't just fawn over a pricy product. Really appreciate the honesty of what what's good and what ISN'T. It's why I'm a Patron. 👍
I think it's a shame that you don't mention that the Empyreans doesn't necessarily require an Amp, it doesn't have to be a "sitting at home listening and analyzing music" kind of headphone and I do believe that the original idea of Meze was to create the ultimate travel headphones.
@@kaspdc It's in the specs section of meze's official page, and a quick google search for " are meze empyreans open back?" gives more sites that say the same.
Well I did post an earlier comment which seems to have disappeared?! Anyway I just don’t get this review. Not being able to go into shops we have to get some idea from internet or well known and trustworthy RUclips reviewers. I did the latter and the Empyreans came out as possibly the “best in the world” at the time. Obviously you have to take such comments with a pinch of salt. However the reviews I watched used a comprehensive range of music, recommended a possible change of leads but always had an opinion on the 2 sets of pads. Meze state that these have an affect and have to be considered separately. You failed to do this and comments below reflect. Also review titles rarely include a statement such as you “shouldn’t buy”, even for poorly reviewed items. I bought these headphones with a 30 day return if not satisfied. Never had one thought to return as they just got better over time. ‘Burn-in’? Never been an advocate of that but they certainly have improved. I enjoy music from the 50s up to the present day which includes all types except hip-hop and electronic via Qobuz, Amazon HD and Spotify. Have not gone down the Tidal route due to your excellent MQA investigation. Thank you for that but this review is not up to your standard.
odd choice to review using the mushy pads. Did you give the leather ones a try? universally the reviews talk about how poor the alcantara sound and measure. That said, your points are still valid with the leather IMO. I have the empy.. and they aren't work 3k. (my normal go to is the Focal Utopia. PrimaLuna EVO 400 with KT150s and a Rockna Wavedream.) I'd suggest revisiting the empy with some time using leather pads.
@@ocramidajzj kinda. Hey, people are going to like what they like. But the measurements are SUPER bad using the alcantara. Measurements aren't everything, but when they are this bad tho... My step father likes the sopa opera effect super jacked up on his TV. It is 100% wrong and objectively bad - but he likes it. But it shouldn't be reviewed like that. The mush pads should be a note in a review, not the base of one. As i said above, the end result is the same with either. They aren't worth 3K.. but yuck.. those other pads.
@@Zurvv IMO, While I do consider measurements. It's about enjoyment for me. I initially did not like the soft pads but they are excellent with certain music. Also don't agree about the Meze not being worth 3K. The level of workmanship is stellar. And given that Meze is a small company, what they've done here is impressive and worth the cost. IMO. Compared to the build quality, for instance, of HiFiman, no contest. Maybe when compared to ZMF, you have a point. But even then it's subjective. I agree that the soap opera effect is pretty bad :-).
@Aunchient Pistol especially for separation. I listened to that hunger of the pine on both and the alcantara sounded significantly worse. Not bad but the leather pulled everything apart.
@Aunchient Pistol it's probably because people who buy them hold them instead of selling and the ones that go up on av exchange get sold in a day or two.
Definitely a pair I plan to own someday. Unlikely for full price, just not going to pass the WAF. So here's wishing for a sale some point in the next 5 years somewhere north of 20%. Appreciate the thoroughness of the review and for helping many of us live vicariously through the Tube.
@@ruusta8042 Not for something like this. I'd want to be the original owner. I'm sure there's a situation out there where someone is selling a barely used one at a generous discount and that's the smart move to make. But for something hand-machined and assembled like this I'd want original ownership. I'll buy some plastic cans used for sure.
I listen to a lot of metal on these. New Machine Head ep landed yesterday, production is really good and drums can sound epic on these. Thick, lush, punchy and realistic.
Interesting, because this reviewer said that drums didn't sound well. Maybe it's cuz he never used the leather pads. Or maybe he's wrong. The difference in money isn't an issue, but I'm trying to decide on the Meze's or Arya's. I like low end, and soundstage, without sacrificing mids and highs
@@krisrudecki9477 Unfortunately I'm in Arizona, and have no way to audition anything without buying. However, the two cans I'm now looking at are either Empy's or ZMF Verite Open. I'm hearing nothing but awesome stuff about the Verite
@@picklesandufos7860 haven’t heard the Verite but also heard nothing but positive things. Get a 2nd hand set and if you don’t like it or get bored swap for the other one 😏
Couldn’t agree more. I have these. It knocks some things out of the park, Jackson’s Thriller to name one but other things (Breeders - Last Splash album) are unlistenable. It’s unbelievably black and white. If the track has the muscle to reach the top, bingo, everything else falls to its death
So, these ARE a luxury item, not an amazing tool. These are the 3 grand that someone would spend as "I want something that sound good, what's that? $3,000? Sure, no problem" instead of, "I just saved for months and now I'm going to spend $3,000 on these, they better become the best tool for critical listening in my collection."
This channel boutta grow fast... And I think it's more than deserved. Super interesting content. I'm here with my Audient iD14 interface, and I'm seriously looking at a Schiit Bifrost 2 and Lyr 3 for my Sennheiser HD 700 headphones. Just need a push to spend that amount of money lmao - It's something I CAN do... but sheeesh
or get an audient iD22 or 44. 44 if you can afford it. These shit on the id4 mk2 and 14 from when I listened to them. Made monitors sing! However if you can save a lilll more money get the RME omg! Godly sound for the price and features!
No top of the line headphone is worth 3000 dollars. At this price point if you are willing to splurge so much it is all about what music you listen to and what sound signature you are looking for. Every headphone above two thousand in the top of the line category are from smaller companies that do not have the vast resources of Sennheiser or Sony. Top of the line headphones this expensive are luxury products.
Only reason why I want these is because its so different! I'm a beginner in the Audiophile game, and noticed I'm finding myself just wanting the most expensive stuff. I know it doesn't mean better, but these are so beautiful, easy to play music through (with the low ohms), and because DankPods really sold me on them! I want HD600's, but 300 ohms for the music to sound good!? I know, there's DAC's like Fiio, Sony etc, but sheesh.
Very nice Review. You’re on point. There is just one thing you did not get. This headphone is not just for those who don’t want to get to far into the „audiophile rabbithole“, but also (as you mentioned) for those who is searching a headphone you can play all genres fantastic with. You mentioned and also explained it. But you where not accepting it as a soundquality which I think is a mistake. but nonetheless I Really appreciate your work (especially the MQA video was top notch amazing). Kind regards from Germany PS: do you get the Sennheiser IE 900?
I have had these headphones for about a month now. I am paired to a Hugo 2 at the moment and I really enjoy them, but without a doubt, the alcantara pads are not for me. I was surprised at just how much the sound changed between the leather and alcantara. The leather pads provide much better soundstage and imaging and overall is FAR better sounding, to my ears, than the other. I would rather just have a replacement pair of leather pads because I will never use the alcantara personally.
Same as Withlovefrominterent. Hugo2 plus leather pads. A joy to use and the comfort perfect (at least he got that right!) and my enjoyment of music has never been better than this. Have been upgrading and enjoying music from the 1950s to some of the very latest stuff on my 70th birthday yesterday. Everything through these sounds great and I’ve never heard the Beatles sound better. Can guarantee that anyone buying these will not regret it.
Nice English accent. Where are you from specifically? Great that you warned me that these look greater than they sound, because I was going to buy them over the Focal Utopia. Would you consider them better for acoustic music?
I did hope they were like LCD2f...but with comfort lol It's really hard to find something that sounds like my 2f but just a bit more detail and soundstage, I tried the X, but they sounded joyless vs my 2f, and I even tried the Arya Stealth, but everything is just too far away all the time.
I don’t know, for me these perform just below Utopia and HE1000se but they are also designed with a different use case in mind. I don’t understand complaints about lack of timbre, detail and separation. They do all of it really well for me 🤷♂️ not HE1000se level (and above), but other headphones won’t do what these do either (at least most won’t). I got the impression that these are only a cut above cheap consumer headphones from some reviews and I almost missed out on them. They really are not. It is the same league as HEK and Utopia, but with a different tuning / focus / presentation, and it’s not a bad thing imo. In fact these are my go to for electronica, rock, metal or any kind of laid back listening. I am interested in trying Susvara, but it’s in a different league and has different requirements all together.
its more because the $1500 mark for headphones has become so competitive that it is almost always worth buying two headphones in that price category than 1 TOTL headphone as their proficiencies for certain genres and types of music will outweigh the very slight technical advantage the more expensive headphone possesses. It means this being an all-rounder isn't good enough for the asking price.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 idk any headphone from that range that would even remotely be on the same level and I’ve tried a few like clears lcd3 lcdx xc aryas, anyway each to their own. I think they are getting undeserving flack from some reviewers. Wanna compare to Susvara or 1266, yeah they are not on the same level, but that’s barely a fair comparison is it?
@@krisrudecki9477 hd800s or ayra can resolve and image 95% as well as TOTL headphones on 95% of music. Its that last 5% were the engineers have put a significantly greater effort into scaling dynamics to their maximum potential will you find more noticeable differences. The difference in general coherency on the mass mass majority of music is not very noticeable, because engineers don't want their music to be difficult to replicate in terms of the artist intent. Ive heard all TOTL headphones except the aybss and the only headphone that i could say has noticeably better technical performance on any recording is the 009s, but i think that's only because it of the way it presents information. Dont get me wrong, a susvara is on a different level in terms of its maximum potential over a ayra or he1000se, but in my opinion, its rare that potential is ever realized to its fullest, making the difference less appreciable.
@@krisrudecki9477 i will give a disclaimer that i value presentation over technical ability when it comes to audio devices, which no headphone can ever be "the best" at.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 interesting, I put my Aryas on eBay 5 min after getting HEKse, the difference was monumental. I got HD800 but I use them for playing electric guitar. Still good headphone for music, but ... it’s best for guitar :) I’ve got Utopia HEKse Empyrean and LCD X for music listening. I use Utopia and Emyrean the most, but all of them are amazing. There is loads of well engineered music. I’m sometimes surprised how good some albums are recorded. Korn, System Of A Down, even Billie Eilish Bad Guy, HEKse is the only headphone you can hear her spit on lips, really eerie feeling. It made me flinch in my chair. Anyway, in context of all of that I still rate Empyrean high in terms of performance. It just has a clockwise tilt. I love it for electronica, laid back listening, metal. It also has a nice spacious presentation. I just wanted to share my experience with it which is quite different to some reviewers 🤷♂️
9:57 that's incorrect, you're reference is just the pop-ier surface of electronic music. there's a wealth of experimental and left-field electronic that has more going on timbrally than most complex acoustical arrangements. then in terms of tokening sub over mid-bass, there's underground club music, which has always been and still is the bottom of the iceberg for dance music. i enjoy a lot of that stuff on cans, but you will never actually get the intended experience of the mastering for those tracks on headphones
I love mine. Would never have paid full price, but I got a barely-touched ex-demo pair from my local HiFi guy for NZ$3600 (US$2700) and I *love* them. Best cans I have owned
The Snap-transition is excellent
Are u ok?
Right the snap's snappy.
Right!!! Its so fluid
Video editing nerd talk/speak
You know your reviews are missing? An accent. Lol
This is like the polar opposite of Dankpods, which I found this channel through the recommendations on. Gotta say, I love both.
Same. I love DankPods for his entertainment value and hype for audio stuff (I credit him for motivating me to become an audio enthusiast), but for full details in audio, I prefer GoldenSound.
One thing I noticed is that they both used different cushions. DankPods used the leather ones which gives better air tightness whereas Golden used the other ones.
@@Morphox I noticed that as well and I'd like to hear this guy's opinion with the other ear cups.
@@itsacookie1 nah dankpods has some proper kit as well. But I recently discovered goldensound like most of y'all and yeah I love how articulate and technically knowledge he is
Dank Pods said himself, that he is a point of first contact; where he can get people into even thinking about trying fun audio tech. His reviews aren't meant to be incredibly technical but fun as well as being informative. And his genuine enthusiasm for the topic also makes his videos must more fun to watch.
Just found this channel. It's Zeos' refined cousin.
Zeos minus adhd
A refined Zeos minus the unease from pubescent (benefit of the doubt) girl anime images! What’s not to like
@@RandomShites ADHD head mounted camera guy is BGGAR, not Zeos, Zeos is just a smart hype train master.
he aint deaf like zeos lol
@@MuhammadKharismawan Lol Z is just a good liar, that's it.
Watching this video on my Meze Empyrean which I literally just received yesterday 😅
Edit: As much as I'd love to have my purchase justified by a reviewer I trust, I appreciate your honest review. I don't have "golden ears" and they sound phenomenal to me so it's not like I'm going to return them now. I think they perfectly round out my current collection of cans.
And congrats on finishing Uni!
I came for the MQA study but this is a spectacular review that blends the real time personal nature of Zreviews, but the analytical nature of Metal571. The song choice is great, the sections are as long as they need to be with little to no fat/filler. You’ve got my sub
Ikr
I enjoy Zeos, but he is not who you go to for an analytical review, and he also tries to sell products (he makes money threw the links in description).
@@SussyBaka-em9rq through*
@@josephlondon8188 bruh
@Aunchient Pistol Massive L
Glad to have a new review of yours to watch and new music to discover from it
I got these one year ago this month during the intense covid lock downs. There were no shows or anywhere to test tons of different headphones. I was able to demo them at home for a few weeks from my local dealer. Those few weeks gave me enough to know I would be very happy with them. Sitting here 1 year later and still very happy and use them constantly. Ended up upgrading my DAC and amp this past year and finally have my PC audio set up complete. Friends who aren't in the hobby are blown away how good they are. Think I'll stick with them for awhile although I am dying for a chance to hear the Susvara soon! If they are good enough guess it's time to start saving :)
While they list at $3,000 I ended up paying about 75% of that for a new pair which made it more palatable. Still a lot of money for headphones though lol!
As somebody who has had both LOL, I am telling you they stand head and shoulders above other flagships, because they do everything exceptionally well,
But no headphones I have tested touches susvara
They are in a league of all of their own
Within three days I put up 10 K worth of audio gear for sale
@@ConvinceMeAudio Damn are the susvara really that good over the Empyrean? I am ok with spending the money on them if they really are. Looking for a show or something in the Chicago area this year so I can give them a test. Hopefully sooner rather than later!
@@hajoob yes, they are in a league of their own.
You’ve got to take into account that they also require a 10 K set up to run them to the best full capability
The review is on my channel, and Golden will be reviewing his one soon to
@Aunchient Pistol you can run it on a topping a90 with a $500 DAC and still get about 70% of the performance. It was that set up I ran it on and decided I want it, but yes you do need a 10 K set up for its full capabilities.
They are not heavy they are the most comfortable head phone on the planet, even more than empyrean
Imagine Empyrean Comfort, but having the pads be able to breathe because they’re so open
Also you can get one used for about 3.6 K Plus the a 90+ the DAC you can have a dam good set up for about 4.5
I guess you are trying to justify your purchase
Nice review! I have had mine for about 6 months now and got a great deal from my local HiFi store.
Ex-demo (as new) for the local equivalent of US$2700. For me they are the best cans I have owned and I like them much better than the LCD-3s or HD800s which are the other “flagships” I have spent most time listening to. To my ears they are rich, full and detailed without being fatiguing (I am very sensitive to zingy treble), easy to listen to for hours on end and do my music justice across every genre. Comfort and build is impeccable.
I have them hooked up to a Topping Dx7/A90 stack and see no need to upgrade or experiment further in the headphone domain… (remind me of this in 12 months time…)
Great review. I got the impression that you reviewed them on the alcantara pads. Idk if that's true, you just didn't mention the differences when they are significant. The leather are the stock option and quite a bit less dark and have better depth + separation.
There is an even bigger difference when you slap the Elite's hybrid pads on the standard Empyrean
All this pad swap shit is a lie lol
@@tweedpenguin712 you must be fool or troll to say that, pad swap change sound even of cheap headphones
@@soulfulfool must be pretty dumb to have to change pads of 3000 dollar headphones to get a better result 😂
@@tweedpenguin712 why dumb? everybody got different taste, what suits you for other person is wrong
Welcome back to everyone's favourite game of:
CAN I AFFORD THIS?!
No.
Yep
Don't worry, some cheap stuff coming up soon :)
(Spoiler alert: Buy HarmonicDyne Zeus)
@@GoldenSound I actually got a really nice pair of IEMs from Fiio recently and have been working on a review of them. For $60 I'm very happy with them. They're the Fiio FD1s, and they're really great for pop and classical.
@@GoldenSound same price as the Sundara? Should I be regretting my purchase from only 2 days ago?
@@WaveOfPig absolutely not, both are fenomenal.
Thomas & Stereo’s recent video opens a discussion on a topic I’ve been pondering for quite some time now-“more” is not necessarily better for everyone. I find the Empys a headphone to not get technical, to not be wow’d, but to rather sink in and just relax. Nothing sounds bad. Pop, electronica, rap, and hip hop sounds fun. If anyone wants a headphone that does “more”, these aren’t it. If someone’s looking for a headphone to have fun and relax, I find these check that box.
Back to Thomas’ point, “more” might not be better, and whatever you’re budget might be, everything within that budget should be fair game, retail price notwithstanding. “Everything sounds good” seems to be the running theme from friends who have tried them. One even went as far to say, “It makes badly recorded music sound good.”
Great review! Thought it was well articulated and detailed. 👍
Btw love the way the videos are intro'd in, one of the best I know
Had mine since release, you should have done the tests with both pads as they change everything.
The alcantara pads are horrible...
Could you explain more about "they change everything"? How could you describe it?
@@NoHairMan what do the Alcantara pads do that you don’t like?
@CL4K well, yeah, but I was wondering what the difference between the pads were in terms of sound
Pad swapping is a myth just like cable swapping or amps sounding different.
That dent's driving me mental.
Absolutely spot on review. I feel exactly the same way. I recommended these to a friend who just wanted some good headphones without having to obsess over the hobby like me and he loves it for all the reasons you stated. When I listed to it though, I always just feel that I'd rather listen to my Susvara or VC.
Good on you, I don’t have friends who are so rich I’d recommend a four grand device as “just a good headphone”. ;)
The Susvara is twice the price so, not sure how helpful the comparison is. Other headphones in the same price range would be interesting to compare to.
@@magicmulder I do agree the prices are absurd. I only buy used and recommended my friend do the same. He got his for $2K so while not cheap, it's a far cry from four grand.
Been in this audiophile hobby for well over 30 years and many of the Empyrean reviews, including yours are weirdly inconsistent. You say it's enjoyable and engaging and then you say they're not worth it, even given the build and presentation? I suppose everyone has a different measure of "great". But aren't we in this hobby to enjoy music? And given that most music is imperfectly recorded, it would appear that Meze has built a excellent headphone.
For those who want to listen to the gear and not the music. I get your point. To each their own. For me the Empyrean is about enjoying the music and each time I sit down in a quiet room and sink back in my chair they do just that. Empyrean is not about taking apart the music or upstream gear. IMO
It can be enjoyable, yeah. But at $3000? You'd expect it to compete with gear at that price, like the Focal Stellia or the Stax SR-007. And yet, it doesn't. It's unfortunately priced too high.
@@jamescruz8678 It doesn't. In your opinion. :-) . This hobby is not about absolutes, IMO. If it was we would have a single headphones model, a single source model and a single amp to choose from.
@@ocramidajzj I am aware. I am simply addressing the issue brought up where mentioning that a headphone is "enjoyable" but "not worth it" is an inconsistency, which it isn't.
@@jamescruz8678 Fair enough...have a good day.
@@ocramidajzj I have these headphones and I really enjoy them. In the review, I notice he is using the alcantara pads throughout. He didn't talk about whether he tried the other, but in my opinion, the alcantara pads are not even close in terms of sound quality to the leather. You wouldn't think the pads would make a big difference, but when I swapped back and forth, it's night and day. The bass, soundstage, imaging, pretty much everything sounds way better with the leather pads.
Great review and looking forward to the upcoming content. Well done
I listened to every track u mentioned with empyrean(borrowed) and I feel what u stated, nice and objective review!
Really interesting, well done on this, the recent MQA examination and your content in general. Being able to produce quality content this rapidly is deeply impressive. When I see you on my feed I know I'm in for a good ride.
P.S:- Hoping the comments on the HE1000SE intimate a future in depth review. Really curious for potential comparisons with Susvara, perceived difference, and things you may even be able to do with the analyser. Hoping THD on headphones is something you're interested in, only really seen on the T+A Solitaire P and missing transducer side in general IMHO (beside Soundnews). (Though measurements solely does not a good headphone make ofc)
Man, congrats with finishing the university! Really looking forward to the future stuff. You've became my most favorite headphone & audio gear reviewer really fast, i love everything about your content.
I would love to have these, but they are ouside of my reasonable price range.
However the price is also kind of what I appreciate about these headphones. They manufacture these as their flagship and they sell it as a flagship.
They are a romanian company and manufacture in Romania and they give you a lot of extras like an extra set of ear pads, a stellar case and a the balanced cable.
They could easily have these be produced in China, get rid of the aluminium case, remove the extra cable and the ear pads, and sell them significantly cheaper, but they don't.
I personally wish they would've gone for a midrange Planar that I could reasonably afford first, but when companies release a flagship product, it should have no compromises in terms of build quality, overall quality and accessories and I think that's exactly what Meze has done here.
If you compare that to the trend some smartphone manufactures started to get into, where they sell their flagships without charger an manufacture them in China, i think what Meze does with the Empyreans is admirable. And I don't know what it is, because if Apple just included a charger and asked for 40€ more, I would have had no issues with it, but having to order a charger seperately when I buy a phone for over 1K, having to order the charger seperately just annoyed me.
Spot on!
What an amazing review! Great stuff!!
did you dent the right cup?
It's from his viewer...
The owner paid extra for the dent.
11:05 potential answer. The drum doesn’t sound as powerful because the transient response of these headphones is so fast compared to others which probably make the drum louder because the diaphragm is playing for longer.
Nice review! I like your channel a lot!
I'd like to ask you though, how did you like the sound with the leather pads? I didn't hear you talking about it in the video. According to a lot of people they're supposed to be more dynamic sounding compared to the alcantara pads.
Nice to see Adam Tell mentioned here.always loved his work.
I have these and the Utopias. While Utopia is definitely a technically better headphone, for listening while I work, the Empyrean is the best. The sound quality is good, the comfort superb and it works with all kinds of music.
Your channel is absolutely terrific. Thank you so much for your overview of this headphone. :)
First time watching a review on this channel, and i had to check if the video was on 1,5x speed
You getting rid of the wavy cam!? I really like it! Along with your editing, it gives your videos an extra layer of personality.
Best youtube reviewer in the hobby, dude.
Keep going, keep growing.
THE SNAPS!!! AND THE WARM MIDTONE OF THE SNAPS!!!
I'd love to see you review the Unique Melody Mest MKII. I've tried so many IEMs over the years, that nothing wowed me the most than the Mest MKII. To my ears, the Mest MKII are my endgame IEMs, and I will not be looking into buying anymore at all.
My favourite reviewers currently are you, Resolve and Chrono in no particular order
As someone who is very new to the hobby experience wise I found the way you described the way these sound compared to other headphones around the same price to be very interesting and informative on how music and such can be staged, presented etc etc.
Like everything you said about the empy I can kinda visualize or imagine in a way but when you were talking about separation and stage and all that and compared it to other headphones it made them sound like an outright different class of sound compared to empy.
Is this kinda why I've seen these called the peak/King of midfi?
Also I think explaining the difference between like midfi and hifi would be a cool Idea for a video and would help people like myself understand the difference between them a bit more.
Anyways love your vids and I wish you the best, also congrats on finishing with uni!
15:28 How did you bend the grille like that @GoldenSound?
@DifferentEra He mentioned he was borrowing these from their owner, Cody, at the start of the video. Either way, that dent should be covered by their warranty.
The word you are looking for is "dent"
Good video GoldenSound. Interesting that you prefer them on an amp with a bit of warmth, I would have assumed that it's warmer nature would have benefitted from a more neutral amp. It's great that you have so many dacs and amps on hand to have a good idea of what pairs well and what doesn't.
You’re welcome 🐅
Though me and you disagree in regards to staging and imaging and layering,
The ear placement inside the cup in conjunction to the driver is critical, and that sweet spot is essential.
But my word, they are pretty
I was wondering why your impressions were initially different to mine, then I realised that you weren't using the leather pads. Also, the older stock cable made them sound muffled. I can't help wondering if they didn't assume people would all choose the "good" upgrade cable.
he has made a lot of controversy review like the MQA topic. Empyrean needs high current to drive for acceptable treble, soundstage and bass... anyway, it's good to see there is a review with different angles.
Unless the manufacturer makes all details extremely clear, customers and reviewers will go with their assumptions. It is the manufacturer's responsibility to advertise accurately and communicate every single thing they possibly can about their product; if they don't then they have no right to complain about bad reviews using something wrongly.
Wrong title.It should be
"The most beautiful Headphones you probably couldn't buy"
The right cup seems dented. Did you notice? Great review. Didn't care about the bass comparison to the Susvara. You went on A LOT about the price of these, but didn't mind comparing them to a 6k headphone on that point - didn't make sense - by the logic you use in the whole video, the Susvara should be twice as good. Other than that, faultless review.
I think that's just his point of reference for TOTL sound that he has heard himself. And he's not the only one that mentioned that while the Meze Empyrean is an amazingly built and looking pair of headphones, their sound don't really match the price. As he put it, build quality of a 5k headphone but sounds like a 1.5k pair.
I'm torn. I tried these at CanJam London in 2019 and was absolutely floored by the build quality, comfort and sound as well! I really remember thinking that it was on another level at the time, compared to some of the other headphones I tried e.g. Focal Stellia and Utopia, Audeze LCD-4 and others, and some Hifiman ones - didn't try the Susvara though sadly. I guess the build quality, comfort and presentation might've just made such a stellar initial impression on me that it made me blind to some of its flaws in terms of sound that majority of people seem to agree on are present. Especially considering I thought it just sounded fun, dynamic and yes, good, as well. I couldn't really find any music that sounded bad on it when I demo'd it, granted for 10 - 15 short minutes in a big loud hall... I really need to give them a listen again and compare them with other headphones at a local hifi place some time.
Have both the ZMF VCs (African Blackwood, Auteur Lambskins) and the Meze Empys (Leather Pads). Running balanced off both Cayin HA-300 and iFi DSD Pro. While I like the detailed review, it just convinces me of the truth that there are no headphones extremely competent on all types of music, and depending on what you're planning to listening to or the mood you're in that day, you can definitely use a different setup to give you what you want. I would rarely ever be listening to the selection used in this review for the Empys. I can attest that listening to Charlie Hayden's Art of Song on the Empys driven by the HA-300 (with WE300Bs) is superb, in warmth, balance, soundstage, pretty much as good as I've ever heard. Cranking up Pat Metheny's Are You Going With Me (Live) on the Empys on the iFi, you can definitely hear the separation and layering of this very busy track, not quite missing as the review implies. The ZMF VC is indeed more heavily coloured and richer, and might fit the kind of music selection in this review.
VC character and specific timbre is fantastic to me, so much pleasure on right tubes. Now I'm looking at open back options like Atrium or Empyrean maybe D8000 pro but those are rare finding on ebay
i really like your taste in music. Any chance you'd release a list of the your favorite bands and or tracks?
Hope you review the new Elite model, bc it might have fixed everything (granted it is $4k)
Glad to see a review that doesn't just fawn over a pricy product. Really appreciate the honesty of what what's good and what ISN'T. It's why I'm a Patron. 👍
@15:45 Good quality ??? Why do I see a dent in them. on the side ???
I think it's a shame that you don't mention that the Empyreans doesn't necessarily require an Amp, it doesn't have to be a "sitting at home listening and analyzing music" kind of headphone and I do believe that the original idea of Meze was to create the ultimate travel headphones.
Wouldn’t wanna travel with $3000+ tho loll
Open back is a bit obnoxious for those around you though
@@lars6261 These are closed back tho
@@kaspdc It's in the specs section of meze's official page, and a quick google search for " are meze empyreans open back?" gives more sites that say the same.
@@kaspdc these are open back headphones. You have never even seen these headphones, let alone heard them. Leave the hall.
Why does the headphone have a dent in it ..??
Sound goes burrrrrrr?
Not very well apparently
I ALWAYS SAY NO ONE SOUNDS BETTER SPEAKING IN ENGLISH THAN AN ENGLISHMAN...FANTASTICAL THOROUGH REVIEW...
THANK YOU
Beats Zeos by an order of magnitude. Much more succinct and just as entertaining.
Ouch! Was that a dent we saw on the cup back?
Well I did post an earlier comment which seems to have disappeared?! Anyway I just don’t get this review. Not being able to go into shops we have to get some idea from internet or well known and trustworthy RUclips reviewers. I did the latter and the Empyreans came out as possibly the “best in the world” at the time. Obviously you have to take such comments with a pinch of salt. However the reviews I watched used a comprehensive range of music, recommended a possible change of leads but always had an opinion on the 2 sets of pads. Meze state that these have an affect and have to be considered separately. You failed to do this and comments below reflect. Also review titles rarely include a statement such as you “shouldn’t buy”, even for poorly reviewed items. I bought these headphones with a 30 day return if not satisfied. Never had one thought to return as they just got better over time. ‘Burn-in’? Never been an advocate of that but they certainly have improved.
I enjoy music from the 50s up to the present day which includes all types except hip-hop and electronic via Qobuz, Amazon HD and Spotify. Have not gone down the Tidal route due to your excellent MQA investigation. Thank you for that but this review is not up to your standard.
Trust your Ears and Enjoy the Music.
odd choice to review using the mushy pads. Did you give the leather ones a try? universally the reviews talk about how poor the alcantara sound and measure. That said, your points are still valid with the leather IMO. I have the empy.. and they aren't work 3k.
(my normal go to is the Focal Utopia. PrimaLuna EVO 400 with KT150s and a Rockna Wavedream.)
I'd suggest revisiting the empy with some time using leather pads.
Depends on the type of music. IMO
@@ocramidajzj kinda. Hey, people are going to like what they like. But the measurements are SUPER bad using the alcantara. Measurements aren't everything, but when they are this bad tho...
My step father likes the sopa opera effect super jacked up on his TV. It is 100% wrong and objectively bad - but he likes it. But it shouldn't be reviewed like that. The mush pads should be a note in a review, not the base of one.
As i said above, the end result is the same with either. They aren't worth 3K.. but yuck.. those other pads.
@@Zurvv IMO, While I do consider measurements. It's about enjoyment for me. I initially did not like the soft pads but they are excellent with certain music. Also don't agree about the Meze not being worth 3K. The level of workmanship is stellar. And given that Meze is a small company, what they've done here is impressive and worth the cost. IMO. Compared to the build quality, for instance, of HiFiman, no contest. Maybe when compared to ZMF, you have a point. But even then it's subjective.
I agree that the soap opera effect is pretty bad :-).
@Aunchient Pistol especially for separation. I listened to that hunger of the pine on both and the alcantara sounded significantly worse. Not bad but the leather pulled everything apart.
@Aunchient Pistol it's probably because people who buy them hold them instead of selling and the ones that go up on av exchange get sold in a day or two.
Very good points.
Definitely a pair I plan to own someday. Unlikely for full price, just not going to pass the WAF. So here's wishing for a sale some point in the next 5 years somewhere north of 20%. Appreciate the thoroughness of the review and for helping many of us live vicariously through the Tube.
You don't buy used?
@@ruusta8042 Not for something like this. I'd want to be the original owner. I'm sure there's a situation out there where someone is selling a barely used one at a generous discount and that's the smart move to make. But for something hand-machined and assembled like this I'd want original ownership. I'll buy some plastic cans used for sure.
@@dasninjastix Fair enough.
another great review. and thanks for the track list. :))
It would be good to hear your opinion on the Empyreans after EQ.
I listen to a lot of metal on these. New Machine Head ep landed yesterday, production is really good and drums can sound epic on these. Thick, lush, punchy and realistic.
Interesting, because this reviewer said that drums didn't sound well. Maybe it's cuz he never used the leather pads. Or maybe he's wrong. The difference in money isn't an issue, but I'm trying to decide on the Meze's or Arya's. I like low end, and soundstage, without sacrificing mids and highs
@@picklesandufos7860 Empyrean is in another league. Drums have impact and body. Audition both before buying.
@@krisrudecki9477 Unfortunately I'm in Arizona, and have no way to audition anything without buying. However, the two cans I'm now looking at are either Empy's or ZMF Verite Open. I'm hearing nothing but awesome stuff about the Verite
@@picklesandufos7860 haven’t heard the Verite but also heard nothing but positive things. Get a 2nd hand set and if you don’t like it or get bored swap for the other one 😏
Is this pair dented? I can see a reflection on the right cover is a bit warped. It's soo annoying
sadly your pair has a dent on the R side huh
Awesome review. Love hunger of the pine. First time hearing it
I am curious about your take on the Meze Elite, the so-called improved version of the Meze Empyrean.
Couldn’t agree more. I have these. It knocks some things out of the park, Jackson’s Thriller to name one but other things (Breeders - Last Splash album) are unlistenable. It’s unbelievably black and white. If the track has the muscle to reach the top, bingo, everything else falls to its death
Crappy mixes/production?
Hi.. thank you for such a detailed review video.
At the price point of $3000, which headphones would you recommend?
So, these ARE a luxury item, not an amazing tool. These are the 3 grand that someone would spend as "I want something that sound good, what's that? $3,000? Sure, no problem" instead of, "I just saved for months and now I'm going to spend $3,000 on these, they better become the best tool for critical listening in my collection."
This channel boutta grow fast... And I think it's more than deserved. Super interesting content.
I'm here with my Audient iD14 interface, and I'm seriously looking at a Schiit Bifrost 2 and Lyr 3 for my Sennheiser HD 700 headphones.
Just need a push to spend that amount of money lmao - It's something I CAN do... but sheeesh
The Bifrost 2/Lyr3 combo is very nice. It's probably as nice of a combo that I am likely to ever need.
or get an audient iD22 or 44. 44 if you can afford it. These shit on the id4 mk2 and 14 from when I listened to them. Made monitors sing! However if you can save a lilll more money get the RME omg! Godly sound for the price and features!
If they are not worth $3000 how much would you estimate they are worth?
No top of the line headphone is worth 3000 dollars. At this price point if you are willing to splurge so much it is all about what music you listen to and what sound signature you are looking for. Every headphone above two thousand in the top of the line category are from smaller companies that do not have the vast resources of Sennheiser or Sony. Top of the line headphones this expensive are luxury products.
Great content - really like this channel 👌🏽❤️
Only reason why I want these is because its so different! I'm a beginner in the Audiophile game, and noticed I'm finding myself just wanting the most expensive stuff. I know it doesn't mean better, but these are so beautiful, easy to play music through (with the low ohms), and because DankPods really sold me on them! I want HD600's, but 300 ohms for the music to sound good!? I know, there's DAC's like Fiio, Sony etc, but sheesh.
2 years late. But, is there a dent on the external right earcup?
Is that considered good build quality?
I think he said they were give by someone, so probably they bent it. No way a headphone produced in limited quantity in house would leave with that
Hooray a new video! I’ve been going through withdrawal for a few weeks after binge watching all your reviews one night.
i love your channel, but please try empyrean with a better dac and amp
if you think a holo may isn't good enough then you are delusional.
That dent breaks my heart
This is British Zeo's without all the dirty tissues and hand cream all over the desk 🤣🤣
Snappings are so comforting :)
Thanks a lot, love the review, really insightful. Quick question, how do you afford all the gear (as a student!!!). Keep up the good work.
Why is your headphone dented?
Dude you have the absolute best test tracks, do you have a public playlist that you can share?
aMEZEing build quality you said?
I find oratory1990's equalizer settings make a great improvement to the sound.
That doesn't solve literally any of the issues he's describing.
British Zeos that’s not afraid to clean his room:
somebody punched a finger into the metal mesh on the right side just below the yoke? :o
@Aunchient Pistol I cried a little when I saw it :)
Kudos to you, hope you passed your viva with flying colours - and had a great celebration afterwards :)
Eyo, love your stuffs!
Wondering if you could cover any desktop amps for passive speakers?
Oh my god, your visualizer is lovely. Is that a roon thing?
Don't know what roon is but the visualizer looks like Rainmeter
Is that a dent on the back right ear cup? That sucks.
It’s a loaned pair, could have happened in a million ways.
Very nice Review. You’re on point. There is just one thing you did not get. This headphone is not just for those who don’t want to get to far into the „audiophile rabbithole“, but also (as you mentioned) for those who is searching a headphone you can play all genres fantastic with. You mentioned and also explained it. But you where not accepting it as a soundquality which I think is a mistake. but nonetheless I Really appreciate your work (especially the MQA video was top notch amazing).
Kind regards from Germany
PS: do you get the Sennheiser IE 900?
At 3k ..and a decent source chain …you’re going to be into the headphone headspace.
What do you reckon is the best pair of headphones for about this price point?
Who put the dent in them?
I have had these headphones for about a month now. I am paired to a Hugo 2 at the moment and I really enjoy them, but without a doubt, the alcantara pads are not for me. I was surprised at just how much the sound changed between the leather and alcantara. The leather pads provide much better soundstage and imaging and overall is FAR better sounding, to my ears, than the other. I would rather just have a replacement pair of leather pads because I will never use the alcantara personally.
Same as Withlovefrominterent. Hugo2 plus leather pads. A joy to use and the comfort perfect (at least he got that right!) and my enjoyment of music has never been better than this. Have been upgrading and enjoying music from the 1950s to some of the very latest stuff on my 70th birthday yesterday. Everything through these sounds great and I’ve never heard the Beatles sound better. Can guarantee that anyone buying these will not regret it.
Nice English accent. Where are you from specifically? Great that you warned me that these look greater than they sound, because I was going to buy them over the Focal Utopia. Would you consider them better for acoustic music?
Looks like the grill is easy to be dented?
Which headphones do you feel pair well with the Asgard 3?
I did hope they were like LCD2f...but with comfort lol
It's really hard to find something that sounds like my 2f but just a bit more detail and soundstage,
I tried the X, but they sounded joyless vs my 2f, and I even tried the Arya Stealth, but everything is just too far away all the time.
I don’t know, for me these perform just below Utopia and HE1000se but they are also designed with a different use case in mind. I don’t understand complaints about lack of timbre, detail and separation. They do all of it really well for me 🤷♂️ not HE1000se level (and above), but other headphones won’t do what these do either (at least most won’t). I got the impression that these are only a cut above cheap consumer headphones from some reviews and I almost missed out on them. They really are not. It is the same league as HEK and Utopia, but with a different tuning / focus / presentation, and it’s not a bad thing imo. In fact these are my go to for electronica, rock, metal or any kind of laid back listening. I am interested in trying Susvara, but it’s in a different league and has different requirements all together.
its more because the $1500 mark for headphones has become so competitive that it is almost always worth buying two headphones in that price category than 1 TOTL headphone as their proficiencies for certain genres and types of music will outweigh the very slight technical advantage the more expensive headphone possesses. It means this being an all-rounder isn't good enough for the asking price.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 idk any headphone from that range that would even remotely be on the same level and I’ve tried a few like clears lcd3 lcdx xc aryas, anyway each to their own. I think they are getting undeserving flack from some reviewers. Wanna compare to Susvara or 1266, yeah they are not on the same level, but that’s barely a fair comparison is it?
@@krisrudecki9477 hd800s or ayra can resolve and image 95% as well as TOTL headphones on 95% of music. Its that last 5% were the engineers have put a significantly greater effort into scaling dynamics to their maximum potential will you find more noticeable differences. The difference in general coherency on the mass mass majority of music is not very noticeable, because engineers don't want their music to be difficult to replicate in terms of the artist intent. Ive heard all TOTL headphones except the aybss and the only headphone that i could say has noticeably better technical performance on any recording is the 009s, but i think that's only because it of the way it presents information. Dont get me wrong, a susvara is on a different level in terms of its maximum potential over a ayra or he1000se, but in my opinion, its rare that potential is ever realized to its fullest, making the difference less appreciable.
@@krisrudecki9477 i will give a disclaimer that i value presentation over technical ability when it comes to audio devices, which no headphone can ever be "the best" at.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 interesting, I put my Aryas on eBay 5 min after getting HEKse, the difference was monumental. I got HD800 but I use them for playing electric guitar. Still good headphone for music, but ... it’s best for guitar :) I’ve got Utopia HEKse Empyrean and LCD X for music listening. I use Utopia and Emyrean the most, but all of them are amazing.
There is loads of well engineered music. I’m sometimes surprised how good some albums are recorded. Korn, System Of A Down, even Billie Eilish Bad Guy, HEKse is the only headphone you can hear her spit on lips, really eerie feeling. It made me flinch in my chair.
Anyway, in context of all of that I still rate Empyrean high in terms of performance. It just has a clockwise tilt. I love it for electronica, laid back listening, metal. It also has a nice spacious presentation. I just wanted to share my experience with it which is quite different to some reviewers 🤷♂️
9:57 that's incorrect, you're reference is just the pop-ier surface of electronic music. there's a wealth of experimental and left-field electronic that has more going on timbrally than most complex acoustical arrangements. then in terms of tokening sub over mid-bass, there's underground club music, which has always been and still is the bottom of the iceberg for dance music. i enjoy a lot of that stuff on cans, but you will never actually get the intended experience of the mastering for those tracks on headphones
I see your point, but goddamn these would look great on the wall even if it doesn't earn its place on my head.
Tldw; $5000 build quality, $1000 sound quality
I love mine. Would never have paid full price, but I got a barely-touched ex-demo pair from my local HiFi guy for NZ$3600 (US$2700) and I *love* them. Best cans I have owned