Best Headphones: Meze Audio Empyrean II Review

Tom reviews the satisfyingly balanced and detailed Meze Audio Empyrean II Headphones
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[@carminedesanto6746]

GM ☕️ First ..and one day I hope to have these in my headphone collection…as my end game! Great video, have a great week.😎

[@ReverendDr.Thomas]

I would rather pay more for the Susvara. 😊

[@TheVeganVicar]

@@ReverendDr.Thomas Likewise. 🤪

[@carminedesanto6746]

Well..the Sus’ is around $8k CDN ..the Meze’s $3K CDN …..let your wallet and conscience be your guide.

[@TheVeganVicar]

@@carminedesanto6746 No, the Empyrean 2 is actually USD$$2,999.00, just as Thomas mentioned in this video. Furthermore, the Susvara can be purchased for USD$4,500 directly from HiFiMan.

[@TheVeganVicar]

@@carminedesanto6746, the Empyrean are CHEAPER in Canada? 🤔

[@greencraig8570]

Excellent review.

[@TheTASmagazine]

Thanks for watching!

[@xaxb4178]

Can a person who can not pick up all those distinct and subtle sound quality in the high end phones still somehow appreciate the sound? Just curious.

[@thomasmartin2219]

I think you raise an important point. I would suggest that most people can, indeed, pick up the "distinct and subtle sound qualities" of high-end headphones (or other audio gear). And, as you put it, most importantly they can appreciate the sonic result. Reviewers, me included, tend to break things down into words, which seems necessary to explain what we hear to others, but is a sometimes unnatural act for the ultimate listener. But if someone struggles to put what they hear into words, we shouldn't conclude that they aren't hearing the phenomena. That said, I have also run tests with untrained listeners and they are often quite good at noticing differences and putting some words to what they hear. I generally think listeners would do well to be more confident about their listening capabilities. And reviewers should be more encouraging!

[@carminedesanto6746]

6:48 That recession in the vocals ….like my LCDX (2021 Creators Edition) ..fabulous on music(OST) ,edm and intimate recordings…for vocal centric music..Sen’s 650’s on tubes .

[@grandfathersstories8976]

I think you would find these to be significantly different from the 650s with a tube amp. Whether you would like the increase in transparency is another matter. Worth a try, I would say. In the interest of science...

[@carminedesanto6746]

Well,as I said for musical pieces (movie OST ..for example) my LCDX works wonderfully.

[@LogicalQ]

I’ll be sticking with my Q701s for my neutral open backs.

[@garymalone547]

The white accents are jarring. The question of a flat response versus more of a 'fun' sound is a good one. Bass cannons can't be beat for some music, like my ridiculous Yamaha YH E700As, but neutral cans like my little Senny HD250BTs sound much more natural.

[@thomasmartin2219]

The question I detect that manufacturers of high-end phones are asking is "how do we build headphones that are quite satisfyingly fun and natural?". They want to strike a balance. And the Harman curve is in fact an estimate of what that requires (problem being that the curve is hard to track or OEMs are finding the curve isn't quite right). Maybe this is made impossible due to the variations in recordings, but in our experience, the recorded deviations from some imagined neutral balance aren't huge. And OEMs are asking because at these price points fewer listeners will have multiple pairs of headphones. And few (?) listeners will tolerate having to try different headphones on each recording to find the "right" one. Or having to carry multiple headphones. None of that should stop people from having multiple sets of headphones if they enjoy changing things up, of course!

[@StephenMcGregor1986]

@@thomasmartin2219 for the Harman Curve I chose my AKG K371's, they're great with my THX Onyx DAC.

[@StephenMcGregor1986]

How do these compare to the Meze Elites?