Meze Elite Headphones Review -- The Ultimate Empyrean

[@neilsnyder7915]

I’ll repeat what I said on another site. Bought Susvara, LCD5, Utopia,and Elite to compare. Kept Elite and sent everything else back. By far the most musical and enjoyable. Paired with Sparkos Labs Ares Amp and Chord Qutest. Best tonality and balance between bass, mids, and treble I’ve ever heard. Plus they are so well built and supremely comfortable. I’d much rather be sitting in row 5 of the orchestra than 1 foot from the 1st violin. The differences in detail, resolution, imaging, and soundstage are very small between the mentioned headphones . As I’ve said many times: $500 gets you to 80% nirvana, Up to $1500 gets you to 90% nirvana, and over $4,000 gets you to 95% nirvana.

[@sjqideez6626]

This is how I & Lachlan (from Passion For Sound) perceive this headphone, it strikes such a great balance between technicality & musicality, resolution & engagement. I am surprised by some Meze haters, no one company has made world class products every single time. This goes for Meze & every other headphone manufacturer too.

[@jacksonville4932]

I had a direct opposite situation. Lcd 5 is staying with me. Elites are more comfortable, yes, but the lcd 5 is absolutely more detailed in every way, sound wise. Even if you EQ both

[@wafercrackerjack880]

​@@jacksonville4932 There's no such thing as "but the lcd 5 is absolutely more detailed in every way", replace LCD 5 with any other top tier headphones (maybe electrostatics, but not dynamic or planars). That "additional" details you hear is either placebo or unwanted artifacts. Stop fooling yourself.

[@cool28990]

How did you connect to Chord Qutest?

[@Berkanann]

@@sjqideez6626 Agreed.

[@edosan1068]

It is always refreshing when a reviewer actually take into account to the listenability of an meze HP instead of just autopilot right into spec performance comparison with similarly priced HPs, then nonchalantly or worse, dismissively declare them inferior. What a lot of those reviewers fail to mention is that, the difference really is not that big, it is at least small enough where I don't think should be the sole deciding factor between the HPs. I think sometime people get lost in the sauce in this hobby, and end up chasing the dragon with spec comparison. I certainly did at one point, but then what does it matter if something performs better, but punishes you for your music choice. Nothing bums me out more than upgrading my gears, only to find out that some of my favorite tracks are recorded poorly, and using some of these "superior" HPs makes me not want to listen to what I want to listen. Basically spending more money to get less enjoyment out of music, which is just ass backward to me.

[@robertnoblitt518]

I've had my Meze Elite since Sept. 2, and it is by far my favorite headphone. During 2021 I also bought a Dan Clark Stealth and a Susvara. I didn't like the Stealth at all and sent it right back. The Susvara, I kept for 3 weeks and could appreciate its technical strengths, but I still preferred the Elite, and returned the Susvara. The Elite has amazing build quality, comfort, and a very enjoyable sound with great imaging and soundstage. I have the Meze silver upgrade cable (like the one in your video), and the Meze copper upgrade cable. I prefer the copper cable because the silver cable can be a bit bright. Before I had the Elite, my favorite headphone was my Empyrean. Yes, it is worth it to upgrade to the Elite. I also have a closed-back Meze Liric, which I thoroughly enjoy in portable use with my Astell&Kern KANN Alpha DAP.

[@samza9622]

I noticed using silver cables that brightness go's away after using them for a while I'm guessing it's do to burn in. Usually takes quite alot of burn in. I leave my gear playing for days letting it burn in my headphones when they are new making them sound way more superior which also benefits all other of my gear. I usually tend to buy better new cables for new headphones.

[@Martijn1234]

@@samza9622 yes I have noticed this too. I also upgraded from the Empyreans to the Elites and I have both Copper and Silver plated Meze upgrade cables. I also thought the silver ones were a bit bright initially but this now seems to have subsided after about 15hrs listening. I'm loving the Elites but how long did you burn yours in for would you say until they were at their best?

[@MisterChibs]

I demoed Elites along with Empys but it was not in a quiet room. I did notice treble being brighter but it was hard to appreciate much else. I would love to hear that holographic effect you speak of. This review was great. Makes me want to try the Elites at home on my GSX Mini. Empyreans will do for now, I absolutely love them 😃

[@toonartist1]

Great review, balanced and informative when comparing with other headphones. My ears very slightly come into contact on one side of thee Meze Elite but once the grill warms up you don't notice it. Compared to the Empyrean, I found the soundstage, imaging, layering and pace greatly improved. With the TT2, PGGB files and HQP you really do get a very 3d staging... you feel like your in the room with them with instruments around you. Look forward to the Stealth review!

[@wesspangler]

Man, what an excellent and very thorough review. I think everyone in the hobby could learn something from watching this video, no matter if you can afford this headphone or not. Thanks for sharing.

[@krisrudecki9477]

The holographic sound from experience happens when you have a sufficiently fast set coming from a good enough source. I've experienced it from Utopia, Susvara and 1266 TC so far. That is what defines hifi headphone experience for me.

[@MistaLova-Lova]

What's your current system, mate? You're always (quite) a few steps ahead of me and I'm wondering where your journey has taken you now.

[@vjzapp]

Absolutely love your review and I can't agree more with your findings! It's a very enjoyable pair of cans. I paired it with the Siltech Duchess Crown aftermarket cable and they sounded lovely! The treble is less sharp with more texture. Mid-range a tad bit less in your face and the bass went way deeper for sure! The texture of the instruments was better. The best thing is the sound stage and imaging are so holographic! Pinpoint excellence imaging is the word! Everything working in harmony makes it so enjoyable and musical. I think it’s just unleashing the real potential of the Elites. I did try the Meze upgrade cable. It sounded better than the stock but not as significant as the Siltech. The difference is not those you need to concentrate on and mess with your brain to identify the difference! You will notice instantly!

[@sakabatou]

My ears touch the grills in the new hybrid pads. It was enough to dissuade me from upgrading from the Empyrean. I agree that the upgrade cable is excellent

[@klaus2325]

same for me. too shallow/flat pads :-( I try to get used to them but one ear touches the grill. Empyrean pads are fine

[@yoramdiamand]

Hi, I bought the Empyrean, in lockdown, to keep me company. Then they were called world's best. After which the common opinion changed a bit, and it became nice but less great than world's best. Today, I have less cash. And I'll stay to enjoy the Empyrean. Elite is better and instead of world's best they are just very lovely, and I would not mind having them, which I won't. Not in the position to buy. So I'll tweak the Empyrean set up as well as I can, towards my personal world's best. Thanks for the update. And good luck to all Elite owners in the (near) future.

[@matthewhilty4209]

Thank You for explaining the 8Khz peak phenomenon. The way you explained it makes perfect sense. This hobby amazes me, you learn something new everyday.

[@omarion2k]

Amazing review that talks about actually enjoying music as a "spec" and not just technicalities like how resolving something is. I want to get Empyreans for just chilling and listening to music and LCD-5 for more analytical listening.

[@chungang7037]

Really enjoyed the comparisons, it helps so much. Looking forward to the Stealth review!

[@nkenchington6575]

I compared Susvara and Elite over a period of 15 mins or so, using a Mytek something or other. The Susvaras were magical; the Elites sounded distinctly less special. I would not give up my Focal Clears for them.

[@taidee]

What a great review of this unit, I like the comparison it adds so much context to the review of the unit, thanks man.

[@NoKNOTsense]

IMO the leather Empyrean pads are essential with the Elite. Ergonomically speaking, I dislike everything Meze changed with the hybrid pads. The decreased clamping force and enlarged hole size cause the Elite to slip around whenever I move and my ears touch the inside grill no matter how I position the headphones. The alcantara pads remedy all of the comfort issues but roll off the sub bass which makes them useless to me. The leather Empyrean pads combine the best of both pad types without the flaws of either. If the all leather pads weren't an option I would probably have returned the Elite. With them installed, the Elite is my favorite headphones.

[@bob81pizza]

Do you know if the vegan leather pads for the empyrean sound the same as the leather ones? I was looking into them for my Elites based on your comment but wasn't sure. Thanks

[@klaus2325]

exactly my experience and opinion. Couldn´t agree more. Thanks

[@Martijn1234]

Yeah the Empy leather pads give a bit of extra bass which I quite like but I'm not sure whether they mess with the balance of the Elites a little. They are a little more comfortable too. Like two leather pillows! I don't mind the hybrid though either even though my ears too just about touch the grills on occasion. Not enough to be annoying or uncomfortable though. Enjoy guys 🙂

[@subbot8077]

Heck yeah, excited to hear your thoughts!

[@ChironZore]

Just heard these at Canjam this weekend, they were spectacular! Sounded great!

[@sjqideez6626]

Thanks for this Amos, much appreciated. Very good comparisons too.

[@IHearEverythingDude]

Nice as always. Waiting for stealth review

[@theodorezurla496]

What an outstanding review of a headphone very informative and entertaining looking much forward to your Ru6 r2r dongle dac review!!

[@xinyuliu4072]

Great review. Definitely enjoyable pair of cans from Meze Elite. Agree if you count in the basic demand for source and amp, it has probably the best all around sound on budget. Susvara is somewhat a ceiling on what a high end headphone can achieve but the amp it requires is almost off-putting. Auditioned twice for the D8000, never liked the sound of it, a bit too surgical and minute.

[@graz62]

Great review as always . Look forward to hearing your thought on the hifiman Xs

[@johnparkerzabala]

Welcome back Sir

[@simplywelldone]

Thank you for such a great review. Because of you, I've just decided to get Meze Elite to pair with TT2 + M Scaler and really love them. Have you ever try the new $200 angled alcantara ear pad? I just can not find any information about how they really sound on the elite but the inside opening area is even slightly larger than stock hybrid.

[@Currawong]

Thank you very much! The angled pads are on my list of things to try.

[@SonOfGodzilla75]

My wife is planning on leaving me because she says I listen to music more than I listen to her and you know what, she's right. I'm planning on selling off some of her purses and shoes to help pay for the Elites. I might as well I practically paid for those anyways. Its my way of getting a refund since she's leaving. Good riddance if you ask me.

[@rohandamle6989]

Best reviewer out there. I bought the Master 9 after your review and was very happy. Just bought an used pair of Meze Elite from stereonet. Your review sealed the deal again. P.S. I did audition the normal Empys and was a little disappointed with the mid bass bleed and lack of engagement in the upper mids.

[@yellowman504]

Hey, I have the HE-9 by Audio-GD and find the balanced output to the Elites a little harsh. I'm using the SE output and find it sounds the best. This is the first HP where I found SE the better option. My previous set was the Audeze LCD-3 and it sounded better using the balanced out connection. Have either of you tried to compare both options on the Master 9 for a difference in sound?

[@chipsnmydip]

Despite what all the haters say, I keep coming back to the Meze sound so I am really interested in these. I had high hopes for the LCD-5 but despite its technical strength it really rubbed me the wrong way, and I have an Abyss DTC but its such a different presentation.(impressive as well) and I miss the flow of the Meze headphones.

[@marcfoss7687]

Great review, many thanks!

[@carloscgr713]

Great review! 👍 Could you recommend some tracks in which the holographic sound is more obvious?

[@krisrudecki9477]

Nice one, I really like your reviews 🍻

[@johnparkerzabala]

Happy new year

[@V4zz33]

A quick one: Is it worth getting the new pads for the Empyrean? Great stuff as always!

[@johnwidoff9490]

I have the Elite hybrid pads on my Empyreans and love the sound.

[@Justfilloutthe111111]

My next headphone... 😍

[@scubaman2546]

$4K. Holy hell.

[@psilocybino5732]

So, we have a brons and now a silver. Cant wait for the gold one.

[@koblongata]

Out of all the $3000+ headphones, I am going to get this one, because, Ukraine.

[@idontwantacallsign]

I Listened to these once. They made me cry, but I think they sound too thin.

[@bradleywise641]

I must have big ears... with the hybrid pads do touch the grill - not a comfort issue, but seems to create some form of ground loop and an annoying low level hum. (this can be resolved by lift the phones a little so my ear is not in contact, swapping pads, or altering the ground loop by touching the amp etc (tt2+mscaler)). Evidently this is not unique to meze, but was also initially an issue with audeze. Any suggestions?

[@Viewer13128]

Trying to locate a closed-back headphone i heard back in 2007. Which top of the line closed-back headphone give a 3D sound that surrounded your head back then? Not sure what amp the store was using but the sound changed so much it felt like special effects. Or actually, was it more to do with the amp? What type of amps can do that? What I have now is a Topping dx7pro and a Hifiman Arya. Do I have to change every gear?

[@Currawong]

Sony MDR-R10? CD3000? Either of those are relatively rubbish to modern headphones though.

[@Viewer13128]

@@Currawong thanks! If I'm looking for the same holographic sound wrapping around my head, what's the modern headphone for this type of sound?

[@MrReeceyburger123]

Have a spare pair ? Haha cheers I’m saving for some they are the last headphones I will buy 😁

[@myfavouritethings5935]

This high-end voodoo does irritate me a little. These headphones cost a lot of money for you to get home and find out they don't make you happy because of how they interplay with your source, dac's, amps etc. I understand that they are made by different manufacturers with different processes, materials designs etc so they are obviously going to be different...but my point is... I wish the manufacturers would do more to try and explain their ambition for the headphones, the experience they were aiming at, how they pair with different types of Amps etc etc Try and give us more purchasing info to go on. I appreciate these reviews try to bridge some of this BUT they are still personal interpretations and not informed by the manufacturers themselves.

[@Currawong]

That's a good point. If you go to the Head-Fi KZbin channel though, you'll find that with the release of some of these headphones, it includes an interview with the manufacturer explaining what their intent was. It isn't so much Voodoo as a variety of sciences, from material to acoustic, as well as neuroscience that intersect. Even after all that, it really does end up coming down to subjective preferences. Aside from all that, the best suggestion I ever read about choosing headphones was: Find someone who has similar music tastes to you and see what gear they had good results with. 90% of it comes down to the music you like and how loud you listen.

[@Berkanann]

Most manufacturers simply say, they wanted to create the 'best sounding' headphone. Well, the idea of best sound differs from manufacturer to manufacturer and from consumer to consumer.

[@gehtnurdurch]

The RCA and headphone sockets are connected to the same output, so there is no difference in voltage or current output, except you meant the balanced out, which has higher voltage but is not designed for headphone drive and may trip the thermal protection if you connect a low impedance load.

[@Currawong]

Of the TT2? Rob Watts designed the XLR outputs so that they would drive even speakers, and headphones that require more current, so it's not an issue. Cheers. :)

[@gehtnurdurch]

@@Currawong Rob Watts on in the Whats up thread. My link got deleted somehow. You even liked the post. Mar 25. 2021: Also, I do not recommend using the balanced output for loads at or below 10 ohms, as you could get the thermal trips to operate.

[@chronometa]

I honestly wasn't a fan and preferred the Diana's.

[@SergeySedlovsky]

In Romania and Ukraine ... not "The Ukraine"

[@Currawong]

Thanks. I'll remember that for next time.

[@OriginalMindTrick]

"refined music" Is that another term for Diana Krall?

[@Currawong]

Ha. I don't listen to Diana Krall.

[@olimphus26]

Man they do look hideous on the head ugh.

[@chefsteve8381]

Don't care to much for the over priced beats by meze, but your talk on frequency response was very informative....

[@hartyewh1]

I found the Empyrean to be extremely basic and overall inferior to an EQ'd HD650 as well. Also very clampy. Extremely pleasant and easy to listen to, but that was it.

[@Another_Audiophile]

Audiophiles is a bit of an insulting term? Maybe because of these kind of statements. I am an audiophile and proud of it lol