TMR Exclusive Review: Meze Empyrean Headphones, Part 2

Rummaging for a brief moment through the TMR inventory, I spy a couple of Simaudio Moon 430HA headphone amplifiers in stock. This would be a great pairing for anyone considering Empyreans, or any other serious headphone, planar magnetic or otherwise. The 430HA, once properly warmed up can deliver details for days, leaving headphones to the job of showing it. Keep feeding it better material and put better and better headphones on it, and you still hear it improve. Color me very impressed by Simaudio in the headphone game.

This pair of Meze Empyreans being a lovely satin black, I decided to pick the black Moon 430HA to use in this shootout, and this is a pure analog headphone amp — no DAC or phono installed on this one.

I did just say shootout, and every shootout needs a dancing partner, otherwise it’s not much of a shootout! In stock at the moment at The Music Room are several pairs of higher-end Audeze headphones, including the LCD-3 and LCD-4..

Settling on the lovely Audeze LCD-4, I think it will be useful in helping someone interested in Empyreans to decide between upstart Meze and the industry standard Audeze. While not as updated as the LCD-X, the LCD-4 stands as a pinnacle of achievement for the American planar headphone company.

Before I get started, I’ll list the gear involved. I wanted to do this right, so I tossed a bunch of boxes in my truck and drove home to conduct the shootout in my own listening room. The benefits of this for me were drastically less background noise, use of a system I know well that will serve as the source, and having the option of flipping to speakers for a change of perspective.

It also allowed me to really baby the setup with my power treatments and other tweaks. Connected to a Furutech NCF outlet is my PS Audio P10 power regenerator, which powers a PS Audio DirectStream Junior DAC with a Synergistic Black fuse. I’m using the Bridge input on the DAC, which streams Roon from a Mac mini on the other side of the house via a hardwired Ethernet cable. The DAC’s analog signal travels via a pair of Pure Note Paragon silver RCAs to the Simaudio. Power cables are all custom, noise rejecting and roughly 6 gauge. Did I mention that the DAC has a Shakti stone on top of it? Yeah, I’m a tweaker. But enough about me - let’s dive into the music.

“Necklace” & “Bird Of Paradise” by Cory Hanson on Pale Horse Rider

The atmospheric intro track “Necklace” builds a spooky sense of suspense as layered sounds rise out of nowhere. Then, the curtain rises and the lights come up on the scene which is “Bird Of Paradise,” a melancholy ballad that sets Hanson’s reedy voice in the center stage of a likewise atmospheric affair. The Empyreans cast this spectacle perfectly, using an incredibly wide space to paint these pictures. Slide guitars slip in and out of the periphery while the vocals are so perfectly and naturally locked in place.

You know, with the Meze Empyreans playing through the Simaudio Moon 430HA, the more I listen to Pale Horse Rider, the more I suspect it was recorded on analog tape. I’ll check up on this. Though going back to the Audeze I hear the same things, at the time this distinction didn’t stand out more than others. The trademark tape hiss isn’t there as much on the LCD-4s, but the rest of the presentation is just as analog and thick and detailed. Cory’s voice sits a little bit fatter and more present on the LCD-4s than on the Empyreans, which cast Hanson directly in the middle of the atmospheric pedal steel slides rather than directly in front.

The LCD-4s treat the opening slow crescendo of “Necklace” in the same way the Empyreans do, letting the sound rise out of the blackness. Yet there seems to be slightly more color contrast on this track with the Empyreans, more speckling and texture available in what sounds at first to be fairly devoid of detail.

“Memories” by Peder Af Ugglas on Works, Part 4

This is a telling track for headphones, because it’s solo guitar in a room. The fundamental subject of the recording is simple, but the setting makes it complex. It’s the extra stuff all around the solo guitar which show off the capabilities of world class headphones like the Meze Empyrean and the Audeze LCD-4, and it’s a delight to listen to on both.

With this specific track, the LCD-4s present a slightly narrower soundstage. For a recording without much bass, the quantity of bass here is less, but the quality is similar. I suppose with a solo guitar track that has real meat to it in a reverberant room, that equates to more of a “mid bass” area, perhaps 150Hz to about 400Hz.

Right about now, I’m really starting to notice the weight difference between the two headphones, which is not insignificant. The ultimate plushness of the LCD-4 always give your head this subtle feeling of being hugged, so that’s kind of nice. It’s a tiny thing, but it’s a little psychological touch to get you into the mood for grooving.

In contrast, the Meze headphones feel like the absolute perfect weight. They’re substantial enough to operate without resonances or creaks, and they don’t feel flimsy. They stand out in this category because they always seem to be in the perfect position on your ears no matter where your head turns or how much it bobs.

Getting back to the sound, there is a sense of depth to both the soundstage and individual instruments that the Empyreans show best. For this solo guitar recording, the guitar is just a touch more real sounding on the Empyreans, and a little bit easier.

“Rough Waters” by Duo Brothers on Cookie Stars

Here’s where we see the LCD-4 shine, on material that is less audiophile than some recordings, but still comprised of audiophile traits. With the Empyreans, the slight crunch on Sol Monk’s drum kit, which is intentional, is almost exaggerated compared to the LCD-4s. Both headphones convey what’s great about this track — the drive, the beat, the energy and the meaty sounds of Yonatan Levy’s guitar and bass. But I find myself wanting to listen more to the Audeze with this kind of music, thanks mostly to the Romanian headphones maker’s revealing top end.

If you haven’t heard of Israeli duo Duo Brothers before, it may not be long before you do. Their take on the current psychedelic rock trend is a soulful, melodic journey in pocket grooves. Their label calls it “spaceship jazz,” which is just about right.

“Rough Waters" gets us closer to full range sound, but now I want to look at how the Empyreans handle highly produced, wide-bandwidth electronic music. We move next to the collaboration between Chromeo and Canadian keyboardist / producer extraordinaire Anomalie, who you should know about if you don’t.

“Bend The Rules” by Anomalie & Chromeo on Bend The Rules EP

Now, if you’ve been listening along and checking these tracks out as you read, be sure to lower your volume control before you press play on this one. Clever modern electronic production techniques can create a sound that has elements that are loud and maximized while still maintaining the open and spacious qualities of other sounds in the mix, and this one gets a little loud. The opening salvo is a perfect example of this: energetic synth arpeggios ripple forward at increasing volume in the sound field, while in the background there are these flowery, atmospheric paint strokes that are cast upward across the spacious backdrop.

The LCD-4s are able to keep up with the Empyreans in the sense that they can separate those front of stage and stage rear elements, but I’m finding that there’s something not quite assembled and correct about the sound of this track on the LCD-4 compared to the Empyreans. There’s a “rightness” to the Meze Empyreans’ delivery that feels more comfortable as I switch back.

This track is a test piece for any system or headphone setup. It can make lesser headphones sound a bit more interesting, or it can quickly devolve into a hacked up jangle of misaligned layers, coming off way too hyper and unsteady. This is hardly the case with the Empyrean and the LCD-4, which offer the type of reference headphone experience that leads to quibbling about the smaller points.

Planar vs. Planar

Overall, the two headphones show enough of a difference to me in user experience to consider either an option, based on taste preference and the way I plan to listen. There are certain genres and sounds I want to hear with the Audeze, and the cushiness of them lends best to couch-based listening — perhaps with a headrest.

But if I’m choosing directly from this shootout, for me and my life it’s going to be the Empyrean by Meze. I found it to be an incredibly well-constructed product across every millimeter of its exterior, and I found the overall product experience to be first rate from the moment I opened the box through hours and hours of listening.

I wish I had a chance to compare the Empyreans against the LCD-X, but it didn’t quite work out for this review. As dealers for both brands, The Music Room certainly has a few pairs sealed up, but I’ll wait until a used set comes along, then I’ll revisit the question of Audeze or Meze. My experience with the LCD-X in the past leaves me with the impression that it would make for better competition against the Empyreans, but I can’t say for sure until the next pair come through the doors at TMR.

Until then, I’m pretty happy to have our demo pair of Empyreans around. For me, they’ve set a new standard for what planar magnetic headphones can accomplish. - DT

Bandcamp Links:

Pale Horse Rider by Cory Hanson: https://coryhanson.bandcamp.com/album/pale-horse-...

Bend The Rules by Anomalie & Chromeo: https://anomaliebeats.bandcamp.com/album/bend-the...

Works, Part 4 by Peder Af Ugglas: https://pederafugglas.bandcamp.com/album/works-pa...

Cookie Stars by Duo Brothers: https://duobrothers.bandcamp.com/album/cookie-sta...