How much would you be willing to pay for a really good pair of headphones? If you’re the sort of person who enjoys listening to music on a really good audio system, then a great pair of headphones – for private or late-night listening – is absolutely vital. However, a top-flight pair of headphones could cost you almost as much as a great pair of loudspeakers.
The team behind Meze Empyrean headphones is clearly counting on the fact that there are enough people out there who enjoy listening to headphones so much, that they’d be willing to part with up to $3,000 for these deluxe planar magnetic headphones that promise to deliver a sound that can match the very best loudspeakers.
In terms of technology, there are three types of headphones on the market. The first, and by far the most common, is the classic dynamic headphone, which can either be open backed or close backed. They can also be very expensive but most dynamic headphones are affordable and do a pretty good job.
At the other end of the headphone market are electrostatic headphones. These monstrous devices use electrostatic panels to create an incredible sound. They’re very expensive and often need their own dedicated power supply. You can easily part with up to $20,000 for a good pair of electrostatics.
In the space between dynamic and electrostatic headphones are planar magnetic designs. Planar magnetic headphones are quite large because instead of using paper or polypropylene cones, planar magnetic headphones use thin sheets of metallic material to produce sound waves. The main advantage with the planar magnetic design is the relative stiffness of the metal sheets; the drivers snap back into place very quickly, producing a crisp and detailed sound that stops frequencies blurring and smearing each other. However, there is a downside to planar magnetic headphones: they can be expensive and they need a very good audio source to get the best from them.
These new Empyrean headphones from Meze are based on the planar magnetic principle but differ in some important ways. The Empyreans use a special driver called an MZ3 isodynamic hybrid array drive, which was developed by Meze, in partnership with a company called Rinaro. Conventional planar magnetic arrays can cause reflected signals as the sound enters the ear canal causing a slight time delay, which can reduce the focus and imaging of the soundstage. Meze has combined two separate magnetic planar voice coils that cover all the frequencies, a bit like having a woofer and a tweeter in a loudspeaker. The main advantage of the isodynamic design is the reduction of total harmonic distortion (THD) to less than 0.1% over the entire frequency range. The voice coils have a really broad frequency range running from a ridiculously low 4Hz all the way up to an astonishing 110,000Hz. Most regular dynamic headphones have a quoted frequency range from 20Hz to 20,000Hz. This means you get more detail at the top end, while the bass is nicely plump and fulsome, something that is sometimes lacking in planar magnetic headphone designs.
The Meze Empyrean headphones are supplied in their own very smart attaché case made from aluminum. Inside are the Meze Empyrean headphones; one pair of suede ear-cushions, one pair of leather ear-cushions, and two braided 3m cables; one terminates in a 3.5mm stereo jack, while the other has a full-size 6.3mm stereo jack. The cables attach to each earcup using a mini 4-pin XLR plug but there’s no balanced cable, XLR or the new 4.4mm Pentaconn connector supplied. Other cables are available but not included as standard.
The build quality of the Meze Empyrean is simply awesome. From the moment I opened the black attaché case, it was clear that these headphones are something rather special. Meze has a European production facility in Romania, a country not normally noted for its audio heritage, and yet the quality of the Empyrean’s construction is second to none. Despite their fairly large size, the Empyreans weigh just 430g. The yoke of the headphones is sculpted from a single piece of aluminum using precision CNC milling.
There’s a pressure-distributing headband made from vinyl and lined with fine velvet. The headband distributes the weight of the headphones so evenly across the top of the head, it hardly feels any weight at all. In fact, it’s hard to describe just how comfy these headphones feel once you put them on; it’s like putting your hand in a perfectly fitting velvet glove. And thanks to luxuriously thick ovoid foam ear-cushions, which match the shape of the special hybrid array drivers, the headphones fit perfectly over the ears. I found I could wear the Empyreans for hours on end. They have to be the most comfortable pair of headphones that I have ever worn, but so they should be for the price.
When it comes to listening to the Meze Empyrean, you need to start off with a top-quality audio source. I connected the headphones with two high-end headphone amplifiers: the Questyle digital audio player and Chord’s Hugo DAC. I fed each DAC in turn with a signal from Tidal’s best level of streaming service, which offers CD-quality music on demand and even MQA Masters tracks.
The sound produced by these headphones can only be described as awesome. I’ve previously reviewed Meze’s excellent Classic 99 headphones, so I had a vague idea that they would be good, however, these were like nothing else I’d heard since testing Focal’s amazing Utopia headphones. Unlike some planar magnetic designs, the Meze Empyreans have a deliciously warm and indulgent bass as well as one of the most incredibly detailed and sweet upper registers that can reproduce drums and cymbals with such clarity. The mid-range is forward enough to make vocals really stand out but without a hint of harshness.
The technical blurb on Meze’s website describes how the isodynamic hybrid array drivers, with their dual voice coils, add to the focus of the soundstage. Well, that’s understating things. There is an incredibly focused soundstage that places every instrument exactly where it should be. I listened to the excellent new album “Who’s Happy?” By Hugh Coltman. The track Sugar-Coated Pill sprang to life with its superb jazz vibe and great drum work. Recorded live in a New Orlean’s studio that has just the right amount of big room echo, the whole album was articulated with such musicality by the Empyreans that I couldn’t stop listening. It’s a luxurious sound that places every instrument just where it should be; to the extent, you can almost imagine watching the musicians playing. These headphones create images from the music.
As already mentioned, these are headphones that deserve the very best audio set-up and the best source material possible to get the most from them. You can plug the Empyreans into a smartphone but it would be a waste of time. Anything but the best quality amplifier just won’t do these headphones justice. They aren’t necessarily hard to drive but they will show up the limitations of inferior audio components.
As an open-back design, you can hear any sounds in the room so these definitely aren’t headphones to use in a room where someone else is talking or watching TV. These headphones are for people who like to retire to a music room alone and spend a long time relaxing with good music… and maybe a glass of something.
Verdict: The Meze Empyrean headphones are very expensive but they are sublime. At the price, they won’t be for everyone, but if you’re an audiophile with a good set-up at home, and you are looking for a pair of headphones that can match the very best loudspeakers, then you really owe yourself the opportunity to audition these superb headphones. Of all the planar magnetic models I’ve listened to in the past, these are the first I’ve tested that offer the warmth and depth of a good pair of dynamic headphones, with all the articulation and precision of a regular pair of planar magnetics. The Meze Empyrean offers the best of both worlds and really are, for my money, close to perfect.
Pricing:$2,999 / £2,699 / €2,999
More info: https://mezeaudio.eu/collections/all/products/meze-empyrean
Specifications:
Driver Type: Rinaro Isodynamic Hybrid Array
Operating Principle: Open
Ear Coupling: Circumaural
Frequency response: 4 - 110,000 Hz
Impedance: 31,6 Ω
Nominal SPL: 100 dB (1 mW/1kHz)
Maximum SPL: >130 dB
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): <0.1%
Weight:430 g
MZ3 Drivers
Physical
Geometrical shape: Ovoid
Size: 102 mm x 73 mm
Weight: 82 g
Casing: Fiberglass Infused ABS
Diaphragm
Type: Rinaro Isoplanar®
Active area: 4650 mm²
Weight: 0,16 g
Acoustic mass: 10,7 kg/m
Lower frequency limit: 4 Hz
Upper-frequency limit: 110.000 Hz
Magnet Array
Type: Isodynamic
Size: 75 mm x 49 mm
Magnetic Flux: 0,35 T
