The Empyreans are great. The Elites are something else

Submitted by Not_a_Lefty t3_zt73su in headphones

Spent some time comparing the Empyreans against the Elites. What wonderful headphones, firstly. Exceptional build quality, killer looks, first class presentation.

I listened to the Empyreans first. The sound isn’t immediately as impressive as others in the price range, but it certainly grows on you. Handles every type of music with ease. These headphones are the whole package, though. Other headphones in this price point can have glaring weaknesses (comfort, drivability, tonality) whereas the Empyreans are as perfect as you could ask a headphone to be. The last headphones that I would consider to fill a similar slot are the Focal Clears, for what it’s worth.

Switching over to the Elites was something else! The level of detail retrieval is entirely a different experience here. They present detail in such a natural way, rather than throwing it all in your face. They just invite you to latch on to a backing vocal or background instrument and get lost in a completely different part of a song. The center image is quite a bit larger on the Elites, with much better vertical imaging. Very impressive without feeling unnaturally thin or wide.

Definitely suggest giving these a listen if you are able!

76

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Rem1li0 t1_j1cnvj9 wrote

God, this is porn. Nice shot of the beautiful headphones!

5

TheFrator t1_j1efeq2 wrote

I feel like my ears are broken. So many people love the Elite but I didn't. I A/B'd them next to the LCD-5 for a week and the Elite (IMO) is a significant step down in sonic attributes. I perceived its imaging to be blobish in comparison.

Just me though and hope you enjoy your set immensely.

5

AnOldMoth t1_j1ei9u2 wrote

That's because they are, Meze doesn't have very good sound. They are the absolute top of the line in build and comfort, and not a whole lot else.

1

JL3001 t1_j1ddvuw wrote

Had a chance to demo the Elites at home for a few days and they won me over with such a pleasant, easygoing sound with great bass. That with the comfort and design made it the most kickback and chill headphone I've heard in long time. It had me doing the calculus about how I could get one.

3

Lelouch25 t1_j1ce9rr wrote

Man they look so good. Wish one day more people can hear them too. Merry Christmas 🎄🎁

2

[deleted] t1_j1ckfff wrote

The look, feel and comfort of the Empyrean truly is something else.

It is the only outrageously expensive headphone that nearly made me forget its asking price with build quality alone.

2

ErranteSR t1_j1cvbpj wrote

Me: Cries in poor

1

AnotherMax2021 t1_j1d8wbt wrote

Are the Empyreans different enough from the Elites for it to make sense to own both? Besides the money factor, of course.

1

Not_a_Lefty OP t1_j1dx5bv wrote

I wouldn’t say so. I’d go with the Elites and then spend the $3k elsewhere 😃. I could be perfectly happy with the Empyreans, though, if the Elites didn’t exist.

5

CyberMoose24 t1_j1fbh5j wrote

FWIW I demo’d both briefly and I thought the Empyreans were way too veiled in the midrange, similar to the LCD2 Classic I briefly owned. The Elites sounded much clearer while still being easy to listen to with great bass, similar to the LCD-X which I now own :).

2

AntOk463 t1_j1iz856 wrote

Do you pick the Elites and get much better sound quality, or do you puck the Empyreans and get the amazing looking copper and black headphones. Black and chrome looks a little cheap to me.

1