MEZE EMPYREAN REVIEW
Modern Art meets Sublime Musicality and Outstanding Transparency!
I have traveled the world—Europe, Asia, and the U.S.—for art, the love of art. And, in particular, the art of the Impressionists and the Post-Impressionists masters—Cézanne, Monet, Renoir, Matisse, van Gogh, Cassatt, Rembrandt, to name a few. Over the course of my travels it became clear to me, that the incredible power these masters had was their ability to reach deeply within themselves and to imbue their art with a part of their energy, their soul, their life force.
On one of my trips to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), as a young man, I would experience an energetic connection to a painting of one of these master. I had seen the painting across numerous magazines and other printed media, but never in person. Now, as I stood before this painting—Henri Matisse’s Flowers (1907)—time, space, and air were, seemingly, brought to a standstill. Matisse’s Flowers had depth, three-dimensional texture, wherein the brushstrokes, literally, stood atop the canvass, creating mountains and crevices of deep contrast. Its color palette was vivid and brilliant, engaging and rich and together conveyed sublime serenity. I was transfixed, mesmerized, captivated by what I can only describe as my connection to the energetic soul of this painting, as imbued by its creator—Henri Matisse. Or, perhaps, it was a glimpse of his divine purpose through this brilliant and preternaturally engaging work.
It was clear from that point on for me, that there were masters so ‘at purpose’ with their art, their calling, so in touch with their gift, that it was natural to imbue their creations with a part of themselves, their souls. And this energy, this part of their soul would live on within the art as long as their art was extant—currently or actually existing.
Above, I have written on art and masters and soul, as introduction to what I consider an incredible piece of functional Modern Art. Modern Art because it is masterfully designed, beautifully crafted and Functional Art for what it provides—a glorious and engaging musical experience. The functional, Modern Art to which I refer is the Meze Empyrean: Isodynamic Hybrid Array Headphones ($2,999), the first of its kind.
When I opened the rigid, black, aluminum case to reveal the Meze Empyrean sitting within, there were quite audible “Oooohhs” and “Aaaahhhs.” This was followed by a brief period of stunned silence, in a room full with family, friends, and several art lovers. All were experiencing functional, Modern Art art in the form of headphones, that had for a moment taken their collective breath away. But that visual introduction was just the beginning of the journey, for me. There was a great deal more to uncover.
REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the equipment actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/or laying out its various accoutrement, specifications, etc. Think of this review then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, etc—that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning.
The Sound
Rare is the piece of audio equipment, that can remove itself as intermediary to the music, and reveal performers, venue, emotion, truth of timbre and tone as a genuine, heartfelt experience. The Meze Empyrean embodies that rarity for what it does in the service of the music, via its outstanding transparency, its addictive emotionality, and its sublime naturalness. It has forced an interesting coming to terms with the fact that near hundred thousand dollar speaker systems (owned at one time or another), could not convey what these small wonders can so easily do. Music lovers beware, as you may well lose your hearts! You have been warned.
Joan Shelly’s We’d Be Home (Joan Shelly, No Quarter Records) plays and it is a rendering that invites comparison to a live performance, in a small, intimate venue. Joan sits several feet before me and sings as if to me, personally. The Empyrean (as allied to the Cayin N6ii/A01) brings a corporeality to Shelly, her guitar, her accompaniment, and a naturalness to her articulation, phrasing, and words as they are released across her lips. Natural too is the decay of voice and instrument and their reverberation through space. It is a reach out and touch musicality.
The Meze Empyrean’s volumetric cube—its soundstage—is wide, of great depth and height—holographic (when called for)—with superb positioning and layering. Further, there is the marriage of glorious transparency (mother to detail, micro and macrodynamics) to a transcendent, textured, and rich musicality. This has made reviewing the Meze Empyrean difficult in the extreme, as simply listening so often takes over reviewing. I listen now to Magdalena Kožená Chut! Chut! écoutons (French Arias, Deutsche Grammophon) and Magdalena stands front and center. Her voice is clear, rich, controlled, and powerful, as it pulsates with emotion. Behind her a chorus is at depth, along a layer that is twice removed from the soprano and they fill the air with the rich harmony of their voices.
But there is more! The Meze Empyrean, perfectly balanced and coherent, posses wondrous transient speed, liberates extraordinary amounts of detail, whilst they revere timbral accuracy and create an organic, analog musicality. It is this intensely, engaging combination of traits and talents, that stands the Empyrean above most if not all comers.
The Meze Empyrean was paired with the Cayin N6ii/A01, Cayin N6ii/E01, Burson Audio Conductor 3X, AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt/Red, and the iFi Hip-Dac for this review. All drove the Empyrean with ease and all performed beautifully, while some extended the beautiful envelop to remarkable levels (see: Magical Synergies—August/September)! I would consider 100 hours for burn-in prior to one’s optimum listening enjoyment.
NOTE: Out of curiosity I listened to several NETFLIX programs with the Empyrean and was truly amazed at the “surround sound” experience that they were able to “decode” from the various soundtracks! Depth, layering, direction, separation, positioning provided for smile-induced, viewing sessions that were incredibly fun.
Bass
When I reviewed the Cayin N6ii/A01 it was partnered with the Meze Empyrean as Sacrificial Dance—The Chosen (Stravinsky: Le sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), Sony Classical) played. My notes from the session, “At volume, a powerful foreboding swells, as deep, resonant bass is struck to depth, across a sea of tympanies, again and again.This amidst swirling woodwinds, violins, and a storm of orchestral shifts.” It is only appropriate to give the Empyrean its due in what was a divine, collaborative excursion to great treble heights and, the oft referred (on this site) stygian bass depths. The Meze Empyrean rumbled powerfully, with great clarity, extension, and detail. It was a movement that would be played several times, in succession. Maxwell’s Sumthin’ Sumthin’ (Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite, Columbia) now plays and the bass rumbles resolutely, powerfully, and with great extension as well. The intention, after this track, was to move on to another album commensurate with ‘midrange’ leanings. However… I continue to listen through Maxwell’s Urban Suite. Suffice to say, that the “Holy-Bass-Head-Grail” has been successfully captured. Kudos to the Empyrean.
Midrange
The Meze Empyrean’s midrange brings a textured, analog ease that is rich, transparent, and highly engaging. Andy Bey’s vocal rendition of Lush Life (American Song, Savoy) is reminiscent of Matisse’s Flowers for the texture, rich color, and its deep, earned resonance, as his voice emerges from a background, black and preternaturally quiet. The Empyrean recreates the venue with air and separation and spatial cues, that conjure a palpable experience. Andy Bey sits at the piano several feet away, as he did in Pearl’s Jazz Club (San Francisco) singing this song, beautifully. Or so the Empyrean has led me to believe. We had great Chinese food afterward at a hole-in-the-wall, No-Name restaurant in North Beach, that every restaurant owner knows.
Treble+
Jordi Savall’s Troisième Leçon de Ténèbres à 2 voix (François Couperin) (Tous les Matins du Monde, Aliavox) plays now and the voices of sopranos Montserrat Figueras and Maria-Christina Kiehr, soar unencumbered into that area of the treble where all good soprano voices live. Ethereal, holographic, transparent, captivating are the dueling voices of the sopranos Figueras and Kiehr, as they rise and fall in splendid harmony. I have never heard the emotive nuances on this track before, not like this. Next The Veress: String Trio’s I. Andante & II. Allegro molto (Veress: String Trio & Bartók: Piano Quintet, Alpha) plays and it is brooding, then startling and yet always beautifully and transparently rendered by the Meze Empyrean. As the players rap (with knuckles), drum, pluck, and, of course, bow their instruments, the air, positioning, spatial cues, tone and timbre invite one to, again, believe that this is a personal concert for one’s enjoyment. Very few headphones, DAPs, DAC, amps, etc. can succeed at conjuring this illusion, time and time again. I listen several times, enthralled.
The Wrappings and Accessories
The Empyrean comes in a black, high-strength, aluminum case, that is printed with MEZE AUDIO, the Empyrean trademark, and RINARO, the developer of the Isodynamic driver. The case is clean, stylish, and professional.
Within the case and seated in the cut-out of a foam insert are the Empyrean, two sets of ear pads—one leather set, one Alcantra (perhaps suede, with a Vegan option available upon request)—and a 1.2 meter OFC cable with 4-pin, mini-XLR plugs which terminate with a 3.5mm jack connector.
CABLE OPTIONS: are a 2.5 meter, 4-pin, mini-XLR plugs which terminate with a 6.3mm jack connector and a 2.5 meter, 4-pin, mini-XLR plugs which terminate with a 4-pin XLR connector.
Design—Look, Feel, and Technology
Modern Art. It is the clearest, simplest, and most accurate way to describe the aesthetics of the Meze Empyrean. That is to say, that they belong on exhibit in a modern art museum, replete with the film, that shows how they are constructed, along with a video discussion of Antonio Meze speaking to his motivation both functional and artistic in regard to the Empyrean. The Louvre—Paris, Museum of Contemporary Art—Shanghai, Tate Modern—London, MOMA—New York, Brandhorst—Munich, Guggenheim Museum—Bilbao, Moderna Museet—Stockholm, MOMA—SF are but a few of the museums where an exhibit of the Empyrean is imperative. One does not create functional, Modern Art and deny the world from seeing, experiencing it.
Overall Construction: The Empyrean’s headband is made from carbon fiber and its headrest from leather. The beautifully sculpted, skeletal chassis which holds the Isodynamic driver is milled from a solid block of high-precision aluminum, which Meze reports takes approximately twenty (20) hours of time to complete.
RINARO ISOPLANAR® DIAPHRAGMS. Each RINARO ISOPLANAR® DIAPHRAGM is comprised of proprietary polymer with a conductive layer, that is isotropically and thermally stabilized, rigid, yet ultralight, weighing 0.16grams, with an active surface area of 4650mm2. On each side of the DIAPHRAGM neodymium magnets are symmetrically placed into a “HYBRID ARRAY” to create an:
“Efficient Isodynamic magnetic field required for a uniform activation across the whole diaphragm surface.”
Each DIAPHRAGM is fitted with two differently shaped, independent voice coils (SWITCHBACK COIL, SPIRAL COIL), that have been designed to specifically deliver optimum acoustic performance to the various areas within the ear cavity.
The frame which houses and protects the DIAPHRAGM is comprised of Fiberglass infused ABS material.
Fit. In terms of fit, I have worn the Meze Empyrean for eight (8) hours straight while reviewing them and they were so imminently comfortable, as to have gone almost entirely unnoticed. The reason Meze gives for this is the following:
“Suspension wings increase the leather headrest’s contact surface area with your head and relieve uncomfortable pressure points.”
Further, as Meze points out with regard to weight/weight distribution:
“Weight was minimized by optimizing a magnet structure around an ovoid shape that fits the ear more closely. Power output was increased through the use of a completely bespoke coil and magnet array design that optimized the active usable area of the driver within its ovoid shape.”
Empirical testing over an eight (8) hour time period says—confirmed! There is a brand, in particular, that shall go unnamed (as is our philosophy) that could not be worn for more than thirty (30) minutes. And there are far more headphones on the market that cannot be worn for more than a couple of hours. This too then must be considered a stellar accomplishment on the part of Meze.
From the design aesthetic, to the feel and comfort to the technology and innovation, to the resulting sound signature, the Meze Empyrean represents an evolution in overall headphone design that has quietly taken place in Baia Mare, Romania. And this requires a heartfelt Bravo to both Meze and Rinaro!
EMPYREAN TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS (WARRANTY PERIOD: 2 YEARS)
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 / 1 kHz)
Maximum SPL—> 130 dB
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)—< 0.1%
Weight ~ 430 g
MZ3 DRIVER SPECIFICATIONS
• 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/m4
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
The Meze Empyrean’s low impedance (31.6Ω -Ohms) and high sensitivity (100dB) make them easy to drive and they were powered to good affect with the AudioQuest DragonFly Red and Cobalt, let alone higher powered DAPs, DACs, amps, smartphones, computers, etc.
Conclusion
There are masters of design, functional design, and innovative technology in Romania. They hail from MEZE AUDIO and RINARO and they have created a masterpiece of functional, Modern Art called the Empyrean: Isodynamic Hybrid Array Headphone. Further, their creation—the Empyrean—should be in Modern Art museums across the world (shout out! to Antonio—art lovers tend to love music too).
Apart from its compelling modern design, the Empyrean’s sound is exquisite, in the manner of its function following its form. The Meze Empyrean ($2,999) is an anomaly, in that it handles the entirety of the frequency spectrum spectacularly well. And it eschews contradictions across this spectrum by delivering an “evolved experience” that ‘harmonizes’—gorgeous musicality, exquisite transparency, unparalleled comfort, and truly fine, functional, Modern Art. Together these attributes transport the listener to the original venue or to the remembered venue and the performance in question and in a very comfortable manner. The Empyrean creates a balance that so very few have achieved and that fewer still have achieved well.
The Meze Empyrean is an impressive headphone, that has been masterfully designed and constructed in the service of the end-user—the customer—a true rarity in this day and age, but so say its creators.
“(The) Empyrean is the product of two passionate companies coming together to explore what is possible beyond their individual capabilities. The result is a no-compromise headphone embodying Meze’s daring aesthetic and user-centered design approach and Rinaro’s experience in research and development within the field of planar magnetics.”
Rare products deserve rare awards. That said, we enthusiastically award the Meze Empyrean: Isodynamic Hybrid Array Headphones our DIAMOND AWARD, which is our highest award given in recognition of innovative, boundary-jumping design, Top-Of-The-Line (TOTL) transparency, coupled with outstanding, natural musicality. Very highly recommended! Bravo!
Music—Qobuz, Tidal exclusively
Alexander Tharaud—Tharaud Plays Rachmaninoff
Omar Sosa—Ballads, Calma
Patricia Barber—Verse
Rickie Lee Jones—Pop Pop
Sade—Lovers Live
Sheku Kannah Mason—Inspiration
Tracey Chapman—Where You Live
Olafur Arnalds—Island Songs
Melody Gardot—My One and Only Thrill
Melody Gardot—My Worrisome Heart
Eiji Oue—Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances
Hilary Hahn—Tchaikovsky
Mechell Ndegeocello—Bitter
Jordi Savall—Tous les Matins du Monde
Maxwell—Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite
Sarah Jarosh—Undercurrent
Igor Stravinsky—Stravinsky: Le sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring)
Annie-Sophie Mutter—Mendelssohn, Brahms: Violin Concertos
London Grammar—If You Wait
Stevie Wonder—Innervisions
Marvin Gaye—What’s Going On
Miles Davis—Kind of Blue
Jóhann Jóhannsson—Orphée
Alexis Ffrench—Evolution
Dave Holland—Emerald Tears
Gidon Kremer, Daniil Trifonov, Giedre Dirvanauskaite—Preghiera/Rachmaninov Piano Trios
Joan Shelly—Joan Shelly
Magdalena Kožená—French Arias
Andy Bey—American Song
Ancillary Equipment
Cayin N6ii/A01
Cayin N6ii/E01
Burson Audio Conductor 3XP
AudioQuest Cobalt
AudioQuest Red
AudioQuest Dragon Tail
OBravo EAMT-2C IEM
Final Sonorous III
FiiO FH5
Samsung S10
Apple X iPhone
MacBook Pro
The Company
Meze Audio
Iuliu Maniu str., nr. 38,
1st floor, ap. 2,
Baia Mare, 430131, Romania
info@mezeaudio.com
www.mezeaudio.com