Meze Empyrean II

A Flagship from Heaven

In the lead up to Munich Highend this year, I thought I would review a few flagship devices, and what better way to start than with the Meze Empyrean II. The name “Empyrean” is particularly fitting as in ancient cosmology it means “from the highest heavens.” So Meze chose another alluring name for this headphone.

If I was to summarize how I feel about the Empryrean II, it will be greatly missed when it is sent back to Meze. The quality of the overall experience is fantastic.

And to borrow an analogy I use later in this review, it is an experience like a Rolls-Royce ‘convertable,’ where other flagships are more the equivalent of a Ferrari or a Lexus. The Empryrean II from its textured feature and premium build to its sound signatures, provides a rich experience “as if descended from heaven.”

But let’s get into the details first.

Unboxing Experience: Premium from Start to Finish

The overall unboxing experience of the Empyrean II is mostly befitting a flagship product, but we start out with fairly modest though easy-to-recycle outer cardboard packaging:

But opening this reveals a premium carrying case:

And removing it from the packaging, you can hopefully see this is not a small case:

I love the level of premium detail as even the case with some very nice clips:

Inside the case, the Empyrean II sits nestled in custom-fitted padding, accompanied by a selection of cables and accessories:

You see the second earpads are stored in the case as well as the headphone:

Cable

The cable options each come, in their own dedicated box:

Opening the cable box reveals neatly arranged cables with a premium finish that matches the headphones themselves.

So I got the balanced 4.4mm cable:

The cables are stored in a dedicated fabric pouch for protection when not in use.

The build quality of the cable is exceptional:

The connectors are very robust and well-engineered, ensuring a secure connection and longevity.

Note: The connector is a 4-pin mini-XLR balanced rather than the more typical dual 3.5mm connectors:

Build Quality and Design: Artisanal Craftsmanship

The Empyrean II exemplifies Meze’s reputation for exceptional build quality and attention to detail. The headphones feature a combination of premium materials including carbon fiber, aluminum, and leather, all assembled with precision.

The earcups showcase Meze’s distinctive design language with their unique pattern that’s both functional and aesthetically pleasin, these are magnetically attached to the earpads:

The side view reveals the elegant profile of the Empyrean II, with its distinctive suspension system and premium materials.

Comfort and Fit: Designed for Extended Listening

One of the standout features of the Empyrean II is its exceptional comfort. The headphones are designed for extended listening sessions, with a weight distribution system that minimizes fatigue.

I found the suspension mechanism to be excellent (probably the best in any headphone).

The headband distributes weight evenly across the top of your head, preventing the “hotspot” pressure points that can make long listening sessions uncomfortable with other headphones.

The Empyrean II comes with two different sets of earpads, each offering a slightly different fit and sound signature.

The large, comfortable earpads envelop your ears completely. Here are some measurements of the internal dimensions:

Creating both an excellent seal and exceptional comfort.

Overall, Meze makes some incredible well-designed headphones, and while the 109 Pro and the 104 AER are very different in their overall design, there is a shared heritage of build quality across the whole range that you do not get from other headphone manufacturers:

Driver details

So the heart of the Meze Empyrean II lies the refined MZ3 Isodynamic Hybrid Array driver, a collaborative innovation between Meze Audio and Rinaro Isodynamics.

Removing the earpads gives you a sense of this driver behind some fabric protecting it:

Compared to the Meze Poet AMTS driver:

This driver features a dual-coil design: a switchback coil at the upper part of the diaphragm dedicated to reproducing lower frequencies down to 8 Hz, and a spiral coil positioned directly over the ear canal to handle mids and highs up to 110,000 Hz

Sound Impressions

What makes the Empyrean II truly special is how nicely balanced every aspect of its sound signature is, especially from the Alcantara earpads. This is a headphone that doesn’t emphasize any particular frequency range at the expense of others, instead delivering a cohesive, natural presentation that serves the music well. However, as someone who values different sound signatures (life would be boring if every headphone sounded the same), I do appreciate the 2 very different sound signatures offered by both earpads.

Interchangeable Earpads: Two Flavors of Excellence

Each earpads offers a different variation of the Meze warm, detailed house sound:

1. Alcántara Earpads: These provide a more resolving sound signature with an excellent soundstage. The Alcantara material is also exceptionally comfortable for long listening sessions. This became my preferred option for critical listening, especially with acoustic and classical music where spatial cues and fine detail retrieval are paramount. This was that Rolls-Royce experience you don’t normally get from flagships.

2. Duo Earpads: These offer a richer, thicker sound signature with much more emphasis on the warmer bass. The Duo pads are perfect for genres like jazz, vocals, and electronic music where you might want a bit more warmth and body. This was like switching the Rolls-Royce into a convertable for a bit of ‘fun’ for a different take on your music.

The ability to quickly swap between these two sound signatures is a very nice feature, essentially giving you two flagship headphones in one. Having these in a headphone collection, maybe alongside a Sennheiser HD800s, a Sennheiser HD600, and maybe a Hifiman Arya Unveiled would provide a fantastic varied way to get the most from your music.

These sound impressions below were mainly when using the Alcantara earpads though I did occasionally switch:

Bass

The bass response of the Empyrean II is exemplary—deep, textured, and perfectly controlled. It extends down to the lowest octaves without any bloat or muddiness. With the Alcantara pads, the bass is precise and articulate, while the Duo pads add a touch more warmth and body.

Tracks like “Limit to Your Love” by James Blake showcase the Empyrean II’s ability to reproduce subbass with authority while maintaining perfect control. The bass never bleeds into the midrange, maintaining clarity across the frequency spectrum.

Midrange

The midrange is where many flagship headphones make their mark, and the Empyrean II doesn’t disappoint. Vocals are presented with natural timbre and presence, neither pushed forward nor recessed in the mix.

Female vocals like Diana Krall’s “Temptation” sound intimate and realistic, with all the subtle nuances of her voice preserved. Male vocals have appropriate weight and body, especially with the Duo pads.

Instrumental timbres are rendered with exceptional accuracy. Piano notes have the right amount of attack and decay, while acoustic guitars sound remarkably lifelike with their harmonic complexity fully intact.

Treble

The treble response of the Empyrean II strikes an ideal balance between detail and smoothness. There’s plenty of air and extension without any harshness or sibilance.

Cymbal crashes have natural shimmer and decay, while high-pitched instruments like violins maintain their character without becoming strident. This is a treble presentation you can enjoy for hours without any fatigue.

Soundstage and Imaging

The Empyrean II presents a spacious, three-dimensional soundstage that extends well beyond the confines of the headphones. With the Alcantara pads especially, the sense of space is remarkable.

Imaging is precise, allowing you to pinpoint the location of instruments within the soundstage with ease. Complex orchestral pieces remain coherent, with each section clearly delineated in space.

Specifications and Measurements

The crucial values here of Sensitivity and Impedance show that the Empyrean II, unlike most flagships, can run on much more modest geat without any ‘scalability’ problems. So while the Empyrean II can benefit like most headphones from more powerful desktop amplifier, you can easily use portable headphone amplifiers. I even used a very modest Fosi Audio DS2 for much of my subjective listening.

Measurements

Note: The following measurements were taken with my KB501X soft ear Pinna and a 711 clone coupler. They are available on my measurement database here.

Let’s start with the basic frequency response of the Alcántara pads:

Mostly this is excellent I did highlight a slight subbass rolloff (1) which is very similar to what you get with the HD600 as in this comparison (1):

But for example, in this comparison above, I highlight (2) and (3) which are basically the tuning that opens up the soundstage to avoid the 3-blob problem typical of the HD600 tuning.

So moving onto compare to 2 earpads: This graph highlights what I really like about the Empyrean II. Like 2 brothers with different personalities.

So the Duo has a warm bass (1) but with much less emphasis on the midrange, ultimately providing a pretty wide and interesting soundstage. While the treble on both earpads is just hot enough to give a balanced to this warmth with plenty of details. Having these two sound signatures effectively gives you two headphones. The Alcantara being much more balanced, but then the Duo is providing a rich and more ‘fun’ sound signature.

And they both have excellent channel matching:

Next, comparing the Frequency response with some other Meze headphones:

The POET with its AMTS tuned FR has the most linear subbass (1) typical of planars. While the 109 Pro and the Duo Pads on the Empyrean II provide a nice warm tonality loved by many people. All the Meze’s have that typical recessed 1-2Khz (the ‘soundstage region’), and as is also typical of Meze headphone’s, you get some excellent detail in the treble.

Distortion

If you are going to use EQ (and possibly some reduction in midbass via EQ might help the Duo earpads to be more balanced), it is important to understand the distortion profile.

But I was very impressed with the distortion, as you can see it is minimal:

And as a percentage, there is nothing to worry about:

Who Is This Flagship For?

The Meze Empyrean II could be the perfect flagship for two distinct groups of audiophiles:

1. Those seeking their one and only endgame headphone: If you’re looking to make a single investment in a luxurious headphone that will serve all your listening needs, the Empyrean II is an excellent choice. The interchangeable earpads provide versatility, allowing you to tailor the sound signature to different genres or moods. And the minimal distortion means you can easily experiment with some EQ should you want to try different sound signatures.

2. Collectors adding a unique piece for their collection: If you already have a collection of high-end headphones ( perhaps, a balanced reference like a Mod house Tungsten or a classic wooden ZMF), the Empyrean II offers something distinctive with 2 alternative tunings both outstanding but different enough to fill more audiophile niches. It’s like adding a Rolls-Royce to a collection of classic cars. It brings a unique combination of luxury, craftsmanship, and performance that complements rather than duplicates what you already have.

Rating

I can’t really fault the Meze Empyrean II, as a flagship headphone. Though, if it only came with the Duo earpads, I feel I would have given it a 4-star rating. However, with both earpads providing 2 separate and crucially interesting tunings, I think it is a worthy flagship, almost 2 for the price of one:

Pragmatic Rating (5/5): The Empyrean II delivers on sound quality, build, comfort, and versatility. The interchangeable earpads add significant value, essentially providing two flagship experiences in one package.

Price Rating (3/5): While undeniably expensive, the Empyrean II if you can afford it, it does justify its flagship price through exceptional craftsmanship, premium materials, and outstanding performance.

Features Rating (5/5): The exceptional build quality, interchangeable earpads, premium accessories, and versatile connectivity options all contribute to a complete flagship package.

Conclusion

The Meze Empyrean II represents probably the best headphone that Meze has engineered. The interchangeable earpads offer welcome versatility, allowing you to slightly shift the sound signature to match your preferences or the music you’re enjoying.

While there are certainly cheaper headphones available that might better match specific sound signature preferences, I can’t fault the Empyrean II for what it sets out to achieve. It’s a luxurious, meticulously crafted flagship that delivers a ‘heavenly’ listening experience worthy of its premium positioning.

Whether you’re seeking your endgame headphone or adding a special piece to your collection, the Meze Empyrean II represents one of the finest expressions of what a modern flagship headphone can be but seldom is.