Last month Hi-Fi expert reviewer Jay Garrett featured Meze’s flagship isodynamic Empyrean headphones in a review for digital consumer audio publication StereoNET.
Originally launched in the early 2000s, StereoNET are the revered organisers of the yearly International Hi-Fi Show in Melbourne, Australia and has a longstanding reputation as a widely respected Hi-Fi and consumer audio online journal, attracting an audience of around 200k monthly readers from across the globe.
The review includes the story of Garrett’s very first viewing of the Empyrean at London’s Canjam festival in 2018:
Ever since first meeting the Meze Empyrean at CanJam London 2018, I have dreamed about what it would be like to receive a pair. Well, I am pleased to say that, even though these are not to be mine for keepsies, the experience is none-the-less heavenly
During the article Garrett takes an expertly deep dive into the Empyrean’s technical specifications, along with the recent history of Meze and their relationship with Ukrainian manufacturer Rinaro Isodynamics, who contributed generously to the unique design of Empyrean’s driver technology:
Rinaro's clever planar magnetic design features a diaphragm that is made up of two distinct coil patterns with a spiral coil placed over the ear canal which is more efficient at creating mids and highs.
All of this tech has resulted in some impressive specs.
Whilst putting the Empyreans through their paces, Garrett selected a variety of wide ranging material from Sevdaliza to Dilly Dally and even acclaimed New York metal band Prong. The testing process utilised a number of high quality components including the solid-state Benchmark HPA4 and Benchmark DAC3 HGC, as well as the Feliks Euphoria to test the headphone’s metal the paired with valve hardware. However, in the end Garrett resolves that the forgiving nature of Empyrean tends to take some of the pressure off the rest of your signal chain:
Having heard the Empyrean driven by Benchmark's HPA4/DAC3 team and a Feliks Eurphoria I knew what they were capable of when partnered with some of the best. However, even with my more modest head-amp, the Empyrean is god-like.
Garett went on to praise the Empyrean’s build quality, sound quality, aesthetics and their music production talents as engaging, entertaining and at-times awe-inspiring.
I fell in love with the Empyrean the moment I heard a pair. Even in my home system, they will rate as being my favourite headphones I have had around my ears.
Finally, Hi-Fi products that reach the StereoNET review bench with a particularly special or timeless quality are awarded a highly desirable Applause Award, which we were thrilled to find awarded to the Meze Empyrean.
Buying a pair of Meze Empyrean headphones can genuinely be classed as an investment as they will continue to please for many years to come. This qualifies them for the StereoNET Applause Award.
Check out the full article article from Jay Garrett here, or to find out even more about StereoNET here.
And for all enquiries relating to Meze Empyrean in the UK and Ireland, contact the SCV Consumer Audio Sales team!