That statement regarding being too expensive for its level of performance applies for lots of gear, unfortunately… (IMO)
Utopia, for example, at full retail. (I speak as an owner of one too, though I got a significant discount on mine.) 
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Yeah for sure. Never pay msrp lol. And even then it’s still on the higher side. But when you’re a clean freak like me I sometimes say F it and pay a little more (headphones).
Much easier with equipment because it’s not on my head lol.
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This is nice insight as I’m interested in both these headphones but have heard neither. Interesting that they are similar to you. Used, I believe they’re both around the same price point. I’ve been contemplating a good complementary can to my 1000se. Will PM you if I have any follow ups but personally appreciate the post!
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Glad it was helpful! Feel free to reach out anytime.
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Never heard an empy but to me liquid is to the PFs as mid timbre is to the Senn hd6##s. And tbh, i feel most newer offerings dont do “liquid”. Smooth, yes, but it just is not the same.
You can get clarity out of the 2pf but you have to go high, high up to where i wouldnt recommend it unless youre diehard over them or you built for other high end cans and the 2pf is just there benefitting from trickle down. The 3pf though, that felt like it traded a touch of the 2s velvetiness for much better clarity and more forward upper mids.
Same. Though i trust most people here, if i get something used i usually factor in at least new pads (especially if it is senn velour that soaks in things). Leather ill deep clean, moisturizer and condition.
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Out of curiosity, does anybody know if the OG Empyrean will be going out of production? I’ve heard some say yes and others not even mention it.
It would be smart for Meze to lower the cost of the OG but still offer it. At a lower and more appropriate price point, it would allow Meze to reach customers who are interested in their products but cant afford the flagship models.
I personally enjoyed the Empyrean, but wasnt interested due to the price. The Empyrean tuning and timbre actually is pretty good. The soundstage is wide and it is also a fun headphone for immersive and non competitive gaming. If it cost somewhere between $1,200 to $1,500, it would be a no brainer IMO.
The Empyrean struggled with more nuanced things. Even though it sounds very wide, it lacked depth, especially forward and backwards wise. Even though it was tuned well to my ears, it suffered from a lack of dynamics in the lower treble. For the detail oriented hobbyists, this is a cardinal sin. To the hobbyists that just want to chill and listen to music, it was less of an issue. Me personally, I dont need (or want) to hear extreme levels of detail. Hearing a trombonists spittle isnt music. I understand that many folks love that kind of detail, and that is totally fine. But for me, it isn’t important as long as I can hear the core of the instruments and vocals. The Empyrean have a nice amount of bass, but that bass suffers a tiny bit due to the lack of dynamics. The bass roars more than it hits, if that makes any sense.
Again, this is just my opinion and my standards and expectations do increase alongside a headphone’s price. So while I do feel that Meze gets some undue criticism, some of it is indeed justified. But I also feel that some were so put off by the lack of dynamics in the treble, that they couldn’t appreciate some of the Empyrean’s strengths. Which is fine, each to their own.
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I think it is discontinued. Meze has removed it from their website.
That’s a bummer for fans of the OG (I never got to hear one). It would’ve been nice to see them carried over at a discount.
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If that is true, I hope the OG prices on the used market bottom out a bit. Many would be interested, I’m sure.
I’d love the opportunity to hear the Elite and the Empyrean II. It would be cool to be able to hear the evolution from OG to Elite to the II.
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It looks like (without hearing either) that the Empyrean 2 is similar in tuning to the 109 Pro, which has been widely praised. A slightly warm, v-shaped tuning.
I haven’t heard either, but I really enjoyed the Elite so I’m really curious about the Empyrean 2. Reviews haven’t been too clear as to which is more of the original Meze house sound (my impression is that it’s a warm/lush and relaxed in the mids sound).
The mids on the Elite were pretty perfect for my preferences. Highly detailed, yet not forward. Vocal staging was probably the best I’ve heard (Susvara still wins on timbre).
Looking forward to hearing the Empyrean 2.
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Totally agree here. Last night I was thinking about some of the things I enjoyed and what I wanted more of and dynamics was one of them. The bass went low and was awesome but I did want more impact and speed with it. And I didn’t even think about them offering 3 options, Empy OG, Empy 2 and elite. That would be a nice tier system.
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The pads seemed thinner than I recall on the original Empy, still as comfortable as ever.
Listened for a bit out of the prototype CFA3, will get more time tomorrow as I had to share a source with someone listening to the new electrostatic amp by Headamp, was playing stuff I normally don’t listen to and hogged the Roon tablet!
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With CAF over, and a few days later my impression of the Empy 2 hasn’t changed much. The comfort is there as expected, the pads were thinner and as a result lost the dimensional signature of the original.
In short, it felt like they chopped off the bottom and top of the frequency to focus on only mid-range. Which if one enjoyed midrange then that is great, the downside for me is that translates into having your belt too tight after a nice big meal while your belly wants more space. So I guess that translates into sounding compressed.
Not worth $3k, and whatever used prices end up there are likely better options. I got to try the 109 Pro too, now that kicked ass for its price under a grand.
P.S, Modhouse Argon single sided smoked it for half the price 
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Yeah Resolve wasn’t a fan either. Different strokes for different folks.
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I did not read or watch his reviews, was lost with whatever they are calling their new approach to frequency graphs.
Yeah I don’t focus too much on that or his EQ profiles. Just how he hears it and what others say in comparison. I feel like he hasn’t enjoyed many headphones lately.
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Resolve looks like the emo fellow from the youtube reviewers, ive always found his taste in audio to be pretty average but at the same time very inconsistent for a measurements eq person
I watched a lot of his videos and tried his eqs and then stopped, nowadays not getting info from videos anymore anyways
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Same here. I take his reviews with a grain of salt. He is somewhat informative at times, but a lot of his tastes and preferences don’t line up with mine…
I find Lachlan much more useful and informative.
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@Christof, looking forward to your Empyrean 2 impressions after you’ve had some more time with them. I’m also curious if you’ve heard the Elite and how they compare to the Empyrean 2.
Thanks in advance.
I haven’t heard the Elite unfortunately and I’ve spent about 2 minutes with the original Empyrean. Here are some pictures for now. Will try and put some comparisons together soon with my other headphones.
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Mate thats a gorgeus DNA stratus
And very cool empys hope u like it and can also compare them with the elite as theres been a ton of debate around empy 2 vs elite
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