Of the Emperor Neuer Sound - Meze Empyrean II

What happens when you use the fantastic Lotoo Mjolnir with the new Meze Empyrean II Combining headphones? More detail, better treble, bass, great vocals, and a wide soundstage? Sure. But above all, lose yourself in the music!

We have tested the Empyrean II and it is now available to our customers as Demo device in the showroom or to Test at home available. But before we delve deeper into the sound, as always, a little unboxing photo session...

Upon unpacking, it's immediately noticeable that Meze has dispensed with the aluminum case found on the Empyrean and Elite for the Empyrean II, opting instead for a much smaller ABS plastic case. It may not look quite as sleek as its predecessor, but it's lighter and easier to transport thanks to its compact size—it even fits in a backpack.

New is the now standard premium cable, which is available in pure copper or silver-plated copper. Pictured here is the copper version.

Externally, little has changed—Meze largely relies on the popular, iconic design of its predecessor. The included earpads have been completely redesigned, contributing significantly to the Empyrean II's new sound.

The workmanship is still flawless - this was also the case with its predecessor - and the comfort of the Empyrean II is excellent.

As you can see, the Empyrean II harmonizes perfectly with our new "workhorse," the Lotoo Mjölnir. This is hi-fi at the highest level—both visually and acoustically.

The first bars of the music immediately prove two things:

1) The Lotoo Mjolnir actually manages to get the maximum performance out of every headphone and in-ear that can be connected.

2) The new Meze Empyrean II It's not what I imagined, or what most reviews suggest. That's not to say it's worse or completely different—quite the opposite. But more on that later.

How does the Empyrean II sound?

I have to back up a bit about this. I have to admit that I already really liked the Empyrean I – better than the Elite, which is 1,000 CHF more expensive. Why? Because he was and still is simply wonderfully musical. The Elite plays much more analytically and precisely—ultimately, it's a matter of taste.

The first reviews of the Empyrean II agree that the "new" model is more in line with the Elite—that is, it has a significantly more neutral and streamlined tuning. Customer requests have obviously been taken into account and the tuning has been optimized accordingly. There are certainly customers, like me, who were and still are very happy with the performance of the "old" Empyrean.

Mixed Emotions

So I went with mixed I approached the Empyrean II test with a certain amount of emotion. But the very first bars that the Mjölnir coaxed from the "new" instrument made me breathe a sigh of relief – the qualities of its predecessor, the musicality, are still there – only significantly better!

While the Empyrean I could be described as "warm," the "new" one impresses with more detail and resolution—without sacrificing musicality. Quite the opposite: This thing "rocks"—or in other words, the Empyrean II plays with such lightness and confidence that after a few minutes, I was completely I forgot to pay attention to details and note down the features of the headphones and just listened to music.

And even as I write this, I find it difficult to switch into "analysis mode" because I'd much rather just surrender to the music! 😢🤩

Mind cinema

As already mentioned, the new Empyrean II is at least as musical as the old one, but the sound has been improved in many details. bass comes faster and crisper without losing impact, Details are excellently worked out and the headphones offer a realistic stage with excellent Space.

Orchestral pieces and orchestral soundtracks such as z.B"The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" unleashes a veritable storm of sound upon the listener, creating images in the mind and making you feel like you're in the middle of the action – mind cinema at its finest.

In complex pieces, the individual instruments are clearly worked out and the Channel separation is excellent.

My personal highlight is the Voice reproductionThe singers fit seamlessly into the overall picture of the orchestra and band, but are so clearly defined and slightly brought to the foreground by the Empyrean, as if they were standing in front of me in the flesh—magnificent!

I don’t want to analyze any further at this point, but simply listen to music and say goodbye to this blog - but not without offering you a listening session in our showroom or at home strongly recommended! 🙌 The Empyrean II is now available as a demo!

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