Top sellers

Meze Empyrean Headphones

Print

empyrean

New

A blend of premium materials, exquisite craftsmanship and detailing that’s unmistakably  Meze, Empyrean is one of the most technologically innovative planar magnetic headphones in the world. 

More details

$ 4,999.00 $ 5,999.00

-$ 1,000.00

A blend of premium materials, exquisite craftsmanship and detailing that’s unmistakably  Meze, Empyrean is one of the most technologically innovative planar magnetic headphones in the world. 

“Empyrean was born from passion, curiosity and innovation. As a business, we have allowed ourselves the freedom to experiment and take risks in search of the perfect sound. To generate something truly remarkable, one must dare to explore, and that’s what we did with Empyrean. We pushed and refined industry’ standards and achieved a true game changer for audiophiles.”  

Antonio Meze, Lead designer and Founder Meze Audio

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.  

Rinaro, a progressive audio company, has at the heart of its technology an R&D team that has been at the forefront of planar magnetic development since the 1980’s. What originally started as a state-funded initiative with a focus on innovation has now entered into a new chapter of audio progression with the opening of a cutting-edge industrial facility in Ukraine. 

ARCHITECTURE OF THE ISODYNAMIC® HYBRID ARRAY DRIVER

FRAME

Fiberglass infused

ABS RINARO ISOPLANAR® DIAPHRAGM

Weighing only 0.16 g while having 4650 mm² of active area.

HYBRID MAGNET ARRAY

Symmetrically placed on each side of the diaphragm, our neodymium magnets are specifically arranged into a Hybrid Array to create efficient Isodynamic magnetic field required for a uniform activation across the whole diaphragm surface.

HYBRID ARRAY DRIVER ADVANTAGES

Combines two independently shaped voice coils within the same diaphragm delivering more selective acoustic performance to the various areas within the structure of the ear.

ACCURATE REPRODUCTION Total harmonic distortion (THD) measures under 0.1% in the whole frequency range  

LIGHTWEIGHT Reduced driver weight designed to create a headphone that offers prolonged listening sessions  

ERGONOMIC SHAPE Ergonomically shaped driver structure with an increased active area  

ULTRA-HIGH-RESOLUTION AUDIO Upper-frequency limit of audio reproduction is 110,000 Hz  

ULTRA EFFICIENT 100db@1mw/1kHz High performance without needing amplification  

PATENT PENDING ISODYNAMIC HYBRID ARRAY DRIVER World's first in planar magnetic headphones

Over 30 years of research and development have led to the creation of the first Isodynamic Hybrid Array driver. Meze Audio have collaborated with Rinaro to create a new standard in planar magnetic audio, the resulting technology being one of the lightest and most advanced planar magnetic drivers on the market.

The Empyrean Driver combines individual switchback and spiral-shaped voice coils, their unique shapes allowing sound to be targeted with more accuracy around the natural form of the ear. This unique combination generates an increased exposure of direct sound wave frequencies over the 10kHz range and improves imaging and localization by decreasing the impact of shortwave time delays caused by diffused field reflections. 

AUDIBLE BENEFITS OF A DUAL DRIVEN SYSTEM

One of the problems with conventional planar magnetic arrays is coming from reflected signals entering the ear canal with different time delays, thereby worsening the focus of 3D sound imaging. Combining different voice coil configurations makes it possible to create a better sound intensity distribution across the sound wavefront at high frequencies when directed at the auricle and ear canal.

ISOPLANAR® DIAPHRAGM MATERIAL

The diaphragm is manufactured from a custom developed isotropic thermally stabilized polymer with a conductive layer. Through unique processing methods, an ultralight yet rigid diaphragm has been achieved.  

SWITCHBACK COIL

The switchback coil is more efficient at reproducing lower frequencies and is positioned in the upper part of the driver.  

SPIRAL COIL

The spiral coil is more efficient at reproducing middle-high frequencies and is positioned directly over the ear canal enabling more direct sound waves to enter the ear without any time delays.

AN ERGONOMIC APPROACH LEADS TO A NEW WAY OF THINKING

Anatomically designed ovate earcups Anthropometric earpad design  

To create an audiophile headphone that is powerful yet light the driver needed to maximize power output while reducing weight as much as possible.  

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.

ISOMAGNETIC® EARCUP TO EARPAD COUPLING TECHNOLOGY  

An innovative feature is the Isomagnetic® ear cup attachment which utilizes the demagnetizing field generated by the driver to hold the ear cup in place whilst also redirecting the magnetic field back into the driver and improving driver efficiency.  

Magnetic field shielding: The ferromagnetic ear pads decrease the magnetic stray field affecting the listeners head.  

Increase in driver efficiency: Patented ferromagnetic plates channel the magnetic field back into the driver, increasing output.  

Invisible locking system: Innovative use of the magnetic field of the drivers to fix the earcups in place.

STRAY FIELD REDUCTION FROM ISOMAGNETIC® PLATE COUPLING

Patented ferromagnetic plates channel the demagnetizing field back into the driver increasing efficiency by 1db or 12% and deflect 95% of stray fields away from the head.  

ISODYNAMIC DRIVER MANUFACTURED BY RINARO

Each driver has been hand assembled and tested in an industrial facility in Ukraine. 

DESIGN DETAILS  

“In a world of minimalism, Empyrean is a tribute to sophistication and art nouveau. It's the courage to go against the stream.”  Paul Șteț, Product Development  

PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION WINGS  

Patented suspension wings increase the leather headrest’s contact surface area with your head and relieve uncomfortable pressure points.  

LIGHTWEIGHT CARBON / ALUMINIUM SKELETON

CARBON FIBER HEADBAND

LEATHER HEADREST

SCULPTED ALUMINIUM SKELETON CNC milling time: ≈20 hours.

High precision CNC sculpted chassis, milled from a single piece of solid aluminum.  Weight: ≈ 430 g  

AIRFLOW CONTROL

CNC MILLED ALUMINUM GRILL ensures a natural sound transparency and is a work of art in its own right.  

DESIGNED AND ENGINEERED IN BAIA MARE, ROMANIA

For the audiophiles who want to hear how 30 years of progression sound like, Empyrean pairs the advances in audio reproduction with a headphone chassis that delivers extended hours of listening pleasure.  

HAND ASSEMBLED  

We carefully hand assemble each headphone in our facilities in Baia Mare, Romania.  

FULLY SERVICEABLE

A core belief of Meze is to create products that last. The Empyrean is no different: from the replaceable earpads to the high-performance materials used, every part on the headphone chassis is available to be serviced and disassembled by our skilled team.

ACCESSORIES  

  • Case: High-strength aluminum suitcase with foam inserts
  • Two sets of earpads included: one real leather, one Alcantara
  • Cable options: - 3m OFC cable, 4pin mini XLR plugs ending with 6.3 jack connector
  • or - 1.3m OFC cable, 4pin mini XLR plugs ending with 3.5 jack connector
  • or - 3m OFC cable, 4pin mini XLR plugs ending with 4 pin XLR connector  
  • *Vegan option available upon request.  

EMPYREAN TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS  

  • 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  
  • WARRANTY PERIOD: 2 YEARS