Meze Audio Empyrean II

A striking refinement to Meze's gorgeous open-back headphones

When I first laid eyes on the original Meze Audio Empyrean wired headphones, I was blown away. It was one most finely crafted set of headphones I'd ever seen, held, or worn. The Empyrean II planar magnetic headphones build on that well-put-together foundation — with a new intricate grille pattern and a more linear sound tuning.

Sonic accuracy and authority

Before updating the Empyrean, Meze's acoustic engineer Alex Grigoras said that he gathered feedback from the high-end headphone community. "I wanted to understand their expectations," he said. While discerning listeners found the deep bass impact "endearing" in the original model, they craved a little more detail in the upper mids and highs.

Meze teamed up once again with Ukrainian research team Rinaro for their special type of driver for planar magnetic headphones. By separating the voice coil on the transducer, Rinaro figured out a way to deliver the spacious, evenhanded planar sound — with Meze's authoritative bass. Alex and team made some tuning tweaks to preserve the powerful low-end punch, while serving up more clarity and presence across all frequencies.

Solidly constructed with fine attention to detail

In true Meze Audio fashion, updating the design became an exercise in steady patience. Sonically, aesthetically, and structurally, the Meze team struggled to strike the right balance. They said they went through many design tweaks before landing on the final materials and proper new pattern for the out-facing grille. Then the geometry fell into place.

From a distance these might look like closed-back headphones, but a closer look at their robust aluminum grille reveals a different story. The etched art-deco-inspired pattern on each earcup allows air to flow in and out freely. The small, symmetrical openings are chiseled by hand with the help of a CNC milling machine — a process that takes several hours for each earcup.

Incredibly comfortable and beautifully packed

The Empyreans are among the physically largest headphones out there, but they also might be the easiest to wear at this size. A flexible, carbon-fiber headband acts as a spine for a leather strap that hugs the crown of your head. This evenly distributes the weight of the headphones, so you can wear them for long periods of time.

Meze packs two sets of thick, soft earpads — one that blends leather with Alcantara® and one angled set made from just Alcantara — inside a heavy-duty, luggage-size carrying case. The pads delicately cradle the head, avoiding pressure points, yet still manage to stay securely in place as your head moves.