Meze Audio EMPYREAN Gun Metal Headphone

A TIMELESS STATEMENT OF HI-FI

“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

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:

- 2.5m OFC cable, 4pin mini XLR plugs ending with 6.3 jack connector

or

- 1.2m OFC cable, 4pin mini XLR plugs ending with 3.5 jack connector

or

- 2.5m OFC cable, 4pin mini XLR plugs ending with 4 pin XLR connector

*Vegan option available upon request.

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