Meze Empyrean Planar Headphones

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.

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.

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.

“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

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.

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.

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
• 3m OFC cable, 4pin mini XLR plugs ending with 6.3 jack

Special Order 

Please note these are a special order item and not available from stock. Please read our T&C's and Returns Policy carefully before purchase. Headphones also have health and safety considerations, which can effect returns. Should you have any questions regarding this, please contact us before purchase.