Overall then, the Meze Audio Empyrean II headphones may be very expensive, but they are decidedly special. This is a seriously well-designed and thoroughly executed product which gives an absolutely top-tier rendition of recorded music, regardless of how good or bad it may be. As such, if you're in the market for a dream headphone design, these are well worth auditioning.

This is a headphone everyone will still be talking about in 20 years. The Empyrean just is incredibly good and it checks all my boxes, and then some. We’re pretty spoiled when it comes to good gear and good headphones, but this is one is extra special. Just listen to it with a good amp at home or in your office and I bet a lot of you will join #TeamEmpyrean right away. Who’s with me?

I love that it doesn’t require huge power but my, it sounds beautiful with great amps, as any great headphone should aspire to do. The fact it has enough flexibility to sound excellent with very good portable sources also is the icing on the cake.

My favorite quality of these headphones is the amazingly-wide soundstage. I’m still picking up aspects of songs that I know like the back of my hand and hearing new things through the Empyreans. That to me is part of the fun of being an audiophile. Rediscovering old music and breathing new life into these songs day after day. It never gets old.

I really want to love the Empyrean; there are many things I really like about it. Having the opportunity to spend some time with it, it’s very clear that a lot of care and great attention to detail has gone into the making of this headphone; and honestly, in many ways it’s design is absolutely brilliant. Unlike many of the high-end, flagship planar-magnetic headphones available in the market, it’s actually incredibly comfortable, maybe even the most comfortable headphone I’ve ever worn. The problem for me, or the reason why I struggle to recommend the Empyrean, then, is that I feel as though there is a bit of a mismatch between the user and sonic experience it delivers.

Thanks to their open-back design, their passive soundstage seems wide, open, and spacious. That said, they have a warm sound profile that delivers a bit of extra boom to mixes. Their rolled-off treble veils vocals and lead instruments while sibilants like cymbals are dulled. Although planar magnetic drivers typically help bass accuracy, these headphones also really lack low-bass. You need an amp to drive these headphones to their full potential, too.

Meze has produced a true high-end headphone in the Empyrean. The level of workmanship is exquisite. Comfort levels, weight on the head and level of clamping are spot-on for me. It’s only when you look in the mirror that you realise that you have something so substantial on your head!