Meze Audio Empyrean II

In a relatively short time, Meze Audio has made quite some impact on the world of headphones.

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Its products have typically been stylish, well made and comfortable, and their sonic signature has struck a chord with many people. We tested the mid-priced 99 Classics and listened to the original flagship Empyrean, and were taken by their rich, smooth and entertaining balance. Neither was the most neutral, insightful or dynamic at the price, but they stayed likeable all the same.

The big news with the new Empyrean II headphones is the ongoing refinement of their magnetic planar drive unit. Meze calls it an Isodynamic Hybrid array and it is a design that was developed by the Ukraine’s Rinaro Isodynamics, which has been developing such driver technology for over 30 years.

At the heart of the drive unit sits a 102 x 73mm oval-shaped diaphragm made from a thermally stabilised isotropic polymer with a conductive layer. The diaphragm is impressively light at just 0.16g and is claimed to have an active area of 4650mm squared. The conductive layer has two types of coil: a spiral that sits down towards the base of the oval and is positioned directly over the ear canal, and a switch-back track that covers the top two-thirds of the diaphragm. The switch-back coil design is claimed to be more efficient at delivering bass. Magnets are placed symmetrically on either side of the diaphragm and should generate a uniform magnetic field across the surface of the diaphragm. There are plenty of benefits to this including low distortion (Meze claims under 0.05 per cent THD across the whole frequency range) and a wide frequency response (a highly impressive 8-110,000Hz). Whales and bats beware!