Audiophilepure

READ HERE

“After firing up the Arcam rHead amplifier, I started things off with the London Music Works version of STAY, from the Interstellar soundtrack. As soon as I hit play, the AEON flexed its dynamic range capability as if to invite me to challenge it further. As the organ comes in at around the 1:40 mark, it’s incredibly easy to not only pinpoint its exact location in the mix but also admire the haunting timbre of the instrument itself. The delicate reverb tails from each instrument are replicated perfectly, all the way into pitch black. The track sounds detailed and powerful, and more of an enjoyable listen, rather than a clinical one. The soundstage here is relatively good but doesn’t deliver as many crazy “out of the head” moments as say, the Sennheiser HD800.”

Read Here

“Compared to other similarily-priced wares from Audeze, Sennheiser or HIFIMAN, the Empyreans are firmly planted in the same territory from a sonic-capability standpoint, but stands out because they do not in some way compensate with trade-offs in frequency response, timbral accuracy, transient speed, treble or bass extension for playback, or long-term comfort or wearibility. Capable of ethereal highs, moody, passionate mids with superb palyback of every subtle vocal inflection and nuance and a bassheads delight for getting heavy, the Empyrean offers something few other headphones at any price point can offer: a complete package in set of over-ear ‘phones that will play it all without fuss, bottom-end goosing or hyperbole. They’re a dish that delivers on what the menu promises.”

Read more at https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/meze-empyrean-headphone-review-page-2-0#4j7F5Sb55gJmFGYp.99

Read Here

”
In many respects, the Audeze LDC-4z sounds surprisingly close to the performance of the top electrostats in terms of fine detail retrieval, transparency, coherence, openness, and clarity. It should appeal to those who want top-tier performance in an easier to drive and more comfortable package than the LCD-4. While its price tag may be a bit daunting, when one compares its performance to reference headphones, as well as many loudspeaker systems costing many times more, the LCD-4z is arguably somewhat of a bargain. If you want the best, make sure you audition the LCD-4z.”

Read Here

“HifiMan’s got my attention, and I’ll be looking to hear more of what they have to bring to the table. I recently had a positive experience with the new HE-1000SE at Canjam Socal and some Matrix audio gear. I think the company has found some strong footing with build quality, tuning and value for the money and I’ll be looking more closely at their offerings. The Arya in particular at $1,599 USD does seem a reasonable ask to me. It’s not cheap but neither is it unreasonable for it’s price in my opinion for a top-notch headphone. It is one of those headphones that feels as if it’s got a ‘Goldilocks’ price. Neither too high nor too low, but just right. Despite my personal feeling of fatigue with these headphones, if you’ve enjoyed HifiMan’s recent crop of headphones and don’t experience that same fatigue, I would by all means give this headphone a listen.”

READ HERE

“It starts off this painting with a deep, layered, textured bass response, full of body and presence. This doesn’t just bring a booming and fun bassline for hip-hop, but this dynamic low-end also presents an active and warm low end for acoustic or gentle pieces as well. The bass emphasis is linear and wide, rather than having a specific narrow mid-bass hump.

The next brush strokes are the lower mids, which are slightly more pronounced than you’ll find on Bowers & Wilkins’ PX. While the low end is incredibly strong, it doesn’t drown out the lower mids as collateral damage”

Read Here

“In terms of soundstage, the Ether 2 unsurprisingly trails the extremely wide HD800S by a sizable margin. It’s much closer to the Clear’s stage, while still falling somewhat behind the Clear’s width. However, while the Ether 2’s soundstage is relatively narrow for a pair of open-back cans, the Ether 2’s imaging is excellent, with distinct placement of voices and instruments from left to right. The Ether 2 also offers a sightly more up-front presentation than the Clear or HD800s, both of which reveal a somewhat deeper soundstage than the Ether 2 but lack some of the Ether 2’s seductive immediacy. ”