Meze Elite Headphones

Meze headphones hail from Romania. When I first came across them, I thought the company name was pronounced “meeese,” but in fact it is pronounced like “mez-eh” with a “z.” My first experience with Meze products was the 99 Classics headphone ($309), which I’ve owned for several years. It currently resides next to my exercise bike, attached to an Android tablet for sound during workouts. The 99 Classics is not only extremely light, comfortable, and easy to drive with a phone or tablet, it also sounds better than many of the other similarly priced headphones I’ve used. Given the excellence of its entry-level offerings, I was curious to hear how Meze’s flagship performed, and Meze was willing to accommodate.

The company was so eager for the review that it sent along its Liric closed-cup portable headphones ($2000) for me to listen to while it completed its latest production run of top-of-the-line Elite ’phones ($4000). And since I’ve got them, I will also include some thoughts on the Liric. So begins our latest headphone exploration, which has turned into a sort of a two-fer.

Tech Tour

Meze Audio headphones are the result of a unique design collaboration between Meze Audio and Rinaro Isodynamics. Rinaro is located in Ukraine, with offices in Poland. There, during the last 30 years, the company has focused all its design efforts on perfecting planar-magnetic transducers. The most advanced example of this collaboration is the isodynamic hybrid array found in the Elite headphones. This proprietary design produces extremely low harmonic distortion, measuring under 0.05% throughout its entire frequency range. The driver element is also lightweight at only 75 grams and has an upper frequency limit of 112kHz!

The Rinaro Parus planar diaphragm achieves an extremely low mass by utilizing an ultra-thin, biaxially oriented, semi-crystalline film. This membrane is produced through a special process that involves stretching it in transverse directions at high temperatures. This results in a film that contains a complex semi-crystalline microstructure that augments its strength, stiffness, and stability.

Instead of one unified voice coil the Elite uses a dual-driver system. The switchback coil, located in the upper section of the planar diaphragm, is more efficient on lower frequencies, while the spiral coil, located in the lower section, is more efficient on middle and upper frequencies. According to Meze, the reasons for this unique diaphragm design is because “a significant increase of direct sound waves can be achieved by positioning the most efficient part of the diaphragm in mid-high frequencies directly over the ear canal, resulting in improved 3D imaging and spatial localization.” So, in essence, the Elite is a two-way driver system with a passive crossover (or no crossover as the drivers’ innate frequency ranges act like a crossover system).

The Elite’s driver unit consists of three main elements. First, there is the earside casing, made of reinforced polymer designed to withstand the 12.7N load of the magnet array. The second section is the Rinaro Parus diaphragm, which has an active area of 4650mm. The third part of the sandwich is the hybrid magnet array made up of neodymium magnets arranged to produce a 0.35 Tesla magnetic field. The diaphragm is easy to drive; it can produce 101dB output from 1mW at 1kHz.

Even the Elite’s earpads and their attachment scheme has been designed in a way to sonically optimize the overall result. The Elite utilizes an isomagnetic earpad attachment method that not only holds the pads in place but also redirects the driver’s magnetic field back into the driver to improve its efficiency. The earpads also contain a screen that keeps 95% of stray magnetism from reaching your ears.

Ergonomics

If a headphone isn’t comfortable to wear, it doesn’t matter how well it performs. Meze has developed a unique headband design, originated on its Empyrean headphones, to increase the Elite’s wearability. In some ways, it is similar to the headband designs found on Dan Clark, HiFIMan, or Sendy headphones, but with a difference—patent-pending suspension wings. Instead of the standard U-shaped curve to the leather lower part of the headband, the design is almost W-shaped, which spreads the headphones weight over a larger portion of your head, making them more comfortable. My experience confirms that the Elite can be worn for extended periods without discomfort. The only downside is that you may, after a late-night listening session, forget they are on your head, and when you rise from your seat, have them unceremoniously yanked from your cranium. But they’re tough; they can take it.

The Elite comes with two pairs of earpads. Both have Meze’s magnetic-field shielding that reduces stray magnetic fields by 95%. Meze employs an “invisible” locking system that utilizes magnetism to hold the pads in place. The Meze Alcantara pads were originally developed for the Empyrean headphones and are 30mm deep. The second pair of pads are hybrid design that uses Alcantara interior and a leather exterior. This pad was created to lower the bass pressure and deliver an airier sound signature. I used both. Depending on the source material, I did have preferences. During the recent 2022 Grammys, the hybrid pads made the bass from the overly boisterous broadcast a bit more tolerable.

Most premium headphones come in large presentation cases with lots of additional bling. The Meze Elite does have a case, but instead of a heavy, useless wooden box, it is an aluminum, “Haliburton-style” flight case, which holds the headphones along with your choice of either a 2.5m OFC (oxygen-free copper) cable with 6.3mm jack, 1.2m OFC with 3.5mm jack, or 2.5m OFC with four-pin XLR connector, plus both pairs of earpads. While the Elite doesn’t fold down to a compact footprint like the eminently portable Meze Liric headphone, when ensconced in its aluminum case it becomes an easily transportable package.

Unlike many flagship, top-of-the-line, hard-to-drive headphones, the Elite is, as noted, highly sensitive at 101dB/1mW/1kHz, and low in impedance at 32 ohms. This translates into a headphone that is far easier to drive and needs less power than most. And while I used the cable with a balanced XLR connection, you don’t need balanced connections to drive the Elite. As a matter of fact, you can even power the Elite with your smartphone, if it has a headphone output. Obviously, a better source than your smartphone will yield a sonically superior result, but it’s nice to find a premium headphone that doesn’t need scads of power to sound optimal.

The supplied cabling from Meze was slightly stiffer than the cables from the recently reviewed Warwick Sonoma electrostatic headphones, but it was still fairly easy to coil and did not kink. I opted for the 2.5 OFC with XLR terminations. But given the Elite’s efficiency, there is no need to use the balanced termination (except when a headphone amplifier’s performance is superior on its balanced output connections), and a single-ended termination does offer greater compatibility with a wider range of headphone amplifiers.

Sound

Full-sized headphones come in two primary varieties: closed or open-back. Open-back headphones, where there is no enclosing rear surface to reflect the sound back into the headphone capsule, tend to produce larger, more spacious soundstages than comparable closed-back designs. But in some situations, such as in a library or during a live recording session, the sound leakage from open-back headphones is unacceptable, and closed-back units must be employed, often with some sonic sacrifice involved.

The Elite is an open-back design. It produces a huge soundstage that is comparable to other reference headphones with a similar backless design, such as the Warwick Sonoma system. Don’t confuse this big soundstage with a s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d soundstage, where all the instruments are wider than they should be. In comparison to the Liric, which is a conventional closed-back design, the Elite’s soundstage is more expansive, but each instrument still retains its proper dimensions. Going from the Liric to the Elite is like going from listening in a smaller space to a much larger one.

Several years ago, Harman developed a target EQ curve for its headphones that has been adopted by other manufacturers, including Dan Clark Audio. This curve differs from a “flat” curve in that it allows for some additional bass response that conforms with “room gain,” which is the bass energy added to a loudspeaker’s output by an average room. Many listeners, both naive and experienced, preferred the Harman curve in controlled blind tests. Some reviewers have gone so far as to insist that any variations from this curve are wrong. I take a different approach. In my world, there is room for more than one headphone sound. Between the differences in our individual ear geometry (everyone’s ear canals are different) and frequency sensitivities, there is room for more than one sonic “flavor” for a headphone. Also, it’s a lot easier to change headphones than it is to change loudspeakers; headphones offer audiophiles a way to include different sound signatures while not filling up their domiciles with multiple pairs of loudspeakers. So, I say vive la difference!

As I stated earlier, the usual reason that someone will opt for a closed rather than an open headphone is because the former minimizes sound leakage. Compared to a closed design, the Elite does not attenuate leakage as much as the Meze Liric or Dan Clark Stealth closed-back headphones do. If you use a pair of Elites at the dentist, during a root canal for instance, your practitioner will also get to enjoy your tunes. But if you are more than a couple of feet away, the Elite will not reveal your current musical choices.

Low bass and midbass through a pair of headphones is fundamentally different than what you hear from a room-based loudspeaker. No matter how much you turn up the volume, a headphone is never going to thump your chest like my pair of JL Audio Fathom f112 subwoofers can. But what the Elite headphones can do is deliver clean, fast bass with low amounts of harmonic distortion. The Elite’s bass resolution can also outpoint most room-based systems in pitch definition and speed. It’s bass that will appeal to your head, even if it doesn’t move your solar plexus.

The Elite’s midrange reminds me of an electrostatic headphone because it is fast and clean, with exemplary inner detail and resolution. On the just released 50^th Anniversary edition of Karen Dalton’s second album In My Own Time, via Qobuz, I was impressed by the increased decipherability of the new version. The Telecaster licks that were largely buried on my original LP pressing were easy to follow on this version through the Elite.

It’s time for my standard high-frequency disclaimer. I’m old. My hearing extends to 13kHz on a good day, so if there are issues above that frequency, I won’t hear them. Although my hearing isn’t as extended as it once was, I’m still quite sensitive to the quality of the upper frequencies. On well-recorded female vocals, such as Rickie Lee Jones’ voice on The Magazine, the Elite captures the astringent edge of her voice while also retaining its mellifluous qualities. Some headphones, such as the Sennheiser HD700, veer into harshness during her vocal crescendos, but the Elite doesn’t.

I mentioned the Elite’s soundstage briefly earlier. It is as good as I’ve heard from any headphone. Using my own reference recordings, such as the acoustic group Mr. Sun, recorded at the Salina Schoolhouse, the Elite did a superb job of retaining all the subtle locational cues. Even Darol Anger’s violin, which was on the extreme left side of the soundstage, had a precise location that changed as he moved.

Dynamic contrasts through the Elite were also impressive. Take that ol’ reference chestnut “Up on The Roof” from Rickie Lee Jones’ Girl at Her Volcano, which begins at a volume level way lower than most and proceeds upward to a drum crescendo that has ruined many loudspeaker drivers. The Elite handles the entire range, from soft to loud, with aplomb. The quiet beginning passages don’t need to be turned up as much as they do with many transducers due to the Elite’s superb low-level resolution. Since it wasn’t turned up as loudly, there was no need to turn levels down at the end. The entire dynamic range fit comfortably without the need for any mid-song adjustments.

Summary

The Meze Elite is, in every way, a reference-quality headphone that earns its flagship status and price—worthy competition for other flagship headphones such as the Dan Clark Stealth, Focal Utopia, ZMF Verité, and Warwick Sonoma. The Elite’s strong points are that it is exceedingly easy to drive, supremely comfortable, ruggedly built, and sounds wonderful.

The Meze Elite is the kind of headphone that quickly and conclusively spoils listeners to the point that, after spending time with them, it’s hard to go back to headphones that are merely extremely good, such as the Meze Liric. So, if you’re in the market for a superb pair of headphones, give a listen to the Meze Elite. They will spoil you.

Specs & Pricing

Type: Planar, open-back, Rinaro Isodynamic Hybrid Array
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 101dB at 1mW/1kHz
Driver weight: 75gm
Price: $4000

Meze Audio
Luliu Maniu Street, No. 38, First Floor, Ap.2
Baia Mare, 43031 Romania
mezeaudio.com