Well done. In the end it is question of personal taste. About treble peaks, this headphome divides listeners. In my case i have no problems. Later i write something about compairison with sr-009Intro:
Finally I had a chance to audition the 109Pro. The extensively raving reviews and the many hardcore fans in this thread made me really curious. I also own and love the Meze Elite, prefer them to many other flagship headphones on the market.
My expectations towards the 109Pro were high, although I tried to remain realistic. I wasn't expecting to like it more than my Elite, but was wondering if they could be a reasonable compromise to save some (or rather substantial amount of) money.
I used the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition as a source and Qobuz. I took my Elite with me for reference as this was the first time for me hearing the Naim.
First a few words about the Uniti Atom:
I have to say, I found it to be an excellent all in one device. I also find the price reasonable for a streamer/DAC/amp combo. The sound is smooth, slightly warm, elegant and polite. Detailed with good resolution. Choosing this device though I think is all about convenience and comfort. Which is certainly not to be underestimated! The Atom is quite small, smaller than I thought. Small footprint on your desk, and it does everything you need these days for good music listening. I found the sound good enough so I would be able to live with it, but I think a separate DAC and separate amplifier for the same price sonically still performs better. A Chord Qutest for example with a GSX-Mini will beat the Atom for dynamics, body, texture and expansiveness, but I could mention some other DAC/amp pairings as well within the price range. For convenience though the Naim is unbeatable.
109Pro:
Asthetics
I think the headphone looks and feels gorgeous, the walnut cups are pretty, comfort is great with perfect amount of clamping force.
Sound
First they sound impressive and fun. Tuning is a little V-shaped, but the vocals are not lost. Female vocals stand out more though than male vocals. Resolution, separation and imaging is great for the money. Soundstage is not enormous, but big enough. Bigger than many other headphones in the price range.
First I found the sound fun, exciting, pleasant, entertaining, but as I kept listening the shortcomings started to become more obvious.
I think, the strong point and the star of the show on the Pro109 is bass. Very well tuned, plenty but not overwhelming. Bass is also well-textured, well-layered and dynamic. It extends down to sub-realms, which is a great achievement from dynamic drivers.
Mids and especially treble is where things start to get slightly out of balance or sonic compromises become a bit more obvious versus higher-tier headphones like the Elite.
Mids are decent, but I think some upper-mid frequencies are more emphasised compared to lower mids, which would explain my remarks regarding female and male vocals.
Treble also seems to have different peaks and dips compared to what I am used to. Certain treble frequencies are definitely emphasised, perhaps a couple decibel more than it would be ideal, at least to me. Not on all tracks, but on some tracks this can feel a bit 'forced' and a little bothering after a while, especially with high-hats and percussion.
This leads me to the biggest difference between the Elite and the 109Pro which is a more natural and more life-like presentation. Drums simply feel more real on the Elite, but this is true for the whole sound. More realistic, more texture, slightly smoother and more relaxed presentation overall. Spaciousness and imaging is enhanced by quite a bit and the whole sonic experience feels more precise, more refined, more coherent and fuller.
I find the 109Pro however a very appealing and rather exceptional offer for £769. Many people would never want or need more than this headphone offers. The best Meze dynamic headphone is clean, clear, detailed, dynamic with a very pleasant and fun tuning. (Except perhaps some of those treble peaks for some listeners.)
The Elite is obviously not four or five times better, so value for price is certainly on the 109Pro's side. Paying four times more for a more life-like sound (both tonally and texture/detail-wise) is a tough cookie to chew. For some people it will worth it, for others it will not, and that is absolutely fine.
Closing:
Overall I find the 109Pro to be a great headphone and good value. Perhaps really the king of sub $1000 headphones if you take RRP seriously, however personally I think I would still choose LCD-X over the 109Pro, but that's mainly because I like planars and I don't think my ears could agree with the 109Pro treble peaks long term.
Objectively a great achievement; well done Meze.
Meze Audio 109 Pro
- Thread starter Ichos
- Start date
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- Tags
- 109 pro meze audio
ThanatosVI
Headphoneus Supremus
That you praise its bass is a good sign.Intro:
Finally I had a chance to audition the 109Pro. The extensively raving reviews and the many hardcore fans in this thread made me really curious. I also own and love the Meze Elite, prefer them to many other flagship headphones on the market.
My expectations towards the 109Pro were high, although I tried to remain realistic. I wasn't expecting to like it more than my Elite, but was wondering if they could be a reasonable compromise to save some (or rather substantial amount of) money.
I used the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition as a source and Qobuz. I took my Elite with me for reference as this was the first time for me hearing the Naim.
First a few words about the Uniti Atom:
I have to say, I found it to be an excellent all in one device. I also find the price reasonable for a streamer/DAC/amp combo. The sound is smooth, slightly warm, elegant and polite. Detailed with good resolution. Choosing this device though I think is all about convenience and comfort. Which is certainly not to be underestimated! The Atom is quite small, smaller than I thought. Small footprint on your desk, and it does everything you need these days for good music listening. I found the sound good enough so I would be able to live with it, but I think a separate DAC and separate amplifier for the same price sonically still performs better. A Chord Qutest for example with a GSX-Mini will beat the Atom for dynamics, body, texture and expansiveness, but I could mention some other DAC/amp pairings as well within the price range. For convenience though the Naim is unbeatable.
109Pro:
Asthetics
I think the headphone looks and feels gorgeous, the walnut cups are pretty, comfort is great with perfect amount of clamping force.
Sound
First they sound impressive and fun. Tuning is a little V-shaped, but the vocals are not lost. Female vocals stand out more though than male vocals. Resolution, separation and imaging is great for the money. Soundstage is not enormous, but big enough. Bigger than many other headphones in the price range.
First I found the sound fun, exciting, pleasant, entertaining, but as I kept listening the shortcomings started to become more obvious.
I think, the strong point and the star of the show on the Pro109 is bass. Very well tuned, plenty but not overwhelming. Bass is also well-textured, well-layered and dynamic. It extends down to sub-realms, which is a great achievement from dynamic drivers.
Mids and especially treble is where things start to get slightly out of balance or sonic compromises become a bit more obvious versus higher-tier headphones like the Elite.
Mids are decent, but I think some upper-mid frequencies are more emphasised compared to lower mids, which would explain my remarks regarding female and male vocals.
Treble also seems to have different peaks and dips compared to what I am used to. Certain treble frequencies are definitely emphasised, perhaps a couple decibel more than it would be ideal, at least to me. Not on all tracks, but on some tracks this can feel a bit 'forced' and a little bothering after a while, especially with high-hats and percussion.
This leads me to the biggest difference between the Elite and the 109Pro which is a more natural and more life-like presentation. Drums simply feel more real on the Elite, but this is true for the whole sound. More realistic, more texture, slightly smoother and more relaxed presentation overall. Spaciousness and imaging is enhanced by quite a bit and the whole sonic experience feels more precise, more refined, more coherent and fuller.
I find the 109Pro however a very appealing and rather exceptional offer for £769. Many people would never want or need more than this headphone offers. The best Meze dynamic headphone is clean, clear, detailed, dynamic with a very pleasant and fun tuning. (Except perhaps some of those treble peaks for some listeners.)
The Elite is obviously not four or five times better, so value for price is certainly on the 109Pro's side. Paying four times more for a more life-like sound (both tonally and texture/detail-wise) is a tough cookie to chew. For some people it will worth it, for others it will not, and that is absolutely fine.
Closing:
Overall I find the 109Pro to be a great headphone and good value. Perhaps really the king of sub $1000 headphones if you take RRP seriously, however personally I think I would still choose LCD-X over the 109Pro, but that's mainly because I like planars and I don't think my ears could agree with the 109Pro treble peaks long term.
Objectively a great achievement; well done Meze.
The treble spikes are worrying tho.
Guess the only option is to buy one to see for myself
Nothing can overwrite personal audition.
I find, that most of us who say are sensitive to treble are actually sensitive to very different treble frequencies. That's why there is so much argument regarding treble with pretty much every headphones. I never had the slightest issue with the Empyrean or Elite or even with the Audeze LCD-X, yet there are always a few people who even complain about excessive treble on the Empyrean which I find completely mind-boggling. I had some treble issues with the Liric or the 109Pro, but still far from being as serious as on some other headphones from HiFiMan, Beyer or Focal.
Treble sensitivity seems to vary from person to person and this includes tolerance levels too. I observed on myself that my tolerance towards more excessive treble has decreased by the years.
Quadfather
Headphoneus Supremus
I love LQI Cables! Jason is awesome to work with. They're out of Arlington Heights, Illinois. I love the brown/black cables with the Meze 109 Pro headphones.
ThanatosVI
Headphoneus Supremus
Yeah certainly is a very personal thing depending on ones ears.
Luckily I never had treble issues with Empyrean, Elite or even Liric
Quadfather
Headphoneus Supremus
When I had the Empyrean, I kept switching to Shure SRH1540 headphones. Now, my three headphones are Shure SRH1540, Meze 109 Pro, and Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7B headphones. I only listen portable balanced and love all three headphones. I tend to favor dynamic drivers.
pk4425
1000+ Head-Fier
Same. Probably because a recent hearing test indicated that my high-frequency hearing is almost shot, at age 57. Thirty years of working in motorsports and playing in rock bands will do that. And the constant screeching of tinnitus reminds me that hearing certain frequencies is gone.
Wear ear plugs around any loud noise, people! Even cutting the grass or using a leaf blower! Don't be a dumb ass like me.
Quadfather
Headphoneus Supremus
I hear up to near 13 kHz. Not sure how good that is.
Warning for ear/loudness protection can not be emphasised enough!
With ageing we naturally loose the ability to hear the highest frequencies. In general it is normal for a person to not hear anything above 12.000Hz above the age of 50. (15.000Hz above the age of 40 and 16.000Hz above the age of 30 respectively.)
I am 39 years old and I can hear up to 16.000Hz, so that is pretty good.
Naturally loosing upper treble hearing though should make us less vulnerable to excessive treble, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Maybe at the same time our sensitivity increases between 8.000-15.000Hz.
Aging has its benefits 
Indeed. I' m more crazy nowAging has its benefits
Does it mean, you can be more irresponsible with your finances?
pk4425
1000+ Head-Fier
Better than me. My right ear is probably similar, but my left ear tops out at 8 kHz. I'm eligible for hearing aids and probably will jump on them pretty soon, especially if they ease tinnitus symptoms.
pk4425
1000+ Head-Fier
AMEN, brother! I rock harder and perhaps party harder at 57 than 37. My youngest kid is 18, so I'm off the seemingly endless but often joyful merry-go-round of sports practices, school activities, etc.
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