[Mhog55]

After having listened to them for awhile, I'd describe the upper mids/treble response of the 109 Pro as boosted but it's done evenly and tastefully. Sure, it's a bit too much for most of my library, but it's a hell of a lot easier to EQ the 109 Pro than most headphones. Partially, that's because the "fixes" are slight, but also the stock FR of the 109 Pro is really well disciplined. Even when I'm correcting the treble to my taste, my only fix to the bass is to extend out the sub-bass shelf by a few dB to straighten it out.

So you were able to tame the higher frequencies via EQ with ease? If that's the case, I might need to reconsider these. With some cans that really sizzle, you just can't EQ it away.

 

[gebo]

Search for "grattle" on this forum, all it takes is one little hair piece to get through to start making driver buzzing. Not sure why they left it like that, to make it sound more detailed, may be the material of the driver is resistant to this sort of thing unlike typical mylar, but still all that dead skin, dust, and hairs ending on the driver is quite concerning?

sorry, something went wrong, please note my post below

 

[gebo]

Search for "grattle" on this forum, all it takes is one little hair piece to get through to start making driver buzzing. Not sure why they left it like that, to make it sound more detailed, may be the material of the driver is resistant to this sort of thing unlike typical mylar, but still all that dead skin, dust, and hairs ending on the driver is quite concerning?

Can anyone from Meze ideally comment on this open driver design (cc @Andykong) and especially what measures one can take to ensure it's protected. I thank you in advance.

Hi, what is the current situation on that matter (very open driver design)? Are there any comments from Meze or suggestions for measures to protect the drivers (if such are needed)?

 

[Nostoi]

Hi, what is the current situation on that matter (very open driver design)? Are there any comments from Meze or suggestions for measures to protect the drivers (if such are needed)?

Had them for a while and haven't encountered any problems.

 

[CTR640]

Regarding the very open drivers, coincidentally I tried the full earpads cover yesterday and the sound changes, not by a lot but enough to hear the differences. The lows gets elevated more and the treble changes too, like damped. It's like the 109 suddenly becomes a bad headphone. I removed the covers and sound got much better. Pretty strange but it is true the frequencies alters when you try to cover the drivers.

Funny thing is, I once tried 2 pairs of earpads covers for the laughs, so 2 per earcup of my Amiron Wireless and it became a Sony WH-1000XM3.

 

[peterinvan]

So you were able to tame the higher frequencies via EQ with ease? If that's the case, I might need to reconsider these. With some cans that really sizzle, you just can't EQ it away.

As someone observed above, I find the 109s to be quite different with different DACs

FiiO M11 Pro is much warmer than my Cayin RU6 for example. On Easy Money (Ricky Lee Jones), the RU6 presents the bass with a nice woody tone, with slightly hot vocals and treble. The M11 Pro is warmer all around. The bass is a bit under a blanket.

My Centrance M8 (AKM4493?) is even warmer. No bass distortion. No sibilance. This DAC has hardware switches for bass and treble boost, but I have not needed them. 1000mW output has a good"grip" on the109 drivers

The hot treble on the 109s diminished noticeably after about 50 hours.

I use Tidal for most of my listening, so no EQ available.

 

[Quadfather]

That downside sounds like a pretty good problem to have if you ask me.

Damn it, you guys are going to make me broke!

 

[Shane D]

I was in my favourite store in Vancouver, BC a few days ago, to pick up a new FiiO KA3 dongle for my iPhone. Here’s a plug:
www.Headphonebar.com

This is a candy store for audiophiles, and you can listen to a good selection of TOTL headphones. I had been reading the reports on the new Meze 109 Pro, so I had to try them.

I was seduced by the look and feel of the new Meze 109. The best piece of industrial design I have seen in a long time. The self adjusting headband and velvet ear pads are really comfortable. Function + form.

And the music! I bought them after comparing to my Grado SR325, and the in store demo models of the Focal Clear Mg, and the Grado RSX1.

When I got home and opened my new pair, they sounded a bit hot in the higher frequencies, and the bass below 100Hz was a bit veiled or “muddy”.

So I put on a long Tidal playlist on repeat, with bass heavy tracks, at a level just above my normal comfortable volume.

After 50 hours, I am pleased to report that the top end is tamed and the bass is more realistic. I do not get the sibilance others have reported.
BTW, I like music with more acoustic instruments, and look for that “woody” sound of a close miked double bass.

The only down side to report is that these headphones are not suited for multitasking (work, studying, reading, doom scrolling, swiping, etc.) because the music is so engaging that I stop whatever else I am doing and listen to the music. The soundstage and pinpoint isolation of the instruments is a pleasure. The old cliche about hearing things for the first time applies.

The sub-bass reminds me of the day I added a SVS1000 sub to my KEF LS50W speakers! I do not get this sub-bass feeling from my other headphones (e.g. LCD-XC).

I listen mostly to Tidal, which does not have any EQ function, so I need my phones to sound right with no EQ

Agree with you about Headphone Bar. I have bought several pairs of headphones there although I live thousands of kilometers away.
One off-topic question for you: What did you think of the RS1X's compared to the Focals?

Thanks.

 

[Beagle]

Hi, what is the current situation on that matter (very open driver design)? Are there any comments from Meze or suggestions for measures to protect the drivers (if such are needed)?

Focal drivers are not covered either. Dust, dead skin and oil will eventually build up on the diaphragm in some form. But...first world problems, right?

 

[Skeza]

What do you mean grainy? (I want to see if I can listen with that context)

I actually felt these had more bass "slam" or "impact" or "quantity" (however people describe that) than the Clear. That's why I chose them over the Clear ... Well that and I had a pair of Focal already and just wanted a different sound for the collection.

So that's interesting. I'm also seeing if these maybe change over time once burned in or if it's the source people are using. As I noted, so far, I see notable differences between sou

Happy to say the grainy highs I was hearing have disappeared with a few hours of use, hard to describe but I may not have been used to this level of treble. A few more hours in and I would agree with you that these have more bass quantity and more presence in all the lows, but I would still give the Clears the win in the THUMP category.

It's just unfortunate I can't seem to burn away this sibilance, It's very shouty in almost all of my go to albums. I think my element III just may be a bad pairing, but it hasn't let me down with any other pair yet.

 

[Quadfather]

Focal drivers are not covered either. Dust, dead skin and oil will eventually build up on the diaphragm in some form. But...first world problems, right?

I only use after exfoliating with a sterile wet wipe. Using after a good shower helps too.

 

[PopZeus]

So you were able to tame the higher frequencies via EQ with ease? If that's the case, I might need to reconsider these. With some cans that really sizzle, you just can't EQ it away.

Yeah, I'd say there's more presence up top than strictly neutral, but it's even-handed. So, you don't need to fiddle with narrow band Q values in order to turn this into something that sounds more traditionally Meze. If you're comfortable with PEQ, it's not gonna be a pain to dial in. But my DAP's app don't have anything that sophisticated, and I don't feel like I'm missing out at all.

 

[peterinvan]

Agree with you about Headphone Bar. I have bought several pairs of headphones there although I live thousands of kilometers away.
One off-topic question for you: What did you think of the RS1X's compared to the Focals?

Thanks.

Sorry… I was comparing them to the Meze 109 Pros, which I preferred to both Clear Mg and RSX1. Didn't take notes on the RSX1.

 

[mynamesjeff]

How does the 109 compare with the HD800S? I love my empyrean so interested to see how the 109 goes as a compliment, but if it's too similar to my HD800S then I'll pass.

 

[kRed]

Happy to say the grainy highs I was hearing have disappeared with a few hours of use, hard to describe but I may not have been used to this level of treble. A few more hours in and I would agree with you that these have more bass quantity and more presence in all the lows, but I would still give the Clears the win in the THUMP category.

It's just unfortunate I can't seem to burn away this sibilance, It's very shouty in almost all of my go to albums. I think my element III just may be a bad pairing, but it hasn't let me down with any other pair yet.

May I ask if you could share what those albums are? I’m on the hunt to find a reason not to buy the 109 pro

Thanks in advance.