[Slackaveli]

My definition of an Audiophile includes "researching and purchasing the best value for money within my budget". Also of course discovering new, well recorded music every week.

Yep. Me too. Currently I am saving for Meze Elite even though it doesnt fit my budget. I am quite convinced it will be my favorite, though.

 

[DrewVz]

Yep. Me too. Currently I am saving for Meze Elite even though it doesnt fit my budget. I am quite convinced it will be my favorite, though.

I'll give you my opinion: If you like the 109 Pro, stick with it and forget about the Elite unless you have another 3-4 grand sitting around gathering dust. I sold my Elites after buying the 109 Pro, that's how special it is.

I understand your hopefulness in thinking that since they are both Meze products, and the Elites cost so much more, that they must be "better". And in some ways they are, but honestly the dynamics, tonality, texture, bass response, and clarity are ALL better with the 109 Pro. Technicalities, detail quantity, and soundstage are really the only areas where the Elites shine, by comparison. Again, this is only my opinion after owning both.

Frankly, after owning several multi-kilobuck headphones and IEMs, I find myself more than satisfied with many various alternatives below the $1k mark. The 109 Pro is right near the top. It's just so engaging and alluring to listen to. Vocals are super clear and forward. I haven't missed my Elites for a single second since owning the 109 Pros.

 

[Luckyleo]

My 109's are boxed and ready to be returned tomorrow. I love them. One of the best headphones I've owned. My Clear OG's are close to them in sound qualities. The 109's are better in my opinion, but I listen a lot to Grado's. They get most of my head time. I really like their "grittiness" and sparkling highs, but sometimes I like a smoother presentation. Not that often though. Not enough to keep both. I don't need two headphones with the same timbre (approximately). The Clears are a couple years old, and the 109's have a 365 day return window. Although I'll miss them, based on the Grado infatuation, I can live without them.

Anyway, thought I'd share my thoughts one last time on this thread!

Leo

 

[CTR640]

I'll give you my opinion: If you like the 109 Pro, stick with it and forget about the Elite unless you have another 3-4 grand sitting around gathering dust. I sold my Elites after buying the 109 Pro, that's how special it is.

I understand your hopefulness in thinking that since they are both Meze products, and the Elites cost so much more, that they must be "better". And in some ways they are, but honestly the dynamics, tonality, texture, bass response, and clarity are ALL better with the 109 Pro. Technicalities, detail quantity, and soundstage are really the only areas where the Elites shine, by comparison. Again, this is only my opinion after owning both.

Frankly, after owning several multi-kilobuck headphones and IEMs, I find myself more than satisfied with many various alternatives below the $1k mark. The 109 Pro is right near the top. It's just so engaging and alluring to listen to. Vocals are super clear and forward. I haven't missed my Elites for a single second since owning the 109 Pros.

I couldn't agree more! Headphones above the 1K€ mark usually have a big deminishing returns and are pretty much pointless and a waste of money too IMHO. It really says a lot if you have sold your Elite in favor of 109 Pro. For 1K€ I'd rather buy multiple headphones than blow the 3-4K€ away for one single headphone.

@Slackaveli I understand your excitement to get the Elite, I really do. The Liric have been on my list for a long time, I even have the budget now and to be honest, after thinking about it for a long time and using common sense, it's too much money to spend it all on one headphone. Not worth it.

 

[SmashedITR]

How does the Hifiman Arya Stealth stack up next to the 109 Pro?

 

[SmashedITR]

Also what cables are you guys using? Stock ones are not cutting it.

 

[DrewVz]

What people don't understand is that typically the high-dollar headphones are more picky about the amps and DACs that they're paired up with. Their advantages are harder to tease out unless you have correspondingly equivalent gear driving them. Sure, they'll work, and they'll sound good, but without high end upstream gear you're not going to get the best out of them.

So it's not just that the 109 Pros are great sounding headphones, they are more forgiving of cheaper gear upstream. They might not have summit-Fi potential, but they'll sound up to their peak without breaking the bank on other gear.

 

[analogbox]

How does the Hifiman Arya Stealth stack up next to the 109 Pro?

They're two totally different headphones but I'd say the Arya Stealth is technically better. From what I can remember, its bass was stellar, it extends better, and it also imaged better. However, 109 does image well in a different way and has a comparable soundstage. I would also give a nod to the 109 for the mids quality. The treble can be spiky at times for the 109 pro but I didn't feel that with the Arya Stealth. Though it's technically better, I didn't think the Arya Stealth did anything exceptionally well compared to Arya V2. On the other hand, I think 109 really does shine with anything except maybe Classical and Jazz although it's no slouch on those either. Of course, these are just my personal opinions.

 

[SmashedITR]

They're two totally different headphones but I'd say the Arya Stealth is technically better. From what I can remember, its bass was stellar, it extends better, and it also imaged better. However, 109 does image well in a different way and has a comparable soundstage. I would also give a nod to the 109 for the mids quality. The treble can be spiky at times but I didn't feel that with the Arya Stealth.

Gotcha thanks! I am looking for another headphone to complement the 109 Pro. Wanted to get a planar.

 

[analogbox]

Gotcha thanks! I am looking for another headphone to complement the 109 Pro. Wanted to get a planar.

I know for a lot of people, Arya Stealth is their end game. It's a solid headphone for sure and you won't be disappointed especially if it's your first planar.

 

[SmashedITR]

I know for a lot of people, Arya Stealth is their end game. It's a solid headphone for sure and you won't be disappointed especially if it's your first planar.

I am going to try to find a good deal on one then and see how they turn out.

 

[PixelSquish]

Both the LCD-2C and LCD-X are great cans, but the X is a step up. 2C has more bass by default, but give a few dB bass shelf to the X and with its enhanced clarity and separation will comfortably outperform the 2C. The 2C is also a little warmer and the treble is more rolled off versus the X.
The bass on the X is really classes above it's competition. Mids and treble are not that outstanding, but still good for the money.
I really want to audition the 109 too, they are loved by many but still there are a lot of controversial opinions out there.

Agreed. Of my five high end cans I have the LCD-X, the LCD2-CB and the 109 Pro. The LCD-X is clearly superior to the 2CB, and the 2CB are a fine closed back headphone which I will smile with joy when using when I can't disturb anyone, but I'd pick the X nine times out of 10 over the 2CB

Same boat here. I'm so intrigued by the 109 Pro, but budget would force it to be an either/or option with the LCD-X 2021 that I own and love.

The LCD-X 2021 are exceptional at nothing. But they're excellent at just about everything, which is so rare in a headphone these days. Every time I listen to them, I realize they just sound great with almost any genre, especially with the convolution filter I use through Roon.

Well I have the LCD-X 2021 for just over a month now and the 109 pro for a week. Now they are both running balanced out of a Bifrost 2 to a Monolith Liquid Platinum. Initial impressions if I had to have one would be the LCD-X but it would not be any kind of happy decision because the 109 Pro are delicious as well. So comfy and a really nice detailed yet warm sound to them. The 109 pro to me have a more accessible and slightly laid back sound to them compared to my first planars, the X, they were a bit shouty to me at first, but now they are just magical and you take the few flaws because the overall package is so nice.

I'll be enjoying trying these both over the next few weeks and really getting a comparison with them going in my head.

 

[revand]

I quite enjoyed the MG, but I ended up selling it because the stupid voice coils would pop at louder volumes. Can you describe how the MG compares to the 109 - what you like better, and how tonality might differ? I would greatly appreci

I can understand you. I am listening to Electronica 85% of my time. My plan is to immerse into the Meze Sound and then, after a couple of months, I will seek for a replacement cable. I do not think I will pay for their own expensive cables, so I will seek the best alternative. It might have been already given a few pages back, I believe...

PS: the correct path would be to get a good desktop headphone amplifier but I don't think I will ever have time to sit down and listen to music.

I recently bought the Meze PCUHD copper cable for my 109 Pro. I have to tell you that the difference between the factory and the upgrade cable is huge. I had Meze's silver plated copper cable for devices having balanced output, which I prefered earlier to the single ended output, because of the lower noise and more details.
After buying the new (single ended) cable I compared the SQ listening the 109 Pro (making a review of FiiO K7 vs. ifi Go bar vs. ifi Uno on my blog) and found that even with having less output power from the single ended output the headphone sounded much more natural and musical with the PCUHD cable than with the balanced silver plated cable, which had a move toward the treble.
The Meze 109 Pro is a fantastic headphone. My only complain is that Meze should sell the 109 Pro at least with the silver plated cable as Basic cable, since the factory cable shows let's say 70% of the talent of the 109 Pro!
With PCUHD cable the sound of the 109 Pro is belonging to a completaly other category! It sounded magnificent even with the "cheap" but excellent Uno!

 

[Slackaveli]

I'll give you my opinion: If you like the 109 Pro, stick with it and forget about the Elite unless you have another 3-4 grand sitting around gathering dust. I sold my Elites after buying the 109 Pro, that's how special it is.

I understand your hopefulness in thinking that since they are both Meze products, and the Elites cost so much more, that they must be "better". And in some ways they are, but honestly the dynamics, tonality, texture, bass response, and clarity are ALL better with the 109 Pro. Technicalities, detail quantity, and soundstage are really the only areas where the Elites shine, by comparison. Again, this is only my opinion after owning both.

Frankly, after owning several multi-kilobuck headphones and IEMs, I find myself more than satisfied with many various alternatives below the $1k mark. The 109 Pro is right near the top. It's just so engaging and alluring to listen to. Vocals are super clear and forward. I haven't missed my Elites for a single second since owning the 109 Pros.

Duly noted. Not /S. Although I suspect I will have to sate my curiosity with my ears , I will certainly only buy from somewhere where i can return if need be.

 

[Slackaveli]

How does the Hifiman Arya Stealth stack up next to the 109 Pro?

To my ears it's about as wide but much thinner and not as engaging as 109 Pro. Although that might very well be genre dependent. Might shine with opera and classical (as it's name suggests), and I do love the way Arya's bass envelops you.