[ckhirnigs113]

I actually use an Audio Art HPX-1SE cable with the Elite. I did spend some time with the stock cable and it's fine, but the upgraded cable lets more of the character shine through. If you look close in my pics, you'll mostly see the Audio Art with those cool Eidolic Rhodium mini-XLR connectors.

I'm not a cable nut by any means, but I appreciate quality craftsmanship and superior materials. And with a high quality headphone like the Elite (or the Empyrean for that matter), I think it's worth it. Most all of my headphones have aftermarket cables, from the likes of Audio Art, Norne, Forza, Effect, Toxic Cables, and Moon Audio.

I guess I didn’t look too closely at the pictures. I just noticed the only cable you mentioned in the review was the stock one.

I’m glad to hear you were using a nicer cable. I’m also not a huge “cable nut”, but I did hear quite a few Elite owners and reviewers mention the stock cable holding back the sound the headphones were capable of. I already had a few nice ZMF cables, so I haven’t bought a cable specifically for my Elite. I’m very tempted by the Meze silver-plated cable for purely cosmetic reasons!

 

[smutnyjoe]

I'm back to the Meze team! This time with Elite. Loved them from the first listening! (Yesterday )

 

[adrianm]

Selling a 6.3mm silver plated cable in case anyone's interested :
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/meze-silver-plated-upgrade-cable-6-3mm-2-5m.31599/

 

[smutnyjoe]

First impressions:
I assumed that they will be less dependent on sources, especially given my main HP were 1266s, but it's completely different! They sound quite different with various sources. I tried Chord Mojo 2, Chord TT2 and Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE + Violectric v550. Maybe after a few months of struggling with this questing, I'll finally be able to decide which rig to keep: Chord TT2 or May 3 KTE + v550

 

[Andykong]

I'm back to the Meze team! This time with Elite. Loved them from the first listening! (Yesterday )

First impressions:
I assumed that they will be less dependent on sources, especially given my main HP were 1266s, but it's completely different! They sound quite different with various sources. I tried Chord Mojo 2, Chord TT2 and Spring May3 KTE + Violectric v550. Maybe after a few months of struggling with this questing, I'll finally be able to decide which rig to keep: Chord TT2 or May 3 KTE + v550

Welcome back.

You sold your Empyrean and then rejoin Meze community with Elite? I hope the Elite has filled up the gap that Empyrean left unfulfilled and you'll enjoy our Elite for years.

I have tried v550 and Nimbus US5Pro with Elite in the Hong Kong Audio-Visual Show earlier this month, among the best I heard with Elite. for sure. The May 3 KTE is a wonderful DAC, definitely a fantastic system to live with.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

I thought I’d experiment tonight and plug my Elite into my SW51+ tube amp to see how the combo sounded. The SW51+ is much lower powered than my Quicksilver and has substantially higher output impedance. It only took about 2 songs to realize it was a very mediocre pairing. The sound was congested, complex passages were very smeared together, and the soundstage collapsed. Vocals got lost in the mix as well. Macro-dynamics also suffered, and there just wasn’t any oomph behind the sound.

To be honest, I was very surprised that the Elite could sound so different with two different tube amps. I warmed up my Quicksilver and made the switch. Things sound amazing again. Not sure if it’s the higher output impedance of the SW51+ or the relatively lower power output that make the pairing so much worse.

Don’t get me wrong, the SW51+ is a great amp with high impedance dynamics, like all the ZMFs I’ve owned. Many Sennheiser owners, specifically HD650 owners, seem to love the pairing as well. I did find the Quicksilver better with my ZMFs as well, but it was a much closer contest. With the Elite, the Quicksilver is head and shoulders better.

 

[Andykong]

We're closing in on the first Anniversary of the Elite.

A year later it positioned itself at the top of my lineup. I love all my headphones but the Elite brings overall the most enjoyment to me.

True. Other flagships might do one or two things better, but the Elite as an overall musical package is unique; it keeps your attention and rewards you with sweet musical treats. Addictive is the word I would use. Even after several months of ownership.

I feel the same from another side of the platform. The Elite thread is still a very active thread when we approach the first anniversary. The discussion is not as heated, probably those who are left behind really appreciate the "overall package" offered by Meze Elite, or those who are still interested in this headphone know the pros and cons when compared to other headphones. Yes, all headphones have procs and cons, even $4000 flagship headphones, it really depends on what is your expectation and priorities.

 

[Andykong]

I thought I’d experiment tonight and plug my Elite into my SW51+ tube amp to see how the combo sounded. The SW51+ is much lower powered than my Quicksilver and has substantially higher output impedance. It only took about 2 songs to realize it was a very mediocre pairing. The sound was congested, complex passages were very smeared together, and the soundstage collapsed. Vocals got lost in the mix as well. Macro-dynamics also suffered, and there just wasn’t any oomph behind the sound.

To be honest, I was very surprised that the Elite could sound so different with two different tube amps. I warmed up my Quicksilver and made the switch. Things sound amazing again. Not sure if it’s the higher output impedance of the SW51+ or the relatively lower power output that make the pairing so much worse.

Don’t get me wrong, the SW51+ is a great amp with high impedance dynamics, like all the ZMFs I’ve owned. Many Sennheiser owners, specifically HD650 owners, seem to love the pairing as well. I did find the Quicksilver better with my ZMFs as well, but it was a much closer contest. With the Elite, the Quicksilver is head and shoulders better.

On top of electrical characteristics such as the output impedance of your headphone amplifier, the Elite is a very scalable headphone, a lot of users enjoy it with their portable DAP or transportable headphone amplifier or DAC/AMP, we have happy users using it with $1K sound system and $10K sound system. By scalable, it does sound very different when you change your electronics.

By the way, what is the output impedance of SW51+ tube amp?I am interested to know if this is high enough to cause problem "numerically"?

 

[Andykong]

My thoughts on the Elite are finally live if anyone is interested in my ramblings. I'm a big fan. Thought maybe the enjoyment might wear off but it's been almost a year now and I still tend to reach for the Elite first, among many many other choices.

I have been waiting for this review since I get on board this thread. In my experience, John and I have a very similar audio preference, we like the same brands, and we share similar opinions about popular HiFi products. Since I am not supposed to share my personal impression of the product I represent, I frequently quoted John Grandberg's opinion when that is available. I am glad that his Elite review is now online and I can conveniently quote his impression when someone asks me for my personal opinion.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

On top of electrical characteristics such as the output impedance of your headphone amplifier, the Elite is a very scalable headphone, a lot of users enjoy it with their portable DAP or transportable headphone amplifier or DAC/AMP, we have happy users using it with $1K sound system and $10K sound system. By scalable, it does sound very different when you change your electronics.

By the way, what is the output impedance of SW51+ tube amp?I am interested to know if this is high enough to cause problem "numerically"?

From the "low" headphone out it is 24 Ohm. It might just be a sub-par pairing. The output impedance might not fully explain it.

 

[Arcamera]

I have been waiting for this review since I get on board this thread. In my experience, John and I have a very similar audio preference, we like the same brands, and we share similar opinions about popular HiFi products. Since I am not supposed to share my personal impression of the product I represent, I frequently quoted John Grandberg's opinion when that is available. I am glad that his Elite review is now online and I can conveniently quote his impression when someone asks me for my personal opinion.

Nice review. I also appreciate that the Kennerton Thekk was part of the comparisons in the review. Kennerton makes some very fine headphones (I own and really like the Thekk, among others). People who are into Meze might also appreciate the offerings of Kennerton, if they are not already familiar. That said, the Meze Elite remains my overall best headphone.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Nice review. I also appreciate that the Kennerton Thekk was part of the comparisons in the review. Kennerton makes some very fine headphones (I own and really like the Thekk, among others). People who are into Meze might also appreciate the offerings of Kennerton, if they are not already familiar. That said, the Meze Elite remains my overall best headphone.

Can you give some more detail on the Meze - Kennerton similarities?

I'm a huge Meze Fan, so this sparked some interest

 

[Arcamera]

Can you give some more detail on the Meze - Kennerton similarities?

I'm a huge Meze Fan, so this sparked some interest

I'd say it comes out in the integrity of build-- fine craftsmanship-- and overall emphasis on musicality, over a more analytic approach. They both seem to share a philosophy, that evokes a strong sense of loyalty in the owner. I love both brands, and merely 'like' many others. Not sure if that helps.

 

[Andykong]

From the "low" headphone out it is 24 Ohm. It might just be a sub-par pairing. The output impedance might not fully explain it.

The Meze Elite is rated at 32ohm, basically flat on the complete audible frequency bandwidth, 24 Ohm is definitely on the high side. Numerically. amplifier engineers recommend 3x as a basic consideration, so 10 ohm is more or less the starting point, and audiophiles who are looking for tight bass and excellent control prefer 5x.

 

[Toonartist]

Selling a 6.3mm silver plated cable in case anyone's interested :
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/meze-silver-plated-upgrade-cable-6-3mm-2-5m.31599/

Lol.. Same here XLR + Adapter... but in a famous auction site! Also added to Head Fi Classifieds