[TheMiddleSky]

Hey everyone! I've been reading through this thread and I appreciate all the various responses you all have provided. My question for those of you who still own the Elite is how far behind are they in terms of technicalities compared to other TOTL cans?

I see so many conflicting opinions online (especially from YouTubers) on how these do not sound like $4,000 headphones, but reading this thread makes me question the accuracy of that opinion.

4K+ territory is pretty close to each other, I can't find a singe headphone in this price range that able to beat the others perfectly. Depend on which part of technicalities, one headphone may excel than the other.

The contenders are:
- LCD-5 at $4.5K: Pretty Midrange Forward, darker, less airy than Elite, with also much less bass body. Soundstage also felt very narrow when against Elite. LCD-5 wins in term of speed (due to faster decay), and slight better micro detail.

- Abyss Diana TC $4K: Very clean and transparent headphone, solid impact, driver is so agile, however, once again, soundstage feel narrow. Diana's Vocal is drier and less body presence than Elite though. Overall Diana is a more analytic headphone compared to more "emotive sound" of Elite.

- Susvara $6K: Great soundstage image, bright and airy, with sweet vocal, however, come with soft impact/bite in sound that make each percussion notes seems lack of "real weight". Susvara is a little more detail than Elite, but also the presentation is brighter (push more treble) than Elite. Elite is comparable in depth presentation (less width though), and Elite able to deliver solidness in impact/bite that better than Susvara. Both headphone come with sweet midrange, but Susvara may lack of weight in Vocal for some male voices, while Elite always fine to whatever songs with vocal.

- Abyss 1266 TC $6K: Crazy sub bass presentation, deliver subwoofer feeling nicely. Solid and dense for every impact notes, also come with spacious soundstage. Not perfect though, this is a very intense headphone, a mild V-Shape signature, drier vocal, and treble also a bit easier to harsh, make Elite sound sweet and polite in good way. Elite will not "attack" my ears harshly like 1266 TC. Easier to get fatigue when listen to 1266 TC. Elite is more liquid and smoother headphone. Dare I say very hard to compare these 2 headphones, they are complement each other.

- RAAL SR1A: Kind of bright, airy, very agile, and a bit aggressive signature. Soundstage has good air (as expected), but bass a bit lack in weight. Elite is sweeter, fuller, and again, more liquid smooth compare to RAAL. Once again, so hard to compared them as character is so different.

I can't wait till ZMF Caldera appear to compare it. Frankly speaking I have doubt it would able to touch Elite, but who knows, Zach's work always done nicely.

 

[xenithon]

I’m generally not interested in DCA products as every one I’ve heard was sterile and soulless, but wouldn’t hearing how the new Expanse stacks up.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I’m generally not interested in DCA products as every one I’ve heard was sterile and soulless, but wouldn’t hearing how the new Expanse stacks up.

Depend on which product, DCA Aeon Noire, yes it is sterile, but additional damping material (include in box) may tame it. Stealth is not sterile, not sharp/harsh sounding headphone by any means. It is dry sounding though.

 

[RobbieBear]

Nice. Did yo get

so what are the best pads for a darker signature but retaining soundstage? People like copper cable with it?

I preferred the silver grand but if you wanted slightly darker, I can recommend the FA Noir hybrid.

 

[TheOnetoWin]

4K+ territory is pretty close to each other, I can't find a singe headphone in this price range that able to beat the others perfectly. Depend on which part of technicalities, one headphone may excel than the other.

The contenders are:
- LCD-5 at $4.5K: Pretty Midrange Forward, darker, less airy than Elite, with also much less bass body. Soundstage also felt very narrow when against Elite. LCD-5 wins in term of speed (due to faster decay), and slight better micro detail.

- Abyss Diana TC $4K: Very clean and transparent headphone, solid impact, driver is so agile, however, once again, soundstage feel narrow. Diana's Vocal is drier and less body presence than Elite though. Overall Diana is a more analytic headphone compared to more "emotive sound" of Elite.

- Susvara $6K: Great soundstage image, bright and airy, with sweet vocal, however, come with soft impact/bite in sound that make each percussion notes seems lack of "real weight". Susvara is a little more detail than Elite, but also the presentation is brighter (push more treble) than Elite. Elite is comparable in depth presentation (less width though), and Elite able to deliver solidness in impact/bite that better than Susvara. Both headphone come with sweet midrange, but Susvara may lack of weight in Vocal for some male voices, while Elite always fine to whatever songs with vocal.

- Abyss 1266 TC $6K: Crazy sub bass presentation, deliver subwoofer feeling nicely. Solid and dense for every impact notes, also come with spacious soundstage. Not perfect though, this is a very intense headphone, a mild V-Shape signature, drier vocal, and treble also a bit easier to harsh, make Elite sound sweet and polite in good way. Elite will not "attack" my ears harshly like 1266 TC. Easier to get fatigue when listen to 1266 TC. Elite is more liquid and smoother headphone. Dare I say very hard to compare these 2 headphones, they are complement each other.

- RAAL SR1A: Kind of bright, airy, very agile, and a bit aggressive signature. Soundstage has good air (as expected), but bass a bit lack in weight. Elite is sweeter, fuller, and again, more liquid smooth compare to RAAL. Once again, so hard to compared them as character is so different.

I can't wait till ZMF Caldera appear to compare it. Frankly speaking I have doubt it would able to touch Elite, but who knows, Zach's work always done nicely.

Thanks for that! I actually purchased the 109 Pros (which are truly special imo), but I also auditioned the Elites when I was the store purchasing them. IDK, maybe these are headphones that you need to spend a decent amount of time with before they "click" but I just didn't like them, idk, they just felt a little veiled to me (which obviously partly to the stock tuning Meze uses for them).

What do you think? I'm really enjoying my current Meze cans, and if I would purchase the Elite's sometime down the road, I'd be selling my LCD-5's to buy them.

 

[Somatic]

4K+ territory is pretty close to each other, I can't find a singe headphone in this price range that able to beat the others perfectly. Depend on which part of technicalities, one headphone may excel than the other.

The contenders are:
- LCD-5 at $4.5K: Pretty Midrange Forward, darker, less airy than Elite, with also much less bass body. Soundstage also felt very narrow when against Elite. LCD-5 wins in term of speed (due to faster decay), and slight better micro detail.

- Abyss Diana TC $4K: Very clean and transparent headphone, solid impact, driver is so agile, however, once again, soundstage feel narrow. Diana's Vocal is drier and less body presence than Elite though. Overall Diana is a more analytic headphone compared to more "emotive sound" of Elite.

- Susvara $6K: Great soundstage image, bright and airy, with sweet vocal, however, come with soft impact/bite in sound that make each percussion notes seems lack of "real weight". Susvara is a little more detail than Elite, but also the presentation is brighter (push more treble) than Elite. Elite is comparable in depth presentation (less width though), and Elite able to deliver solidness in impact/bite that better than Susvara. Both headphone come with sweet midrange, but Susvara may lack of weight in Vocal for some male voices, while Elite always fine to whatever songs with vocal.

- Abyss 1266 TC $6K: Crazy sub bass presentation, deliver subwoofer feeling nicely. Solid and dense for every impact notes, also come with spacious soundstage. Not perfect though, this is a very intense headphone, a mild V-Shape signature, drier vocal, and treble also a bit easier to harsh, make Elite sound sweet and polite in good way. Elite will not "attack" my ears harshly like 1266 TC. Easier to get fatigue when listen to 1266 TC. Elite is more liquid and smoother headphone. Dare I say very hard to compare these 2 headphones, they are complement each other.

- RAAL SR1A: Kind of bright, airy, very agile, and a bit aggressive signature. Soundstage has good air (as expected), but bass a bit lack in weight. Elite is sweeter, fuller, and again, more liquid smooth compare to RAAL. Once again, so hard to compared them as character is so different.

I can't wait till ZMF Caldera appear to compare it. Frankly speaking I have doubt it would able to touch Elite, but who knows, Zach's work always done nicely.

I feel Susvara has a lot more detail than the Elites. That's just what I hear. It was nice that the Elites midrange was more forward but I still felt the Susvara had more seductive female vocals.

Have you tried the Atrium yet?

 

[jlbrach]

all of these comparisons would require the same associated equipment and the same ears to make valid comparison...if one listens to the susvara on a subpar amp or listens to a better DAC or simply is older or younger and has better or worse hearing ability the results will be different...

 

[betula]

The Elite's lush, sumptuous, thick, natural and pleasing sound with excellent texture is pretty addictive. You can find cheaper headphones that are better in certain areas like speed, separation or impact. Yet, as an overall package the Elite is just so complete. An addictively full and pleasing, natural flagship sound which is unique.

 

[TheOnetoWin]

The Elite's lush, sumptuous, thick, natural and pleasing sound with excellent texture is pretty addictive. You can find cheaper headphones that are better in certain areas like speed, separation or impact. Yet, as an overall package the Elite is just so complete. An addictively full and pleasing, natural flagship sound which is unique.

Out of curiosity, how would you rate the Elite's timbre compared to other TOTL's? You mention natural; do you think it sounds more natural/realistic (when it comes to showcasing interments for example) compared to a Utopia, LCD-5, etc?

 

[Somatic]

Out of curiosity, how would you rate the Elite's timbre compared to other TOTL's? You mention natural; do you think it sounds more natural/realistic (when it comes to showcasing interments for example) compared to a Utopia, LCD-5, etc?

Elite timbre sounds great but I still think Susvara is the best timbre I personally have heard.

 

[TheOnetoWin]

Elite timbre sounds great but I still think Susvara is the best timbre I personally have heard.

Yeah, that's what I heard too (the most natural timbre of any headphone). But then again, that cost $6k and you'll have to spend just as much on the amp lol.

 

[Somatic]

Yeah, that's what I heard too (the most natural timbre of any headphone). But then again, that cost $6k and you'll have to spend just as much on the amp lol.

You can buy used for maybe under $4k and get a used Ican pro signature. Should be a good setup.

 

[Contrails]

When you discover a new artist on Qobuz
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child - Archie Shepp.

 

[betula]

Out of curiosity, how would you rate the Elite's timbre compared to other TOTL's? You mention natural; do you think it sounds more natural/realistic (when it comes to showcasing interments for example) compared to a Utopia, LCD-5, etc?

To me the easiest way to judge how natural/realistic a headphone sounds is listening to vocals and acoustic instruments. Also, how realistically the headphone represents the surroundings of the recording, if you get a spatial feel of the venue or recording studio. This is done by correct positioning/staging and by the ability of recreating the miniscule sound information which gets lost on lesser headphones.
To me the more natural the headphones are, the more lifelike they sound. Timbre to me is a broader term than lifelikeness, however better timbre means a more lifelike sound. Details, nuances, dynamics all play a role in perceiving a 'good' timbre which leads to a lifelike sound. The proportion of 'ingredients' of a good timbre might differ in TOTL headphones, so it is not an easy task to objectively compare and rank them based on timbre. Certain attributes will mater more to certain listeners. To me personally the Elite has better timbre than the LCD-5 or the Utopia, even though the LCD-5 for example is a little more detailed and faster. That hint of lush warmth in the Elite somehow breathes more life into vocals and instruments so they sound more real to me.
I hope some of this makes some sense, this is obviously just my personal take on the matter. Take it as you wish.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I feel Susvara has a lot more detail than the Elites. That's just what I hear. It was nice that the Elites midrange was more forward but I still felt the Susvara had more seductive female vocals.

Have you tried the Atrium yet?

Well, a lot more or a little more is pretty subjective word. Also I believe our playlist and set up do the big role here. Agree that Susvara has one of the best midrange out there, pretty hard to beat. It's just that I prefer Elite's midrange more.

I own Atrium, as my tandem with Elite. However currently I'm in the process to switch back to Verite, as somehow I still prefer Verite for Dynamic Driver.

Thanks for that! I actually purchased the 109 Pros (which are truly special imo), but I also auditioned the Elites when I was the store purchasing them. IDK, maybe these are headphones that you need to spend a decent amount of time with before they "click" but I just didn't like them, idk, they just felt a little veiled to me (which obviously partly to the stock tuning Meze uses for them).

What do you think? I'm really enjoying my current Meze cans, and if I would purchase the Elite's sometime down the road, I'd be selling my LCD-5's to buy them.

Haven't heard 109 but review seems promising. Newer Meze like Liric and Advar actually is a bit bright and thin for me, so if you like this kind of signature could be Elite felt a bit too warm.