MEZE AUDIO ELITE - The New Isodynamic Hybrid Array Headphone - official thread

[FooFighter]

I can't agree in the Abyss being close to the Quality of Meze.
The cable alone is horrible and not well built at all

The seperately available Super Conductor cable is built like a Boa Constrictor and with horrible ergonomics and price but quality wise it's no slouch I think.
Guess I haven't used the stock cable at all but look and feel of Susvara Spaghetti cable is worse imho

 

[krude]

The seperately available Super Conductor cable is built like a Boa Constrictor and with horrible ergonomics and price but quality wise it's no slouch I think.
Guess I haven't used the stock cable at all but look and feel of Susvara Spaghetti cable is worse imho

Hifiman cables are made out of recyled condoms ... true story (joking of course)

I also didn't think about the stock cables tbh. I'm always getting an aftermatket, usually silver nowadays.

 

[bunnygal23]

Hifiman cables are made out of recyled condoms ... true story (joking of course)

I also didn't think about the stock cables tbh. I'm always getting an aftermatket, usually silver nowadays.Ne Elites came with

The newer Elites and I believe the new Empy 2's come with your choice of the upgrade cable so that's another plus, I hate cable shopping. Glad Meze listened to their customers about the included cables.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

The Elites are a keeper. I will give more impressions why later if folks are interested but just wanted to ask what SS amps they would recommend for them synergy wise. I am currently running them off the Vio V222 and I want something of a similar sound signature (punchy, lively dynamic and wide) but with more refinement. Obvious choices are the bigger Vio's like the V281 and V550 but I wanted to know if I should consider anything else to add my Christmas wishlist, looking at the sub 3k category, I'll make sure to browse the thread too.

As I write this I am dying of thirst but I refuse to take them off and get a glass of water lol

I can highly recommend the Schiit Mjolnir 3 as a really good choice that most likely fits what you’re looking for. I have not heard the v222, but I can say the MJ3 is very refined. Microdetail is presented so well and in such a seemingly effortless manner that you don’t realize how much you’re hearing until you switch to an inferior amp.

I know lots of people like the Bliss as well. I think you can find one under $3K on the used market. The MJ3 is so much cheaper though that it makes more sense to try it first. It would certainly not be hard to sell if you decide it’s not for you.

 

[up late]

I actually quite like the Susvara build, it's more premium IMO than the HEKse that I had upgraded from. The Meze Elite plays well with my lower power 300B SET tube amp, whereas the Susvara sounds more thin on it. Lots of money invested into my tube amp setup, hence some preference for headphones that pair better with it. Being able to use the Meze Elite from a portable source is also nice.

ok. thanks.

 

[hristo]

So.. I've recently had a chance to listen to a bunch of expensive cans. I just logged in and felt like leaving my entirely subjective experience/opinion. Please take it with a grain of salt because it's mostly memories.

• Sennheiser HE-1 - Yes. These are good. But they are not 60k worth of good. More like 15-20k top.
• HiFiMan Shangri La Sr. - No. I did not like those. I do not remember why.
• HiFiMan Shangri La Junior - On the contrary.. I was impressed by these. They sounded so engaging.
• Meze Empyrean v1 - Too muddy/dark. Does not sound like an expensive headphone, only looks and feels as such.
• Meze Empyrean v2 - Did not like it. They don't sound muddy compared to v1 but there's something about the top end that does not feel right / too much sizzle. Idk tbh. Not a fan. I view this product as "b-stock" Rinaro drivers which did not quite meet the Elite standard. Even if that isn't the case, that's how I feel about it. (Which is good because I would have considered putting up my Elites for sale otherwise.)
• HiFiMan Susvara - I liked those. Yes, there isn't much bass but the overall FR is great. I liked them but not as much as Shangri La Jr..so if I was to spend a huge amount of money on HiFimans, the Susvara ain't gonna be it. It's true, they're hard to drive and you need a special amp for those, but overall - great headphones.
• HiFiMan Edition XS - I think this might be the best HiFiMan for those who are on a "budget". I liked those more than Arya and HE1000v2. I might consider getting a pair one day.
• HiFiMan Arya - Edition XS but with more annoying treble / sizzle on top. I put them down after 10 secs.
• HiFiMan HE1000v2 - These are good, but the Edition XS already gives you like 90%. You will not notice a huge difference. I put them down after 20 secs.
• Sennheiser HD650 - I already own HD600 so I was curious about how these compare. Meh. I like the HD600 more.
• Meze 109 Pro - These are comfortable. They're good. A safe purchase I'd say. Although.. 800$.. idk. More like 500$.. I view them as an alternative HD600, that is more cushiony and has more top-end sizzle (something I don't particularly like.)
• Dan Clark Audio Expanse - Was not impressed. I put them down rather quickly, lol.
• Sennheiser HD800S - Where's the huge soundstage that everyone talks about? Don't be fooled. These weren't as wide and immersive as I thought they'd be. Yeah, they're a bit bright but I did not have a problem with that. They're great cans.. It's just.. I was left a bit disappointed having heard and read all them reviews praising how wide they are and they did not strike me as such personally. Idk. If anything, the Meze Elites are just as wide.

Overall, I'm very happy with the Meze Elites. I think these are Meze's best headphones and I do not regret my purchasing decision. If you're coming from an HD600, you wouldn't like them at first but if you give them enough time and compare them to a bunch of other HPs, you'll realize they're great cans.

Lastly, PSA for the fanatics. You are not missing out on the HE-1. Trust me (bro). They do sound good but yeah. Spend that amount of money elsewhere.

I will look into what people are saying about the Shangri La Junior one day (but not now. ) I am also curious to hear how ZMFs sound. However....I feel like I'm starting to get bored of headphones at this point. It's time to experience other things in life. Peace out.

 

[bunnygal23]

So.. I've recently had a chance to listen to a bunch of expensive cans. I just logged in and felt like leaving my entirely subjective experience/opinion. Please take it with a grain of salt because it's mostly memories.

• Sennheiser HE-1 - Yes. These are good. But they are not 60k worth of good. More like 15-20k top.
• HiFiMan Shangri La Sr. - No. I did not like those. I do not remember why.
• HiFiMan Shangri La Junior - On the contrary.. I was impressed by these. They sounded so engaging.
• Meze Empyrean v1 - Too muddy/dark. Does not sound like an expensive headphone, only looks and feels as such.
• Meze Empyrean v2 - Did not like it. They don't sound muddy compared to v1 but there's something about the top end that does not feel right / too much sizzle. Idk tbh. Not a fan. I view this product as "b-stock" Rinaro drivers which did not quite meet the Elite standard. Even if that isn't the case, that's how I feel about it. (Which is good because I would have considered putting up my Elites for sale otherwise.)
• HiFiMan Susvara - I liked those. Yes, there isn't much bass but the overall FR is great. I liked them but not as much as Shangri La Jr..so if I was to spend a huge amount of money on HiFimans, the Susvara ain't gonna be it. It's true, they're hard to drive and you need a special amp for those, but overall - great headphones.
• HiFiMan Edition XS - I think this might be the best HiFiMan for those who are on a "budget". I liked those more than Arya and HE1000v2. I might consider getting a pair one day.
• HiFiMan Arya - Edition XS but with more annoying treble / sizzle on top. I put them down after 10 secs.
• HiFiMan HE1000v2 - These are good, but the Edition XS already gives you like 90%. You will not notice a huge difference. I put them down after 20 secs.
• Sennheiser HD650 - I already own HD600 so I was curious about how these compare. Meh. I like the HD600 more.
• Meze 109 Pro - These are comfortable. They're good. A safe purchase I'd say. Although.. 800$.. idk. More like 500$.. I view them as an alternative HD600, that is more cushiony and has more top-end sizzle (something I don't particularly like.)
• Dan Clark Audio Expanse - Was not impressed. I put them down rather quickly, lol.
• Sennheiser HD800S - Where's the huge soundstage that everyone talks about? Don't be fooled. These weren't as wide and immersive as I thought they'd be. Yeah, they're a bit bright but I did not have a problem with that. They're great cans.. It's just.. I was left a bit disappointed having heard and read all them reviews praising how wide they are and they did not strike me as such personally. Idk. If anything, the Meze Elites are just as wide.

Overall, I'm very happy with the Meze Elites. I think these are Meze's best headphones and I do not regret my purchasing decision. If you're coming from an HD600, you wouldn't like them at first but if you give them enough time and compare them to a bunch of other HPs, you'll realize they're great cans.

Lastly, PSA for the fanatics. You are not missing out on the HE-1. Trust me (bro). They do sound good but yeah. Spend that amount of money elsewhere.

I will look into what people are saying about the Shangri La Junior one day (but not now. ) I am also curious to hear how ZMFs sound. However....I feel like I'm starting to get bored of headphones at this point. It's time to experience other things in life. Peace out.

Thanks for sharing your opinions, always helpful to see that on here. Relating to your last point, if you like the Elites, I think you might like ZMF's. The two stand outs for me at Canjam were the Meze booth and the ZMF room. Don't get me wrong, everything else sounded great and had their strengths but I had more fun and they made me enjoy my music which is my main goal in this hobby. The ZMF Atrium will probably be my next purchase, it reminds me of a richer HD600.
To your other point, I do think there is a slight exaggeration on how wide the 800S can sound and that expectation may lead to disappointment, I also got a chance to try them at Camjam but I had the opposite experience and did indeed hear the "crazy" wide stage everyone talks about, it was hooked up to one of the Senn amps, so that might be a factor. They did impress me but they were a bit too bright for my tastes as I am treble sensitive, I can definitely see the appeal though.

 

[MrHaelscheir]

I am presently enjoying https://app.idagio.com/albums/brahms-symphonies-nos-3-and-4-D2C477F0-202B-4245-A4ED-01D4280FCA9A (Daniel Harding's recording of Brahms Symphony Nos. 3 and 4; I heard this pair live at Koerner Hall last weekend; it was wonderful, though I technically have not yet found a recording that matches that specific performance's strings; I also for the latter symphony had an amusing point where I found that the flutes and clarinets genuinely "sounded like an exquisite sip of Glenfiddich"), whereby somehow after getting back to it after a shower, it dawned upon me just how real everything was sounding through the Meze Elite, well, insofar as its spaciousness and measurably excellent distortion performance lent to its working very well with the use of binaural head-tracking DSP and measured free-field EQ to simulate the sound of a perfectly neutral stereo triangle in an anechoic chamber. Unprecedented clarity, all details and texture presented in perfect balance, everything in the recording uncoloured and nothing else, with head-tracking allowing you to rotate your head toward different sounds in the sonic image laid out right in front of you where they would be in a live classical concert. At least the timbral vividness is very close to what I have been aiming for, the remaining things between me and the music being the inherent feeling of headphones clamping around your ears, the sound of course not impinging upon the rest of my body, other inherent limitations of stereo recording and mixing, and the software or recording having limitations in convincing the sounds beyond the wall in front of me. I have an HE1000se on the way, whereby knowing the openness of the Arya Stealth, I am hoping that should it have better distortion performance than the Arya Stealth, it might provide the best immersion currently possible through binaural head-tracked headphones.

This has all been toward being able to hear the "truth" behind recordings amid absolute theoretical transparency.

 

[up late]

 

[Casey’sToneQuest]

Anyone able to directly compare the Elite to the Empy 2?

 

[bunnygal23]

Anyone able to directly compare the Elite to the Empy 2?

I had some impressions from Canjam Dallas written up on this thread in post #5276. Noisy show floor conditions so it might not be the best comparison. Basically I found the Empy 1 to be warm, Elites to be neutral warm and Empy 2 to be a little neutral bright.

 

[Casey’sToneQuest]

I had some impressions from Canjam Dallas written up on this thread in post #5276. Noisy show floor conditions so it might not be the best comparison. Basically I found the Empy 1 to be warm, Elites to be neutral warm and Empy 2 to be a little neutral bright.

Awesome thanks, I think after trying a good amount of stuff this last year or so I lean towards liking neutral bright and adding low end with Eq or ifi bass boost so the Empy 2 are my dream buy from what I’m hearing

 

[bunnygal23]

Awesome thanks, I think after trying a good amount of stuff this last year or so I lean towards liking neutral bright and adding low end with Eq or ifi bass boost so the Empy 2 are my dream buy from what I’m hearing

It also wouldn't hurt to look at the egg shaped Hifiman HP's as well if you're after that signature in planars. The Meze's will definitely have the better build but I found both to be equally comfortable. For Dynamic driver HP's, I found the 109 pros have a similar signature to the Empy 2's.

 

[Casey’sToneQuest]

It also wouldn't hurt to look at the egg shaped Hifiman HP's as well if you're after that signature in planars. The Meze's will definitely have the better build but I found both to be equally comfortable. For Dynamic driver HP's, I found the 109 pros have a similar signature to the Empy 2's.

Ah yea I have had the Arya and HE stealths and definitely loved them but ended up selling to continue trying other stuff (no stores near me that carry high end headphones ) maybe I’m imagining something better and have already heard close to the top lol. I didn’t like the 109s compared to the Arya and HE (besides the unbelievable Meze comfort ) . I have to get to a can jam first before I spend over $1000 on anything again!

 

[MrHaelscheir]

Here are preliminary measurements showing how the HE1000se stacks up against an EQed Meze Elite with hybrid pads: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-he1000-se.886228/post-17863219 (post #4,787). I'd say the Meze Elite is still superior for distortion, especially in the bass, and somewhat for the CSD (transient decay cleanness). Otherwise, my only reason for getting the HE1000se is to hear my binaural head-tracking speaker simulation with greater comfort and hopefully a more open and immersive presentation.