[Slim1970]

IMO the LCD5 and the Elite pretty much covers the two ends of the spectrum.

I love the LCD2, LCD-X, quite like the LCD4 despite the unbearable 700g+ weight.

The LCD5 was admittedly created with studio sound in mind. Therefore it is supremely neutral and extremely detailed. Fast, clean, accurate; way more than the Elite. At the same time the LCD5 to me at least is not what you want for a relaxed, high-resolution home listening experience where you just want to enjoy yourself.
The Elite might be less accurate, not as pin-point and speedy but for sure will give you a ton more fun and enjoyment. They do to me.
They are still up there in the highest 'technically capable' group, just not on the top of it.

To me the Elite represents the perfect balance between a clean, detailed and accurate sound and a perfect, smooth musically engaging experience. At least in 2022.

The Elite is also a lot more spacious than the LCD5 which is a big plus for me.

To me, the Elite's can be improved technically with a all silver cable and choice of hardware component sources. The Elites are a great headphone and like you said, they strike the right balance from a sonic standpoint.

 

[betula]

I only tried the Alcantara pads for a few minutes before I went right back to the hybrid pads. I will say that they were more comfortable for my big ears, but for everything sound-related, I preferred the hybrids. It’s good to have an option though since some might prefer the Alcantara. I think some even prefer the stock leather Empyrean pads on their Elite.

To be honest I don't get these pad swapping excitement neither on the Elite with the leather Empyrean pads nor on the Empyrean with the Elite hybrid pads. There is a reason why Meze decided not to include these pads with mentioned headphones. The reason is they simply sound off.
Stick with the offered pads for each headphones.

 

[betula]

To me, the Elite's can be improved technically with a all silver cable and choice of hardware component sources. The Elites are a great headphone and like you said, they strike the right balance from a sonic standpoint.

They do scale well with better equipment and better cable, for sure.
Advertised as 'easy to drive', but come on. You don't fill 95 fuel to your high-end supercar.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

To be honest I don't get these pad swapping excitement neither on the Elite with the leather Empyrean pads nor on the Empyrean with the Elite hybrid pads. There is a reason why Meze decided not to include these pads with mentioned headphones. The reason is they simply sound off.
Stick with the offered pads for each headphones.

I personally find the included Alcantara pads to sound “off” on the Elite even though Meze chose to offer them as the stock alternate pad.

 

[betula]

I personally find the included Alcantara pads to sound “off” on the Elite even though Meze chose to offer them as the stock alternate pad.

I am with you to a certain extent. I prefer the hybrid pads too by a big margin, but I can see why some others would prefer the alcantara pads.
At the same time I can't see how someone can like the empyrean leather pads on the Elite.
(Or the Elite hybrid pads on the Empyrean for that matter.)

 

[KelFab]

To me, the Elite's can be improved technically with a all silver cable and choice of hardware component sources. The Elites are a great headphone and like you said, they strike the right balance from a sonic standpoint.

The Lavricables Grand silver has been a successful upgrade over the stock for me, and I also find it better than the PCUHD silver plated (my PCUHD hasn’t reach its full recommended burn in time, I must spend some more time to compare but at this point the Lavri is better). What I observe is a cleaner and clearer sound with tighter and more precise bass and more treble extension and sparkles while remaining smooth. Very pleasing.

 

[betula]

The Lavricables Grand silver has been a successful upgrade over the stock for me, and also better than the PCUHD silver plated (mine wasn’t fully burnt in, I must spend some more time to compare but at this point the Lavri is better). What I observe is a cleaner and clearer sound with tighter and more precise bass and more treble extension and sparkles while remaining smooth. Very pleasing.

Pretty much any aftermarket cable is better than the stock Meze...
Unfortunately I had bad experience with Lavricables a few years ago so I avoid them.

 

[Ninja Theory]

To be honest I don't get these pad swapping excitement neither on the Elite with the leather Empyrean pads nor on the Empyrean with the Elite hybrid pads. There is a reason why Meze decided not to include these pads with mentioned headphones. The reason is they simply sound off.
Stick with the offered pads for each headphones.

I get this. Personally I have to find these things out for myself. I recently bought the Elite pads for my Empy. They are not quite right. The bass loses a lot of its signature Empy character. The weaker clamp force is also not ideal.

A friend of mine on this thread bought the Empy leather pads for his Elite and feels the same. We’ve agreed to swop with each other so we’ll each have a spare set of pads in that case.

I guess it’s a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained.

 

[KelFab]

Pretty much any aftermarket cable is better than the stock Meze...
Unfortunately I had bad experience with Lavricables a few years ago so I avoid them.

Can you explain ?

 

[betula]

Can you explain ?

Stock Meze cable just sounds hazy and unrefined compared to pretty much any aftermarket cable I tried.

Regarding Lavricables a few years ago the mini XLR connections broke on my few weeks old silver Lavricable. The customer service blamed me for not looking after my cables and charged me a hefty price for re-soldering. All of this in a very disrespectful manner where they kept blaming me for the misuse of the cable when I am very meticulous regarding my audio gear.

After this experience never again Lavricables for me. Even though they sound pretty good.

 

[KelFab]

Oh wow, ok … good to know, thanks for sharing your mishap.
I hope I‘ll never have to live this kind of experience …

 

[Slim1970]

The Lavricables Grand silver has been a successful upgrade over the stock for me, and I also find it better than the PCUHD silver plated (my PCUHD hasn’t reach its full recommended burn in time, I must spend some more time to compare but at this point the Lavri is better). What I observe is a cleaner and clearer sound with tighter and more precise bass and more treble extension and sparkles while remaining smooth. Very pleasing.

I'm using a Toxic Cables Silver Widow, silver+gold, and the pairing with the Elites is superb. The gold mixture contributes to improving the bass texture, midrange body, and bringing out more nuances in the sound. This added with the benefits of silver makes it a very ideal pairing with the Elites.

 

[Crgreen]

A review of the Elite is in this month’s Stereophile. It concludes, “The Meze Elite is an elite [groan] headphone, comparable to the best at any price. Class A+.”

 

[LCMusicLover]

Stock Meze cable just sounds hazy and unrefined compared to pretty much any aftermarket cable I tried.

Regarding Lavricables a few years ago the mini XLR connections broke on my few weeks old silver Lavricable. The customer service blamed me for not looking after my cables and charged me a hefty price for re-soldering. All of this in a very disrespectful manner where they kept blaming me for the misuse of the cable when I am very meticulous regarding my audio gear.

After this experience never again Lavricables for me. Even though they sound pretty good.

This is why good businesses make every effort to satisfy their customers. One bad customer story negates ten good stories.

Personally, I have two Lavricables cables (always funny to write that) and haven't had any problems with them, so have never interacted with their after-sales customer support.

For that reason I have been giving them unqualified recommendations. Your story makes me wonder how many folks I've steered into bad experiences ~~ mea culpa.

I guess this is a different take on my ears/your ears:

My customer experience/Your customer service experience

 

[KelFab]

A review of the Elite is in this month’s Stereophile. It concludes, “The Meze Elite is an elite [groan] headphone, comparable to the best at any price. Class A+.”

Had a good moment reading this review, thanks for mentioning it !