Meze Audio introduces 105 AER - open-back, versatile headphones

[Phunky]

I will go test out the 109 Pro and 105 AER next week at my local hif-fi store, i've spoken to the MEZE Audio distributor in France and had a conversation about these two headphones, what i understood was that the 105 AER suits very well with these styles of music : pop, rock, electro, hip-hop/rap and 109 Pro more suited with classical, blues, jazz. I already have a few headphones (AKG K712, Meze 99 Classics, Fidelio X2HR, Fidelio X3, Austrian Audio Hi-X65) but interested at the 105 AER for the "fun" sound signature, if they say it's between the 99 classics and 109 Pro....it's all good !

 

[Metalingus]

I’ve received them today. They sing with every genre.

Meze 105 sounds fuller than my Focals. EDM, Rock, Vocals, you name it. Everything sounds much better on these.

Also, this is the comfiest thing i’ve put my head in.

I got them for $285 slightly used. I can pay triple and still be happy for what i got.

 

[feank]

I’ve received them today. They sing with every genre.

Meze 105 sounds fuller than my Focals. EDM, Rock, Vocals, you name it. Everything sounds much better on these.

Also, this is the comfiest thing i’ve put my head in.

I got them for $285 slightly used. I can pay triple and still be happy for what i got.

Which Focals?, I have the 109 pro and I think my Elex or Elegia sound better, no the treble peak intruder in the signature and vocals, also sound full sound and for me Focal sound more holographic and out of head., 105 seems to be that doesn’t have the treble problem so for usd300 a second hand is almost on pair with a second hand Elex (I bought mine for usd320 like new)

 

[Mhog55]

I’ve received them today. They sing with every genre.

Meze 105 sounds fuller than my Focals. EDM, Rock, Vocals, you name it. Everything sounds much better on these.

Also, this is the comfiest thing i’ve put my head in.

I got them for $285 slightly used. I can pay triple and still be happy for what i got.

Yes, which Focals? I've owned both the Radiance and Clear MG. I haven't found many other dynamic headphones that have a better transient response and dynamics. I've heard headphones with more note weight and a fuller sound though. I sold both of these as the metallic sheen in the upper frequencies was a bit too much, especially with longer sessions.

 

[Metalingus]

Which Focals?, I have the 109 pro and I think my Elex or Elegia sound better, no the treble peak intruder in the signature and vocals, also sound full sound and for me Focal sound more holographic and out of head., 105 seems to be that doesn’t have the treble problem so for usd300 a second hand is almost on pair with a second hand Elex (I bought mine for usd320 like new)

Mine are Clear MG. While bass is more dynamic i find mid range sucked out, anything with vocals is significantly worse. Treble is also peaky.

Yes, which Focals? I've owned both the Radiance and Clear MG. I haven't found many other dynamic headphones that have a better transient response and dynamics. I've heard headphones with more note weight and a fuller sound though. I sold both of these as the metallic sheen in the upper frequencies was a bit too much, especially with longer sessions.

It is Clear MG, dynamics and transients are great but without EQ anything with vocals are no go for me. Sad that you have to spend $5K on Utopia to fix it. Anyway.

 

[Mhog55]

Mine are Clear MG. While bass is more dynamic i find mid range sucked out, anything with vocals is significantly worse. Treble is also peaky.

It is Clear MG, dynamics and transients are great but without EQ anything with vocals are no go for me. Sad that you have to spend $5K on Utopia to fix it. Anyway.

So I think what you're saying is that the mids of the 105 have more note weight and substance, creating a fuller sound?

 

[jsmiller58]

+1 for a mid-tier Closed Back headset

Yeah, I would be interested as well, but Meze will bring to market what they believe is in their best interests. Seems a mid-tier closed back isn’t what they believe they need to field as a product…

 

[Mhog55]

Yeah, I would be interested as well, but Meze will bring to market what they believe is in their best interests. Seems a mid-tier closed back isn’t what they believe they need to field as a product…

Yeah, the market is flooded with those. Still wouldn't mind see one though. Speaking of which, I just picked up the Aune SR7000. Only had it for a few days, but it's pretty dang good for the asking price. Should have the 105 in hand in a few weeks.

 

[ch1525i]

Yeah, the market is flooded with those. Still wouldn't mind see one though. Speaking of which, I just picked up the Aune SR7000. Only had it for a few days, but it's pretty dang good for the asking price. Should have the 105 in hand in a few weeks.

the 105 has become my daily driver at work. the open back is fine for me as I have a private office. i'm running them off a schiit modi 3e + xduoo mh-02 and they are really nice. plugging in the boom mic make them perfect for calls as well

 

[ryhawk52]

Went to CanJam NYC last weekend. These impressed me the most. Barely noticeable difference from the 109s, and so comfy. A real winner I didn't see coming

 

[PopZeus]

In a perfect world, I would prefer a warmer pinna gain than the 105 has, but overall this is a very good, balanced tuning that has some warmth but mostly has an airy, brilliant sound profile that something called the "AER" should probably represent.

 

[jsmiller58]

A great pairing with the 105 is the iBasso Nunchaku. It gives a good sense of warmth and smooths over the pesky spike in the upper mids / treble. I am really enjoying this combination.

 

[Neweymatt]

I recently had the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks demoing the Meze 105 Aer as part of a tour. Many thanks to Meze for providing the headphone for the tour!

Packaging is simple but effective, you get a decent zip case to store the headphones if you want to carry in a bag or something. The cable is kinda basic, 3.5mm jacks for the headphone, and 3.5mm terminated with a 6.3mm adapter also included.

Meze's trademark build and finish is excellent with the 105 Aer, especially considering the price. These feel solid while also being lightweight, and as with other Meze headphones I've tried, the 105 Aer are very comfortable to use for extended listening sessions, you could use these all days with little to no fatigue.

Sound impressions..
At first I was a little underwhelmed with Aer 105, it's 'lite-r, bright-er' kind of tuning is quite different to what I'm used to from some of the other heavy-hitters in my collection. But after spending more time with these I was generally impressed with what they have to offer.

Bass is much more heard than felt, there is not much here to rumble your cage down low. But you do get a good amount of detail, albeit lacking in density or tactility. Midrange works pretty well, and is perhaps a bit forward relative to the bass. But it's again really well detailed and this works to draw me into the music, especially vocals. Treble is good, perhaps not great, and has a rolled-off feel to it.

Technically, this headphone does a pretty good job at presenting details, the forward midrange helps here. Stage is decent, but rather compressed, especially in depth and height.

Genre's I felt worked well with Aer were things like folk-acoustic, ambient electronic and some modern classical stuff; all the sort of things where bass generally takes a backseat. Rap, hip-hop and harder rock were all ok, but absent some of that bass punch, I felt the 105 Aer a little lacking.

All-in-all this is a pretty solid headphone, and when I remind myself it's just $399, it does feel like a fair value at that price point.

 

[ostewart]

I really, really like the 105 AER - read why here: https://www.hifipig.com/meze-105-aer-headphones/