FullBright1
Headphoneus Supremus
2-21-2025
A.) Lets get started.
1.) Box : unimpressive...cardboard.......Yawn.
2.) Carrying Case : Modestly impressive, along the lines of the recent Abyss Diana cases.
3.) Build Quality of the : POET. .... Is good.. The Headstrap system is somewhat similar to the Dan Clark design, and the Earcup Sliders that control the positioning of the cups are typical of the better Meze gear.
4.) Pads : Soft, comfortable, similar to the Liric, but softer.
5.) Cable : The cable is excellent Meze quality, but useless overall.. As noone who buys a $2000.00 USD set of headphones is going to waste time with a SE cable, if they understand anything about listening to higher-end headphones at home.
Audiophiles use BALANCED cables at home for more delivery power, and a slight widening of the overall soundstage.
I appreciate that Meze is trying not to encroach upon their Top Tier $$$$$$$$ Headphones with this new POET, so they did a few things with the POET to make sure that didnt happen... like only supplying a SE cable, and giving the POET's frame a color scheme that isn't actually attractive, as dull silver grey does not really work that well aesthetically with the color bronze.
So, the supplied cable is great quality, but thats a hard pass in this case scenario, and the color of the headphones is designed to be semi-attractive at best, (and im being polite).. so that it does not "compete" with their much more attractive upper tier Model's asthetics.
Now lets get to the POET's sound, as if the sound isn't good... then the color, the cables, the box, the build quality, really doesn't matter.
How do they sound.??
Well, ive not spent even an hour with them and i wanted to come to the Forum and review them for you.
What i immediately noticed regarding the POET's sound is that a fan of the original Empyrean, who still wanted a better sound but very similar, and didnt love the Empy 2's sound, (Me).... is going to be mildly thrilled with the MEZE POET.
In my opinion, MEZE has created the Empyrean JR, complete with the Liric's frame size... and Meze has updated the OG Empy's sound profile inside the POET that includes the reduction of that very full upper bass and recessed midrange that was a part of the OG Empyrean's magic that was not always enjoyed by all listeners.
The MEZE POET, is mostly the Empyrean's sound, updated....and offered in a reduced size and with a nicely dialed in frequency response which allows the POET to sound quite natural , lovely, and lush, and still detailed and sonically balanced and very musical.
The Meze Elite was not a Empyrean sonically updated.... and the Empy 2, was not what i wanted as an updated Empyrean.
The POET, by MEZE... is seeking to be the best Empyrean of all, in a smaller size.....and it has 92% accomplished this goal.
This Meze POET is a very fine sounding gear.
Imagine if you combined the ZMF Atrium with the Meze Empyrean , and added a dash of midrange and enough resolution and detail retrieval and instrument separation to make the POET sing.
A.) Your imagination has been 91% accomplished as the : MEZE POET.
Now, for the last few days, ive been listening to the OG Susvara, and nothing else.
And when i initially put on the Meze POET, and started listening, i never had the thought..>"where is all the detail".. "where is all the resolution".... ..and that is because the POET has plenty on tap, and available.
Now i didnt say that the POET has the Detail of the Susvara, or of say a Warwick Bravura... as it doesn't but neither does anything else.
However the POET has been engineered sound-wise to have a beautiful and nicely detailed sound.
A.) Mission Accomplished
So,....MEZE has designed their POET to sounds SO good, = most of all regarding their prime directive...and you also get plenty of detail retrieval. Its quite a perfect balance.
The POET's sound is sweet, somewhat lush, somewhat warm, and has nice detail, but never does it try to take the music apart, or become a set of audiophile microscopes on your ears.
So for my money, the best 2 new Headphones ive heard in the last 15 months are the Hifiman ARYA Unveiled, and the MEZE POET. I give the Abyss JOAL a highly rated 3rd position, as long as you use the Leather Pads, non-Bass ported.
Both the MEZE POET and the HIFIMAN ARYA sound terrific.
Absolutely.
-------------------------
1.) Treble : Somewhat energetic but not sibilant. Never too sharp, yet not rolled off. There is a mild similarity here to the OG Empyrean.
2.) Midrange : Beautiful analytical detail and fullness.
3.) Bass : Goes deep, has nice texture, and is quite full.... and (mostly) balances nicely with the Mids and Treble. Not a Bass Canon, but definitely not Bass shy.
4.) Soundstage : Its amply wide... has more L<>R than "out front" and the overall depth is above average for a smaller Cup sized set of headphones.
5.) Instrument Separation : Fantastic.
6.) Timbre' : Empyrean Likeness.
Final Analysis: I prefer the POET over the 3 most recent MEZE's..
The outstanding sound of the Poet, is certainly FR positioned right along side MEZE's "top tier" headphones.
-
Below, in the last photo...I posted the MEZE POET along side the Susvara and the OG Empyrean, and the Warwick Bravura, so that you can evaluate the size of this new Meze.
-
-
A.) Lets get started.
1.) Box : unimpressive...cardboard.......Yawn.
2.) Carrying Case : Modestly impressive, along the lines of the recent Abyss Diana cases.
3.) Build Quality of the : POET. .... Is good.. The Headstrap system is somewhat similar to the Dan Clark design, and the Earcup Sliders that control the positioning of the cups are typical of the better Meze gear.
4.) Pads : Soft, comfortable, similar to the Liric, but softer.
5.) Cable : The cable is excellent Meze quality, but useless overall.. As noone who buys a $2000.00 USD set of headphones is going to waste time with a SE cable, if they understand anything about listening to higher-end headphones at home.
Audiophiles use BALANCED cables at home for more delivery power, and a slight widening of the overall soundstage.
I appreciate that Meze is trying not to encroach upon their Top Tier $$$$$$$$ Headphones with this new POET, so they did a few things with the POET to make sure that didnt happen... like only supplying a SE cable, and giving the POET's frame a color scheme that isn't actually attractive, as dull silver grey does not really work that well aesthetically with the color bronze.
So, the supplied cable is great quality, but thats a hard pass in this case scenario, and the color of the headphones is designed to be semi-attractive at best, (and im being polite).. so that it does not "compete" with their much more attractive upper tier Model's asthetics.
Now lets get to the POET's sound, as if the sound isn't good... then the color, the cables, the box, the build quality, really doesn't matter.
How do they sound.??
Well, ive not spent even an hour with them and i wanted to come to the Forum and review them for you.
What i immediately noticed regarding the POET's sound is that a fan of the original Empyrean, who still wanted a better sound but very similar, and didnt love the Empy 2's sound, (Me).... is going to be mildly thrilled with the MEZE POET.
In my opinion, MEZE has created the Empyrean JR, complete with the Liric's frame size... and Meze has updated the OG Empy's sound profile inside the POET that includes the reduction of that very full upper bass and recessed midrange that was a part of the OG Empyrean's magic that was not always enjoyed by all listeners.
The MEZE POET, is mostly the Empyrean's sound, updated....and offered in a reduced size and with a nicely dialed in frequency response which allows the POET to sound quite natural , lovely, and lush, and still detailed and sonically balanced and very musical.
The Meze Elite was not a Empyrean sonically updated.... and the Empy 2, was not what i wanted as an updated Empyrean.
The POET, by MEZE... is seeking to be the best Empyrean of all, in a smaller size.....and it has 92% accomplished this goal.
This Meze POET is a very fine sounding gear.
Imagine if you combined the ZMF Atrium with the Meze Empyrean , and added a dash of midrange and enough resolution and detail retrieval and instrument separation to make the POET sing.
A.) Your imagination has been 91% accomplished as the : MEZE POET.
Now, for the last few days, ive been listening to the OG Susvara, and nothing else.
And when i initially put on the Meze POET, and started listening, i never had the thought..>"where is all the detail".. "where is all the resolution".... ..and that is because the POET has plenty on tap, and available.
Now i didnt say that the POET has the Detail of the Susvara, or of say a Warwick Bravura... as it doesn't but neither does anything else.
However the POET has been engineered sound-wise to have a beautiful and nicely detailed sound.
A.) Mission Accomplished
So,....MEZE has designed their POET to sounds SO good, = most of all regarding their prime directive...and you also get plenty of detail retrieval. Its quite a perfect balance.
The POET's sound is sweet, somewhat lush, somewhat warm, and has nice detail, but never does it try to take the music apart, or become a set of audiophile microscopes on your ears.
So for my money, the best 2 new Headphones ive heard in the last 15 months are the Hifiman ARYA Unveiled, and the MEZE POET. I give the Abyss JOAL a highly rated 3rd position, as long as you use the Leather Pads, non-Bass ported.
Both the MEZE POET and the HIFIMAN ARYA sound terrific.
Absolutely.
-------------------------
1.) Treble : Somewhat energetic but not sibilant. Never too sharp, yet not rolled off. There is a mild similarity here to the OG Empyrean.
2.) Midrange : Beautiful analytical detail and fullness.
3.) Bass : Goes deep, has nice texture, and is quite full.... and (mostly) balances nicely with the Mids and Treble. Not a Bass Canon, but definitely not Bass shy.
4.) Soundstage : Its amply wide... has more L<>R than "out front" and the overall depth is above average for a smaller Cup sized set of headphones.
5.) Instrument Separation : Fantastic.
6.) Timbre' : Empyrean Likeness.
Final Analysis: I prefer the POET over the 3 most recent MEZE's..
The outstanding sound of the Poet, is certainly FR positioned right along side MEZE's "top tier" headphones.
-
Below, in the last photo...I posted the MEZE POET along side the Susvara and the OG Empyrean, and the Warwick Bravura, so that you can evaluate the size of this new Meze.
-
-
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