lol, you only have 3 posts you wouldn't get it anyway...Why USA only?
I am 500 km from Bucuresti and cannot join. Great! Will enlarge my Focal and Hifiman collection-)
New Loaner program - Meze Elite
- Thread starter Todd
- Start date
So, you think they will choose blon bl-03 and Koss Porta pro fans that have hundreds of posts?
ThanatosVI
Headphoneus Supremus
They either choose on a first come first Served Basis (which I guess Was the case here)
Or prioritize those members with review experience, i.e. several reviews already published here on head-fi or elsewhere.
Very active members that frequently share valuable impressions but Don't write full reviews could also get chosen over members with 5 posts.
Certainly depends on who is organizing a Tour, however it makes sense to me
Why do I live in the UK? We can't have these nice things over here!
Todd
Headphone Vinyl Meister
Member of the Trade: TTVJ Audio
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2001
- Posts
- 2,033
- Likes
- 845
HI All,
sennfan83261 should be receiving the Elite any day now - let the listening begin! I am really looking forward to all of your impressions!
Also, we do have 1 left in stock if anyone is looking to own one.
Todd
sennfan83261 should be receiving the Elite any day now - let the listening begin! I am really looking forward to all of your impressions!
Also, we do have 1 left in stock if anyone is looking to own one.
Todd
sennfan83261
500+ Head-Fier
Thank you Todd for setting up another wonderful product tour. I enjoyed my week with them and they're currently on their way to the next tour participant. Briefly, I was struck by their natural timbre (especially for a planar) and liveliness (dynamics) without any hint of sibilance. Of course, I'll expand my thoughts on these in my forthcoming review.
EDIT: Oh yeah, to future participants, if you want to keep the lid of the case open, then you'll have to push the opened lid back just a little further until you feel it lock-in to the opened position.
EDIT: Oh yeah, to future participants, if you want to keep the lid of the case open, then you'll have to push the opened lid back just a little further until you feel it lock-in to the opened position.
Last edited:
sennfan83261
500+ Head-Fier
Sorry for the delay. I recently started at a law firm and have to bill big law hours to make big law bucks. Back to the subject at hand, the Meze Empyrean Elites. Thanks again to Todd for putting together this tour. The next recipient should have these cans by now. I must admit that I heard the Meze Empyreans almost two years ago for only a few minutes, and during meet conditions, at the SourceAV. There were plenty of conversations going around me at the time, so I couldn't really form an opinion on the originals. Since I don't really have too much time right now, my apologies in advance for the brevity of this review compared to my previous ones. Also, all opinions below are my own and I'm not receiving any financial inducements or support for them.
And here they are (with my HE-6 4S in the background):
Chain: Musicbee (FLAC) -> Bifrost 2 -> Liquid Platinum (1956 Raytheon 12AU7 D-getters) | THX AAA 789 (too bad my Liquid Platinum Gold X came on the same day that I shipped the Elites out)
Cans that have been on regular rotation lately: HE-6 (Bryston 3B-ST), HE1000 v1 (v2 pads), HD800S, and LCD-3 (pre-fazor).
Build: What else can be said of Meze's build quality when it comes to their TOTL cans? The machined earcups, the carbon fiber headband, the form-fitting leather comfort-strap, and everything else about it oozes luxury. Personally, I liked the OG's more understated colorway than the bling silvery look of the Elites. Still, Meze is known for bringing other color schemes into the market, so I won't be surprised if Meze offers different colorway editions of the Elites in the future.
As for fit, these fit like a glove on my head and feel light. The Elite didn't bear down on my neck like older cans from Audeze and Hifiman. Overall, these cans are extremely comfortable and I had no problem wearing them for over an hour.
The pad switching system is genius. Pad switching is a breeze with Meze's magnetic retaining system. It is so easy to change the sound by switching between the hybrid-leather and alcantara pads. Sadly, no other manufacture seems to want to go with the magnetic pad retaining system (Audeze mentioned that they couldn't get the seal that they wanted, or something to that effect), which means that the third-party pad market for the Empyrean and the Elites is non-existent.
While others have praised the adjustment mechanism for the Empyreans (and probably the Elites by extension), I found that the extension rod was a bit stiff. It took a little bit of effort and thumb pressure to get it to my preferred adjustment. This adjustment mechanism may loosen up with time. However, I found the adjustment mechanism on my $200 HD6XX to be easier and more convenient than the Elites.
As for the stock cables, IMO this is where Meze falls a little short. As shown below, ootb the cable has a maddening tendency of coiling up. Furthermore, the cable retains memory of these coils when taking them out of their storage case when used later. It seems that twisting the cable up to store them back in the storage box leads this coil memory. Over the week, this coil memory appears to have lessened so long as one remembers not to twist the cable when storing them, which leads me to suggest to store these cables elsewhere to straighten them out.
Bass: The bass of the Elites extends low with a slight midbass hump (~2dB from outside measurements*), which give kick drums a little bit more presence and impact at the expense of a bit of sub-bass presence. Overall, the bass is clean sounding but is second in the sub-bass dept when compared to my HE-6 and LCD 2.2.
*went searching to see if the slight midbass hump that I heard shown itself in any measurement data
Mids: The mids are lovely, clear, and surprisingly thicker than I would expect on a reference planar.
Treble: With the hybrid pads (leather-outer and alcantara-inner), it seemed that there was a bit of a treble veil that was particularly apparent when listening to classical tracks. To my ears, the alcantara pads removed this veil and I couldn't find anything that was disagreeable in treble region when using the alcantara pads to listen to my classical test tracks.
Timbre: Wow, the Elites hit it out of the park when it comes timbre to my ears. Probably the best timbre I heard from a planar to date. Instruments sounded lifelike and their individual qualities and voicings were abundantly present on the Elites.
Soundstage and Imaging: The soundstage had excellent depth. While the hybrid pads are not particularly wide-sounding (at least with respect to my HEKv1's, Arya's, and HD800S), they are wide enough not to be considered intimate. The story changes when switching to the alcantara pads. These pads produced a concert hall-like soundstage reminiscent of the large soundstage of my AKG K501's, which were famous for their concert-hall-esque soundstage. Indeed, the alcantara pads are the pads for classical music listening on the Elites. As for imaging, I was able to pinpoint instrument placement pretty easily, so no complaints from me there.
Dynamics: These cans are certainly dynamic, at least when it come to macrodynamics. They slam well and have an extremely lively presentation although they are second to a properly amped HE-6 in the slam dept IMO.
Misc: Interestingly, the presentation of the sound with the hybrid pads is pretty in-your-face reminiscent of the HE-6. However, I feel that cranking up the volume (not necessarily to ear-bleeding levels) led to a bit of congestion to the sound with the Elites (hybrid pads), whereas my HE-6 does a better job of keeping the differerent instrument lines more distinct. Then again, the HE-6 and the Elite are driven by different amps.
Track Notes (YT links provided for convenience. FLACs from the original releases were used when auditioning the headphones):
AC/DC - Dirty Deeds (live) (1991) - God damn, Chris Slade's drums sound thunderous on the Elites. Malcolm and Angus's guitars sound large and raw. Listening to this track on the Elites is certainly an experience.
Kadhja Bonet - Joy [Childqueen] (FP1658-2) - Lovely track that sounds expansive on the Elite without stumbling as it did with the Focal Clear Mg's at the string section coming at 0:45.
Final thoughts: The Meze Empyrean Elites certainly look the price. Do they sound like $4k cans? I didn't find anything truly wrong in the sound dept with these cans. They didn't make me weep for joy when I first listened to them. Then again, no cans that I've encountered, including the Utopia and the SR-009/S (amped on a BH special), made me weep either. I guess playing in bands and going to concerts (from dingy dives to stadiums and concert halls) before jumping into headphones did that for me. Anyways, the Elites can sound great with everything when using the appropriate pads. Sure, there are a few aspects that some cans (even those that cost considerably less) can do better (see HE-6's sub-bass above), but these cans are truly very good/great with everything, which is something I cannot say for most cans that I've listened to or owned. If I want to consolidate my collection to one headphone, then the Elites will get a serious look-in (only after hearing the Susvara).
And here they are (with my HE-6 4S in the background):
Chain: Musicbee (FLAC) -> Bifrost 2 -> Liquid Platinum (1956 Raytheon 12AU7 D-getters) | THX AAA 789 (too bad my Liquid Platinum Gold X came on the same day that I shipped the Elites out)
Cans that have been on regular rotation lately: HE-6 (Bryston 3B-ST), HE1000 v1 (v2 pads), HD800S, and LCD-3 (pre-fazor).
Build: What else can be said of Meze's build quality when it comes to their TOTL cans? The machined earcups, the carbon fiber headband, the form-fitting leather comfort-strap, and everything else about it oozes luxury. Personally, I liked the OG's more understated colorway than the bling silvery look of the Elites. Still, Meze is known for bringing other color schemes into the market, so I won't be surprised if Meze offers different colorway editions of the Elites in the future.
As for fit, these fit like a glove on my head and feel light. The Elite didn't bear down on my neck like older cans from Audeze and Hifiman. Overall, these cans are extremely comfortable and I had no problem wearing them for over an hour.
The pad switching system is genius. Pad switching is a breeze with Meze's magnetic retaining system. It is so easy to change the sound by switching between the hybrid-leather and alcantara pads. Sadly, no other manufacture seems to want to go with the magnetic pad retaining system (Audeze mentioned that they couldn't get the seal that they wanted, or something to that effect), which means that the third-party pad market for the Empyrean and the Elites is non-existent.
While others have praised the adjustment mechanism for the Empyreans (and probably the Elites by extension), I found that the extension rod was a bit stiff. It took a little bit of effort and thumb pressure to get it to my preferred adjustment. This adjustment mechanism may loosen up with time. However, I found the adjustment mechanism on my $200 HD6XX to be easier and more convenient than the Elites.
As for the stock cables, IMO this is where Meze falls a little short. As shown below, ootb the cable has a maddening tendency of coiling up. Furthermore, the cable retains memory of these coils when taking them out of their storage case when used later. It seems that twisting the cable up to store them back in the storage box leads this coil memory. Over the week, this coil memory appears to have lessened so long as one remembers not to twist the cable when storing them, which leads me to suggest to store these cables elsewhere to straighten them out.
Bass: The bass of the Elites extends low with a slight midbass hump (~2dB from outside measurements*), which give kick drums a little bit more presence and impact at the expense of a bit of sub-bass presence. Overall, the bass is clean sounding but is second in the sub-bass dept when compared to my HE-6 and LCD 2.2.
*went searching to see if the slight midbass hump that I heard shown itself in any measurement data
Mids: The mids are lovely, clear, and surprisingly thicker than I would expect on a reference planar.
Treble: With the hybrid pads (leather-outer and alcantara-inner), it seemed that there was a bit of a treble veil that was particularly apparent when listening to classical tracks. To my ears, the alcantara pads removed this veil and I couldn't find anything that was disagreeable in treble region when using the alcantara pads to listen to my classical test tracks.
Timbre: Wow, the Elites hit it out of the park when it comes timbre to my ears. Probably the best timbre I heard from a planar to date. Instruments sounded lifelike and their individual qualities and voicings were abundantly present on the Elites.
Soundstage and Imaging: The soundstage had excellent depth. While the hybrid pads are not particularly wide-sounding (at least with respect to my HEKv1's, Arya's, and HD800S), they are wide enough not to be considered intimate. The story changes when switching to the alcantara pads. These pads produced a concert hall-like soundstage reminiscent of the large soundstage of my AKG K501's, which were famous for their concert-hall-esque soundstage. Indeed, the alcantara pads are the pads for classical music listening on the Elites. As for imaging, I was able to pinpoint instrument placement pretty easily, so no complaints from me there.
Dynamics: These cans are certainly dynamic, at least when it come to macrodynamics. They slam well and have an extremely lively presentation although they are second to a properly amped HE-6 in the slam dept IMO.
Misc: Interestingly, the presentation of the sound with the hybrid pads is pretty in-your-face reminiscent of the HE-6. However, I feel that cranking up the volume (not necessarily to ear-bleeding levels) led to a bit of congestion to the sound with the Elites (hybrid pads), whereas my HE-6 does a better job of keeping the differerent instrument lines more distinct. Then again, the HE-6 and the Elite are driven by different amps.
Track Notes (YT links provided for convenience. FLACs from the original releases were used when auditioning the headphones):
AC/DC - Dirty Deeds (live) (1991) - God damn, Chris Slade's drums sound thunderous on the Elites. Malcolm and Angus's guitars sound large and raw. Listening to this track on the Elites is certainly an experience.
Kadhja Bonet - Joy [Childqueen] (FP1658-2) - Lovely track that sounds expansive on the Elite without stumbling as it did with the Focal Clear Mg's at the string section coming at 0:45.
Final thoughts: The Meze Empyrean Elites certainly look the price. Do they sound like $4k cans? I didn't find anything truly wrong in the sound dept with these cans. They didn't make me weep for joy when I first listened to them. Then again, no cans that I've encountered, including the Utopia and the SR-009/S (amped on a BH special), made me weep either. I guess playing in bands and going to concerts (from dingy dives to stadiums and concert halls) before jumping into headphones did that for me. Anyways, the Elites can sound great with everything when using the appropriate pads. Sure, there are a few aspects that some cans (even those that cost considerably less) can do better (see HE-6's sub-bass above), but these cans are truly very good/great with everything, which is something I cannot say for most cans that I've listened to or owned. If I want to consolidate my collection to one headphone, then the Elites will get a serious look-in (only after hearing the Susvara).
Last edited:
I also was lucky enough to get my hands on the Meze Elite and posted a review here:
Great headphone that has that patented (and seductive) Meze sound with added clarity across the board.
Eager to compare these to the likes of the LCD-5 considering the price range. I highly doubt you could lose with either.
Great headphone that has that patented (and seductive) Meze sound with added clarity across the board.
Eager to compare these to the likes of the LCD-5 considering the price range. I highly doubt you could lose with either.
Im like 295 on the list...wont see it till next summer....
Todd
Headphone Vinyl Meister
Member of the Trade: TTVJ Audio
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2001
- Posts
- 2,033
- Likes
- 845
Hi szore,
Don't feel bad - I won't see them for even longer! I miss them already.
Todd
Don't feel bad - I won't see them for even longer! I miss them already.
Todd
I currently have the Elite in and I must say I like these a lot. I'm more of an IEM person so I don't have TOTL full size cans in often but I really like the sound tuning for sure. Decent bass for an open back, great imaging in the somewhat intimate soundstage, really nice mids and decent treble. I wouldn't say these are the best detail retrieval I've personally heard but it does everything really well. There is a fairly noticeable difference between the hybrid pads and velour pads which give a nice included swappable tuning option. They also don't need much power and between a lower cost Lotoo S1/iFi Hip dac compared to a $1100 SMSL stack, I only got a slightly wider stage and slightly better detail retrieval. I would say this is a nice set for someone looking for a high end "do it all" headphone and it doesn't require a desktop setup to sound good.
Nice reviewSorry for the delay. I recently started at a law firm and have to bill big law hours to make big law bucks. Back to the subject at hand, the Meze Empyrean Elites. Thanks again to Todd for putting together this tour. The next recipient should have these cans by now. I must admit that I heard the Meze Empyreans almost two years ago for only a few minutes, and during meet conditions, at the SourceAV. There were plenty of conversations going around me at the time, so I couldn't really form an opinion on the originals. Since I don't really have too much time right now, my apologies in advance for the brevity of this review compared to my previous ones. Also, all opinions below are my own and I'm not receiving any financial inducements or support for them.
And here they are (with my HE-6 4S in the background):
Chain: Musicbee (FLAC) -> Bifrost 2 -> Liquid Platinum (1956 Raytheon 12AU7 D-getters) | THX AAA 789 (too bad my Liquid Platinum Gold X came on the same day that I shipped the Elites out)
Cans that have been on regular rotation lately: HE-6 (Bryston 3B-ST), HE1000 v1 (v2 pads), HD800S, and LCD-3 (pre-fazor).
Build: What else can be said of Meze's build quality when it comes to their TOTL cans? The machined earcups, the carbon fiber headband, the form-fitting leather comfort-strap, and everything else about it oozes luxury. Personally, I liked the OG's more understated colorway than the bling silvery look of the Elites. Still, Meze is known for bringing other color schemes into the market, so I won't be surprised if Meze offers different colorway editions of the Elites in the future.
As for fit, these fit like a glove on my head and feel light. The Elite didn't bear down on my neck like older cans from Audeze and Hifiman. Overall, these cans are extremely comfortable and I had no problem wearing them for over an hour.
The pad switching system is genius. Pad switching is a breeze with Meze's magnetic retaining system. It is so easy to change the sound by switching between the hybrid-leather and alcantara pads. Sadly, no other manufacture seems to want to go with the magnetic pad retaining system (Audeze mentioned that they couldn't get the seal that they wanted, or something to that effect), which means that the third-party pad market for the Empyrean and the Elites is non-existent.
While others have praised the adjustment mechanism for the Empyreans (and probably the Elites by extension), I found that the extension rod was a bit stiff. It took a little bit of effort and thumb pressure to get it to my preferred adjustment. This adjustment mechanism may loosen up with time. However, I found the adjustment mechanism on my $200 HD6XX to be easier and more convenient than the Elites.
As for the stock cables, IMO this is where Meze falls a little short. As shown below, ootb the cable has a maddening tendency of coiling up. Furthermore, the cable retains memory of these coils when taking them out of their storage case when used later. It seems that twisting the cable up to store them back in the storage box leads this coil memory. Over the week, this coil memory appears to have lessened so long as one remembers not to twist the cable when storing them, which leads me to suggest to store these cables elsewhere to straighten them out.
Bass: The bass of the Elites extends low with a slight midbass hump (~2dB from outside measurements*), which give kick drums a little bit more presence and impact at the expense of a bit of sub-bass presence. Overall, the bass is clean sounding but is second in the sub-bass dept when compared to my HE-6 and LCD 2.2.
*went searching to see if the slight midbass hump that I heard shown itself in any measurement data
Mids: The mids are lovely, clear, and surprisingly thicker than I would expect on a reference planar.
Treble: With the hybrid pads (leather-outer and alcantara-inner), it seemed that there was a bit of a treble veil that was particularly apparent when listening to classical tracks. To my ears, the alcantara pads removed this veil and I couldn't find anything that was disagreeable in treble region when using the alcantara pads to listen to my classical test tracks.
Timbre: Wow, the Elites hit it out of the park when it comes timbre to my ears. Probably the best timbre I heard from a planar to date. Instruments sounded lifelike and their individual qualities and voicings were abundantly present on the Elites.
Soundstage and Imaging: The soundstage had excellent depth. While the hybrid pads are not particularly wide-sounding (at least with respect to my HEKv1's, Arya's, and HD800S), they are wide enough not to be considered intimate. The story changes when switching to the alcantara pads. These pads produced a concert hall-like soundstage reminiscent of the large soundstage of my AKG K501's, which were famous for their concert-hall-esque soundstage. Indeed, the alcantara pads are the pads for classical music listening on the Elites. As for imaging, I was able to pinpoint instrument placement pretty easily, so no complaints from me there.
Dynamics: These cans are certainly dynamic, at least when it come to macrodynamics. They slam well and have an extremely lively presentation although they are second to a properly amped HE-6 in the slam dept IMO.
Misc: Interestingly, the presentation of the sound with the hybrid pads is pretty in-your-face reminiscent of the HE-6. However, I feel that cranking up the volume (not necessarily to ear-bleeding levels) led to a bit of congestion to the sound with the Elites (hybrid pads), whereas my HE-6 does a better job of keeping the differerent instrument lines more distinct. Then again, the HE-6 and the Elite are driven by different amps.
Track Notes (YT links provided for convenience. FLACs from the original releases were used when auditioning the headphones):
AC/DC - Dirty Deeds (live) (1991) - God damn, Chris Slade's drums sound thunderous on the Elites. Malcolm and Angus's guitars sound large and raw. Listening to this track on the Elites is certainly an experience.
Kadhja Bonet - Joy [Childqueen] (FP1658-2) - Lovely track that sounds expansive on the Elite without stumbling as it did with the Focal Clear Mg's at the string section coming at 0:45.
Final thoughts: The Meze Empyrean Elites certainly look the price. Do they sound like $4k cans? I didn't find anything truly wrong in the sound dept with these cans. They didn't make me weep for joy when I first listened to them. Then again, no cans that I've encountered, including the Utopia and the SR-009/S (amped on a BH special), made me weep either. I guess playing in bands and going to concerts (from dingy dives to stadiums and concert halls) before jumping into headphones did that for me. Anyways, the Elites can sound great with everything when using the appropriate pads. Sure, there are a few aspects that some cans (even those that cost considerably less) can do better (see HE-6's sub-bass above), but these cans are truly very good/great with everything, which is something I cannot say for most cans that I've listened to or owned. If I want to consolidate my collection to one headphone, then the Elites will get a serious look-in (only after hearing the Susvara).
Any direct comparison between Elite and Hifiman Susvara?
Todd
Headphone Vinyl Meister
Member of the Trade: TTVJ Audio
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2001
- Posts
- 2,033
- Likes
- 845
The Meze Elite is on its way to Olumn and we will see a review here from Corgifall soon.
Todd
Todd
Olumm
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2017
- Posts
- 591
- Likes
- 551
Hey All,
Well, my time with the Elite is over and I have slightly mixed feelings towards it... First, let me breakdown what I used with the Elite, and what I had for comparisons.
Gear Used
DACs
1. Schiit Gungnir Multibit
2. ifi iDSD Black Label
3. ifi xCANN
4. ifi Zen DAC
5. Topping D30 pro
Amps
1. Schiit Mjolnir (Gen 1)
2. Topping A30
3. ifi iDSD Black Label
4. ifi xCANN
5. ifi Zen DAC
6. Oriolus BA300S
Comparison Headphones
1. Abyss AB-1266 (OG)
2. Meze Empyrean (OG)
Build
As we all know... the Meze Empyrean is one of the nicest built headphones on the market, and the Elite is basically the same build in a different colorway. I will say that I personally prefer the aesthetics of the Elite over the Empyrean with the raw metal look and feel, but that's subjective. The Elite and the Empyrean are the same in terms of build quality. The Elite, like the Empyrean, is the most comfortable headphone that I have ever had the privilege of wearing, and that includes the AKG K1000. I never really understood why people lied the K1000 so much... Yes, it's comfortable, but it's also awkward as hell. I know... I know... I have the 1266, and yes it's also quite awkward, but at least it can deliver in impact. The K1000 just cannot without folding the drivers flush to your ears, and at that point... why even get the K1000?
The one area where I would like to see Meze improve is with the included cables. I will never understand why these elite (no pun intended) brands choose to include either awful, or meh cables with their TOTL headphones. Abyss, Focal, Meze and Hifiman... I am looking at all of you. While there is nothing sonically wrong with the Elite cable, it's memory for holding bends is just unacceptable at any price point, let alone the amount that the Elite is asking. Please Meze... fix your cables to be something more than what has become just a laughable joke in this industry of bad cables for all. Not everyone wants to get aftermarket cables.
What I did notice with the Elite that differs slightly from the Empyrean is that the leather ear pads are slightly narrower. The suede pads are exactly the same, but the leather pads are about a 1/4 inch thinner than either the Empyrean earpads, or the suede pads. I will get to how this impacts the sound a little later, but that is a difference that I noticed pretty quickly.
Overall, the Meze Elite is built exactly the same as the Empyrean... which is perfectly fine and good in my book. It's hard to improve over the comfort king that was/is the Empyrean, so good on you all for not messing around too much with it.
Sound
I am going to cause a bit of controversy here by saying that there is very little difference between the Elite and the Empyrean with the suede pads. The pads included with both headphones are identical, and they both do the same thing. Suede pads on the Elite/Empyrean remove a lot of the impact and allow for a more airy presentation. I don't mean airy in the sense of a larger soundstage, just in the fact that the low end is rolled off more than with the leather, and that the highs are given more focus.
The leather pads that are included with the Elite does make a difference compared to the stock leather pads on the Empyrean... but there's a catch. As I stated previously... the leather ear pads on the Elite are about a 1/4 inch thinner than the stock leather pads on the Empyrean. What this does is makes the Elite more impactful than using the Empyrean stock leather pads. Now, I wondered what would happen if I put the Elite leather earpads on the Empyrean... so I did. Guess what? Nearly identical again. I mean, there is a bit more clarity on the Elite vs. the Empyrean, so I don't think that Meze just changed the colorway and shipped out a different Empyrean with thinner leather pads... but what they changed in the driver must have been super... super minimal. That's not to say that the Elite is a copy of the Empyrean... what I am saying is that I was not able to tell a truly noticeable difference between the two headphones. Now, I am 41 years old and the time it takes to remove the earpads from one headphone, unplug it and change everything over to another headphone does impact my ability to do quick switching, but the point... at least for me remains. If you had the Empyrean, and were wondering if the Elite was a substantial upgrade, no... they're not. Realistically all you would need is a pair of the Elite leather pads and you would be very close to have the same ability.
Desktop Setup
The Elites really do shine with better quality, and higher voltage gear. They tend to take on more of a detailed presentation when run from the Mjolnir/Gungnir MB setup. I don't get that laid-back presentation that I do with some of the other headphones that I have, but the Elite are just detail, detail, detail.
Overall I would say that the Meze Elite (with leather pads) reminds me of a more Utopia presentation... almost glassy depending on the music that you are wanting.
Comparison
Meze Empyrean (OG)
So... here is a bit of a unpopular opinion... with the suede pads on the Elite and the Empyrean I hear 0 difference between them. That's right. I checked on my desktop setup and on my portable. There was no discernible difference between the headphones to my ear with the suede pads. Now, with the leather pads... there's quite a difference.
The Elite leather pads changes things to be more aggressive and impactful. Now, again... unpopular opinion here, but the Elite leather pads are different than the Empyrean leather pads by about a 1/4 of an inch. What happens when you place the Elite pads on the Empyrean? They sound nearly identical again. The same aggressive impact translates over to the Empyrean. I cannot imagine that these are the same headphone, and I am certain that it's just my old ears that are unable to hear the difference between the two headphones. All I can say is that I will happily purchase a pair of the Elite leather pads and keep my OG Empyrean.
Abyss AB-1266 (OG)
Here is a comparison that likely doesn't need to take place, as the only thing these two headphones have in common is their driver type. The Elite is far better built than the 1266. That's not to say the 1266 is poorly built, it's not, just a deign difference. The 1266 is industrial and utilitarian, while the Elite is designed to be not only beautiful, but also functional. The Elite wipes the floor with design, comfort and build compared to the 1266.
Where the 1266 makes it back is in dynamics and slam. The 1266 has no other equal in this field for planar drivers, and the Elite cannot compete here either. What the Elite can do is provide a lovely and accurate soundstage with great imaging. However, the 1266 can do this as well... and on a larger stage. The 1266 just kicks the chair out from under the Elite in terms of slam and dynamics as well. It's not even fair to the Elite here.
Conclusions
I cannot thank Todd enough for this opportunity to spend some time with the Meze Elite, and while it may not be on my list of gear to obtain in the future, it certainly impressed me with it's looks, build and design. Again, I have never had such a comfortable headphone than what the group at Meze has created with the Empyrean/Elite lineup, and I hope they never change it.
Well, my time with the Elite is over and I have slightly mixed feelings towards it... First, let me breakdown what I used with the Elite, and what I had for comparisons.
Gear Used
DACs
1. Schiit Gungnir Multibit
2. ifi iDSD Black Label
3. ifi xCANN
4. ifi Zen DAC
5. Topping D30 pro
Amps
1. Schiit Mjolnir (Gen 1)
2. Topping A30
3. ifi iDSD Black Label
4. ifi xCANN
5. ifi Zen DAC
6. Oriolus BA300S
Comparison Headphones
1. Abyss AB-1266 (OG)
2. Meze Empyrean (OG)
Build
As we all know... the Meze Empyrean is one of the nicest built headphones on the market, and the Elite is basically the same build in a different colorway. I will say that I personally prefer the aesthetics of the Elite over the Empyrean with the raw metal look and feel, but that's subjective. The Elite and the Empyrean are the same in terms of build quality. The Elite, like the Empyrean, is the most comfortable headphone that I have ever had the privilege of wearing, and that includes the AKG K1000. I never really understood why people lied the K1000 so much... Yes, it's comfortable, but it's also awkward as hell. I know... I know... I have the 1266, and yes it's also quite awkward, but at least it can deliver in impact. The K1000 just cannot without folding the drivers flush to your ears, and at that point... why even get the K1000?
The one area where I would like to see Meze improve is with the included cables. I will never understand why these elite (no pun intended) brands choose to include either awful, or meh cables with their TOTL headphones. Abyss, Focal, Meze and Hifiman... I am looking at all of you. While there is nothing sonically wrong with the Elite cable, it's memory for holding bends is just unacceptable at any price point, let alone the amount that the Elite is asking. Please Meze... fix your cables to be something more than what has become just a laughable joke in this industry of bad cables for all. Not everyone wants to get aftermarket cables.
What I did notice with the Elite that differs slightly from the Empyrean is that the leather ear pads are slightly narrower. The suede pads are exactly the same, but the leather pads are about a 1/4 inch thinner than either the Empyrean earpads, or the suede pads. I will get to how this impacts the sound a little later, but that is a difference that I noticed pretty quickly.
Overall, the Meze Elite is built exactly the same as the Empyrean... which is perfectly fine and good in my book. It's hard to improve over the comfort king that was/is the Empyrean, so good on you all for not messing around too much with it.
Sound
I am going to cause a bit of controversy here by saying that there is very little difference between the Elite and the Empyrean with the suede pads. The pads included with both headphones are identical, and they both do the same thing. Suede pads on the Elite/Empyrean remove a lot of the impact and allow for a more airy presentation. I don't mean airy in the sense of a larger soundstage, just in the fact that the low end is rolled off more than with the leather, and that the highs are given more focus.
The leather pads that are included with the Elite does make a difference compared to the stock leather pads on the Empyrean... but there's a catch. As I stated previously... the leather ear pads on the Elite are about a 1/4 inch thinner than the stock leather pads on the Empyrean. What this does is makes the Elite more impactful than using the Empyrean stock leather pads. Now, I wondered what would happen if I put the Elite leather earpads on the Empyrean... so I did. Guess what? Nearly identical again. I mean, there is a bit more clarity on the Elite vs. the Empyrean, so I don't think that Meze just changed the colorway and shipped out a different Empyrean with thinner leather pads... but what they changed in the driver must have been super... super minimal. That's not to say that the Elite is a copy of the Empyrean... what I am saying is that I was not able to tell a truly noticeable difference between the two headphones. Now, I am 41 years old and the time it takes to remove the earpads from one headphone, unplug it and change everything over to another headphone does impact my ability to do quick switching, but the point... at least for me remains. If you had the Empyrean, and were wondering if the Elite was a substantial upgrade, no... they're not. Realistically all you would need is a pair of the Elite leather pads and you would be very close to have the same ability.
Desktop Setup
The Elites really do shine with better quality, and higher voltage gear. They tend to take on more of a detailed presentation when run from the Mjolnir/Gungnir MB setup. I don't get that laid-back presentation that I do with some of the other headphones that I have, but the Elite are just detail, detail, detail.
Overall I would say that the Meze Elite (with leather pads) reminds me of a more Utopia presentation... almost glassy depending on the music that you are wanting.
Comparison
Meze Empyrean (OG)
So... here is a bit of a unpopular opinion... with the suede pads on the Elite and the Empyrean I hear 0 difference between them. That's right. I checked on my desktop setup and on my portable. There was no discernible difference between the headphones to my ear with the suede pads. Now, with the leather pads... there's quite a difference.
The Elite leather pads changes things to be more aggressive and impactful. Now, again... unpopular opinion here, but the Elite leather pads are different than the Empyrean leather pads by about a 1/4 of an inch. What happens when you place the Elite pads on the Empyrean? They sound nearly identical again. The same aggressive impact translates over to the Empyrean. I cannot imagine that these are the same headphone, and I am certain that it's just my old ears that are unable to hear the difference between the two headphones. All I can say is that I will happily purchase a pair of the Elite leather pads and keep my OG Empyrean.
Abyss AB-1266 (OG)
Here is a comparison that likely doesn't need to take place, as the only thing these two headphones have in common is their driver type. The Elite is far better built than the 1266. That's not to say the 1266 is poorly built, it's not, just a deign difference. The 1266 is industrial and utilitarian, while the Elite is designed to be not only beautiful, but also functional. The Elite wipes the floor with design, comfort and build compared to the 1266.
Where the 1266 makes it back is in dynamics and slam. The 1266 has no other equal in this field for planar drivers, and the Elite cannot compete here either. What the Elite can do is provide a lovely and accurate soundstage with great imaging. However, the 1266 can do this as well... and on a larger stage. The 1266 just kicks the chair out from under the Elite in terms of slam and dynamics as well. It's not even fair to the Elite here.
Conclusions
I cannot thank Todd enough for this opportunity to spend some time with the Meze Elite, and while it may not be on my list of gear to obtain in the future, it certainly impressed me with it's looks, build and design. Again, I have never had such a comfortable headphone than what the group at Meze has created with the Empyrean/Elite lineup, and I hope they never change it.
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