Romania has not traditionally been a producer of interesting Hi-Fi, but that all changed in 2011 with the emergence of Meze Audio from the beautiful city of Baia Mare. The founder, Antonio Meze, was underwhelmed by a lot of the headphones available on the market at that time, so he decided to turn his attentions to producing a set of ‘phones’ which had a personality, in the same way that a quality musical instrument does.

ART, CRAFT, ENGINEERING, IMAGINATION - WELCOME TO MEZE AUDIO

By 2015, after a great deal of hard work, the Meze 99 Classics were released, which immediately put a cat among the pigeons. They were received enthusiastically by the Head-Fi community; their combination of build quality, sound quality and price made them an immediate hit. In a slightly unusual and bold move the company then followed up with what was at the time their top of the line model the Empyrean, which similarly was a highly regarded and serious rival to such big hitters as the Focal Utopia and Audeze LCD-4. The range now encompasses 3 in-ear models, which are not covered in this article, plus 6 over-ear full size models.

99 NEO – The Entertainer

The 99 Neo is the entry point into the Meze soundworld. The construction is very similar to the 99 Classics but comprises of a composite material for the (closed back) ear cups instead of wood; they come with a very nice case and a removable cable plus a 6.3 mm adaptor. The sound of these is very much biased towards the low end - they are bassy. They are extremely comfortable and enjoyable to use, as well as being very slightly less demanding electrically than the 99 Classics, but will probably appeal more to listeners whose musical tastes encompass Hip Hop, R&B, Dance etc. as that bass is very pronounced. If your tastes are a little wider, then you may like to move up to the next cans in the hierarchy...

99 CLASSICS – The All-Rounder

This was the original Meze design, which carries on unchanged and for good reason - it’s a cracking headphone. The 99 Classics are nicely made from good quality materials which are assembled without the use of glue, so all the parts can be replaced if required. They are really comfortable (and they don’t creak! An undesired, mechanical, sonic infiltration) and of course the most important bit - they sound great. The sound signature is quite thick and hefty but with less of the bass bulk and a more forward midrange; the treble is relatively restrained but detailed, making the ‘phone overall quite smooth and without harshness. As they are closed back, they do isolate you from the horrors of the outside world, although they don’t isolate quite as well as some other designs. Nonetheless they are still usable either at home or on the road and, as they are easy to drive, you can plug them into a phone or DAP (such as the Chord Electronics Mojo 2 with Poly) and get excellent results. You also get a nice carrying case, a couple of different length cables (one with an in-line remote) and a couple of jack adaptors, making the whole package overall superb value. There is a fair bit of competition around this price point, but nothing I can think of combines all the virtues of the 99 Classics in a similarly desirable package. A classic indeed.

109 PRO – The New Open Classics

109 PRO - THE LATEST IN A GREAT MEZE LINEUP

Both the aforementioned units are closed back which has advantages but also a downside - the sound image is generally more ‘in the head’ and less spacious. Enter the 109 Pro - the first open back dynamic headphone from Meze. This is based on the overall design of the 99 Classics but with an enhanced design and open earcups, which make all the difference to the sound. Here we have the signature Meze warm but impactful low end with a punchy mid-bass, detailed and open midrange and a nicely extended treble range without grit or harshness. Very nice indeed! The 109 Pro are easy to drive - 40 ohm impedance and a 112 dB sensitivity - and the accessories package is also excellent. So all in all these are a really impressive first foray into open backed dynamic territory.

LIRIC – Closed Back Kings

LIRIC - CLOSED BACK DESIGN, BUT FAR FROM CLOSED SOUND

The previous three models were all dynamic driver ‘phones, but part of the cutting edge design of the higher end Meze devices is the integration of really advanced planar magnetic drivers made (in Ukraine) by a company called Rinaro. These designs are incorporated into the more premium Meze headphones because they are stunning drivers which come close to redefining the state of the art. They are quite complex in construction and function (if you are interested in the technical side of them then a well-known search engine will help you out), but in essence they work with the natural shape of the ear to focus the sound and boy do they work! The Liric is technically a portable headphone - it is easy to drive and the standard cable is terminated with a 3.5 mm jack, but don’t let that fool you - they are one of the best closed back ‘phones on the market (and one of the best headphones full stop). Beautifully made and finished, the Liric’s sound is rich, detailed and dynamic. It is a bit more lively and up front than the more expensive versions, but it excels in being as usable in a portable scenario (the passive isolation is excellent) as it is in a static one - like all the Rinaro equipped Mezes, it scales really well.

EMPYREAN – The High Life

EMPYREAN - THE VERY FIRST ISODYNAMIC HYBRID ARRAY HEADPHONE

Up until the emergence of the magnificent Elite, the Empyrean was the best headphone Meze made and it remains stunning in every way. A work of art in terms of its construction, fit and finish, it is also undoubtedly one of the most comfortable headphones ever made and the sound is jaw dropping. It is warm and engaging with endless detail and fantastic dynamics - truly a high end sound. They present music in that effortless easy flowing way that the best high end gear does; silky smooth yet full of life and nuance. If there is one criticism of the Empyrean it is that it is perhaps a little too relaxed and luscious, which means that some music can lose some of its excitement. Time for...

ELITE – The Higher Life

The best. My own personal reference and the most comfortable and engaging headphone I have ever used. Any small criticism of the Empyrean is completely dealt with to the extent it’s difficult to find any weakness with the Elite. They are designed and made to a stunningly high standard and the accessories are truly useful; 2 different earpads are provided (one alcantara set and one leather) and they have one of the easiest and most efficient pad removal systems ever designed, so you can tweak the sound signature to your own preference. Whichever pads you choose bass, mids and treble are all polished and presented to you in a supremely coherent and balanced fashion so you just relax into the music (often until very late at night!). They sound equally magnificent from a solid state or valve head amp, but are efficient enough to work most acceptably with a DAP or portable unit (such as the Chord Electronics Mojo 2 / Poly). I use mine variously with an Astell & Kern Kann Alpha (fantastic) Chord Electronics Hugo 2 / 2go (even more fantastic) and Naim Uniti Atom HE (sublime). If you’ve never heard headphones at this level you owe it to yourself to try them - it’s a very different way to enjoy your tunes and will give you a particular view on your favourites that you might just love. It’s also worth mentioning that Meze produce a range of very good quality upgraded cables (copper or silver) - I use the upgraded silver cable on mine and it takes the performance to the next level, particularly if you go for the balanced option which drops the noise floor and allows an even clearer view into that incredible midrange.

Each one of the above Meze headphones can be used balanced and come with a nicely made case and detachable cabling, both of which ascend in their quality to meet the level of craft of the particular headphone. We have demo units of these Meze x Rinaro creations available via the Reading store and we love to talk about and listen to great headphones. So feel free to call in and audition some of the magnificent products made by this exciting and focussed young company. Thank you for reading.

Gareth, Rishi and Rob – Audio T Reading

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

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