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At the moment, we evaluate the Meze Audio 109 PRO which is a brand new 50mm dynamic driver open-back headphone completed in a walnut wooden enclosure. It’s priced at €799.
Disclaimer: It is a pattern despatched to us in change for our sincere opinion. Headfonics is an impartial web site with no affiliate hyperlinks or standing. We thank Meze for his or her assist.
To study extra about Meze Audio merchandise beforehand featured on Headfonics you may click here.
Word, that this text follows our newest scoring tips which you’ll be able to learn up on here.
Meze Audio’s 109 PRO has taken off and already landed on our little blue planet! For simply $799, these new open-back headphones appear to be fairly standard within the audiophile world already.
Personally, I’ve sort of been ready for this sort of headphone for a while, so to lastly get what I needed is kind of a blessing to me. I like musicality, I like enjoyable.
As a reviewer, I’m not allowed to have a bias in tone and texture when reviewing, in fact. Nonetheless, for choice wants, heat and enjoyable, wooly and thick, bassy and softly participating are the traits that I search for in my very own private rig setups.
In the end, we’ve got an upper-mid tier that checks numerous containers for me and alone private stage. Meze’s older fashions such because the 99 Classics and the 99 Neo have been recognized for gentle enjoyable and interesting causes, however I’ve by no means listened to any of the newer and dearer fashions from this firm.
I can relay the chatter on different audio boards although, in that this new 109 PRO is kind of distinctive within the lineup for being the one actually heat and tonally essentially the most musical mannequin they’ve come out with.
Tech Highlights
The Meze 109 PRO is an open-back circumaural headphone that makes use of a 50mm dynamic driver encased in a CNC-machined aluminum body.
The motive force itself consists of a dual-composite w-shaped diaphragm dome encased in that CNC-machined aluminum body with a copper-zinc alloy stabilizer. The twin composite is a mixture of a Beryllium-coated polymer and a cellulose-carbon fiber composite.
The light-weight carbon fiber is launched to reinforce high-frequency readability and element and scale back the potential for distortion. It’s also perceived by Meze as being extra sturdy than conventional dynamic driver diaphragm supplies.
The beryllium is utilized as a PVD layer across the carbon fiber dome to make sure it stays stiff and sturdy however on the similar time gentle sufficient to not intrude with the motive force excursions and suppress undesirable resonance.
On paper, the 109 PRO is rated at 40 ohms and 112dB so, in idea, it shouldn’t be too arduous to drive however you will discover out how that labored out in our synergy impressions on web page 2 of this evaluate.
Design
The 109 PRO aesthetics are attractive and proper up my alley. It is a heady mixture of black walnut wooden, zinc, manganese metal, and vegan leather-based all formed in a basic Meze design language that isn’t too distant from being a cross between the older Classics and the newer Empyrean/Elite visible.
The colour scheming is delicate however inviting with a warmish tonal mixture of these wooden and cups and a black arching body with matching leather-based straps. The gold motifs on the scarf and strap positioner and the pivot on the outer cup simply give it a bit of additional pop and that is the place the Empyrean involves thoughts essentially the most.
The Meze 109 PRO makes use of a self-adjusting strap system to assist with caliper strain being alleviated on the person’s head and ears. Furthermore, the velour pads are extraordinarily delicate. Above them sits a flat but delicate headband that may be very pliable.
Being an open-back headphone, some weight is decreased on the earcup finish of the spectrum, contemplating it’s missing a full again plate enclosure.
Consolation & Isolation
I’ve discovered that the caliper strain is greater than I might really feel snug utilizing for lengthy durations of time.
Whereas the headphones are a lot snug within the earpad space, I believe the strap and headband above your head that controls the strain ranges the headphone will use to stick to your ear space is only a bit too heavy. I discover this a bit little bit of an issue additionally that the earcups supply only a small quantity of swivel up and down, and left and proper.
Sure, I can say that the headphones are usually snug however after an hour or so, I do have a small quantity of soreness on my outer ears.
This headphone weighs 375g, which suggests it’s bordering on the smaller planar headphone fashions on the market in weight issue. I might not discover this a lot of an issue in any respect if the caliper strain wasn’t as tight because it was.
Inventory Cable
The 109 PRO makes use of an ordinary 3.5mm twin earcup termination with leads which can be angled into the headphones and likewise recessed in placement.
This results in higher safety of the cable leads when you drop the headphone or something bumps into it, the sockets are recessed a bit and canopy the cable ends properly sufficient to really feel safer about issues not snapping off on the stem pole space of the terminations.
On the flip aspect, the inventory cable can be terminated in an ordinary 3.5mm typing, additionally utilizing a rubber sort of fabric for the cable sleeve.
The 109 PRO comes with two inventory cables, each of comparable design however tweaked when it comes to size to distinguish their utilization with a provided adapter for desktop amplifier connectivity.
The primary is a 1.5m cable completed with a delicate black TPE jacket and terminated with a 3.5mm single-ended jack. The second is way the identical solely longer at 3m for dwelling or desktop audio use. I presume full of OCC copper wire although as to what gauge or geometry I’m uncertain.
Meze has thrown in a 6.35mm conversion plug that you need to use with each relying in your wants. The connectors are 3.5mm mono plugs just like those HIFIMAN makes use of on the likes of their Edition XS. The one factor lacking within the 109 PRO package deal is a balanced various in 4.4mm Pentaconn or XLR.
Packaging and Equipment
The Meze 109 PRO comes with a implausible unboxing expertise. The outside field may be very good high quality, with good thick cardboard but additionally invokes a way of high-class styling when the sunshine hits the textual content the correct approach.
Inside, a customized cutout space for the headphones and the carrying case to relaxation. Inside that, the carry case can be fairly pretty.
Outdoors of that, you get an ordinary ¼ adapter and the inventory cable which is terminated in a 3.5mm adapter. And lastly, a spare/longer 3.5mm terminated cable that’s 3 meters in size. For $799, I’m now simply comfortable as might be today {that a} carrying case is even included.
Sound Impressions
Bass
Okay, in order talked about, this 109 PRO is mostly on the nice and cozy and musical aspect. But, the inventory sound signature on the low finish may be very linear sounding and a bit lean on cell sources. Nonetheless, this seems like one of many smoothest dynamic driver bass experiences I’ve heard in years.
An exaggerated bass elevation or a beautiful enjoyable exaggeration happens once you run the 109 PRO off a strong amplifier with numerous voltage output, and likewise crank up the bass EQ a good bit.
The 109 PRO is fantastically responsive and might turn into no matter you need it to be, properly, as much as a sure level. If you happen to like linear and easy bass, it has it in inventory kind.
If you would like nearer to extend it to bass head ranges of amount, you may obtain that too with the correct EQ system. Hopefully, you’re selecting one thing like HiBy’s MSEB as the important thing supply of your software program expertise.
The 109 PRO bass’s texture and tone are thick, weighted, and deep-reaching. This isn’t a impartial headphone when you set the EQ the correct approach.
Inventory bass with none EQ added remains to be on the thick aspect, so hopefully, you take pleasure in that sort of tonality. I do as a result of it will get even thicker as you roll up the bass dials in your EQ units if you’re so inclined to even add any.
Bass hits reasonably arduous, so I’d charge this as a reasonably participating low-end in regard to slam impact and physicality potential. It’s not delicate on influence; it isn’t painfully wince-worthy both. Mildly participating is the correct phrase, at the very least in my mind.
Midrange
The 109 PRO is ahead sounding round 2-4k, reminding me of an Audio Technica mannequin from yesteryear. If you’re into gentle Jazz and requirements and properly, something slow-paced with vocals, you’ll actually take pleasure in this set.
It’s a giga-chill set, nice for kicking again with some wine and having fun with the heat of older requirements and vinyl-ish recordings.
Placement is properly into the ahead realm, once more bordering on the “very ahead” sound placement for the midrange. If you would like a really participating vocal expertise that feels upfront and energetic, that is additionally a terrific set so that you can decide up.
The Meze 109 PRO mids round 1-2k are a bit lackluster and really feel like one thing is lacking. That is particularly noticeable in trendy digital recordings, and fewer so within the older recordings from the 40s, 50s, and 60s that have been carbon copy vinyl transfers with none alterations.
The digital period of music does sound like there may be a complete broad space simply lacking within the decrease midrange. Some EQ fixes are required to enhance that, however I used to be unsuccessful in utterly rectifying it. Does it invoke a $799 tier sound in purity issue? Sure however it does really feel like it’s missing power within the prime aspect of the midrange.
