Great! Looking forward to seeing it! Two quick questions - how the Elite sound changed with more time on it and how you find the Elite in comparison to the Lcd5? Thx
oh I had lots of time with the Elite before CanJam. And yeah the LCD-5 is more technically impressive by a noticeable margin. Between the two Iād personally choose the LCD-5.
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Oh good! Iām highly interested to hear both! Have you noticed any improvement on the Elite with more time on it? Iāve read some folks saying the Elite impressively evolves after 100+ hours
This risks getting a bit off topic but, speaking with some folks who manufacture transducers, if this is ever something that would be done, any change would should up within the first few minutes - if at all. So I highly doubt that anything about the transducer is actually changing after 100 hours. BUT with that said, that isnāt to say people arenāt hearing a difference there, because pads wearing in can have an influence on the clamp pressure and coupling - and this is generally going to be responsible for those reports of difference. Beyond this however, our auditory memory is nowhere near good enough to make an assessment after 100 hours compared to the original experience, the only way to do that would be to have two units that you know measure the same at the outset side by side, and wear one in.
So in short, no I did not experience any meaningful change.
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Psychoacoustics is a fun thing indeed))
@Resolve 's video review of the Meze Audio ELITE is now live on The HEADPHONE Show with comparisons to the Empyrean (with some shots of our Empyrean Phoenix as well). Check it out below as I know weāve been receiving quite a few questions on when it was going to come out.
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Some initial thoughts on the ELITEās 
They are just as comfy as the empyrean, and seem to even have a couple tweaks that make them better thought out. A bit more resistance in the sliders, and a thing that stop the earcups from being as floppy when moving the headphones around.
Iām not finding they need EQ beyond a couple dB boost in the low end (this is totally personal preference, and I could see using them without EQ.) With the Empyrean I did find they benefitted from EQ more so than the ELITE.
Definitely a bit more technically accomplished all round, but retain that very ānaturalā sound that the Empyreans have.
Iāve obviously got a lot more listening to do, but if someone wanted a āset it and forget itā flagship, this might be what I would recommend. Itās incredibly well built, incredibly comfortable, and very easy to drive. I mean set it and forget it in terms of pairing it with various amps etcā¦Whereas with something like the Susvara, you have to be a bit more considered about pairing it to get the best out of it, same with the Abyss.
Iād also like to see Meze and Rinaro continue to work on the driver tech. I think there is potential here that can be realized in the future. Perhaps an Empyrean v2 and Elite V2 after more R&D and a few years. You know, even more detail, technical performance, etcā¦Iām curious what they can manage with this tech.
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Meze Elite
Hi All,
Today we are talking about the new flagship headphone from Romanian based Meze Audio. Meze are an interesting company, with great design chops, coming up with some very interesting headphones as of late. Up until the release of their former flagship headphone, which was released in 2018, the Empyrean, Meze had largely focused on more āconsumerā type headphones. However, the Empyrean target the high end of āAudiophileā headphones, and was released at an MSRP of $3000USD, which is not insignificant. The design phase of the Empyrean headphones saw a partnership begin involving Meze Audio, and Rinaro Isodynamics. Rinaro is a designer of planar magnetic driver, and their roots actually date back to the soviet era. This combination of overall design from Meze, and drivers from Rinaro, has resulted thus far in 3 headphones. Today, we will focus on the new ELITE, but also talk about the Empyrean. The also recently released LIRIC closed headphone, will be covered in another forthcoming review.
ELITE box (now just called ELITE)
Lets talk about the main thing that made both the Empyrean and now the ELITE somewhat different. The driver uses what Rinaro calls an ISODYNAMIC array. Essentially, it separates the low frequency, and mid/high frequency production from the driver into two separate trace and magnet arrays. The mid/high array is circular and centred right over the ear hole, and the bass array is larger and centred above the mid/high array. The general idea of using this array is a reduction in time delay problems that can be created from having the entire driver produce all the frequencies. This reminds me somewhat of what Wilson Audio talks about a lot in the speaker space. Focusing on time domain accuracy with their modular driver units, and trying to get all the sounds arriving at the listening position all at exactly the same moment. Whether or not this actually effects the overall sound is a topic of hot debate, but Iām open to it being an effective method of achieving āgoodā sound. I do think that in a headphone, it may not matter very much as the driver is literally right beside the ear, but I could see the placement on the mid/high array being right over the ear hole making sense, as the lower in frequency you go, the less directional the sound becomes. I have read some people who felt the overall sound of this ISODYNAMIC driver type was not as coherent sounding as regular planar magnetic drivers, but honestly, I have not found that to be the case. To me, it just sounds like other planar magnetic headphones, obviously with differences in terms of tuning and technicalities. Is this a case of solving a problem that doesnāt exist? It might be, but Meze and Rinaro have indeed got something good going on here, so perhaps that is not the case.
The full package
Back in 2018 when the Empyrean was originally doing the rounds at shows in prototype form, it was all the rage. However, the community at large seemed to largely disavow the Empyreans sound signature as being too warm, too muddy, and not detailed enough. ā$3000 build quality with $1000 sound qualityā was something I read more than a few times. The ELITE seems to be trying to address the communities concerns about the Empyrean, and in my opinion, it does so very well. I will get to that more in a little bit, but first, I have to talk about the build quality of the Empyrean and ELITE.
Usually I would talk about this area later in a review, but the Empyrean and ELITE are so remarkable I need to mention it first. These are without a doubt the best thought out, best built, and comfiest headphones I have ever tried. This seems to be the impression of everyone who comes across a pair. They fit so well, are so comfortable, and not heavy, and just ooze quality in terms of feel. Aluminum, carbon fibre, sumptuous ear pads, leather, alcantara. Meze has absolutely nailed the ergonomics and build quality of both the Empyrean and ELITE. Truly superb craftsmanship and design. 10/10.
Superb Build
Now, where the Empyrean and ELITE differ is the sound quality. The ELITE have an altogether new driver, which they have called the Rinaro āPARUS.ā With entirely different tuning, both the Empyrean and ELITE seem to have a niche they fill, and I can entirely understand Meze continuing to offer both headphones in their lineup.
I will speak of the Empyrean first, then get to the ELITE.
The Empyrean is a warm and thick sounding headphone, that could be a bit shouty at time in the upper mids and lower treble. Some people found the upper treble to bright, but I didnāt have a problem with it at all. The bass was certainly higher in level than most āaudiophileā headphones, and when I used the leather pads I didnāt find I needed to boost it via EQ at all, when with most headphones I usually do a small increase. Overall, I usually prefer headphone I donāt have to EQ beyond a small boost in the low end, but I did find the Empyrean benefitted from more EQ than I would usually do. In its stock tuning, for me personally, it was a bit warm, and thick sounding. If you like that sort of sound, then these are very much worth considering. If you donāt mind doing a bit of EQ, then the Empyrean is also worth considering. In terms of technical performance, I actually think the Empyrean has gotten a bit of a bad rap, and perhaps people are basing their opinions on reading about them, vs actually listening to them. Whilst they donāt perform as well as some other headphones in terms of technical performance, I do think they perform well enough to not be written off entirely. With that being said, if you are after detail, dynamics, and that sort of thing above all else, I would recommend looking elsewhere. The Empyrean makes a case for its use when you need a headphone that is incredibly comfortable, well built, warm sounding, whilst also being incredibly easy to drive and accepting of all types of amplification.
The Empyrean in Jet Black
The ELITE is a very different animal to the Empyrean in terms of overall sound. It is largely a fairly neutral āaudiophileā type tuning, whilst retaining a little bit of the musicality aspect that the Empyrean perhaps overdid. I much prefer the ELITEs tuning over all, but do find that I need to do a tiny boost with EQ in the low end. Apart from that, there is nothing about the ELITEs tuning that I donāt like. Its not too bright, its not shouty, its a very well balanced sound signature. The new driver from Rinaro is a heck of a lot better in terms of technical performance also. The ELITE bring more detail, better dynamic performance, and better overall coherency to the table. The Empyrean did quite well with the āmacroā side of things, but I found it struggled with the āmicroā side of things. Micro detail, microdynamics, the tiny things you notice which add up to a more involving and enjoyable experience are overall much better with the ELITE.
Comparative Empyrean Listening
In terms of soundstage and imaging, both the ELITE and Empyrean have an extremely ānaturalā sounding presentation. The ELITE is much better in terms of imaging accuracy than the Empyrean, but both present a soundstage that is neither wide nor small. As I said, it sounds natural. The headphone disappears in this aspect, and you just listening to music. Whereas a Focal Utopia sound noticeably claustrophobic and small, and the Abyss 1266TC or HD800 sounds wide and grande, the Empyrean and ELITE are similar to the Susvara soundstage, striking a great balance right in the middle.
The Elite and Empyrean both have the best pad attachment system I have come across. Making it incredibly easy to change between their two pad options. The Empyrean sounded better with the Leather pads I found, but the Alcantara were more comfortable. The ELITE sounds better with the shallow leather hybrid pads, as I found the Alcantara pads reduced the bass far too much for my personal preference. Each headphone comes with both sets of their respective pads, so I would recommend trying them both out, as you may be different to me, and will find out what you and your ears prefer.
Both the Empyrean and ELITE are 100db/mW in terms of sensitivity, and 30hms. This means they are incredibly easy to drive headphones. Now, both headphones, the ELITE in particular, will sound better with better source equipment, but their easy to drive nature means that you can use them with such a truly wide variety of source equipment. Its actually one of their best features. I have had tremendous success with the iFi Hip DAC V2, and the Fiio Q3. Both very affordable and easily accessible source equipment. I would like to hear the ELITE from a top of the line tube amp, but they certainly sounded superb from my Boulder 866, that whilst being speaker amp, has a volume ramp up which allows the use of even the most sensitive headphones.
Elite
The included cable with the Empyrean and ELITE is the same, and entirely serviceable in nature. However, Meze does offer upgrade cables for these headphones, that whilst not cheap, do look great, and Iām sure provide a better build quality and less microphonics.
In terms of comparisons. The Hifiman Susvara and Abyss AB1266TC are both more detailed and more technically accomplished. The Susvara has a very similar presentation of sound, in that it sounds very natural, and even throughout the frequency response. The ELITE has slightly more bass presence than the Susvara, but is very similar elsewhere. The 1266TC is much harder hitting, and punchier, whilst presenting a much larger soundstage. The 1266TC is a bit brighter, and has a crisper treble.
The ELITE driver assembly
Overall, my take away of the ELITE (and the Empyrean before it, to a lesser degree) was one word.
ā¦ .Unproblematic.
Now, you may think that isnāt a good description to come to mind for a $4000USD headphone, but, please hear me out.
Every single headphone at the top of the line bracket has some consideration you need to take into account before buying it. The Abyss 1266 is large, heavy, and some find it uncomfortable. The Susvara lacks build quality, great materials, and is extremely hard to drive. The Utopia has a small soundstage and the āmechanical clippingā feature. The ELITE has none of these concerns. It is incredibly easy to drive, it is incredibly well built, with the best of materials, and it is incredibly comfortable. It may not reach the absolute sound quality that the Susvara, or 1266TC reach, but it honestly isnāt far away from them. As a complete package, it is incredibly easy to recommend.
Now, for some people, myself included, the considerations of headphones like the 1266TC and Susvara are worth working around, for ultimate sound quality. However, there are also people who just want a āone and doneā headphone, that makes it easy to enjoy their tunes at the highest level. The ELITE does this in spades, and has become one of my favourite headphones with ease. It has taken everything that made the Empyrean great, but improved on all the aspect that made it more of a niche product. If you canāt be bothered with speaker amps, comfort concerns etcā¦check out the Meze ELITE. Highly recommended. Well done to Antonio Meze, Rinaro, and the rest of the team at Meze Audio 
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Spent some time with the Meze Elite over the past few days. A few amateur impressions:
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Not booming bass but clean, articulate, and well imaged. Personally Iād give up boom/impact for articulation any day. And, no bleed into mids.
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Very good trailing edge of tones. I can hear the pluck and resonance of a piano key stroke with absolute clarity.
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Very tonally balanced across the frequency range with moderately forward mids.
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Bright trebles without harshness.
I listened to Utopia, Susvara, and LCD 5 and found varying. degrees of better slam, impact, detail, and imaging but none of them were as musically balanced as the Elites.
I donāt have a lot of money so I paired them with my recently acquired Sparkos Labs Aries amp and a Chord Qutest DAC. I listened without EQ as well. The sound signature with this pairing made me disappear into my music.
The Elites were not too comfortable. After about 3 minutes I could not feel them on my headā¦lol Supremely comfortable.
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This aligns with my impressions of the Elites from a whole lot of research. I have not heard them yet, but plan to purchase soon.
Happy weekend friends!
This video will share my impressions on the MEZE Elite from Meze Audio and Rinaro Isodynamics. This video will focus on the build quality, design, and some of my sound impressions about the Elite comparing them to the Audeze LCD-5 , and Final Audio D8000 with pro pads using several different headphone amplifiers such as the Chord Hugo TT2, Audio Research I/50 integrated tube amplifier, ampsandsound Agartha tube amplifier, the McIntosh MHA200 Headphone tube amplifier, Chord Hugo 2/2go, and the Astell & Kern SP2000T.
I hope you enjoy it! Marcello
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Hi Marcello! This was fantastically done and I loved the professional videography. The lighting is just amazing. 
I also loved that you included the D-8000 in your review because Iāve been obsessed with that headphone for a long time now.
Sounds like the Elite really didnāt disappoint.
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Hi! I would like to hear some opinion on the meze elite for classical music. I listen to a lot of piano repertoire (I play as hobby), while I will also listen to orchestral music, not a specific period in mind, but going from most to least heard it would be romantic, classical and baroque (no focus on modern or contemporary 
).
I understand its SQ does not rival its direct TOTL competitors as far as I read, but I am wondering if it could be a considerable upgrade when compared to the HD800S and the others in the same price range.
I used to have an HD800 / violectric V200, but I purchased the 64 audio U3 and later the Fourte Noir, and for some reason the HD800 lost its magic, because it looked really lifeless, like comparing the image of a tv vs a projector with sunlight. Now I am missing the strengths of the full size again.
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I enjoy the Meze house sound, especially given the treble tilt of so many modern recordings. The thicker sound of the Emp is enlivened somewhat in the Elite, with a bit more upper end sparkle and spatial separation. Yet, compared to an Abyss or Susvara, the Eliteās warm cast can sometimes translate as veiling or downplaying of necessary detail. So, on some recordings, that warm and friendly tuning can come at a price.
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I recently read a very detailed review. Comparing the Elite, LCD -5,Utopia. The review preferred the Elite. For natural sound qualities and large Soundstage. He also found the Susvara to be to analytical and fatiguing. The build qualities and ability to drive without having to purchase a high end dac/amp is a real tangible quality. I am leaning towards the Elite as a Top Tier planar headphone that i am strongly considering.
Good for you.
You, as for everyone else, should buy what interests you or brings you joy for whatever reasons seem good to you at the time.
I am pretty sure that, for any given product, in any given domain, I can find one or more reviews that place it above all of its relevant competition, so for me thatās not a factor. I donāt find other peoples reviews useful anyway (interesting/entertaining sometimes, but not useful).
I think the Meze stuff looks gorgeous, they exude quality and seem extremely well made. Beating the Susvara in that regard is, sadly, no great feat ā¦ the Koss Porta Pro do too.
Having since heard the Elite, they address one of my two issues from the Empyrean. The first is the often muddyingly-excessive bass levels. The second, which remains, is the ātreble beamingā effect, which may just be me (due to how the drivers sit relative to my ears), but is distinctly unpleasant and a deal-killer for me.
All moot at this point; Iām more curious as to why they dropped $1,000 in just six months or so.
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Thatās how I hear the Empyrean and Elite, too: a generally relaxed presentation, but with an oddly ādetachedā treble being beamed directly into my ear canal (and, for once, this subjective description aligns with the objective reality).
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Listen for yourself. Always.
I find the Elite to be great (no treble beams for me), the LCD-5 to be hard-edged and fatiguing, the Utopia to have incredible dynamics but fatally-sharp treble, and the Susvara to be overly refined (boring/uninteresting) plus cheap feeling. We all hear a bit differently, and have a different reaction to the fit, feel, and build.
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It is definitely all about personal preferences. I have no issues whatsoever with the treble of the Elite. I was using various ZMFs before I got the Elite, but after comparing, I was sold on the Elite. I put them up against the Auteur, VC and Atrium and always came out preferring the Elite. I say they are definitely worth a listen if you get a chance.
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