Meze Elite Headphone Review

A Video About Headphones (featuring Meze Elite)
Some things to know when embarking upon a journey toward hifi. Also, the world's most awesome headphone holder build.
Check out Meze Audio at bit.ly/3HWFL02
Meze Elite: www.mezeaudio.com/products/elite
Headphone Holder: www.printables.com/model/232683
GrayLight: / graylight
Homepage: hexibase.com/
Facebook: / hexibase
Instagram: / hexibase
Printables: www.printables.com/social/264072
Thingiverse: thingiverse.com/hexibase
SoundCloud: / hexibase
Patreon: / hexibase
Amazon Storefront: www.amazon.com/shop/hexibase
00:00 - Introduction
00:28 - Title Sequence
00:38 - The Technical Pitch
02:08 - Headphone Holder 1.0
02:59 - Headphone Holder 2.0
03:40 - DSP Correction
04:22 - The "Color" Analogy
05:31 - Making The Headphone Holder
06:46 - Balanced Signal Cables
07:21 - Balanced Headphone Cables
08:28 - Gear That Makes A Difference
08:48 - Meze Elite vs Monolith M1060
09:46 - The New Headphone Holder
10:16 - Demo Introduction
11:14 - The Closing Bit
11:30 - Demo

[@7.12_am]

I have waited for this

[@00x2A]

I am impressed that you manage to 3d print lens that didn't absorb almost all the light!

[@hondayamaha3]

Finally! An upload!

[@PorkNBeans47]

Yo that sound test goes kinda hard

[@ZReviews]

Well This video deserves far more views than it has. Personally I don't think EQing / DSPing every headphone to be on a level playing field is needed. You don't need to color correct the Monalisa. The final tuning of a headphone is the engineering AND artwork of the people who put it together. They wouldn't ship it if they weren't happy with what they made and I respect that. If the bass has bloat they put it there OR they cant tune it out physically. Only with True Wireless headphones and IEMs can the creators DSP from factory where this sort of tweaking the norm. Now a busted old pair of meh cans you can tune till your hearts content. PS Love your 3D prints mixed in with everything. My little Neptune 3 is just doing boring stuff by comparison.

[@gabriell4031]

Your analogy of music and how our ears hear is amazing. You are one of the biggest reasons why I got into 3d printing. Now being my second year I own 2 vorons and may build another but more than anything you have got me to love music and building machines like I used to when I was a kid. Thank you for all the amazing content you put out. Continue to teach us all and inspire us all!

[@WildChinoise]

I like your music! Well done. The 3D headphone hanger is just glorious!

[@LakerTriangle]

As a car audio guy who got into headphones I approve!

[@skatebunch3084]

The demo sounds amazing on my home theater as well 👍👊

[@victortitov1740]

About balanced. I think it wasn't explained properly. Single-ended does not mean the lack of push-pull, single-ended outputs do properly go negative. Single-ended, as explained, have only one signal wire per channel, with reference to ground, and that's it! I'd argue that balanced vs single-ended makes essentially no difference with headphones, except for the fact that you don't need an active converter to plug the 'phones into a balanced source. But for transmission between active circuitry, balanced is very superior to single-ended, because as you explained, the noise caused by currents in ground conductor is canceled out (the source of these currents is usually mains coupling through Y capacitors in power supplies, but sometimes also voltage drops in low-voltage DC supplies).

[@przemyslawmajewski2754]

With this single ended explanation in video you would get massive DC offset it would probably destroy low impedance headphones, it is wrong as Victor says. Drivers in headphones are inherently balanced and typically share reference because current flowing common wire is so small it is not making significant difference, a case of diminishing returns. When comes to power supplies it is unavoidable to have some ripple, main thing is to make sure high current from mains or switching PS is not interacting with signal return path that where balanced setup helps. There is RF noise but that is black magic and it is generated everywhere where some switching action is happening even in diode rectifier after 50/60Hz mains transformer to some degree.

[@malquiss]

Love your videos an box designs Hexibase but you should revise what you said about not balanced conections. Acording to your graphics even with no music there would be an offset dc which would burn the headphones and that is not the case...keep the good work and vids...cheers

[@prince3121]

I love your technical comparison between the demo's describing what we are to listen to. More of these kind of video's would be cool! Love your Can Traffic Light mount. Would love to print it sometime! 👏

[@nitraM321]

the idea, and execution for the headphone stand is AMAZING !!, and i like how you arrived at that idea !, lateral thinking, a good brain

[@cristidanie8501]

Dude, you're awesome ... I have never seen a "content creator" representing a demo like you did, and I actually followed a lot of them. Hats off for the brilliant idea of the demo accompanied by explanations. Keep it up!

[@Delzra]

the fact im listening to a recording of headphones ON my headphones makes me wonder how close the Elite actually are to the source file.

[@Eddy_AREA99]

I love HexiBase video's Very informative

[@avejst]

Impressive video 👍 Love the design of the headphones. Thanks for sharing :-)

[@1QKGLH]

You're a great teacher.

[@Delzra]

after ive now "upgraded" from Beyerdynamic Custom Game to the well-known DT770 Pro (32 Ohms tho), my feedback is the following: The Meze Elites, at least via my listening experiences, sound a bit more bass-heavy, while from the source file, the mids come through a lot more.

[@MartianGopnik]

Thanks for uploading your 3D models! I don't know the first thing about tuning ports, so I'm going to try printing one of your uploaded enclosures (eventually... Currently in the middle of upgrading 3D printer.)

[@jr3628]

good to know sofie got involved in the streetlight project. i thought i was all fancy with my metal hook stuck to my desk.

[@PA5cAl1]

Nice video as always. I do have one thought, wouldn’t it be better to have the dsp straight after the source, followed by the DAC? Otherwise you’ll be limited by the DNR and SNR of the ADC and DAC built into the DSP. I did just that with my own personal setup and the difference in clarity was huge

[@user-xb4nn6ql5l]

That headphone/photo segment is easily the most intelligent and important analogy I've heard this year!

[@Aaron48219]

Listening to this on my Infinity Interlude tower speakers. Those are some nice sounding headphones. I'm not sure if they are worth $4000, but they do sound nice.

[@henk2plus3]

Those sound brilliant. I was switching between my headphones and my home theater and the bass response was excellent. For interest I have a set of senheizer pxc 550 and my home theater setup consists of a Sony da3400es with Boston acoustics tall boys and yamaha for centre and surround. For low end I have a custom built 15" down to 5hz with a custom amp as a set

[@MikeDawson1]

I'm listening to meze elites on meze elites, we must go deeper...

[@LawrenceTimme]

Damn. The look really nice, but more than I can afford pal. They sound different to the direct audio but idk how to describe it.

[@CruzMonrreal]

Damn, should've waited for better than 360p encoding. Was still great tho!

[@JohnKlopp]

Demo sounds great! Listening through my $20 JLab GO Air POP True Wireless Earbuds, lol!

[@buttfucker69]

Played on some two-ways using the Tang Band midbass drivers you had in your last video. It plays clean up to 3.5khz! Combined with a ribbon tweeter they put out a nice wide soundstage. Placement on a desk is really critical for imaging, and DSP for room rattles and desk bounce are essential. I don't push the woofers to fully subsonic levels, just because of how high I push them at the same time. DSP is a real game changer.

[@artisandro8298]

Would you recommend these headphones for music production? What made you choose this over the Audeze LCD-5 (which are considered to be more suited to music production/mixing/mastering)? Also, were you pleased with how these responded to EQ? Great video! Love the way you composed it. It's clear you put a lot of thought into it.

[@sudd3660]

the demo was great, used my speaker setup for this playback. the 17hz sure was nice, i was wondering about the odd vibration in the room and looked at the subwoofers.... for the demo comparison the headphone cant compete in clarity vs direct audio because of the extra steps we hear, so rely on your review notes on that. but for the frequency response its easier to tell, and after you have equal loudness set on the headphone and i have done the same for my system for my ears, the meze elite had at least 3db more deep bass. maybe the two equal loudness curves the meze had to go thru do not work as intended and get added on top of each other.

[@nossyhot]

Stunning video!!! Btw havent you lost Alot weight? since some last videos? looks good!

[@davidelang]

your flow of DAC -> DSP -> amp seems like it is sub-optimal because the DSP is receiving the analog output of the DSP, digitizing it, and then running it through another DAC after processing. wouldn't it be better to do the digital math before you hit the first DAC and avoid the extra conversion step.

[@intosound913]

I really enjoy your channel, would you entertain the idea of making some electrostatic speaker panels? I remember you played with the different resonances between 3d printer materials. If you could not make a pair could you just make an example to demonstrate for us. Thank you.

[@jacobwiqvist1760]

There are alot of noncens videos about AV Recivers, my old Pioneer LX-85 have just broken down and i am Looking for a new. What should I ame for in the 1000-2000 euro price range. Pleas make som videos about AV recivers.

[@wiredperformance6130]

Can I bother to ask what 3d printer you would recommend for someone with no clue but lots of time? Recently handicapped and need something to occupy the mind. Thanks and again I enjoy learning from your videos!

[@PrinceWesterburg]

Facts: TRS Jacks have a ground and two signals connections that can be + or - DACs are never 24 or 32bit, they are 18bit at most - do the voltage maths: 1v + 2v + ... + 131,072v Scale that anyway you want and if you can make it work in 24 or 32bit then patent it NOW!

[@michaelpiotrowicz6100]

Are you saying that the 'ground pin' on a normal headphone jack will never be positive relative to either of the other two pins (rather than, say, half the time or there abouts)? Nice 3D printing :)

[@DavidMalenczak]

What do you actually listen to on them? Which artists / bands?

[@eliotjacobsen4361]

Great video. The build of the Meze Elite looks extraordinary. I appreciate your 7 vs 9 at full optimized grading scale. Sure, it's subjective, but thank you for expressing your subjective impressions. The demo music is beautiful, I could put it on a loop and achieve a Zen-like state. But for headphone demos, I really like well-recorded jazz with high dynamic range and with a female vocal. I realize there are rights issues so I understand why you used your own music. So if vocals are for another time, a track with a high quality piano sample would cover those hard to reproduce fundamentals plus harmonics, then add an analog modeled drum kit and bass for transients and bass and we'll have a good test track. Finally, I like to get a sense of efficiency, SPL capability and distortion. So for a section, monitor the amp output and go from quiet to very loud let's see what the linear operating range is in SPL.

[@therealsunnyk]

If there's one reason I watch this channel it's that every now and then you get a little nugget which makes its point so clearly and succinctly it just changes how you think about it, and the colour grading example did exactly that. It's frankly amazing that you can judge the Mezes against direct audio and they're mostly comparable.

[@WouterB76]

My subwoofer says thanks for the splendid workout! ....with a little touch of Enya.

[@h.hristov]

Have you tried the Empyreans?

[@sule_imani]

Thanks for warning before the sound demo. Polite subwoofer etiquette 👍 Also, anyone looking to buy a kidney? I have 2 and no Meze Elite

[@sule_imani]

@@HexiBase then I'll afford the Mezes and enough change for a 3d printer to build my own traffic lights headphones holder. Seems like a win for me 🤔

[@jean-lucbattista2492]

Sounds a little hollow compared to the direct audio. Most of the time worldalizing a signal makes it fuller, not so with planar ;)

[@jean-lucbattista2492]

Maybe only the highs are getting "fuller" making it sound a little hollow in the mids

[@sampi3123]

what program are you using?

[@Mastermoussa]

Have you seen the video from Linus tech tips? In his new (not finished Lab) he also shows the big difference in sound if you wear for example your glasses. And I think also Oluv's Gadgets is a really interesting chanel for sound and the overpriced headphones and in ears you get from "premium" companies, with their own "sound signature" that you also eliminate as you show in the video. But to be honest, who actually uses his headphones like you showed? Its a crazy rare usecase. You actually use them with your phone, pc or whatever and then as you showed, after you compensate for their flaws/ sound signature there is not that much of a difference. So you should actually buy a headphone that has the right soundcurve from factory. And I think oluv makes a great effort to make in ears for everyone that compensate (with in eq that is saved in the in ears) for everyones own ear.

[@muffty1337]

I love planars! :D

[@NiCkBeNzOLoReNzO]

Dayton sells DIY speakers $25 testing shapes material and boxes for those products would be very interesting and guaranteed to light up the comment section I would reach out they might even sponsor the project good luck if you decide to proceed

[@HPMIKE55]

Great job but question if I have a powered subwoofer from a big company and I would like to put a different kind of subwoofer would it still work out or not?

[@noncog1]

Do you mean replacing the driver in the subwoofer?

[@HPMIKE55]

@@noncog1 yes sorry about that I’m at work! Lol

[@noncog1]

@@HPMIKE55 welp, youre not gunna like the answer: it depends. Does the driver youre going to be putting in work well in the enclosure type and size you have? Do the sensitivity and power-handling work with the built-in amp? Does it fit well physically including sealing properly and having clearance inside the enclosure?

[@HPMIKE55]

@@noncog1 ok thanks I understand now & your 100% to mush work I’ll just get a new subwoofer! Lol 😂

[@noncog1]

@@HPMIKE55 what problem do you have with the current driver? What powered sub do you have? Ill help for as long as i remain interested lol

[@dantheman1998]

Did you just miss the opportunity to 3d print headphones? I like the making part of this channel especially since your a sound engineer what you design is at least engineered properly.

[@PrinceWesterburg]

BTW, the opening shot of this video and you sat with your headphones on is EXACTLY what J.S.Bach would look like if he where alive today! Awesome!

[@AraCarrano]

To drop bottom without bottoming out.

[@Dia1Up]

Ether CX with a Schiit Jotunheim \o/

[@GrB-M]

Can you PLEASE get into headphone/IEM reviews? Please? That area of audio reproduction really, really needs some proper science especially on the review side (they’re still at the place home audio was in in the 1960s but with FR graphs). Nothing like people spending thousands on an IEM with nothing but FR graphs, Ohms and 1960s grade reviews to go off of. And, at best, some listening sessions done without being able to control for biases. It’d be particularly nice to see someone get into IEM driver implementation, given how they (at least balanced armatures) are implemented and tuned.

[@mvadu]

This is the best headphone/iem demo I saw/heard? 👌I think you should post just your demo part with what to expect as a new video with just direct audio parts so we can use it as a master note to tweak our iem equalizer. I am on an Radsone ES100 streaming lossless Sony Ldac using a FiiO FH3 IEMs over a balanced cable. ES100 has two independent dac to drive each channel.

[@zackthomas4569]

I have have the Meze Elites for a bit I recently got the Meze Empyreans. I use the Fiio M17 and I have almost no problems

[@h.hristov]

Which ones do you prefer?

[@zackthomas4569]

@@h.hristov do not have a solid option but I am leaning to the Empyreans

[@__julio__]

Nice project! I believe the Meze recording overall carved out good part of the midrange, but highs and lows seemed very true to original. This is obviously being compressed by youtube, so can't speak of finer details like transients or timbre. (listened through dt770 pro 80ohms)

[@pleite567]

My airpods dont do the dound justice🤪😂

[@DerSolinski]

Hmmm I do notice a slight difference in the base between the Meze and direct audio... But that could also be Logitech's DTS driver boosting something in 7.1 mode when in direct audio... Overall very nice video.

[@demnsda]

Did i miss the name of the demo song? Does anyone know what it's called?

[@CORZER0]

The arms of your specs are creating reflections. Take your glasses off and you'll have to remap the entire spectrum! UGH!

[@TheoneDragon51]

Fiio Fh5 earbuds with a Topping NX4 amp/dac Samsung s8 plus

[@philmissy1]

meze elite sound better. Why do i think that? the difference in sound from one speaker to the next can be hard to explain what differences are being heard. What you bring to my passion for sound is a means to express what it is I find so fascinating about sound and the ways I implement different components to make what I hear from my audio pure to my ears. Guess my point is the way in which sound is interpreted from ear to brain is as personal as it gets. I tune car audio systems and im asked how I do what I do by ear and well I still cannot explain how the tune I give the customer is not only better to listen to me but for them. Besides obvious eq and gains settings adjustments I think the break down is maximizing each components capabilities individually is most important as for me I love the challenge of making cheap shit sound as good as the most expensive. This might not make sense to anyone but the fact is your channel helps me understand and express what drives my inner passion.

[@user-oq3zd9ko5g]

My listening rig starts with A HP laptop then through a Hd Projector via a HDMI cable which throws a 85" picture onto the bog screen on the wall then from the 3.5mm stereo output jack through a 3'5mm stereo to twin RCA adapter then into the Sony surround receiver and out to the various speakers I have hooked up.. I try to upgrade as I can. Currently the surround speakers from an Onkyo receiver that died the only difference was the onkyo used a passive sub woofer, so to use it I got a Fosi Audio 100 watt mini sub amp into the 8" down firing ported sub cab from the Onkyo.. Added a pair of vintage Fisher 3 way full range speakers. soon to get upgraded cabinets because the original cabs are in sad shape. and I think I can get better sound quality with a newer design for them.. good as i can get with this setup I'll soon be adding a pair of custom transmission line cabs like the one you made but hand built of some cheap wood and glue.... loaded with 14 (7 per cab) computer satellite speakers rescued from the plastic enclosures. space isn't much of a concern for me but i still want all the system to look matched as possible thats why all the cabs will get a few coats of matte black spray paint when completed....besides the tiny speakers that will get ganged up in a pair of cabs built for them I'm also building a pair of vertical 4X12" cabs for dual purpose operation as tower speakers added to the rest of the surround system and also as a full stack for a tiny Blackstar ID Core 40 watt stereo guitar amp. it' sports a pair of 6.5" 4 Ohm speakers and i'll mod it with a pair of 1/4" (6.5 mm) switched output jacks which it currently lacks.... yes I do indeed love my electronic toys the Strat build I'm currently doing Is a whole other story..lol I like it loud, but I also like it to sound as good as it can... but on a budget...I'm retired and have the time to devote to the design and build of all my desired speaker projects. wood is easy designing what I want just takes exercising a little brain power. I did it as a kid wit salvaged stereo and TV console speakers into salvaged kitchen cabinets with hand cut plywood baffles... how cheap can you go..I could mix and match speakers to sound equal side to side regardless of size or shape... hense the custom cut baffles.. wanna Play...

[@SavageBunny1]

When it comes to earphones, the Galaxy Buds Live a by far the best sounding, the lows get lowww.

[@braniganirby3586]

Boes👍🏻❤️ 👍🏻$200

[@ericakasatch]

the mere fact that you use DSP is a red flaG...

[@ClaytonMacleod]

Interesting to see someone with quite a lot of audio knowledge also having a dallop of ignorance on the subject.

[@br.9055]

@zreviews