Recalibrate Your Ears - Meze 109 PRO Review

[@diana73654]

I love them , I like them the most ... same thing like with Sean HD650, dont know why ... I have the all black very limited edition. I have Empy Elite, and I love 109 Pro more, the airiness and the musicality of a perfect dynamic driver , is better than any planar , at this moment, for me . Antonio Meze is already a big reference name in hps industry .

[@Soundnews]

Hey mate, it looks like you listen to a lot of metal. It's a little bit weird that you like 109 PRO a bit more compared to Elite. The later are working better with metal put on dedicated amps, I can't get enough of that bass slam and warm midrange with their Elite.

[@aceofspades6667]

nice looking hp and good way to kickoff for 2023! Welcome back and glad you're feeling better.

[@Flavius7]

I just tried the 109 Pros this week and I REALLY LIKED THEM. Clean, transparent, enough midbass warmth, a bit harsh sometimes in the treble, but that depends on the recording and it wasn't something very disturbing. Comfort is TOP NOTCH, feels good in the hand, is that type of headphone you don't really need, but you want because it's so adorable. Already looking for reasons to get it. If someone wants the best bang for your buck in sound, best design& comfort under 800...WELL...STOP HERE! MEZE 109 Pro is your new baby! Sandu did a great job explaining the effect these have on you. First Meze product I think it's bonkers! P.S. Don't think this is just 99 Classics open like I hear so many people say. I HATED THOSE MUDDY HEADPHONES! Completely different!

[@Soundnews]

I was positively surprised by their tuning. Meze are going into the right direction, that's for sure

[@ActualFish]

Really cool headphones! And the production value on this review is fenomenal 🤩

[@Soundnews]

Thanks Jack! More headphone reviews incoming shortly

[@timothyfreeseha4056]

I have the meze 99 classics. I actually love them. I wouldn't describe them as muddy sounding..at least, to me, they sound clear enough .but, all my headphones are budget phones, and i havent heard the best. I would describe them as suffering from a sort of uneven balance between lows mids and highs. They certainly are colored. Overall, they are easy going & pleasant..to me. Meze as a company is impressive . I'm glad to own any of their products.

[@frederf69]

They look great. Good review, thanks 👍👍

[@pappsa8]

Last year december one of our local audio store sent me a demo pair for try them on my systems! i was impressed immediately!The bad thing after i sent it back is i had to wait for a new one for about 9 days and i hated to wait that much 😆!

[@Soundnews]

I waited for 2 months for a Flux Volot to be delivered 😅. Anyhow, enjoy your new cans, you can try a few leather pads as well.

[@pappsa8]

@@Soundnews oh my....🤐😆 I definitely will 🙂!

[@BrianVallotton]

Glad you are feeling better my friend. Thank you for. your good work. God bless you and all you love.

[@Soundnews]

Thanks Brian! Appreciate your kind words. God bless your family as well

[@paulwoaert]

The most important point at the base that you did not specify much is that the 109 pro is an open headphone, while the 99 classics is a closed headphone. This difference is fundamental and decisive. We know that open headphones are favored by music lovers specialized in high fidelity. Closed headphones reflect the sound because it is enclosed, and therefore there is a lot of resonance and in particular much more bass, which works well for metal style music or rap. But an open headphone will offer a much more faithful, airy and natural sound, and a wider scene (although you seem to be saying that the 109 pro has a smaller sound, which seems odd to me for an open headphone). As far as I am concerned, the 99 classics is far too muffled by the bass, I need much more clarity. To take another example, this time with Beyerdynamic, the DT 770 pro is ideal for cinema with special effects for example, but this advantage is accompanied by a certain dose of artificiality, even if the sound of the DT 770 pro is breathtaking. While the Beyerdynamic DT 990 pro which is open to it is superb for listening to orchestral music for example, even for voices. In fact, your whole argument about the 109 pro having a more detailed, clearer sound, a better resolution than the 99 Classic, is a fatality since the 109 pro is open and the 99 Classic is closed, which is why i repeat I am extremely surprised by the fact that you deliberately choose not to talk about this crucial distinction "open headphones/closed headphones", this distinction being basically the hidden element that explains a large part of the nuances that you formulate here in this comparison between the 109 pro and the 99 Classic. One could even say that it is almost unfair for the 99 Classic being judged it in relation to the 109 pro, given that an open headphone and an open headphone are 2 very distinct worlds. The only reason to compare them is that they are produced by the same manufacturer.

[@Vantavimeow]

I love my 109s it's a perfect arounder that feels premium and hopefully doesn't try to charge £200+ for replacement earpads (focal). The braided copper upgrade cable looks very pretty but it's like £260, I'm hoping to get a custom one made 1/5th the price but extended connectors aren't commonly used.

[@Soundnews]

Spot on with the connectors, luckily my Hifiman balanced cables are working just fine with 109 Pro.

[@Vantavimeow]

@@Soundnews I've found almost identical looking 8 core wire, hopefully I'll have a 135cm 4.4mm cable within a month for £60

[@soulfulfool]

Nice looking headphones, no doubts very comfy since 99 already was good at that department (Meze got the best self adjusting strap at the market, the worst are wings from Audio Technica). Without that wow factor I will pass on those since I have already mid tier options. Anyway good work, Romania is making great headphones. My country produce high quality cables and tube amps, Feliks Audio made in Poland 👌

[@Soundnews]

Besides Feliks and Forza, don't forget about Ferrum Audio and Mytek, those are great as well. Marcin of Ferrum Audio has such a positive personality, I can't wait to meet him again in Munich in May.

[@sebanambrus9265]

Meze 109 PRO vs Sennheiser HD660S2 ?

[@pr0gre551ve]

waiting on A26 review :)

[@Soundnews]

Cooking it right now. I need at least a week for more impressions + comparison. Preliminary impressions are amazing...it's probably the best unit at this exact price point.

[@EvgeniyRC]

@@Soundnews wow! is this an intriguing statement? Will the Discrete R26 really give way to its delta-sigma sibling? Looking forward to review and comparison. Be healthy Sandu, take care of yourself.

[@pr0gre551ve]

@@Soundnews Looking forward to it. Its time for me to upgrade the DAC. I've decided on Gustard, just don't know which one yet :)

[@EvgeniyRC]

@@pr0gre551ve I agree Gustard is a good choice. I am using R26+Head 2+ HE1000SE. To be honest, I'm impressed and completely satisfied. I hope R26 will be no worse than A26 and will compete with each other equally. And everyone will have their own individual sound signature for their tasks. Otherwise, it will resemble the topping that churns out new devices like rabbits breed. This will upset me, I want to enjoy new purchases longer.

[@mykxl]

Are there any leather ear pads out yet, whether made by Maze or third parties, that work flawlessly?

[@catasebi8744]

Salut Sandu, ce ma sfatuiesti sa aleg intre aceste casti si Audeze LCD2 Classic?....Nu am posibilitatea sa le ascult si nu stiu ce sa aleg.....

[@luigismilazzo]

99 classics? What comparison is that???

[@towsifshahriarshovo]

For bass response meze 109 or Hd660s2??

[@vagomaniac]

Leonardo da Vinci would definitely choose these headphones, if he didnt design them that is. A26......6.......6.....6...

[@liamporter1137]

Thanks for sharing. Great candid review as usual.

[@Soundnews]

Thanks Liam

[@tradfi950]

when i first saw the fr graphs for this it was pleasantly conventiona (unlike the other ones)l, very hifiman-like which i like, especially that bbc dip

[@asan1050]

Thanks Much! Happy New Year! Hope you feel better!!!

[@emilianpredescu3477]

Most beautiful looking headphones in the world except for Elite, glad to see a producer from my own country can create such wonderful art pieces. Interesting how they departed from they extra warm origins, GOOD PATH! Also VERY GLAD to see you back, WR NEED YOU WITH YOUR EQUILIBRATED ANALYSIS AND POSITIVE ATTITUDE!🤗

[@nitraM321]

i think they look even better than the elites ! the metal grilles inside. and the connection between the two parts of the headbands are sublime !!!

[@soulja617]

It’s Not the most beautiful my ZMF Atrium with rose gold grilles/rod is the most beautiful headphone in the world

[@HowDareYouu]

R u romanian, bro? i bet u are romanian

[@Soundnews]

In flesh and blood ;)

[@zzezzobike]

A BIG dislike! I couldn't listen them more than few minutes. Classic was and is the worst headphone on the market and this kind of gets little better in acoustic instruments and voices.

[@MihneaTheodor2684]

you don't have to trash them if they're not your taste