Closer Examination

Add one more to the list of changes as Meze has decided to throw in a free set of its premium cables with the ELITE now. You can choose between the $249-349 premium copper cable or the $399-499 premium silver-plated copper cable at no extra cost, which means you can get a cable that costs twice as much as another but not change the total cost of the headphones... interesting move. The difference in costs for the cables by themselves—for the same conductor—depends on the source connector and total length of the cable. This demo unit shipped with three of the older copper cables with a single-ended 3.5 or 6.35 mm (1/4") connector or 4-pin XLR balanced connector option headed to the source. Since these cables are otherwise not representative of the current offerings, I'll cut this section short by saying the 3.5 mm cable is 1.3 m long and the other two, intended for more prosumer use, are 2.5 m long. The metal housings are nicely executed and the other end has two mini XLR connectors with blue/red identifiers for the left/right channels, respectively.


The Meze ELITE, as with the Empyrean before, are quite something else to behold in person. Photos can give you a good idea as to the fairly unique design here when it comes to the headband assembly, but it all makes sense once you place these over your head. I have the original ELITEs here with the silver finish, although I do think the newer tungsten version looks cooler. We also see right away that the cups can fold flat for easier storage and transportation and every thing about the ELITE oozes luxury and great build. Go back to that headband, for example, where the top piece is matte carbon fiber for weight reduction and is accompanied by a leather suspension band that is far better than the "genuine leather" low rung that most companies use. I know this very sample has made the rounds a lot already and the headband still looks like new without any signs of use—certainly bodes well for longevity. The product name is engraved on the top, stitching quality is exceptional, and the contact surface is suede for added comfort. Note also how the suspension "wings support system," as is referred to by Meze, is purposely contoured to go over and around the top of your head for added comfort by distributing weight more evenly over a wider area than most suspension bands do. The entire assembly comes together on either side at the aluminium frame that has further branding and L/R markings to help identify the left and right channels, respectively.


Everything here is screwed in place and more info is etched on the sides where we also see the same style of sizing rods used on the Liric before. This allows for the Meze ELITE to have a very simple twist to unlock/lock motion as well as a smooth vertical sizing with a good range to accommodate sizes large or small alike. Do make sure you have it lined up equally, or at least close enough, on both sides before locking it in place though.


That same sizing mechanism also provides the ability to rotate and swivel the ear cups in a variety of manners. Indeed, as seen above, the Meze ELITE is one of very few headphones on the market with such extensive fit and seal customizations in all three axes, thus almost ensuring you get a great fit around your ears. In fact, the only people who I can even think of to struggle here would be those with exceptionally small or large heads where the sizing rods don't work for them. But even here the suspension band can help accommodate things further to where I have no complaints, only praises.


Meze says it takes ~20 hours to make a single aluminium skeleton frame for the ELITE and that's before the multiple days taken for inspection, assembly, quality controls etc. Assembly is done by hand in Romania and the fit/finish on the various components is something else. If you get close to the aluminium parts, for example, you'll see deliberately left machining marks that are still smooth to the touch but yield a satisfying geometric pattern under the macro lens. The same could be said about the black grill with its carving. The only issue here is with the Meze logo on the outside that clearly fades with use, as has been the case here, although perhaps this is where the darker tungsten version might fare better. I'll also give props to Rinaro's "Isomagnetic earpad attachment" system which uses the demagnetizing field generated by the planar magnetic drivers to hold the ear pads in place in addition to re-directing the magnetic field back into the driver for improved driver efficiency by ~12% (1 dB). This results in an invisible locking system that also makes it super simple to remove/install ear pads for pad swapping. Removing the pads provides a closer look at the so-called Rinaro MZ3SE isodynamic drivers that we'll discuss in more detail on the next page.


The provided ear pads have a ferromagnetic bottom layer that helps with the locking system while also reducing the stray magnetic field around the pads by ~95%. The ELITE comes with hybrid pads pre-installed that use a combination of a leather contact surface and Alcantara on the inside, as opposed to the replacement ear pads that are now angled Alcantara and thicker. Both have a fine metal mesh that helps further protect the drivers when installed. Seen above is the Meze ELITE with the older non-angled Alcantara pads installed, I unfortunately do not have the newer ones on hand.


On the bottom of the ear cups angled towards the front is where we find small cutouts that accommodate female mini XLR cable connectors. I am a fan of mini XLR as a locking connector, at least given they are more commonly found for aftermarket cables compared to LEMO/Drummer connectors, and the ones used by Meze are also clearly not glued in place as on the LCD-5. Given the ELITE now ships with a free premium cable of your choice that has different lengths and source connectors to choose from, I'd say there's minimal need for an aftermarket cable too, but I haven't used those cables admittedly. These older cables are not bad to use, albeit stiffer to where I can only hope the newer options are better in that regard. Either way, choose the cable you want based on the source connector you wish to use and then install them to get the headphones ready to go. If you are going to use a headphone stand, keep in mind that supporting the Meze ELITE off the suspension band isn't a great idea and I also recommend getting one that does not add pressure on the ear pads such as those omega-shaped stands. Something closer to the stand in the photos above is my preference and fits the color scheme nicely too.