Bought mine a few weeks after they came out. I'm an old (in years) novice to this game but have immensely enjoyed them. They are and will be my only set of headphones. All the reviews to date including your fantastically detailed video have reinforced that my choice was sound (no pun intended).
After about 2 months of listening to various genres and styles of music, I have not found the Meze 109 Pros as bright or the treble being too lean. I think they are well balanced, and on bass and mid-tone heavy songs, the treble helps provide the energy to ensure things aren't dull. On female vocal, and cymbals, piano or other treble emphasized songs and sounds, I found that they are easy listening and smooth, rather than leaning towards brighter and by no means harsh. As you mentioned, the changes in the driver and the added open earcups help to provide a very balanced sound signature that is very enjoyable. The energy level that these headphones provide is engaging and helps make them fun and enjoyable to listen to. The physical comfort helps take that into very long sessions of enjoyment.
I will get this headphone on 29.5.2023 ,I think u can use any 3,5mm cable ,just bough 2 of them and a 3,5mm Y Splitter I do exactly the same with my be loved Philips Fidelio X3 Many people told me it can not work because the headphone have a Left and Right side separation. But it works I bought 2 3,5mm on Amazon and Y 3,5mm Splitter. And it doesn’t matter which cable u put in Left or right side. With original cable it doesn’t matter ,you can not the Left cable put in the Right side and the Right cable in the left side ,this will not work. With my method it doesn’t matters ,it’s very easy and very happy it’s working. So don’t hear on people who say it don’t work. IT WoRks Normally I would say it can not work because u put a stereo cable on left and right side ,so u will get a stereo signal on the right and on the left side but this is not the case . You will get a normal Stereo sound like the original cable and I think this will work with the Meze 109 Pro too. I will update this comment when I got the Meze 109 Pro and test it out.
I own the 109 Pros and really like them. I listen to mostly jazz and orchestral music. My headphone system is a Nitsch Magni Piety amp and a Schitt Modi Multibit 2 dac, plugged into my laptop. I think it's a warm sounding system that favors my taste in music. Many orchestral pieces, whether they be modern or written a couple centuries ago can be extremely dynamic with expansive frequency responses. IMHO the 109s are extremely well suited to this style of music. As I write this, I'm listening to the Saraste's Carmen Fantasy performed by Hilary Hahn from her Eclipse album. It's an excellent recording and outstanding performance. Her violin sounds natural, never harsh in the high registers. The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra's driving accompaniment on the Finale of Dvorak's Violin Concerto in A minor is stirring with its double timpani. The 109s output of the bass response is focused, spacious, and real. I've owned Grados, PSBs, AKGs, and Sens. The Mezes are so far my favorites.
You are giving me a slight sense os buyer's remorse with this review. You know how much I love the 99 Classics, and my intended next purchase was to be the Meze 109 Pro. However, I love my HiFiMan Sundara, and I could not pass up the Ananda stealth edition for $500 during the New Years clearance sale. They are phenomenal headphones and a huge upgrade to the Sundara, but dang, the Meze 109 Pros... I have been waiting for these since they were teased with a blurry picture taken at a show (Canjam?) over at Head-Fi years ago. Come to think of it, was it you who posted that pict?! Anyway, hopefully some day you'll review the Ananda SE as I'd love to hear your impressions, and assuming the 109 Pros are keepers (how can you not), a comparison. Great review BTW, as always! 🤟😎
My impressions after a little more than 2 weeks of owning the 109 Pros: The most impressive thing about this headphone is how the different parts of the music feel when in the soundstage it’s presented in. Everything is very detailed and pin point precise, but has a decent amount of space so nothing is too suffocating or overly intense. I attribute it to that scoop in the midrange, which in most songs push the vocals back nicely into the mix with other aspects of the music while maintaining incredible separation. Bass also sounded really fast and responsive. Keep in mind I generally don’t mind higher treble, so if you are treble sensitive, it may be different. Overall tonality is slightly more colored than neutral. The perfect amount of “slightly V”. Gear Used: JDSLabs El Dac II+, Schiit Asgard 3, Schiit Magni Piety, Moondrop Moonriver 2
@@Currawong thx for the response, great news, shall try the 109 Pro definitely 😎🙏 i love the Piety, and use it with an iFi ACPurifier. i think worth trying 😊
@@laszlokiss3578 They sound really nice on the Piety. The speed of the driver reproducing the tubey nature of the Piety is really satisfying and fills in space very well in the soundstage. Reference Track: Careful You - TV on the Radio
Absolutely spot on! I have had these since release and just surprised at how good they sound still. The treble is just a bit artificially elevated for my taste but it only bothers me when listening really loud. The overall tuning more than makes up for it and it’s especially good for my musical tastes (Rock, hard rock etc.). These headphones remind me a lot of thieaudio monarch mk1 but with more clarity.
Time to litter your comment section Amos with my continued evangelizing about swapping the stock pads. I think the stock pads are 'good' and will work for most people, but I think there's better comfort out there if you want it and some taming of the treble to be found if that's desired as well. I learned that because of how thin the openings/slots are for the pad sleeves that swaps can be difficult. Not impossible but they can be very annoying. I've liked all three variants of the Mod House (Argon-maker) Xenon pads, the protein leather, the suede, and the lambskin with the lamb being my favorite for comfort. Sonically I think the ZMF suede pads for Focal were the best sounding with the protein leather Xenons being a close second. For less money than all those options, the Wicked Cushions pads for Audio-technica (or their "oval pads" if on Amazon) sounded great as well, however they did get hot over time. Oval suede Brainwavz with cooling gel was so/so and difficult to fit but was an improvement as well over stock. None of these options will make the headphone sound as open, but they will take some of the edge out of the treble and give you varying degrees of bass emphasis. No option loses bass in my listening. Figured I'd provide this testimonial if anyone has them and wants to adjust the tuning sans EQ. The 109 is a great listen and I love the build. I just wish there was a better method for swapping the pads is all. ✌
I listened to these extensively alongside the Sennheiser HD800s and the Hifiman Arya Organics. These were the three headphones I was struggling to choose between. The Sennheiser was the most open, the Arya Organic's sounded just as good as the Senn's, but had much better bass. However, they were heavier, and are from a brand with notorious quality control issues. Then there were the Meze 109 Pros. These had the excellent bass of the Arya Organics, while also having stronger treble and upper mids than the Senn's. They also felt very plush and comfortable on the head. And as we can all see, they look beautiful. In the end, I went with the Sennheisers, because I found that with a simple EQ curve, I could make the HD800s sound just as good in both the bass and the treble as the Meze's, while retaining their greater openness, and possibly slightly greater detail. In my opinion, though, you definitely can't go wrong with the Meze 109 Pro's, it's a MUCH more dynamic and "fun" pair than the HD800s, given the much stronger V-shaped frequency response.
My exact impression on testing them in a store on a Zen Dac (which is a tad warm). Sharp in treble and upper mids. I like sparkly treble but they were too much for me. I much preferred the Edition XS. Now that I know that they need running in, I will probably try them again after some months in the same store.
Same thing. I bought them and tried to adjust to the treble for a few days... I heard about treble getting softer with time, but I didn't want to risk it. Ended up replacing them with LCD 2C. Such a refreshment for my ears.
Treble sibilance went away after about 8 hours of run in. These are unique sounding, and scratch just about every itch for me personally. So much so that I’m selling all my gear and starting from scratch to make these sound as good as possible. Very glad to hear Chord is a good pairing, I’m ordering a mojo 2 tomorrow.
@@19Kenshiro86 haven’t tried 109 yet but on mj2 you can wind back the high treble/air, wind the air back further if you want the curve to be pronounced lower in treble, not further into mid treble just more pronounced. Please no debates about importance of the Air range, well actually feel free I will just run and hide.
@@19Kenshiro86 After running the 109’s in for 120 hours playing music constantly, the occasional brightness that I initially heard has softened. On the Mojo 2 the level of transparency and insight into recordings is exceptional for the money. This headphone will scale well as I found out when listening to the DCS Bartok. My next step will be to try a few different headphone amplifiers with the Mojo 2 to see if there are any worthwhile improvements.
I had these for the last month: After breaking them in, 1. sound is much better, ( Treble and Low end) 2. ear pads are really comfortable 3. work well with all different types of music 4. no need for eq 5. details are presented very well 6. Look and feel great! Overall really an easy choice for listening. I was quite surprised to how well these sound with almost any device. Sometimes a little too sensitive when hooked up to high end gear. With the GSX mini, Jotunheim 2, you get a little slight background hiss, (balanced/low gain), but nothing too distracting. Sounds great with OTL tube amps, in low gain. Definitely upgrade the cables.
Yeah. The question is always, how much better can it get without one breaking the bank. I'd say I found my IEM endgame in my UM MEST MKIIs. Looking for an open back endgame as well now. These look like they might be it... currently I found a quasi new pair for just 550€, which is insane.
I am 52 so predictably these are hardy bright for me. However when listening a trumpet solo from Miles Davis I understood how many people will find them bright. In fact that trumpet solo is handked much better by my DT1990 pro, which is often described as bright. The main problem I have with these are the tough cheaper competitors. I think for those seeking great bass tge DT1990 and also Focal Clear OG are better. Vocals are better handled by the Sennheiser HD600 series, and if you are looking for smooth high mids and highs you just got to look elsewhere. I returned my pair: not bad at all and to me preferable to the Empyrean in sound, however not the best value at this price.
I love them!My only complain is the name 😆!It would deserve a more unique name something like lyric,elite or empyrean instead 109 pro!Your review about the 109 pro is accurate!
I can sign everything you said about it. 😊 It’s a fantastic headphone. Burn in really helps the headphone not to sound that much harsh in treble as it was at the beginning but it still remains little bit emphasized. But because of the deep bass, the perfect mids and the incredible soundstage it doesn’t bother me in any way. Love this headphone. ❤
I love my 109's many people have talked about a bright treble but to me it is a pure rather than bright sound. I am a bit treble sensitive but haven't had any issues with these so far but I am fairly old 😀.
It looks like more and more manufacturers are copying Hifiman's house feature of keeping down the 1-2k area a bit (Neumann NDH 20, for starters, and others), or at least below harman. Which I totally love, it makes the overall sound cleaner and less shouty, and it moves the music that little bit further away from you. I am convinced that plays a role in the famous sound presentation of the hifiman headphones. And it's no coincidence that the Meze 109 pro also do soundstage and happen to have recessed 1-2k. While I do love it, sometimes I do wonder if a 1-2k response closer to target would give the sound that bit of extra energy that some music might need... but sure enough, between below and above target, I'd take below target any day, I hate what some Stax headphone models do in that area, so shouty!
Good point! I was listening to Future Islands, which has a very strong vocalist, and it was spot-on. I reckon it might have been too much if the headphones had followed the Harman curve exactly. At a guess, i think a lot of it has to do with the balanced between the treble, mids and bass. This because there are other headphones with a similar drop, such as the HD8XX, which sound off with it.
Would be interested to hear any concerns or thoughts regarding the use and safety of utilizing beryllium and any potential issues with deterioration or exposure overtime.
Was thinking about getting a pair but put off a bit with the treble review. i listen mostly to classical piano and orchestra. I had the Classic 99 and thought to upgrade a bit so now i am bit unsure as some have commented below that its over rated and narrow soundstage. Was wondering then what alternative to try as my local store is also out of stock until january.
From other reviews on the TT2 and M-Scaler, these have a very bright sound. Therefore, I must assume the problem's not with the 109 Pro, but with the combination. I have a Mola Mola Tambaqui and I'm planning to get my hands on the 109 Pro. I may update this comment with my own impressions
The more I hear about the 109 pro, the more it seems like I've found what I've been searching for. I like to listen to a wide range of genres and sometimes that includes organs. Can these headphones play low enough for most/all songs? I know the organs in cathedrals are capable of playing below human hearing but I don't know if that's actually written in any music.
That's a good question. For most songs definitely. I got out the good ol' Peter Hurford playing Bach, and you don't feel the rumble of the organ, though you do hear the low notes, like you would with full-range speakers. It's the same with other headphones in that regard though. But, you can hear the long echo of the notes decaying, even out of an RU6.
how would these compete against Stax Lambda? I have a feeling that the Stax are in another league, and a lot of great headphones I've tried somehow keep falling short of the Stax. What would I get by getting the 109 Pro?
Stax lamda are not as good as they used to be, brother replaced stax l700 with hifiman arrya stealth ,for a much smoother enjoyable experience, I have had a range of Stax headphones, years ago the Sigma ear speakers , in conjunction with Rosewood Koetsu and td125 thorens using Ortofon mc silver amp, I getting comparable now with Hifiman Ananda an Beresford Caiman Seg british built dac which is eight years old .
What change in sound did you notice with the upgraded cable? It’s also important to note that these headphones come with two cables of different lengths (1.5 m and 3 m) when purchased new.
I must have misplaced a cable! The upgrade copper cable made the sound a bit clearer and more open. It seemed to bring out the treble a bit more, but maybe it was the stock cable that makes the sound a bit more muffled.
@@Currawong I agree. I have the upgrade silver cable, and also the upgrade copper cable. The upgrade silver cable offer better clarity and openess but is too bright. The stock cable is too muffled. The upgrade copper cable is right between them : you have the benefits of the upgrade silver cable, but without the hot treble and with less sibilance.
I noticed that helps a little bit with the treble. Don’t get me wrong it’s not offensive in my case, sometimes spicy but not something bad or fatiguing
I’m looking to up my Beyer DT1990 pro to these. ( using eq of course) and I’m concerned about the distortion of the Meze 109 pros on everything under 100hz
Should I get these, focal clear (or mg or bathys), arya organic or dca aeon 2? I'm coming from an Ananda Stealth that I got for a bargain and love for some stuff, but I'm missing the impact of my old closed back ultrasones. Or just sidegrades I could pick up focal elegia and hd600 for less than one of those. I'm tempted to just go arya because I can only imagine how good they are based off the ananda, but I think I would be good to have a dynamic and maybe even closed back for variety...
I own a pair of 109 pro's. I love them to death but, I got to try a pair of arya organics at a local store and they were insane. arya organic over 109 pro. I cant comment on your other options as I have not tried them before.
fellow ananda stealth owner here, id say go for the organic if you love the anandas and want a better version of that sound (wider stage, more controlled and defined, etc), but go for the other options if u want a different taste.
I own 3 of those. I think the Aeon 2 Noire is better than ALL of them. To me it is damn near perfect. To be honest, I thought the Sundara sounded better than the 109 pro.
He do you compare these with the Beyer T1, Dan Clark Aeon 2 Open or HifiMan Ananda? My budget is forcing me to decide between the Dan Clark Aeon 2 Open and the Meze 109 Pro
A2O is more reference tuned, compared to 109 which is more v-shaped/u-shaped Technically I'd say A2O is slightly more detailed, but the 109 has better imaging and dynamics Pairing wise, A2O is harder to drive, but 109 is more picky (easy to drive, but need source synergy to really shine) I.e when I auditioned 109, I dont like it from Hugo TT2, but i love it from Cayin HA-300 A2O for me is source agnostic, they are as good from any source as long as it is powerful enough to drive it.
I have the Dan Clark Aeon 2 Open headphones & was surprised at the sound quality in both a good and bad way. The good is in the crispness of the sound and the bright clear nature of them. The bad is with the low frequency sound, aka the bass. It has very little real bass to it, which was a very disappointing feature of the sound quality they put out.
Your statement that Planars have better Bass than Dynamic drivers is not my experience. Now my favorite Headphones tend to be large Planars such as the Audeze LCD 4s or my budget clones the Monolith M1570 which both have adequate Bass and if you EQ them they both can produce a satisfying and quick Bass . However I have 5 of the best Bass Headphones and all of them have Dynamic Drivers .
I agree, planar bass feels weird. its either overly punchy, or overly rumbly, it never seems to have the right balance between punch and rumble. maybe I just prefer the natural slower decay of bass with dynamic headphones.
After this review (and others) I was eager to try the 109 Pro. I found it pretty disappointing. First, in orchestral music the presence of detail could not be denied, but it was not exceptional, and the individual sounds were heard swimming in a sort of aural soup (maybe this is my subjective description of the slight warmth and fluency others have noted). High notes were not shrill, but also not very distinct. In a string quartet, the close-up focus on individual bowing was oppressive. The piano test was a definite failure - that depressing sound when the hammers are heard as being made of rubber rather than felt. I cross-listened to the same material on the Ananda Stealth and the Focal Clear. Both passed the piano test with relative ease, and the string quartet was pretty good too, with good detail and staging. It seemed to my ears that the Ananda has the more coherent staging of the overall sound, impressively wide and structured, but with a slightly grey/gritty quality. While the Focal didn't present the material with the same spatial coherence, individual notes were purer, fine detail slightly better realised. I didn't buy either, because I couldn't answer the question whether the qualities were sufficient to outweigh the (slight) deficiencies. It was clear to me quite early on that there was no way I would buy the Meze.
If you are looking for headphones for acoustic instruments it isn't going to be fun, and most of the opinions of youtube reviewers will be confusing and perhaps lead you astray. I play flamenco, and acoustic guitar, and found the same problems; most of the reviewers are coming from the viewpoint of other genres that play well with overly bright headphones. They also tend to favor that sound signature, looking for all the detail. For me, I find Focals oppressive in this regard, though I never tried their flagship models. They might be better, but even the Focal Clear sounded too neutral and sterile to me. Meze's flagship the Empyrean is very intimate, and may wow you, but the price is prohibitive and depending on what you are used to may sound too warm. "The honest audiophile" on youtube listens to a lot of classical as far as I am aware and may be useful to check out.
I just salute your view on these new Meze, try to be best sellers but failed. You know music obviously miles better than these new youtubers who evolved into audio reviewers from PC gaming
@@alvarg Burn in isn't a thing and poor excuse for not liking a sound signature right away. Any headphone you test will tell you right away if it is a sound signature you like. This is why no audiophile wouldn't tell you to burn in beats by dre and tell you they sound better after 150hrs. Why would a manufacture not burn in headphones just playing pink noise for x amount of hours before they sold it to you? If in fact it made their headphones sound way better. Not sure what they would gain crippling their product. I do know that they love telling you to burn in headphones way past the return period. Hmmm.
@@epicmike3915 Meze told me directly that they don't run-in their headphones to save electricity. Like I said in the video, it depends on the manufacturer and whether they run in their headphones at all -- simply how many hours they run their headphones before confirming that they haven't failed before sending them out -- as to whether or not the end user should put some hours on them before they'll settle into their final state.
Burn in is real. At first my Sennheiser 58x sound sharp and bass lean. After run in they sound really smooth in trable in improve bass a lot. Also happens with my other. headphones.
That is only one of the arguments though. The other is that your brain can adjust to sound signatures very quickly, and so a headphone that might seem too bassy or hot in the treble your brain will adjust for. I forced myself to listen to the DT1990s and eventually got used to them as well, but it made my other headphones sound distractingly muddy and dark, as an example.
Sound phenomenal! I will get a pair of these for christmas and compare them to my H95’s from B&O that I use for traveling. Also ur right, low bass and bright highs are my favourite. A home theater is nothing without a subwoofer
Be mindful. These need a break in between 40 and 80 hours. The change afterwards is significant. Highs are way too bright at first listen, but after break in they settle to be just right, Changes in lows too.
I've had them for a year and they still bother me just as much now as they did then. Burn in, cables, more powerful amp, are all great ways to waste money in an attempt to like something you really wanted to but should just eat the restocking fee and return.
@@spamcan9208 what are you running? I find these to be solid headphones, I do agree with the break in time too. I use a mojo to drive them and have used them together for over a year. They are very detailed, good instrument separation, solid bass and HQ audio really make the headphones purr. Best headphones I've ever owned. You probably didn't drive them right
I think its a bit unfair comparing run-in of an engine with what we imagine is happening with headphones. With engines, the changes are measurable and backed by science, to the extent that engineering has managed to make run-in almost a thing of the past. With headphones, tests have not been able to measure differences that aren't explained by other effects like clamping force changes and small alterations in placement on the testing apparatus. The reasons usually given for recommending run-in with headphones are of the "it stands to reason" and "sounds legit" type so to draw attention away from audio sound quality's elephant in the room: acclimation, for which there IS strong scientific, repeatable evidence for.
Changes in how drivers behave with use have been measured, such as a lowering of IMD, which correlates with peoples' impressions of the amount of harshness going down with use. That wouldn't be affected by pad changes. The 109s would be a good candidate for measuring this though. The effect of pad changes was discussed well by Jude on Head-Fi, in one of the threads where he talks about measurements. Earpads wear out over a much longer period than we're talking about. Positioning effects were measured extensively by Tyll Hertzens when he measured headphones. That affected frequency response, not distortion.
I'd say it depends. I'm young and according to my doctor, my hearing is in perfect condition. I didn't find the 109 Pro's to be bright, sibilant or harsh in treble like some people claim. I'd say, some folk are just more sensitive in their hearing than others and that's it.
Neumann NDH 30 - superb for slightly less money. They’re pro grade. Less bling. Smart German style, but also excellent build quality. And no colouration.
16k at that age is realy good. Usually people at this age finish below 10k. I am 26 and can barely muster 15k (which is about average for my age group).
I own them and was hugely disappointed at first. Too shrieking, instruments sound tiny and soundstage is pretty narrow for the money. The overall sound was too weird for my taste. As if none of the music I know and loved for years and years sounds the same through them. Totally out of place with these cans. I burnt them and let them rest for a few months and now I'm trying them again and I'm slightly liking them a bit more. They're great for recent recordings, especially hard rock but in orchestral music again the tuning sounds too out of place for me. So, not worthy or 800 euros at all. I have cheaper Grados that sound 1000 times more accurate and pleasing to my ears, like the Grado Hemp or 325X. Or.. Beyer DT-1990 Pro, DT-880 600 ohm all sound way more accurate than these overrated headphones imo. And if I want something big sounding I can always enjoy my LCD2C's or LCDX. Mr. Antonio Meze looks like he's paying all reviewers out there to make his products look like heaven. Well, at least these ain't heaven at all. Just average headphones exceptionally built... I'll give them that.
Interesting. For me it was the opposite. I was looking for something fun, punchy, bass clean and with a wide soundstage that sounded great for movies and cinematic/orchestral music and these sounded great to me. Wasn't looking for anything like a reference or mixing set, just something that makes my movies sound like a theater and for around the $1000 range out of all the ones I've tried my tops were these, the Dan Clark Aeon 2 Noire (pretty big soundstage for a smaller closed-back), and Focal Radiance (smaller soundstage but excellent bass response). Loved all 3 but the look and feel of the 109 Pro broke the tie.. that plus being so easy to drive
How do the Audeze compare to the Beyer 1990? I have a pair of 1990 and use them with EQ and love them. But I want to upgrade. Any ideas? The Audeze freq response always threw me off and I’ve tried hifi man XS and didn’t like them at all, so I’m thinking maybe I don’t like planars? Cheers.
You own both? I also own the Sony Z1R. I recently changed the stock cable as I hate silver plated copper cables. Pure copper or pure silver sounds better. I settled on pure silver cables. Your comment means these will not be an upgrade to my Sony's.
Headphones by themselves are boring and "2D" two-dimensional. One solution and what I would recommend to make them fun again is out of the back end of your amp plug in a decent subwoofer and remind yourself what music feels like again. Otherwise, it's like going to some high-end boutique gourmet restaurant while having a head cold.
Bought mine a few weeks after they came out. I'm an old (in years) novice to this game but have immensely enjoyed them. They are and will be my only set of headphones. All the reviews to date including your fantastically detailed video have reinforced that my choice was sound (no pun intended).
You really don’t need another pair, these pretty much sound great with any kind of music. I’m keeping them as my only over ear pair
After about 2 months of listening to various genres and styles of music, I have not found the Meze 109 Pros as bright or the treble being too lean. I think they are well balanced, and on bass and mid-tone heavy songs, the treble helps provide the energy to ensure things aren't dull. On female vocal, and cymbals, piano or other treble emphasized songs and sounds, I found that they are easy listening and smooth, rather than leaning towards brighter and by no means harsh. As you mentioned, the changes in the driver and the added open earcups help to provide a very balanced sound signature that is very enjoyable. The energy level that these headphones provide is engaging and helps make them fun and enjoyable to listen to. The physical comfort helps take that into very long sessions of enjoyment.
Where would you got to buy spare cables? That stock one is way too long and the meze cooper one is a bit too expensive
I will get this headphone on 29.5.2023 ,I think u can use any 3,5mm cable ,just bough 2 of them and a 3,5mm Y Splitter
I do exactly the same with my be loved Philips Fidelio X3
Many people told me it can not work because the headphone have a Left and Right side separation.
But it works I bought 2 3,5mm on Amazon and Y 3,5mm Splitter.
And it doesn’t matter which cable u put in Left or right side.
With original cable it doesn’t matter ,you can not the Left cable put in the Right side and the Right cable in the left side ,this will not work.
With my method it doesn’t matters ,it’s very easy and very happy it’s working.
So don’t hear on people who say it don’t work.
IT WoRks
Normally I would say it can not work because u put a stereo cable on left and right side ,so u will get a stereo signal on the right and on the left side but this is not the case .
You will get a normal Stereo sound like the original cable and I think this will work with the Meze 109 Pro too.
I will update this comment when I got the Meze 109 Pro and test it out.
I own the 109 Pros and really like them. I listen to mostly jazz and orchestral music. My headphone system is a Nitsch Magni Piety amp and a Schitt Modi Multibit 2 dac, plugged into my laptop. I think it's a warm sounding system that favors my taste in music. Many orchestral pieces, whether they be modern or written a couple centuries ago can be extremely dynamic with expansive frequency responses. IMHO the 109s are extremely well suited to this style of music. As I write this, I'm listening to the Saraste's Carmen Fantasy performed by Hilary Hahn from her Eclipse album. It's an excellent recording and outstanding performance. Her violin sounds natural, never harsh in the high registers. The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra's driving accompaniment on the Finale of Dvorak's Violin Concerto in A minor is stirring with its double timpani. The 109s output of the bass response is focused, spacious, and real.
I've owned Grados, PSBs, AKGs, and Sens. The Mezes are so far my favorites.
wow ! Carmen Fantasy sounds already amazing on youtube
You are giving me a slight sense os buyer's remorse with this review. You know how much I love the 99 Classics, and my intended next purchase was to be the Meze 109 Pro. However, I love my HiFiMan Sundara, and I could not pass up the Ananda stealth edition for $500 during the New Years clearance sale. They are phenomenal headphones and a huge upgrade to the Sundara, but dang, the Meze 109 Pros... I have been waiting for these since they were teased with a blurry picture taken at a show (Canjam?) over at Head-Fi years ago. Come to think of it, was it you who posted that pict?! Anyway, hopefully some day you'll review the Ananda SE as I'd love to hear your impressions, and assuming the 109 Pros are keepers (how can you not), a comparison.
Great review BTW, as always! 🤟😎
My impressions after a little more than 2 weeks of owning the 109 Pros:
The most impressive thing about this headphone is how the different parts of the music feel when in the soundstage it’s presented in. Everything is very detailed and pin point precise, but has a decent amount of space so nothing is too suffocating or overly intense. I attribute it to that scoop in the midrange, which in most songs push the vocals back nicely into the mix with other aspects of the music while maintaining incredible separation. Bass also sounded really fast and responsive. Keep in mind I generally don’t mind higher treble, so if you are treble sensitive, it may be different. Overall tonality is slightly more colored than neutral. The perfect amount of “slightly V”.
Gear Used: JDSLabs El Dac II+, Schiit Asgard 3, Schiit Magni Piety, Moondrop Moonriver 2
hi, how do they sound with the Piety? thx
They sound wonderful with the Piety. The full/original version of the video had me talking about the Piety, but it got cut for the final.
@@Currawong thx for the response, great news, shall try the 109 Pro definitely 😎🙏 i love the Piety, and use it with an iFi ACPurifier. i think worth trying 😊
@@laszlokiss3578 They sound really nice on the Piety. The speed of the driver reproducing the tubey nature of the Piety is really satisfying and fills in space very well in the soundstage.
Reference Track: Careful You - TV on the Radio
I think in the near future we'll no longer be able to see the windows. That's a ton of gear in between. 🤣
Good video as usual.
Absolutely spot on! I have had these since release and just surprised at how good they sound still. The treble is just a bit artificially elevated for my taste but it only bothers me when listening really loud. The overall tuning more than makes up for it and it’s especially good for my musical tastes (Rock, hard rock etc.). These headphones remind me a lot of thieaudio monarch mk1 but with more clarity.
Time to litter your comment section Amos with my continued evangelizing about swapping the stock pads. I think the stock pads are 'good' and will work for most people, but I think there's better comfort out there if you want it and some taming of the treble to be found if that's desired as well. I learned that because of how thin the openings/slots are for the pad sleeves that swaps can be difficult. Not impossible but they can be very annoying. I've liked all three variants of the Mod House (Argon-maker) Xenon pads, the protein leather, the suede, and the lambskin with the lamb being my favorite for comfort. Sonically I think the ZMF suede pads for Focal were the best sounding with the protein leather Xenons being a close second. For less money than all those options, the Wicked Cushions pads for Audio-technica (or their "oval pads" if on Amazon) sounded great as well, however they did get hot over time. Oval suede Brainwavz with cooling gel was so/so and difficult to fit but was an improvement as well over stock. None of these options will make the headphone sound as open, but they will take some of the edge out of the treble and give you varying degrees of bass emphasis. No option loses bass in my listening. Figured I'd provide this testimonial if anyone has them and wants to adjust the tuning sans EQ. The 109 is a great listen and I love the build. I just wish there was a better method for swapping the pads is all. ✌
With the ZMF pads for the Focal, did you use the perforated or the solid suede versions?
@@gdob1 Solid suede. Purchased for the Radiance.
I listened to these extensively alongside the Sennheiser HD800s and the Hifiman Arya Organics. These were the three headphones I was struggling to choose between. The Sennheiser was the most open, the Arya Organic's sounded just as good as the Senn's, but had much better bass. However, they were heavier, and are from a brand with notorious quality control issues. Then there were the Meze 109 Pros. These had the excellent bass of the Arya Organics, while also having stronger treble and upper mids than the Senn's. They also felt very plush and comfortable on the head. And as we can all see, they look beautiful.
In the end, I went with the Sennheisers, because I found that with a simple EQ curve, I could make the HD800s sound just as good in both the bass and the treble as the Meze's, while retaining their greater openness, and possibly slightly greater detail. In my opinion, though, you definitely can't go wrong with the Meze 109 Pro's, it's a MUCH more dynamic and "fun" pair than the HD800s, given the much stronger V-shaped frequency response.
My exact impression on testing them in a store on a Zen Dac (which is a tad warm). Sharp in treble and upper mids. I like sparkly treble but they were too much for me. I much preferred the Edition XS.
Now that I know that they need running in, I will probably try them again after some months in the same store.
The ideal headphone would be Edition XS sound in 109Pro body.
Same thing. I bought them and tried to adjust to the treble for a few days...
I heard about treble getting softer with time, but I didn't want to risk it. Ended up replacing them with LCD 2C. Such a refreshment for my ears.
Fantastic Meze HPs, love these with tube amps to tame the highs a bit and get that holographic sound only tubes are able to give
Treble sibilance went away after about 8 hours of run in. These are unique sounding, and scratch just about every itch for me personally. So much so that I’m selling all my gear and starting from scratch to make these sound as good as possible. Very glad to hear Chord is a good pairing, I’m ordering a mojo 2 tomorrow.
I already have the Mojo 2 and my 109’s have been on order for a week. I’m hoping for an excellent pairing.
@@christopherwright8179 Is the Mojo 2 good with the 109 Pro? I have a Mojo 2 and i was thinking ordering the 109.
@@19Kenshiro86 haven’t tried 109 yet but on mj2 you can wind back the high treble/air, wind the air back further if you want the curve to be pronounced lower in treble, not further into mid treble just more pronounced. Please no debates about importance of the Air range, well actually feel free I will just run and hide.
@@19Kenshiro86 After running the 109’s in for 120 hours playing music constantly, the occasional brightness that I initially heard has softened. On the Mojo 2 the level of transparency and insight into recordings is exceptional for the money. This headphone will scale well as I found out when listening to the DCS Bartok. My next step will be to try a few different headphone amplifiers with the Mojo 2 to see if there are any worthwhile improvements.
They are great on the mojo2, I use them mostly untuned but do have the crossfeed on the first tier.
If you don't know/hear that different cables sound different , you are absolutely not deep into the hobby . Great review 👌
Thanks, very interested in these so exactly what I was looking for. And being Dutch, nice to see The Nits in your playlists!
I had these for the last month:
After breaking them in,
1. sound is much better, ( Treble and Low end)
2. ear pads are really comfortable
3. work well with all different types of music
4. no need for eq
5. details are presented very well
6. Look and feel great!
Overall really an easy choice for listening. I was quite surprised to how well these sound with almost any device. Sometimes a little too sensitive when hooked up to high end gear. With the GSX mini, Jotunheim 2, you get a little slight background hiss, (balanced/low gain), but nothing too distracting. Sounds great with OTL tube amps, in low gain. Definitely upgrade the cables.
love your reviews. watching and listening on my meze 99 classics
If the reviewers can be believed, the 109 could be endgame for a lot of people. You buy them and one decent DAP and you are done.
What DAP should I buy to use with these headphones?
Yeah. The question is always, how much better can it get without one breaking the bank. I'd say I found my IEM endgame in my UM MEST MKIIs. Looking for an open back endgame as well now. These look like they might be it... currently I found a quasi new pair for just 550€, which is insane.
Am using them with a Hiby R6 Pro 2, sound pretty good together and helps having plenty settings on the Hiby to fine tune the sound.
I am 52 so predictably these are hardy bright for me. However when listening a trumpet solo from Miles Davis I understood how many people will find them bright. In fact that trumpet solo is handked much better by my DT1990 pro, which is often described as bright.
The main problem I have with these are the tough cheaper competitors. I think for those seeking great bass tge DT1990 and also Focal Clear OG are better. Vocals are better handled by the Sennheiser HD600 series, and if you are looking for smooth high mids and highs you just got to look elsewhere. I returned my pair: not bad at all and to me preferable to the Empyrean in sound, however not the best value at this price.
Focal clears have a bit of qc issues so I don’t know about that
I love them!My only complain is the name 😆!It would deserve a more unique name something like lyric,elite or empyrean instead 109 pro!Your review about the 109 pro is accurate!
Perhaps the name is a call out to the famous WWII German Luftwaffe fighter, the Messerschmitt ME-109? 😃
These are great balanced with Lotoo Paw Gold Touch. I hear to 13.5 kHz and they are not harsh to my ears.
I can sign everything you said about it. 😊 It’s a fantastic headphone. Burn in really helps the headphone not to sound that much harsh in treble as it was at the beginning but it still remains little bit emphasized. But because of the deep bass, the perfect mids and the incredible soundstage it doesn’t bother me in any way. Love this headphone. ❤
I love my 109's many people have talked about a bright treble but to me it is a pure rather than bright sound. I am a bit treble sensitive but haven't had any issues with these so far but I am fairly old 😀.
Has to be peeled first
Man I really want to pick up a pair of these, I'm not sure that the sound signature is ideal for me but they are very intriguing.
What are you using now ?
Depeche Mode, Violator album sounds amazing on these cans!
They sound beautiful with the Astell & Kern SP3000! 👍
It looks like more and more manufacturers are copying Hifiman's house feature of keeping down the 1-2k area a bit (Neumann NDH 20, for starters, and others), or at least below harman. Which I totally love, it makes the overall sound cleaner and less shouty, and it moves the music that little bit further away from you. I am convinced that plays a role in the famous sound presentation of the hifiman headphones. And it's no coincidence that the Meze 109 pro also do soundstage and happen to have recessed 1-2k. While I do love it, sometimes I do wonder if a 1-2k response closer to target would give the sound that bit of extra energy that some music might need... but sure enough, between below and above target, I'd take below target any day, I hate what some Stax headphone models do in that area, so shouty!
Good point! I was listening to Future Islands, which has a very strong vocalist, and it was spot-on. I reckon it might have been too much if the headphones had followed the Harman curve exactly. At a guess, i think a lot of it has to do with the balanced between the treble, mids and bass. This because there are other headphones with a similar drop, such as the HD8XX, which sound off with it.
may I ask what headphone cables you use with the 109 Pro?
great review.
i know these are low impedance but, given the high sensitivity, would they likely play well on an otl tube amp?
Would be interested to hear any concerns or thoughts regarding the use and safety of utilizing beryllium and any potential issues with deterioration or exposure overtime.
Brother, I know what matters is sound, but have you ever seen a more beautiful headphone than this?
So tempting, isn't it? 😅
Replacement ear pads cost $79.00
Excellent review... thanks.
One of the best for sure
Those cables are a little bit too expensive for my pocket do you have any other recommendation for cables?
Just stay with the stock cables. They are fine.
Was thinking about getting a pair but put off a bit with the treble review. i listen mostly to classical piano and orchestra. I had the Classic 99 and thought to upgrade a bit so now i am bit unsure as some have commented below that its over rated and narrow soundstage. Was wondering then what alternative to try as my local store is also out of stock until january.
Classical is always fine with headphones that are a bit on the bright side. It's modern music where there can be problems.
@@Currawong thank you very much that's good news and i will test them out hopefully this week.
From other reviews on the TT2 and M-Scaler, these have a very bright sound. Therefore, I must assume the problem's not with the 109 Pro, but with the combination.
I have a Mola Mola Tambaqui and I'm planning to get my hands on the 109 Pro. I may update this comment with my own impressions
Those little gadgets are of a different price range altogether.
Any update?
The more I hear about the 109 pro, the more it seems like I've found what I've been searching for.
I like to listen to a wide range of genres and sometimes that includes organs. Can these headphones play low enough for most/all songs? I know the organs in cathedrals are capable of playing below human hearing but I don't know if that's actually written in any music.
That's a good question. For most songs definitely. I got out the good ol' Peter Hurford playing Bach, and you don't feel the rumble of the organ, though you do hear the low notes, like you would with full-range speakers. It's the same with other headphones in that regard though. But, you can hear the long echo of the notes decaying, even out of an RU6.
Yes music occurs above & below the range of human hearing, yes it can be scored as such; just another octave...
@@Currawong Thanks for the reply.
how would these compete against Stax Lambda? I have a feeling that the Stax are in another league, and a lot of great headphones I've tried somehow keep falling short of the Stax. What would I get by getting the 109 Pro?
Stax lamda are not as good as they used to be, brother replaced stax l700 with hifiman arrya stealth ,for a much smoother enjoyable experience, I have had a range of Stax headphones, years ago the Sigma ear speakers , in conjunction with Rosewood Koetsu and td125 thorens using Ortofon mc silver amp, I getting comparable now with Hifiman Ananda an Beresford Caiman Seg british built dac which is eight years old .
What change in sound did you notice with the upgraded cable? It’s also important to note that these headphones come with two cables of different lengths (1.5 m and 3 m) when purchased new.
I must have misplaced a cable! The upgrade copper cable made the sound a bit clearer and more open. It seemed to bring out the treble a bit more, but maybe it was the stock cable that makes the sound a bit more muffled.
@@Currawong I agree. I have the upgrade silver cable, and also the upgrade copper cable. The upgrade silver cable offer better clarity and openess but is too bright. The stock cable is too muffled. The upgrade copper cable is right between them : you have the benefits of the upgrade silver cable, but without the hot treble and with less sibilance.
I noticed that helps a little bit with the treble. Don’t get me wrong it’s not offensive in my case, sometimes spicy but not something bad or fatiguing
@@Currawong its the same story as 99's ? connectors go deep and not many are capable?
Not too sharp for me - 82 year old hearing!
I’m looking to up my Beyer DT1990 pro to these. ( using eq of course) and I’m concerned about the distortion of the Meze 109 pros on everything under 100hz
Should I get these, focal clear (or mg or bathys), arya organic or dca aeon 2? I'm coming from an Ananda Stealth that I got for a bargain and love for some stuff, but I'm missing the impact of my old closed back ultrasones. Or just sidegrades I could pick up focal elegia and hd600 for less than one of those. I'm tempted to just go arya because I can only imagine how good they are based off the ananda, but I think I would be good to have a dynamic and maybe even closed back for variety...
I own a pair of 109 pro's. I love them to death but, I got to try a pair of arya organics at a local store and they were insane. arya organic over 109 pro. I cant comment on your other options as I have not tried them before.
fellow ananda stealth owner here, id say go for the organic if you love the anandas and want a better version of that sound (wider stage, more controlled and defined, etc), but go for the other options if u want a different taste.
I own 3 of those. I think the Aeon 2 Noire is better than ALL of them. To me it is damn near perfect. To be honest, I thought the Sundara sounded better than the 109 pro.
Thanks!
Thank you very much!
He do you compare these with the Beyer T1, Dan Clark Aeon 2 Open or HifiMan Ananda?
My budget is forcing me to decide between the Dan Clark Aeon 2 Open and the Meze 109 Pro
A2O is more reference tuned, compared to 109 which is more v-shaped/u-shaped
Technically I'd say A2O is slightly more detailed, but the 109 has better imaging and dynamics
Pairing wise, A2O is harder to drive, but 109 is more picky (easy to drive, but need source synergy to really shine)
I.e when I auditioned 109, I dont like it from Hugo TT2, but i love it from Cayin HA-300
A2O for me is source agnostic, they are as good from any source as long as it is powerful enough to drive it.
Ananda stealth is a good choice
I have the Dan Clark Aeon 2 Open headphones & was surprised at the sound quality in both a good and bad way. The good is in the crispness of the sound and the bright clear nature of them. The bad is with the low frequency sound, aka the bass. It has very little real bass to it, which was a very disappointing feature of the sound quality they put out.
Your statement that Planars have better Bass than Dynamic drivers is not my experience.
Now my favorite Headphones tend to be large Planars such as the Audeze LCD 4s or my budget clones the Monolith M1570 which both have adequate Bass and if you EQ them they both can produce a satisfying and quick Bass .
However I have 5 of the best Bass Headphones and all of them have Dynamic Drivers .
yea I also prefer dynamic drivers but not cheap ones, ZMF or Focal
I agree, planar bass feels weird. its either overly punchy, or overly rumbly, it never seems to have the right balance between punch and rumble. maybe I just prefer the natural slower decay of bass with dynamic headphones.
Better sub, bas, lach slam
I wonder how they compare to the DT1990 Pro 250 ohm?
I hope not at all; the 1990 had oppressive treble and extreme comfort issues for me
Better than Empery?
After this review (and others) I was eager to try the 109 Pro. I found it pretty disappointing. First, in orchestral music the presence of detail could not be denied, but it was not exceptional, and the individual sounds were heard swimming in a sort of aural soup (maybe this is my subjective description of the slight warmth and fluency others have noted). High notes were not shrill, but also not very distinct. In a string quartet, the close-up focus on individual bowing was oppressive. The piano test was a definite failure - that depressing sound when the hammers are heard as being made of rubber rather than felt. I cross-listened to the same material on the Ananda Stealth and the Focal Clear. Both passed the piano test with relative ease, and the string quartet was pretty good too, with good detail and staging. It seemed to my ears that the Ananda has the more coherent staging of the overall sound, impressively wide and structured, but with a slightly grey/gritty quality. While the Focal didn't present the material with the same spatial coherence, individual notes were purer, fine detail slightly better realised. I didn't buy either, because I couldn't answer the question whether the qualities were sufficient to outweigh the (slight) deficiencies. It was clear to me quite early on that there was no way I would buy the Meze.
might of been a faulty set or not burned in? as your opinion is different from almost every other I've seen of them.
If you are looking for headphones for acoustic instruments it isn't going to be fun, and most of the opinions of youtube reviewers will be confusing and perhaps lead you astray. I play flamenco, and acoustic guitar, and found the same problems; most of the reviewers are coming from the viewpoint of other genres that play well with overly bright headphones. They also tend to favor that sound signature, looking for all the detail. For me, I find Focals oppressive in this regard, though I never tried their flagship models. They might be better, but even the Focal Clear sounded too neutral and sterile to me. Meze's flagship the Empyrean is very intimate, and may wow you, but the price is prohibitive and depending on what you are used to may sound too warm. "The honest audiophile" on youtube listens to a lot of classical as far as I am aware and may be useful to check out.
I just salute your view on these new Meze, try to be best sellers but failed. You know music obviously miles better than these new youtubers who evolved into audio reviewers from PC gaming
@@alvarg Burn in isn't a thing and poor excuse for not liking a sound signature right away. Any headphone you test will tell you right away if it is a sound signature you like. This is why no audiophile wouldn't tell you to burn in beats by dre and tell you they sound better after 150hrs. Why would a manufacture not burn in headphones just playing pink noise for x amount of hours before they sold it to you? If in fact it made their headphones sound way better. Not sure what they would gain crippling their product. I do know that they love telling you to burn in headphones way past the return period. Hmmm.
@@epicmike3915 Meze told me directly that they don't run-in their headphones to save electricity. Like I said in the video, it depends on the manufacturer and whether they run in their headphones at all -- simply how many hours they run their headphones before confirming that they haven't failed before sending them out -- as to whether or not the end user should put some hours on them before they'll settle into their final state.
Burn in is real. At first my Sennheiser 58x sound sharp and bass lean. After run in they sound really smooth in trable in improve bass a lot. Also happens with my other. headphones.
That is only one of the arguments though. The other is that your brain can adjust to sound signatures very quickly, and so a headphone that might seem too bassy or hot in the treble your brain will adjust for. I forced myself to listen to the DT1990s and eventually got used to them as well, but it made my other headphones sound distractingly muddy and dark, as an example.
What's the first song that plays in this video?
Nomyn - Reverie. Sorry I forgot to add it to the description.
Sound phenomenal! I will get a pair of these for christmas and compare them to my H95’s from B&O that I use for traveling.
Also ur right, low bass and bright highs are my favourite. A home theater is nothing without a subwoofer
Be mindful. These need a break in between 40 and 80 hours. The change afterwards is significant. Highs are way too bright at first listen, but after break in they settle to be just right, Changes in lows too.
I've had them for a year and they still bother me just as much now as they did then. Burn in, cables, more powerful amp, are all great ways to waste money in an attempt to like something you really wanted to but should just eat the restocking fee and return.
@@spamcan9208 what are you running? I find these to be solid headphones, I do agree with the break in time too. I use a mojo to drive them and have used them together for over a year. They are very detailed, good instrument separation, solid bass and HQ audio really make the headphones purr. Best headphones I've ever owned. You probably didn't drive them right
What about the vocals ?
I’m assuming they are bright as far as 10khz and above? Or are we talking about the 3khz peak?
Cheers
I think its a bit unfair comparing run-in of an engine with what we imagine is happening with headphones. With engines, the changes are measurable and backed by science, to the extent that engineering has managed to make run-in almost a thing of the past. With headphones, tests have not been able to measure differences that aren't explained by other effects like clamping force changes and small alterations in placement on the testing apparatus. The reasons usually given for recommending run-in with headphones are of the "it stands to reason" and "sounds legit" type so to draw attention away from audio sound quality's elephant in the room: acclimation, for which there IS strong scientific, repeatable evidence for.
Changes in how drivers behave with use have been measured, such as a lowering of IMD, which correlates with peoples' impressions of the amount of harshness going down with use. That wouldn't be affected by pad changes. The 109s would be a good candidate for measuring this though. The effect of pad changes was discussed well by Jude on Head-Fi, in one of the threads where he talks about measurements. Earpads wear out over a much longer period than we're talking about. Positioning effects were measured extensively by Tyll Hertzens when he measured headphones. That affected frequency response, not distortion.
Running in is a real thing.
If you are young, never trust an old reviewer, these headphones may sound harsh in treble for those with healthy hearing.
I'd say it depends. I'm young and according to my doctor, my hearing is in perfect condition.
I didn't find the 109 Pro's to be bright, sibilant or harsh in treble like some people claim. I'd say, some folk are just more sensitive in their hearing than others and that's it.
Did you break them in for 80+ hours?
@@viniciuseduardobomfimHow high frequencies can you hear? I can do 23-24 kHz.
Neumann NDH 30 - superb for slightly less money. They’re pro grade. Less bling. Smart German style, but also excellent build quality. And no colouration.
My 64 year old ears don’t hear above 16khz. So I don’t hear anything let alone harshness..and that’s on top of my tinnitus…
16 kHz is pretty excellent for your age. Most instruments' primary frequencies top out below that anyway.
16k at that age is realy good. Usually people at this age finish below 10k. I am 26 and can barely muster 15k (which is about average for my age group).
@@jirihorsky9600That's insane. I'm 23, and I can hear to 23-24 kHz.
the treble will burn a hole in your ears after 100 hrs 😂. not made for all music.
800$ as much as they look awesome, I just cannot accept this price
Hold and listen to these and you might change your mind. These things are beautiful, comfortable and sound great (IMO)
$579 open box deals are everywhere.
I own them and was hugely disappointed at first. Too shrieking, instruments sound tiny and soundstage is pretty narrow for the money. The overall sound was too weird for my taste. As if none of the music I know and loved for years and years sounds the same through them. Totally out of place with these cans. I burnt them and let them rest for a few months and now I'm trying them again and I'm slightly liking them a bit more. They're great for recent recordings, especially hard rock but in orchestral music again the tuning sounds too out of place for me. So, not worthy or 800 euros at all. I have cheaper Grados that sound 1000 times more accurate and pleasing to my ears, like the Grado Hemp or 325X. Or.. Beyer DT-1990 Pro, DT-880 600 ohm all sound way more accurate than these overrated headphones imo. And if I want something big sounding I can always enjoy my LCD2C's or LCDX. Mr. Antonio Meze looks like he's paying all reviewers out there to make his products look like heaven. Well, at least these ain't heaven at all. Just average headphones exceptionally built... I'll give them that.
Interesting. For me it was the opposite. I was looking for something fun, punchy, bass clean and with a wide soundstage that sounded great for movies and cinematic/orchestral music and these sounded great to me. Wasn't looking for anything like a reference or mixing set, just something that makes my movies sound like a theater and for around the $1000 range out of all the ones I've tried my tops were these, the Dan Clark Aeon 2 Noire (pretty big soundstage for a smaller closed-back), and Focal Radiance (smaller soundstage but excellent bass response). Loved all 3 but the look and feel of the 109 Pro broke the tie.. that plus being so easy to drive
How do the Audeze compare to the Beyer 1990? I have a pair of 1990 and use them with EQ and love them. But I want to upgrade. Any ideas? The Audeze freq response always threw me off and I’ve tried hifi man XS and didn’t like them at all, so I’m thinking maybe I don’t like planars?
Cheers.
Almost as good as my sony Z1R
You own both? I also own the Sony Z1R. I recently changed the stock cable as I hate silver plated copper cables. Pure copper or pure silver sounds better. I settled on pure silver cables. Your comment means these will not be an upgrade to my Sony's.
Headphones by themselves are boring and "2D" two-dimensional. One solution and what I would recommend to make them fun again is out of the back end of your amp plug in a decent subwoofer and remind yourself what music feels like again. Otherwise, it's like going to some high-end boutique gourmet restaurant while having a head cold.
Thanks!
Welcome!