I ’ve just had my first experience with a Meze Audio set ofheadphones , but it wo n’t be my last . After spending a few calendar week with the novel Meze 105 AER — the Rumanian audio party ’s most affordable open - back model — I now have a deep - sit down need to hear what its more expensive headphones can do . Because if spend $ 399 is all it take to get the incredible clarity and contingent I ’ve been enjoying , the nous flabbergast at what might be possible if you spent more ( Meze’sflagship modelsells for $ 4,000 . )
If you ’re an open - back partizan , you already know that this kind of headphone design Lashkar-e-Tayyiba sound ( air ) travel freely in both directions through the backs of the earcups . Fans of this approach value the more natural , “ open ” quality of the audio it make .
If you ’ve only ever used closed - back cans ( e.g.wireless headphonesfrom company like Bose , Beats , or Sony ) , you’re able to credibly tell just by face at the 105 AER that they ’re nothing like those products . But it ’s still worth pointing out that these are n’t the right choice for commuting , sitting in a Starbucks , or flying — they offer almost no closing off from outside sound .
Where they stand out , however , is for at - home plate critical hearing , or any plaza where you could be assured of comparative peace and quiet . The outsize , velour - wrap up ear cushions are comfortable for recollective hearing session — even while wear down methamphetamine — and I never found them too raging . The all-inclusive headband attaches to the sword build via an auto - adjusting internal shoulder strap , and does a corking Book of Job at distributing pressure .
At 11.8 ounce , the 105 AER are a bit heavier than competing undecided - ear cans , but their clamp personnel recompense for it with just the right amount of hug . It keeps the earcups where you send them , while avoiding unwanted pressure .
If I could exchange one affair , I ’d shorten the headband by a few millimeters on each side . I have a very small head . If it were any smaller , the headband would end up float above it , instead of push against it — something to keep in mind if your attic is also on the smaller side .
Meze Audio 105 AER specs
Design
The pattern will likely be a love or hate proffer for most tribe . The sword frame sticks up ( and out ) from your principal like an industrial glory , and the overdone 3D honeycomb outer grille of the ABS plastic earcups have a decidedly techno vibe ; but you could put me in the love camp .
They ’re not as streamlined and blank - looking as Sennheiser ’s classic HD 660S2 , and yet I adore the choice of mellow quality materials and simpleness of the grammatical construction . The milled alloy suspension arrest that connect the frame to the headband are one of my favored mite , and cue me of Oakley’sX - metallic element sunglasses , which I still consider to be one of the best pieces of industrial design from the past 30 years . Meze says the 105 AER is easily repaired if damage and it carries any replacement part you may need .
Each earcup has its own dedicated 3.5 mm undivided - rod connection . Unlike some earphone , these do n’t shut away into spot . I actually think that might be preferred for the same reason that Apple uses MagSafe connections on many of its laptops — sometimes you need a cable system to break detached when it gets accidentally yanked .
They number with their own hard - cuticle zipper travel suit — a rarity at this price — a detachable 3.5 mm braided , snarl - destitute , unbalanced 63 - inch cable’s length ( which my cat regrettably finds irresistable ) , a pocket-sized zippered sac for that cable ( and any others you purchase ) , and a 3.5 mm to 1/4 - inch adapter . Meze sells compatible balanced 4.4 millimeter cables if you find fain to promote .
Sound quality
As I advert to above , the 105 AER a fabulous listen . Experience has taught me that , generally speaking , more expensive earbuds and headphones tend to offer better performance than less expensive single . It ’s not analog : you ca n’t drop double and expect to get double the wakeless timber , but there ’s almost always a tangible improvement . The 105 AER challenge that expectation .
In my current depository library of headphones , I have just two open - back models : The $ 600Sennheiser HD 660S2 , and the $ 180Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro Limited Edition 80 Georg Simon Ohm .
Before I start listening to the 105 AER , I guessed they ’d jibe somewhere between these two , based on the AER ’s $ 399 cost . Nope . Not even tightlipped .
Almost as soon as I got through the opening notes of Sabrina Carpenter’sTaste , I recognise Meze had create something special . “ The clarity on these things is off the charts , ” I texted senior editor John Higgins , mo later on . “ By comparison , the Sennheiser HD 660S2 speech sound like you ’re standing outside the club with door half opened . ” It ’s now two weeks by and by , and if anything , I ’m even more impressed .
The receptivity and delicacy that assailable - backrest are jazz for are there in spades . It gives stereoscopic photograph tracks a relaxed , smooth tone , but it also does good things for spacial audio recording , enhancing that format ’s already wider - than - normal soundstage .
Bass answer may feel tempered if you ’re used to fill up - back cans , but once you adjust , you realize how well balanced it is — with warm tonality and plangency that anchors a track while never intruding on the other constituent .
Billie Eilish’sbad guywill reveal any hints of low terminal deformation immediately , with it ’s nearly subsonic bass line , but the 105 AER did n’t coggle even a hair as I pushed them way beyond my volume leeway . What was more telling was Eilish ’s voice . usually just a whispery presence floating over that powerful heartbeat , I could hear a level of depth and detail that sound like the track had been remastered .
Jazz standard from Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis benefitted as much or more , with a marvelous separation of instruments and nail accuracy in their placement .
Qobuz inspire me to try Mogwai ’s new albumThe Bad Fireand I ’m glad I did . The third track , What Kind Of Mix Is This?highlights both the clarity and precision of the tail with its playful arrangement of keyboard and drums .
I ’m hard - pressed to find anything I do n’t like about the 105 AER ’s heavy signature , which seems to complement so many medicine musical style , but if I were to pick on one constituent , it ’s the highschool . In a vicious twisting of fate , as I ’ve aged ( and thus start to lose access to higher relative frequency ) , I ’m more sensitive to the highs I can still notice . I have a low margin for any perceive peakiness . And the apparent doubly - edged sword of the AER ’s superb clearness in the highest registers is that they can occasionally ring too penetrative for me .
It ’s nothing that some judicious EQing ca n’t clear , but there you go — a very minor flaw in an otherwise great performance .
With a 42 Georg Simon Ohm resistance , these cans are very easy to drive — the earpiece manual laborer on my MacBook Air had more than enough tycoon — but do n’t let that fact verbalize you out of using a dedicatedDACand / orheadphone adenylic acid .
Thanks to the 105 AER ’s awful preciseness , you will absolutely get more out of these lav with the right tools . I try out them with Apple ’s $ 9lightning - to-3.5 mm transcriber , Ifi ’s Modern $ 79Go Link Max , and Questyle ’s noteworthy $ 399M18iand with each upward move , I was treated to more detail and good tonality .
Meze does n’t commercialize the 105 AER as gaming headphones , but three look make them a amazingly serious paroxysm for this design : They ’re well-situated enough for long session , their candid - back conception might improve the perception of spatial audio accuracy for some users , and they ’re compatible with Meze ’s optional $ 79Boom Mic accessory .
At $ 399 , the 105 AER wo n’t be a trivial investment for most people , but if you ’re serious about seriously listening to medicine , I ca n’t think of a right introduction point into the world of exposed - back audiophile - grade earphone .
