Meze Audio ELITE Flagship Headphone - Open Box

The Open Box Meze Audio ELITE ships in the Silver or Tungsten finish, depending on availability.

The new flagship from Meze Audio is here! Introducing the Meze Audio ELITE. Combining an exclusive aesthetic with state-of-the-art engineering, ELITE delivers an accurate, authentic listening experience ready to meet the highest expectations of the proficient audiophile.

From Meze Audio's founder, Antonio Meze

"With ELITE, we've created something that transcends all barriers of headphone design and engineering and moves to a new, artistic, graceful level. Following in the footsteps of a successful partnership, together with Rinaro Isodynamics we managed to exceed our expectations once again and create something for the ages. It’s not mass production; it’s the craftsmanship that sparks the magic and wonder in ELITE, what makes it exciting, and these are values that we choose over any shortcuts."

Highlights

• A deep black grill with intricate carvings completes the look, turning ELITE into a futuristic take on personal audio design.
• Take a closer look to discover the highly complex geometrical imprint accentuated through the silver finish of the CNC aluminum frame.
• Materials were chosen not just for the exciting sensory experience their raw texture provides, but also for comfort and durability.
• A carbon fibre headband with a real leather headrest were added to the frame, for an ultra-light feel and maximum durability.
• Driver type: Rinaro Isodynamic Hybrid Array Driver®
• Open-back, Circumaural headphones
• Aluminum CNC frame
• Carbon fibre headband
• Patent Pending pressure distribution wings
• Revolutionary isomagnetic ear pads
• Anthropometric ear cup shape

MEZE X RINARO

Meze Audio and Rinaro Isodynamics continue their collaboration for the release of the new ELITE Isodynamic Hybrid Array headphone. Combining the outstanding mechanical design and ergonomics from Meze Audio with the signature technology and acoustic engineering of Rinaro, ELITE is here to set a new standard in top of the line headphone performance.

With a custom, newly designed driver, created by Rinaro Isodynamics, ELITE is the result of 3 years of research and development through which we strived to create a powerful, lifelike, and immersive experience that awakens the senses of the listener.

ULTRA LOW DISTORTION

• Total harmonic distortion (THD) measures under 0.05% in the whole frequency range.

LIGHTWEIGHT

• 75g combined driver weight designed to create a headphone that offers prolonged listening sessions.

ULTRA HIGH RESOLUTION AUDIO

• Upper frequency limit of audio reproduction is 112,000 Hz.

RINARO PARUS® DIAPHRAGM

• An innovative low mass acoustic diaphragm constructed on an ultra-thin biaxially oriented semi-crystalline film.

EASY TO DRIVE

• 101dB@1mw/1kHz; 32Ω Can be driven by almost any source without the need for amplification.

PATENTED ISODYNAMIC HYBRID ARRAY TECHNOLOGY

• One of the most sophisticated and advanced planar magnetic technologies in the world.

ARCHITECTURE OF THE ISODYNAMIC HYBRID ARRAY DRIVER

The MZ3SE driver builds on the pioneering technology of the flagship MZ3 driver found in the Empyrean headphone. The innovative Isodynamic Hybrid Array technology delivers a more selective acoustic performance to the various areas within the structure of the ear. Advances in diaphragm materials have opened the doors to even higher resolution and accuracy of the sound reproduction, setting a new benchmark in headphone design.

[MZ3SE] CASING

• Reinforced polymer housing designed to withstand the demanding 12,7N load generated by the Hybrid Magnet Array.

RINARO PARUS® DIAPHRAGM

• Weighing only 0.11g with a large active area of 4650mm.

[MZ3SE] HYBRID MAGNET ARRAY

• Symmetrically placed on either side of the diaphragm, two neodymium magnets are arranged into a Hybrid Array to create a 0.35 Tesla Isodynamic magnetic field required for a uniform activation across the whole diaphragm surface.

INTRODUCING RINARO PARUS : A LOW MASS DIAPHRAGM MATERIAL THAT SETS A NEW BENCHMARK IN ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE

The new driver behind ELITE features Rinaro Parus®, an innovative low mass acoustic diaphragm built on an ultra-thin biaxially oriented semi-crystalline polymer film.

This, combined with the signature Isodynamic Hybrid Array Driver technology, allows sound waves to be targeted with more accuracy around the shape of the ear, producing natural sound transparency and a wide, articulate soundstage.

The polymer is produced with bespoke sequential biaxial lengthening technology, a process that involves stretching the polymer in transverse directions at elevated temperatures to improve structural performance.

This results in a complex semi-crystalline micro-structure developing in the material, which exhibits remarkable strength, stiffness, and stability, combined with an extremely low acoustic mass.

DUAL DRIVEN SYSTEM ADVANTAGES

Conventional planar magnetic technology reflects the signals entering the ear canal with time-varying delays, which affects the 3D sound imaging of the headphone.

Using different voice coil configurations, the hybrid array determines a better distribution of the sound intensity across the sound wave front, when directed to the auricle and ear canal, even at high frequencies.

The use of dual coil arrays not only creates a balanced frequency response around the whole range, it also allows for better frequency targeting within different areas of the ear, improving acoustical perception on the upper frequency range.

SWITCHBACK COIL

• The switchback coil is more efficient at reproducing lower frequencies and is positioned in the upper part of the driver.

SPIRAL COIL

• The spiral coil is more efficient at reproducing middle-high frequencies and is positioned directly over the ear canal, enabling more direct sound waves to enter the ear without any time delays.

DUAL DRIVE EFFICIENCY AT HIGHER FREQUENCIES

At frequencies above 10kHz, where sound wave length is smaller than the cushions inner cavity, the sound field becomes diffused with an amount of the direct and reflected sound waves within the ear canal.

A significant increase of direct sound waves can be achieved by positioning the most efficient part of the diaphragm in mid-high frequencies directly over the ear canal, resulting in improved 3D imaging and spatial localization.

PRECISION MANUFACTURED FROM THE GROUND UP

It takes more than 100 hours to produce and test each driver unit that has been manufactured at Rinaro Isodynamics in Ukraine, before delivering the drivers to Meze Audio for final assembly of the headphone.

ISOMAGNETIC EARCUP TO EARPAD COUPLING TECHNOLOGY

95% MAGNETIC FIELD SHIELDING

• The ferromagnetic earpads decrease the magnetic stray field affecting the listeners head by 95%

INVISIBLE LOCKING SYSTEM

• This innovation uses the magnetic field of the drivers to keep the ear pads in place

12% INCREASE IN DRIVER POWER

• Patented ferromagnetic plates channel the magnetic field back into the driver increasing output by 1dB or 12%

CALIBRATE YOUR SOUND

• The Meze ELITE headphone comes with two uniquely shaped earpads developed by Rinaro, which allow for personal calibration of the sound signature.

01. ALCANTARA®

• This is the well known 30mm deep Alcantara earpad, originally developed for the Empyrean headphone in 2018.

02. HYBRID (Perforated Alcantara® Interior + Real Leather Exterior)

• Developed especially for ELITE by Rinaro, the 25mm deep Leather + Alcantara earpad is a new addition to the line-up that combines the best of two materials ALCANTARA is a trademark of ALCANTARA S.p.A in one design.

PATENT-PENDING PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION WINGS

The patent-pending suspension wings support system is elongated and curved at both ends, descending further on the side of the head and distributing the weight of the headphone evenly, for an utmost comfortable listening experience.

DESIGNED FOR LIFE

A core belief of Meze is to create products that last through years and years of industry changes, bringing long-lasting value to the customer. Elite is no different.

From looks to technology, this headphone was designed to surpass all short-living trends and become a true heirloom.

Taking long-term sustainability to a new level, Elite is also fully serviceable: from the replaceable earpads to the high-performance materials used, every part on the headphone chassis is available to be easily disassembled and serviced.

Tech Specs

• Diaphragm Type: RinaroParus®[MZ3SE]
• Frequency response: 3 - 112,000 Hz
• Impedance: 32 Ω
• Nominal SPL: 101 dB (1mW/1kHz)
• Maximum SPL: >130dB
• Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): <0.05% (in the whole frequency range)
• Weight: ~ 420g

What's In The Box?

• Case: High-strength ABS plastic suitcase with foam inserts and leather handle
• Cable options: 2.5m OFC cable, ending with 6.3 jack
  1.2m OFC cable, ending with 3.5 jack
  2.5m OFC cable, ending with XLR connection
• Headphone termination: 2 x 4-pin Mini-XLR
• Two sets of earpads included: one pair of Hybrid (perforated Alcantara interior+Leather exterior)
  one pair of Alcantara