MEZE AUDIO ELITE ISODYNAMIC HEADPHONES LAUNCHED

Romanian company Meze Audio has launched a brand new addition to their high-end listening range, the Meze Audio ELITE Isodynamic Headphones.

The headphones are designed and built in partnership with long-term Ukrainian collaborators Rinaro Isodynamics.

Meze Audio ELITE Isodynamic Headphones

Over the past decade, Meze Audio has earned a reputation for headphone design with a variety of models from affordable in-ears to high-end planar magnetics.

RINARO ISODYNAMICS

With the introduction of Empyrean in 2018 Meze revealed a fruitful collaboration with Rinaro Isodynamics, a driver manufacturer originating from the USSR and initially state-funded to specifically research planar magnetic technology. Rinaro were able to maintain focus and innovation long beyond the cold war and now have more than thirty years of experience in the field.

The Meze Audio ELITE Isodynamic Headphone driver

MEZE AUDIO ELITE ISODYNAMIC HEADPHONES

Continuing their collaboration since the launch of the Empyrean, Meze and Rinaro now introduce the ELITE which is a hybrid array powered isodynamic headphone. The design features an entirely new Rinaro driver built from the ground up.

Meze Audio ELITE Isodynamic Headphones come in under £3700

The heart of Meze Audio’s Elite is the new MZ3SE driver, an innovative hybrid array that selectively targets areas within the structure of the ear. Building on the research of Empyrean’s MZ3 driver, the new design benefits from new advances in material technology. Chief among the MZ3SE’s innovations is Rinaro’s new trademarked Parus diaphragm, constructed from ultra-thin biaxially oriented semi-crystalline polymer film. The material is stretched in transverse directions with elevated temperatures to develop an internal microstructure that exhibits strength, stability and stiffness.

DUAL VOICE COIL

Whilst planar magnetic technology conventionally reflects signals entering the ear canal, 3d sound imaging can often be compromised due to varying time delays for each reflection. By combining dual voice coil configurations, ELITE succeeds in providing a better distribution of sound intensity across the audio wavefront even at higher frequencies.

The Meze Audio ELITE Isodynamic Headphones have dual voice coil drivers

Of the two coils employed, ELITE harnesses a switchback coil focused on lower frequencies and positioned in the upper part of the driver, along with a spiral coil that focuses more on mid and higher frequencies positioned directly over the ear canal. This configuration allows better frequency targeting throughout the ear canal, improves acoustical perception and creates a superior overall balance across the frequency range.

PERSONALISED CALIBRATION

Inheriting a key feature from its Empyrean sibling, ELITE features fully isomagnetic earpad attachments held in place purely from the demagnetising field of the headphone’s driver whilst separately redirecting magnetism back to the driver for maximum efficiency.

Detail of the logo on the Meze ELITE

Adding an additional layer of personalisation, ELITE ships with two ear pad types which can be swapped out depending on user preference. Alacantara is a 30mm deep pad covered in a material akin to suede, while the hybrid pad combines a real leather exterior with an Alacantara internal fabric all measuring in at 25mm thickness.

Finally, ELITE also inherits Meze’s patent-pending suspension wings developed for the Empyrean model.  Elongated curves at both ends help to distribute weight evenly across the diameter of the head for maximum comfort during listening.

The Meze Audio ELITE can be personally calibrated

SPECIFICATION

Casing: Fibreglass reinforced polymer

Driver: Rinaro MZ3SE Isodynamic Hybrid Array

Principle: Open

Ear Coupling: Circumaural

Frequency Response: 3 – 112,000 Hz

Impedance: 32 Ohm

Nominal SPL: 101 dB

Max SPL: > 130 dB

THD: < 0.05%

Weight: 430g

The Meze Audio ELITE Isodynamic Headphones in their flight case

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

Meze Audio’s ELITE will begin shipping in September of 2021.

Meze ELITE UK RRP – £3,699 inc VAT. Available to order now.

Euro price 4000€ USD Price $4000

Distributed in the UK by SCV Distribution

HiFi Pig Says: We are seeing a lot of new High-End headphone releases right now showing there is still confidence in the full-size headphone market, not just IEMs.

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