Meze Audio 105 Aer
MSRP $ 399.00
“The 105 Aer de Meze Pares Sonic Excellence comfortably throughout the day.”
Pros
- Well -built of high quality materials
- Very comfortable for long sessions
- Clear, precise and detailed sound
- It comes with a hard Shell travel box
Cons
- You may not fit the smallest heads
table of Contents
table of Contents
Meze Audio 105 Aer Specs
Design
Sound quality
I just had my first experience with an Audio de Mece de headphonesBut it will not be the last. After spending a few weeks with the new Meze 105 Aer, the most affordable open support model of the Romanian audio company, now I have a deep need to listen to what their most expensive headphones can do. Because if spending $ 399 is all that is needed to obtain incredible clarity and details that I have been enjoying, the mind remains in what could be possible if you spend more.
If you are an open back enthusiast, you know that this type of headphones design allows sound (air) to travel freely in both directions through the back of the headphones. Fans of this approach value the most natural “open” quality of the sound they create.
If you have ever used closed cans (e.g. Wireless headphones Of companies such as Bose, Beats or Sony), I can probably say simply looking at the 105 Aer that are nothing like those products. But it is still worth noting that this is not the right option to travel, sit in a Starbucks or fly, they offer almost any isolation of external sounds.
However, where they stand out is to listen to critic at home, or anywhere where you can be sure of relative peace and tranquility. Large hearing cushions and velvet covered are comfortable for long listening sessions, even while wearing glasses, and I never found them too hot. The wide headband joins the steel frame through an automatic adjuster internal strap, and does a great job to distribute pressure.
With 11.8 ounces, the 105 Aer is a bit heavier than the open ear cans of the competition, but its fastening force compensates for it with the fair amount of squeeze. Keep the headphones where it places them, while avoiding unwanted pressure.
If I could change one thing, it would shorten the headband for a few millimeters on each side. I have a very small head. If it were smaller, the headband would end up floating above it, instead of pressing against him, something to take into account if his Noggin is also on the smallest side.
Meze Audio 105 Aer Specs
| Price | $ 399 |
| Flag | Black |
| Weight | 11.8 ounces |
| Form factor | Over-Dorado with cable, open support |
| Noise cancellation | No |
| Impedance | 42 ohms |
| Driver type | Dynamic |
| Driver/material size | 50 mm/look (ketone polier ether) |
| Frequency range | 5 Hz – 30 kHz |
| Sensitivity | 112 dB SPL/MW A 1 KHz |
Design
Design will probably be a proposal for love or hate for most people. The steel frame is removed (and leaves) from its head as an industrial halo, and the exaggerated grids of Honeycomb outer outer of the ABS plastic headphones have a decidedly techno environment; But you can get in the love camp.
They are not as simplified and clean -looking like Sennheiser’s HD 660s2 classic, and yet I adore the choice of high quality materials and construction simplicity. The suspension of polished metal that connects the frame with the headband are one of my favorite touches, and remind me of Oakley’s Sunglassesthat I still consider one of the best industrial design pieces of the last 30 years. Meze says that the 105 Aer is easily repaired if it is damaged and takes any replacement part you may need.
Each headset has its own dedicated 3.5 mm connection with a single pole. Unlike some headphones, they do not locate themselves. In fact, I think it could be preferable for the same reason that Apple uses Magsafe connections in many of its laptops, sometimes you want a cable to be released when it is accidentally thrown.
They come with their own traveling box with hard peel zipper, a rarity at this price, a 63 -inch braided ward Zipper for that cable (and any other you buy), and an adapter of 3.5 mm to 1/4 inch. Meze sells 4.4 mm cables compatible if you feel inclined to update.
Sound quality
As I alluded above, 105 Aer is a fabulous listening. Experience has taught me that, in general, the most expensive headphones and headphones tend to offer a better performance than the least expensive. It is not linear: you cannot spend double and expect to get twice the sound quality, but there is almost always a tangible improvement. The 105 Aer challenged that expectation.
In my current headphones library, I only have two open return models: the $ 600 Sennheiser HD 660s2And $ 180 Beyerdynamic Dt 990 Pro Limited Edition 80 Ohm.
Before starting to listen to 105 Aer, I assumed that they would fit somewhere between these two, according to the price of $ 399 of Aer. No. Not even close.
Almost as soon as I exceeded the initial notes of Sabrina Carpenter’s TasteI knew that Meze had created something special. “The clarity about these things is out of the lists,” I sent a text message to Senior Editor John Higgins, moments later. “In comparison, Sennheiser HD 660s2 sounds like you were standing out of the club with the doors in the middle of the open.” Now it’s two weeks later, and in any case, I am even more impressed.
The openness and airiness by which open backs are known are there on swords. It gives stereo tracks a relaxed and soft quality, but also does good things for space audio, which improves the sound scenario already broader than normal in that format.
The bass response can feel tempered if it is accustomed to closed cans, but once it adjusts, it realizes how well balanced it is, with a warm hue and resonance that anchor a track, however, never enters In the other elements.
Billie Eilish’s wicked It will reveal any indication of low -end distortion immediately, with its almost subsonic bass line, but the 105 Aer did not stagger a hair when I pushed them much beyond my volume tolerance. What was most impressive was Eilish’s voice. Normally only a whispering presence floating on that powerful rhythm, could hear a depth of level and a detail that sounded as if the track had been remastered.
The Jazz standards of Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis benefited as much or more, with a wonderful separation of instruments and precise precision in their location.
Qobuz asked me to try Mogwai’s new album The bad fire And I’m glad I did. The third track, What kind of mixing is this? It highlights both the clarity and the precision of the cans with their playful disposal of keyboards and drums.
I am difficult to find anything that I do not like the sound firm of 105 Aer, which seems to complement so many musical genres, but I had to choose an element, they are the maximum. In a cruel turn of fate, since I have aged (and, therefore, I began to lose access to higher frequencies), I am more sensitive to the maximums that I can still detect. I have a low tolerance for any perceived peak. And the apparent double -edged sword of the excellent clarity of the Aer in the highest records is that they can occasionally sound too sharp for me.
It is nothing that a judicious eqing cannot solve, but there you have it, a much lower defect in an outstanding performance.
With an impedance of 42 ohms, these cans are very easy to drive: the headphone connector of my air MacBook had more than enough power, but do not let that fact talk to you to use a dedicated Dac I headphones amplifier.
Thanks to the incredible precision of 105 Aer, you will leave more of these cans with the right tools. I tried them with the $ 9 of Apple Lightning-to-3.5 mm adapterIFI’s new $ 79 Go Link Maxand the remarkable $ 399 Questyle M18I And with each ascending movement, they treated me with more details and a better hue.
MEE does not market the 105 Aer as Game Headphones, but three aspects make them surprisingly good for this purpose: they are comfortable enough for long sessions, their open design could improve the perception of space audio accuracy for some users, and they are Compatible with the Optional Meze Boom microphone accessory.
At $ 399, the 105 Aer will not be a trivial investment for most people, but if you take seriously the music seriously, I cannot think of a better entry point in the world of open audiophile level headphones.
