Meze Audio's new Poet hybrid headphones promise premium sound without the flagship price tag.
Although at £1,850 / $2,000, they're still a luxury purchase, of course.
Meze makes some of the world's best wired headphones, such as the five-star Liric (2nd Generation) over-ears that we described as "sheer perfection".
Now there's a new, arty member of the Meze family – the Poet headphones, which the firm describes as "a carefully crafted audio masterpiece".
Based in Romania, Meze Audio have been making extremely impressive high-end headphones for over a decade. Its premium Poet pair are open-back and feature hand-assembled MZ6 Isodynamic hybrid array drivers, developed exclusively for the brand by Rinaro Isodynamics.
The array is designed to create a uniform magnetic field across the ultra-lightweight diaphragm, resulting in ultra-low distortion (<0.05%). Frequency range is a very low 4Hz to a very high 96kHz, and sensitivity is 101 dB SPL/mW at 1kHz.
Meze Audio POET: design, pricing and availability
The Poets are made from a magnesium chassis for light weight, and feature steel grilles and soft suede leather. The headband is made from titanium alloy and designed for even weight distribution, while the ear pads are magnetic for easy swapping.
One of the key selling points here is longevity. Meze says that the Poet headphones are "fully serviceable", with every component designed for easy disassembly and replacement.
According to the company's acoustic engineer, Alex Grigoras: "I believe Poet turned out to be more than just a headphone – it’s a nod to a huge stepping stone in our development as a team and a testament to how far we’ve come."
He adds that the new model is just as capable as Meze's flagship 'phones, but is considerably cheaper, too. Where a set of Meze Audio Elite Tungsten headphones will set you back £3,749 / $4,000 (about AU$6,258), the Meze Audio Poet headphones have an RRP of £1,850 / $2,000 (about AU$3,129). Pre-orders are live now.
