Hello all! It has been a long while since I've been active here! I acquired the Meze 109 Pro about a month ago as I got back into the swing of things. These have been my daily cans at work so I feel I've had enough time with them to offer my opinion on them.

Context:

For some background on me, I started my head-fi journey back in 2013, after moving into a smaller space due to my job. This move forced me into the awkward situation of not being able to enjoy music the way I wanted to... shortly after moving (and a few complaints later) I was put in a position where I had to get rid of my large listening rig (Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grand and ML Dynamo) After a few weeks of being sonically crippled and now dealing with having to downsize my guitar stack (yeah I was that guy) ended up being talked into buying a set of Grado's by a silver tongued sales person called Ken to help ease the pain of my situation. Th Grado's offered a very colored take on recording familiar to me, sometimes it was utter trash, but when it worked they sounded magical! This was the impetus to my head-fi journey, I now needed to find something magical that sounded good regardless of what I fed it! This completely snowballed into slowly acquiring a huge hoard of stuff... Stuff that I've also cleared out here in hopes that some of this gear gets the love it deserves. My sonic preferences lean towards the more analytical side of things, I really enjoyed my time with the HD800, and now Arya. I appreciate fulled bodied presentations but they are not my preference. Musically I digest most things, but really enjoy a Jazz, Prog Rock and Folk.

Actual Context (I promise this time):

Build

The Meze 109 Pro is a wonderfully built piece of functional art. The walnut wood cups look and feel premium as they should, the headband and accompanying hardware are beautifully finished and sufficiently sturdy. Each unit comes with 2 cables (more on that in a second) and a carrying case. The packaging is very nice and includes plenty of aesthetically pleasing waste products (A lot of you will enjoy the unboxing but I'd prefer less waste on marketing and more of the product cost sunk into development or manufacturing) The included cables are at best adequate, they work fine and its nice that we get two choices of length BUT they are of average quality and usability. They like to stick to themselves due the friction of the material used on the outer jacked (an unidentified TPE, though likely a form of TPE-U). The jacks used on the headphone side of the cable are TS mono connectors that are long and skinny since the headphones themselves have a very recessed port. This is just an annoyance but it would have been nice if they were less recessed OR had bigger entry points so I could use my existing balanced cables (I ended up buying a set, another additional cost in this hobby). The ear pads are well cushioned and of above average size, they were never uncomfortable on my very average sized head. The overall package is light, comfortable and built well enough to last.

4/5

Sound:

Bass:

This was actually a surprising thing... these open back headphones have pretty good bass impact, speed and texture! Listening to Patricia Barbers "Code Cool" I was surprised to be experiencing the amount of bass impact and texture in this track. Now these aren't a bass heads dream BUT they have a very fun way of sounding big when the recording calls for it. Bass is fairly tight and precise with minimal bloom or bleed into the mids. Extension sounds fairly good as demonstrated in Heather Rigdon "My Mother Would Like You" Electronic music fairs well in this regard also, using Daft Punks Random Access Memories sounds delightful. In short bass response is what I would call fun, punchy, quick and present and never overbearing, or muddy.

4/5

Mids (Where Music Lives):

Mids on the 109 Pro are fairly neutral to warm sounding. The overall feel of the mids is thick but not veiled. Notes carry weight, instruments and vocals have great timbre, and sense or placement. The mids sound luscious and deliberate. Listening to Nightwish "Ghost Love Score Live at Wacken" The guitars have good texture and are very saturated but retain definition, Floor Jansen's voice sounds glorious here but hold that thought. To summarize these cans have very nice mids that don't do anything to offend and often reveal enough about a track to know if its recorded poorly BUT never beats you over the head with that information ruining the experience .

4.5/5

Treble:

Treble is a sensitive topic for a lot of us so I'll be blunt. These headphones have a good about of treble energy tittering on being sibilant on occasion but never crossing the line. These have what many would call well extended "sparkly" treble, though it continues the theme of texture. Cymbals have great attack and decay, never sounding overly splashy and undefined. If you like treble these are glorious, if you hate sparkly treble, still try these, I find them on the edge of enough and too much... or nearly perfect. Referring back to the Nightwish video above, this recording is somewhat hot in the treble, but listen to then last 3 minutes of it and take in all of that sonic information... on some setups this would sound pretty harsh BUT on the 109 Pro its not. Its well reproduced, detailed and beautiful.

5/5

Presentation and Technicalities:

The Meze 109 Pro makes a very complete and cohesive musical statement blending frequencies into what I consider could be an everyday sound. Rarely do I find a track that sound bad on these (poorly mastered audio will only go so far though) They are forgiving but not completely like some other headphones. They are spacious without sounding artificial (K702, HD800), detailed enough but not overly analytical, impactful without bloat and build well imaged soundscape (although not the best) Detail retrieval is good but not amazing. Layering and separation has a very 3d quality, the overall presentation of the sound stage is fairly wide and tall, with above average depth. Everything about these cans is above average but not class leading. There are a lot of other options in this sub 1K segment that do individual things better than these. OG Clears are probably the biggest competition, but in terms of space the Meze are better by quite a bit, detail retrieval I would give to the OG Clear. The Meze is more fun and engaging, the Clear more "correct" and has better dynamics. Different flavors of the same ice cream if anything.

4/5

Conclusion:

The Meze 109 Pro are wonderful cans. They are not the most technically proficient at anything vs the competition in the sub 1k class BUT they are engaging, comfortable, beautiful and most importantly enjoyable. As an overall package these are great cans. These will be my recommended headphone in the sub 1K space along with the OG Clear. They both offer a taste of more expensive equipment and would be endgame level equipment for a lot of people. They are easy to drive and will sound good out of pretty much anything. They scale a bit with better amps and sources, but never truly make big gains. If you're looking for a fun sounding can with great extension on both end of the sonic spectrum with beautiful mids and a great sense of space you will enjoy these.

4.4/5

So I've had this thing for a bit now... first one to ship into the wild and arrive at its home. I'd say I'm pretty confident I know what this thing sounds like.
 
The interface is classic AudioGD, simple and intuitive, the unit can act as a amp, DAC, or both, meaning you can use any amp OR DAC with it and really understand how each section sounds.
 

 
I used this unit mostly as a DAC, BUT I did find time to really put the amp section through it's paces.
 
Build
 
Solid, tank like... nice touch with the stepped attenuator... The knob has a nice feel to it, the finish work is above average and the overall build quality is very nice VS my previous AudioGD components
 
AMP
 
The amp section is fairly neutral, with a slight tilt towards the warm side. Very detailed, never etched or fatiguing (unless it's paired with bright cans, and fed bright/poorly mastered source material) The sound presentation is best described as, fast, focused (but above average sense of space), dynamic and lively. Plenty of power is on tap (8W@40 Ohms - 600MW @ 600 ohms) meaning this thing can easily drive planars, as well as hard to drive dynamics (K240 Sextet 600 Ohms) My HD800's were driven effortlessly and sounded pretty darn good. I actually really like how the HD800 sounds, and could even live with it as a single solution! Dynamic, extended and fast... all these descriptors apply. The amp section is very good, BUT it has it's faults. The sound stage could be bigger, and there could be a better sense of air (although it is far from bad... I'd just prefer a little more) I even tried this thing with the LCD2's today at a meet and wow... all that power really wakes them up, the HE500 is drove with authority, just splendid! There are better solid state amps out there yes... BUT this on was kinda an afterthought... I'll explain why in the next section.
 
OH, and this thing is super quiet! I tried both my IM50 and IM02 in ear's and there was literally zero noise to be found!
 
DAC
 
Oh my... this is really where all the money is! Detailed, dynamic (not Gunguir super dynamic, but well above average) and did I mention detailed?! This thing run separated from it's amp using my Glenn OTL is majestic (I also got good results with the LD MK1+, LDMK3, Lyr, o2). Crystal clear, spacious, never etched or fatiguing, transparent. Just glorious, especially considering the price. The NFB29 does this amazing trick with it's treble presentation... all of the classic Sabre detail and extension is there but without any of the annoying shout/glare/nastiness that shows up in a lot of products from every manufacturer (including AudioGD) AND without dulling the upper registers! (Yulong I'm looking at you!) This is obviously a DAC I really like... it does have one flaw... it could be a little more dynamic, maybe just below Gunguir level dynamic... BUT that might not even be a complaint because a lot of people find the Gunguir too dynamic (I'm not one of those people) but it's something I can pick on. I would also like the option to mute different outputs. Maybe even have a nicer remote... little annoyances like these are my only real complaints.
 
In summary I love this thing... it did sound a little weird when I first got it, I don't know why BUT it opened up after about a week of use. I ran it isolated from my main rig and used my NFB11.32 daily so I wouldn't just get used to the new unit. The pre outs work very well with my Emotiva Airmotiv's and overall is a very nice package for a fair price. This unit pretty much convinced me that there could be a single ended master race. Combined with a good tube amp you have a killer combo that shames systems costing a ton more (Glenn OTL would be my amp of choice, or even the MadEar HD, or Taboo MK3 depending on your tastes) and gives you a ton of flexibility.
 
So if you're gear is all single ended OR you have no desire to re-terminate your existing gear this is about as good as it gets... just go buy one and be happy! (unless you wanna do all that then get the NFB28... which is supposed to sound pretty darned close to this, maybe even a little better)

I received my demo unit from TTVJ not long ago, again many thanks to Grado, and Todd for making this happen!
 
PS500e
 
I have been a long time owner/lover of the PS500, they are my laid back can... easy to listen to on any device. Honestly, I believe these could be powered by a rock and fed by a  brick based DAC and perform fine. The new PS500e is no exception, it again sound great from anything, my Lumia 1520, Galaxy S5, Glenn OTL, Little Dot MK1+, MK3, 11.32, literally everything. They are efficient, more so than the outgoing model and require a little less power to be loud as heck.
 
They sound like...
 
Treble
 
 
More extended then before but still polite, much less grainy.
 
Mids
 
Slightly more forward than the PS500, much better texture.
 
Bass
 
Same extension, slightly less impact (a good thing!) although it can lack detail. In terms of detail these new cans are better but not great vs other high end cans
 
Presentation
 
These cans have what I'd call a medium sized sound stage, bigger then the RS1 and everything below it in Grado's line BUT  smaller then the GS1000 and PS1000. Imaging seems decent, fairly clear in terms of location and separation of instruments on acoustic and mid tempo to slower tracks... although they can get a little congested on faster tracks. Dynamically its at a similar level as a well driven RS1, but with better bass impact.
 
That said, they share a lot with the outgoing cans... bassy, bouncy and energetic... dark and warm like a good wool coat, but more detailed with better treble, and better mids. Overall they still sound delicious with most music... they have much better genre bandwidth than any of the models below it, however they lack the energy and texture of the 325is below it and the magic of the RS1. At least we have choice, and based on this experience I've decided to sell my original PS500, and perhaps get a PS500e... but first I have to finish reviewing this GS1000e that showed up today..
 
PS500e... the "e" stands for... exactly what I expected, more of the same BUT better at everything then the previous version. Evolution is such a wonderful thing!

Updated with a comparison to the RS1i... see below.
 
RS1e
 
I have about 100 hours on my pair... when I first got them they were very congested and odd sounding... I ran pink noise through them in for a few days, alternation between 10 minutes of noise and then 5 minutes of silence. I'm not a believer in burn-in BUT these seemed to change for the better with time.  I avoided listening to them after the initial OMG it's new period to avoid adjusting to them much... I listened to them for a few hours here and there but really utilized my holy trifecta of PS500, HD800 and AD2000x for most of my listening pleasure.
 
 
 
Sound
 
Treble
 
Aggressive, but smooth. Very textured, detailed, very extended but not harsh, clean and nearly free of grain.
 
Mids
 
Forward, incredibly textured, live feeling. Thick, seductive.
 
Bass
 
Punchy, extension is weak under 50hz... there is enough however to feel neutral in the bass presentation VS sounding bass lite. Bass is similar to my AD2000x in terms of impact.
 
Lastly there is 0 bleed between frequencies... the little awkwardness in the mid bass and mids transition that would show up in a lot of Grado's products is gone. 
 
Presentation
 
They have a smallish sound stage... its feels very round, well defined with a lot of depth, very good separation and manages to never sound too congested. Initially they sounded congested but they ended up being fairly open sounding, close to besting the PS500. These seem to have a very magical way of layering instruments in the mix... you can pick out an instrument, follow a bassline, pick out a poorly mixed solo and dissect it... only the AD2000x and HD800 are better then it to my ears in this regard. The overall sound replicates the aural sensation of a live performance. Electric guitars don't sound like a single sound, you can almost perceive all the parts of the event, be it a palm muted note or open chord has distinct parts. The initial attack, you can hear the pluck of the strings, the crunch of the resulting sound and natural decay of sound... all clearly and perfectly. 
 
 
Vocals seem very much live, center stage and just a few yards away. The occasional honkyness is still there on some poorly recorded performances and is the only real knock I have against these cans... similar to most Grado cans... however it is not as bad as my 225i or even my old RS1 (This I clearly remember because of how annoying it could be)
 
I never found these bright, unless a recording had hot treble. 
 
Dynamics are very good... better the any Grado I've heard save the GS/PS1000
 
To sum the overall presentation up I would  describe the overall presentation as warm, sparkly, and on the edge of bright without ever being painful....Euphoric, but detailed. Fast but with natural decay.
 
These are keepers in my book... I will update my impressions this weekend when I have some time with a well used RS1i
 
 
UPDATE 7/13/14
 
 
So the time has come to compare the old to the new… RS1i VS RS1e!
I’ve owned the RS1 classic in the past, I loved it really, but financial obligations and student loans overrode my love of these amazing headphones. Fast forward to today and I have not one but two pairs of these amazing Grado’s in my possession! The RS1i RedEye (early production RS1e with red drivers and RS1i markings) and the now discontinued RS1i, I would have never thought I could be fortunate! The last few days I’ve used the RS1i exclusively, because I feared my ears had grown accustomed to the melodious tone of my new RS1e. My equipment I used in my test is as follows…
Amps
 
AudioGD  11.32
O2
Glenn OTL
Modded  Little Dot MK1+
Schiit Lyr
 
Dacs
 
AudioGD 11.32
ODAC
 
Blab!?
 
All of it run through my PC using mostly FLAC.
 
Music wise I tend to love anything and everything, though I predominantly listen to rock/metal. I appreciate the subtleties that any pair of Grado’s imparts on the sound of a guitar. The RS1 though represents the pinnacle of the “Grado” sound... the question though is… have they made it better? Or better yet, how could they make it better?
 
Ergonomics
 
The fit and feel of any Grado headphone is polarizing, some hate it… others, like myself have either “Grado ears” or lobes made of steel. The new RS1 does deviate from the standard Grado comfort. With its protruding drivers and out of the box death-grip clamp the RS1e was bearable but far from ideal. A simple bend of the headband, a few hair ties (around the protruding driver, and in the channel the pad mounts to) help keep the pad from overly compressing and shoving the driver into your ear. A simple mod, but necessary to fully appreciate the sonic bliss that awaits.
Bone stock the old RS1’s are more comfortable… with my above mod and a quick wash of the pads and they are very similar in overall fit and comfort.
 
Sound
 
The RS1 regardless of vintage sounds like an RS1, this includes the new RS1e. Tasty forward mids, sweet treble, and a nice mid bass bump… all key identifiers of any Grado headphone are all here. Just more! The RS1e makes the old RS1i sound a bit nasally and thin. The new 50mm driver is definitely responsible for the added body to the overall sound. On the Plus side the new RS1e is more forgiving of poorly recorded audio, less fatiguing, more transparent, is more detailed and has a slightly wider and deeper soundstage. It’s also more refined and much less shouty… Cymbals are not splashy at all anymore.
 
The mids are still typical Grado... but fuller, smoother and more detailed. They somehow retained all of the good and fixed most of the bad
 
Bass response is improved, hitting a little harder and reaching a little deeper.
 
Now this isn’t all doom and gloom for the old RS1 owners out there, your old can has one little trick it does better than the new kid… Texture, the old can has a better sense of texture on a few tracks, mostly older recordings, this shows up predominantly in electric guitars. BUT again it’s one trick and honestly only happens on occasion when the stars are aligned just right.
In a nutshell, the new RS1e does a lot of what the old RS1 did, just more of it all.
 
Closing
 
If you’re on the fence about the new RS1e I would say go for it, but with one caveat; make your purchase from an authorized retailer with a good return policy, or better yet get an in home demo! If you’re a current owner of a previous generation RS1 I urge you to check these out, they are simply great headphones that keep most of what you love about the outgoing version, and add a lot to fix the issues that Grado has had since the dawn of time.