THE MEZE POET - REVIEW
The meze POET - review
The Meze POET represents the second headphone of three Meze headphones being reviewed, in succession, and the first open-back, planar, magnetic headphone in this trio of reviews. The first was the STRADA ($799), a dynamic, close-backed headphone, at about mid-tier pricing, which compared very favorably with other headphones, many of which were several times its price! The final review of the trio will be the Meze Empyrean II.
As mentioned in the first review, I have reviewed nearly all of Meze’s headphones and even its In-Ear-Monitors (IEMs) and to a one they have all performed exceptionally well. The only headphone which gave me pause, initially, was the STRADA, before it had been burned-in. However, after the STRADA’s burn-in, there were no questions or tests it did not answer or could not pass. Planar headphones, generally, don’t require burn-in and from first listen they are ready-set-go. This was the case with the POET headphones.
The POET is near the top of Meze’s range, just below the Empyrean line and are priced at $2,000. They bear all the aesthetic earmarks of Meze headphones via their exquisite design and their comfort for long-term listening sessions. But, how do they sound? Will the POET respond likewise in terms of its price to performance ratio?
REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the equipment actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/or laying out its various accoutrement, specifications, etc. Think of this review then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, etc—that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning.
The Review System
CEC TL3.3 CD Transport (TL 2N equivalent, up-converted 120V)
Shanling ONIX XST20 SACD/CD Transport
Bricasti Design M1SE DAC w/ethernet
Rega P8 Turntable w/Ania Pro cartridge
Rega P10 Turntable w/Apheta cartridge
Aurorasound Step-Up Transformer
Gold Note PH-10 Headphone Amplifier & PSU-10 Power Supply
Grimm Audio PW1 Phono Preamplifier
Allnic ASRA 7500 HPA/Integrated
Allnic HPA-300B Headphone Amplifier/Integrated
Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier
Atma-Sphere S-30 Amplifier
Aurorasound HFSA-01 Integrated/Headphone Amplifier
Lyric Audio Ti 100 MkII Integrated
Audience FrontRow Reserve Cables/Wires
BlackCat Level 2 Interconnects
BlackCat Level 3 Speaker Cables
BlackCat TRON AES/EBU and SPDIF Digital Cables
Grimm Audio SQM Interconnects (XLR, RCA)
Kubala-Sosna Realization Speaker Cables
RSX Technology BEYOND and MAX Power Cords
Devore Fidelity Orangutan O/96 Speakers
TORUS RM20 Power Conditioner
SEISMION Amplifier Stand (powered)
The Sound
The Meze POET relates the classic Meze, open-back sound—lush/warm, spacious, detailed—and is supremely engaging. And yet, it is not as lush/warm as the original Empyrean and, if memory serves, it is even more detailed than the original Empyrean. Coupled with its open-back planar drivers, it delivers space and air and ambiance, well suited for large orchestras, choral assemblies, and live, intimate performances, in the direction of electrostatic headphones, but only just.
The POET’s unearth detail, which provides additional insight to music, which its little brother, the STRADA, could not quite access. The STRADA, however, goes far above its price point in the level of detail it provides, relative to far more expensive headphones. Tone and Timbre are beautifully rendered by the POET, which made differentiating instruments in complex arrangements easier to discern and to identify and to enjoy.
The POET’s strengths cross the entire frequency range, with an extended treble, which is resolved, detailed, smooth, with air, ambiance, and which is never brash, unpleasant, or bright. The POET also has an exceptionally engaging midrange which is likewise detailed, and it has an enviable and rather potent bass.
Bass
The POET’s bass is powerful, tight, and fast. Eiji Oue’s “The Dance of King Kaschesky” (Stravinsky, Reference Recordings) is very well presented by the POET and had I not had the Empyrean II, immediately at hand for comparison, suffice to say, the POET’s ability would standout and be exceptional in its own right. In this respect, the POET compares very favorably with other headphones in its price range. In particular, my experience with the more expensive FOCAL Stellia ($2,999) finds the POET better in every respect and especially so in its ability to communicate the music. Charlie Haden’s HeartPlay (Naim) now plays and Haden’s upright bass has the roundness, the reverb, and the ‘tightness’ required for small jazz ensembles, so as not to overpowers the mix. The HeartPlay CD via the POET is beautifully and transparently rendered. And when Haden’s bass is spotlit it is dynamic, natural, vital, and engaging.
Midrange
The POET’s midrange brought ‘body’, texture, detail, and, articulation to voices, necessary to hear into the music and to bring clarity to a singer’s lyrics. In this way, voices were up close and personal, and immediately engaging. The POET’s open-back nature brought the music and venues to life and also gave the music depth and air and volume.
Its midrange is warm, which does not for a moment neglect detail. The POET translates weight upward from its substantive bass, which never overwhelms or overpowers the music, a singer’s lyric, or the micro-details of a given performance. Further, the POET checks the various boxes to convey technical insight in a marriage with Meze’s sound, which beautifully represents the midrange, in all respects.
Olafur Arnald’s “Árbakkinn” (Island Songs, Mercury KX) plays and the voice of poet Einar Georg Einarsson is substantive and engaging, as Einar reads his poem “Árbakkinn”. Thereafter, the track “Particles” as sung by Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, and portrayed by the POET finds her voice warm, alive, with not a hint of sibilance, on a track which can sometimes bring sibilance. In this the POET mates very well with USB DACs, the Aurorasound HFSA-01’s headphone output section, the Allnic HPA-300B, and the Allnic RHPA-7500, while bringing tremendous detail and insight often buried in the musical mix.
Treble+
The POET gets the treble-high—cymbals, brushes on cymbals, crash cymbals—right, via its resolution, its transparency, and its detail, without rolloff, nor does it bear the slightest hint of glare or glassiness or sibilance. The POET’s representation bears a sweetness, a delicacy, and a nuance, typically, reserved for more expensive headphones.
Tomasz Stanko’s Suspended Nights (ECM) is a treble-rich recording, which the POET renders beautifully with everything one’s front end provides and with air, space sufficient to create the ambiance of a given performance and its venue. Tone and timbre are also naturally portrayed, which easily differentiate cymbals and other treble-rich information cleanly and clearly. There’s nothing ‘frying’, in terms of unresolved treble-rich information, across the POET headphones.
The Design—Look and Feel
The Meze POET, in terms of its design, is a stepped-down and more petite version of the Empyrean headphones. It is an open-back, planar magnetic headphone, whose back earcup grills are copper in color, enclosed within a silver-gray, magnesium frame. The POET features a titanium alloy headband with a suede-leather headrest. They are, like all Meze headphones, beautifully designed from an industrial design perspective and works of art in and of themselves.
Technology and Specification
Meze POET
Conclusion
The Meze POET is a superb, open-back, planar headphone, which both checks the various Hi-Fi technical, performance boxes, while issuing a beguiling musicality, via the classic Meze voice. The POET handles the entirety of the frequency range beautifully and with aplomb—ever confident—with a natural tone, timbre, which furthers engagement of one’s music and will not result in listening fatigue. In truth, I don’t know a Meze headphone which does.
Like all Meze headphones the POET is beautiful designed and supremely comfortable, which will acts as a hedge against physical listening fatigue. Once again, in this respect, a modern design award would be easily merited or, perhaps, an exhibit in a modern art museum.
The Meze POET is very highly recommended and we gladly award it our GOLD KEYNOTE AWARD for excellence in its superb rendering of music via, its transparency, resolution, and its extraordinary natural musicality.
The Company
Meze Audio
Meze POET ($2000)
Iuliu Maniu str., nr. 38,
1st floor, ap. 2,
Baia Mare, 430131, Romania
info@mezeaudio.com
www.mezeaudio.com
