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Mini Review: Meze Elite Angled Alcantara Ear Pads
Rajiv Arora
Meze recently released new angled Alcantara earpads (US MSRP: $199) for the Elite headphones. These now replace the original Alcantara earpads that shipped with earlier units. Unlike the original, which were 36mm deep all around, the angled earpads are indeed angled, where the rear depth is 33mm, while the front depth is 25mm. In comparison, the hybrid earpads are 25mm deep all around.
One of my very few complaints about the hybrid earpads was that it was just a bit too shallow for my ears, which caused them to end up touching the diaphragm. The original Alcantara pads did not have this issue, but I unequivocally favored the sound of the hybrid pads, and so have been using them for all this time.
I’m happy to say that my ears do not have this clearance issue with the angled Alcantara earpads, so for me these are more comfortable than the hybrid pads. Moreover, I also love the sound quality with these new earpads, which is quite different from the hybrids. One of the improvements in the Elite over the Empyrean, in addition to the increased resolution, was the toning down of the mid bass warmth of the latter. While far more neutral than the Empyrean, the Elite with the hybrid earpads still has a bit of emphasis in the mid-bass, which many, including myself, really enjoy for its fun and forgiving character on less than ideal recordings.
While I had found the original Alcantara ear pads a bit too bright and thin for my tastes, I had a different reaction to the angled Alcantara pads. Meze claim that these ear pads have “an airier sound signature, with cleaner bass and improved presence in the mid-range frequency,” and I couldn’t have put it better myself.
In my listening, compared to the hybrid pads, I felt the angled pads further tamed the mid-bass hump of the Elite. There was a definite increase in the soundstage size and air between instruments. Finally, and perhaps a bit unexpectedly, I heard an increase in resolution. These are all welcome changes, and especially on well-mastered classical recordings, I strongly favor the angled Alcantara ear pads. Will the hybrid pads just gather dust now? No, not at all. I still prefer them with lesser or older masterings, especially rock and pop. And with the Elite’s magnetic earpad attachment system, replacing the earpads take no more than a few seconds.
In summary, if you’re a recent owner of the Elite, you’ll have both angled Alcantara and hybrid pads to experiment with. If you’ve had your Elite for a while, and they shipped with the original Alcantara pads, do yourself a favor and order the angled Alcantara pads. They’re worth the upgrade!
About the Author
Rajiv Arora — a.k.a. @austinpop — is both a computer geek and a lifelong audiophile. He doesn’t work much, but when he does, it’s as a consultant in the computer industry. Having retired from a corporate career as a researcher, technologist and executive, he now combines his passion for music and audio gear with his computer skills and his love of writing to author reviews and articles about high-end audio.
He has "a special set of skills" that help him bring technical perspective to the audio hobby. No, they do not involve kicking criminal ass in exotic foreign locales! Starting with his Ph.D. research on computer networks, and extending over his professional career, his area of expertise is the performance and scalability of distributed computing systems. Tuning and optimization are in his blood. He is guided by the scientific method and robust experimental design. That said, he trusts his ears, and how a system or component sounds is always the final determinant in his findings. He does not need every audio effect to be measurable, as long as it is consistently audible.
Finally, he believes in integrity, honesty, civility and community, and this is what he strives to bring to every interaction, both as an author and as a forum contributor.
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