Meze Elite: Rinaro MZ3SE drivers with Isomagnetic attachments for $4,000
The Romanian company Meze Audio has developed the next flagship headphones – isodynamic Meze Elite. It will squeeze the Empyrean model, which has been at the top of the catalog so far.
As in the case of the Empyrean, the Meze Elite headphones got magneto-plane drivers from Polish company Rinaro Isodynamics – this is the MZ3SE Isodynamic Hybrid Array transducer. The 0.011g diaphragms for it are made in one of the Ukrainian enterprises, according to some reports – in Kharkov.
Like Meze’s previous flagship, the Pharus planar driver features a “dual coil” topology. The conductive tracks on the “optimized polymer” film take into account the geometry and acoustics of the auricle in their arrangement.
Thus, according to the manufacturer, it was possible to precisely focus the sound. In addition, according to the press release, the Isomagnetic earcup attachment improved the speaker’s performance and efficiency.
The Elite’s specifications are impressive: it promises an MTF of no more than 0.05% with a sensitivity of 101 dB and a democratic input impedance of 32 ohms. The claimed frequency range extends from 3 to 112 000 Hz.
The Elite driver frames are made from solid aluminum billets on CNC metal-cutting machines — a process that took about 20 hours, according to Meze. According to the same information, the Rinaro driver alone took 100 hours to make and test.
In the U.S., the Meze Elite headphones will cost $4,000.