The Meze Elite makes a strong case for being one of the very best headphones in the world. I’d go so far as to say if we judge based upon design and build quality, the Elite has no rivals, save for its sibling which shares the same exterior. Looks and comfort are both subjective, but I would personally place the Elite at the top of the pile in those categories too.

Thankfully it has a unique sound signature that is I think many will embrace. Both portable and desktop audiophiles are included in that statement which is rare for flagship planars.

The Meze Elite is, in every way, a reference-quality headphone that earns its flagship status and price—worthy competition for other flagship headphones such as the Dan Clark Stealth, Focal Utopia, ZMF Verité, and Warwick Sonoma. The Elite’s strong points are that it is exceedingly easy to drive, supremely comfortable, ruggedly built, and sounds wonderful.

They are comfortable to wear for a few hours a day, angled Alcantara pads aren’t sweating my ears, I find them easy to drive, sounding great even from entry-level electronics and portable devices, their tonality is spot on, their midrange and bass performance is fabulous and their stage is among the grandest I have experienced via headphones.

Machined and weighted to perfection with a highly refined tuning devoid of peaks and dips, the Elite represents a triumph in high-end headphone design.

Meze took a risk with the ELITE from the perspective that they could have changed all of the things that the market complained about and produced a headphone that was technically superior — but musically inferior.

If I have to decide now which one suits my tastes best, it would be the ELITE.