Meze a roppant sikeres és népszerű 99 Classic fejhallgató után megmutatta, hogy a fülhallgató készítésben is a világ élvonalához tartozik. Kategórián felüli anyaghasználatával,  minőségi és esztétikus kivitelezésével egy roppant tartós, erős és jó hangú útitárs lehet a Meze 11 Neo a mindennapokban.

Nem csak külsőben, hanem műszaki tartalomban is figyelemre méltóak az ár/értek arányban felülmúlhatatlan képességek. A CNC esztergált alumínium elemek 8mm-es titánium bevonatú mylar membránt rejtenek magukban. Az alkatrészek a megszokottól közel kétszer vastagabb kábelezéssel vannak összekötve, amiben 7N (99.99999%) tisztaságú oxigénmentes réz vezetékezés továbbítja a csatlakozótól a hangszórókig az elektromos jelet. Ez a megoldás eddig szinte kizárólag audiophile termékekben volt ismert és használt.

A fülhallgatóhoz a különböző méretű szilikon mellett Comply foam illesztéket is mellékel a gyártó.

Elérhető színek: gunmetal, iridium

• Frekvencia átvitel. 16Hz – 24KHz
• Impedancia: 16Ohm
• Érzékenység: 101dB (+/- 3db)
• Teljes harmonikus torzítás: < 0.5%
• Külső zaj elnyomás: akár 26dB
• Titanium bevonatú 8mm mylar hangszórók
• 3.5mm aranyozott jack csatlakozó
• 7N OFC kábel, hossza: 1.2m

Sound Quality

Here are some of my raw notes during my listening sessions.

Both single-flange

Beck – Sea Change (DSD64)

• Meze 11 Neo
  • Has more roundness and body
  • Lacks a bit of clarity
  • Coherent and smooth sounding. Easier to listen to.
  • Vocals are much more melodic
• Meze 12 Classics
  • A bit of grain on vocals
  • Quite a bit of harshness. Difficult to listen to.

Daft Punk – The Game of Love (88/24)

• Meze 11 Neo
  • A sultry sound
  • Punchy bass
  • Cymbals don’t sound quite right
  • Sonically smeared in comparison
• Meze 12 Classic
  • Has more air and shine
  • Better delineation
  • A bit tinny
  • Blacker background

Mariah Carey – Emotions (88/24)

• Meze 11 Neo
  • More coherence
  • Sounds a little veiled but decent tone and timbre
• Meze 12 Classics
  • There’s this lingering glare in the sound. Annoying.
  • More energetic and insightful
  • A bit of a mess when it gets busy
  • While I enjoy the more refined sound, the mids and upper-mids and parts of the treble are problematic. Possibly above 5kHz.

At this point I wanted to do some tip swapping for the Meze 12 Classics as I really wasn’t enjoying the sound.

11 Neo single-flange & 12 Classics Comply

Chet Baker – Trav’lin’ Light (192/24)

• Meze 11 Neo
  • Vocals sound great
  • A lot more air on the trumpet
  • More clarity, but lacks a little sub-bass…and bass in general.
• Meze 12 Classics
  • Sounds really good, timbre and tone is accurate.
  • More resolution
  • No complaints for this track. Sounds fantastic.

Mozart – Allegro (Violin Concertos) (192/24)

• Meze 11 Neo
  • Great clarity and dynamics
  • Violins are well textured and decays properly
• Meze 12 Classics
  • Sounds great, just yearn for a bit more clarity.
  • The Comply makes them a bit warm vs the Meze 11 Neo

Simone Kopmajer – That’s Why (You go Away) (172/24)

• Meze 11 Neo
  • Great dynamics but a tiny bit sibilant
• Meze 12 Classics
  • More melodic
  • Still a slight glare up top, edgy vocals

Buena Vista Social Club – Chan Chan (96/24)

• Meze 11 Neo
  • More energy and sparkle
  • Lots of micro-details and precision
  • Very fast and articulate
  • Decays very well
  • Misses a bit of low-end for my tastes. Comply tip helps but smears too much. Hot mess.
• Meze 12 Classics
  • Mid are more forward
  • Much better bass response
  • Better timbre
  • Love the textures across the entire spectrum

Nirvana – About a Girl (Unplugged in New York) (96/24)

• Meze 11 Neo
  • More crispy
  • Lots of treble definition without being harsh
• Meze 12 Classics
  • There’s a bit of accentuation in the treble
  • A natural tone and timbre
  • Both sound great

The Unforgiven – Metallica (96/24)

• Meze 11 Neo
  • Smoother but lacks a bit of roundness in instruments
  • Resolving of micro and macro dynamics
  • Clean sound
• Meze 12 Classics
  • Great sub-bass presence and slam
  • I like the tonality very much
  • A bit of edginess up top. Yuck.

R.E.M. – Drive (96/24)

• Meze 11 Neo
  • I would go double or single flange, sounds good.
  • A very natural treble
  • A bit more “factual” versus the 11 Classics. Perhaps insightful is a better word.
• Meze 12 Classics
  • Much more organic and melodic
  • A lot of bass for a such a small thing

Iver Kleive – Bridge Over Troubled Water (192/24)

• Meze 11 Neo
  • Missing that sub-bass. Not as involving. Need the comply tips to fully appreciate the organs, but the compromise is huge.
  • Smoother and more detailed sounding
• Meze 12 Classics
  • Monsterous bass and great tone…still that tiny bit of harshness above 5kHz.
  • This track just doesn’t sound right on the 11 Neo. The 12 Classics dominant when bass is of the utmost importance.

Conclusion

11 Neo

• Sounds great with any of the tips. Double-flange will give you an incredible out-of-your-head sound with pinpoint imaging.
• Very articulate and smooth
• Vocals are intelligible
• A very refined, clean, and dynamic sound
• Definitely more neutral than the 11 Classics
• Not great for bass-heavy music unless you use the Comply tips (which will have a darker presentation).

12 Classics

• I enjoyed the timbre more on these. With the Comply, vocals and instruments sound very sweet and natural.
• Lacks a bit of resolution and detail with the Comply
• Nice rich and detailed bass. It’s addictive.
• Besides a slight problem with a chalkier treble, I think this IEM sounds great (with the Comply tips).