Meze 109 Pro

The Ultimate coffee table Headphone

Meze Audio has long been known for its stunning industrial designs and premium craftsmanship, and the Meze 109 Pro is no exception. As the company’s first open-back dynamic headphone, it combines a 50mm dynamic driver with high-quality materials such as black walnut wood, copper-zinc alloy, and manganese steel. The result is an elegant, lightweight, and beautifully crafted headphone that exudes luxury while delivering an exceptionally engaging sound.

After spending a few weeks with the 109 Pro, I can confidently say that it is a perfect blend of design, comfort, and sound. It is one of the rare headphones under $1000 that can impress in all three areas and this is the reason I am calling the 109 Pro a perfect coffee table headphone:

With every headphone I review, I do a little test of friends and family and how they react when they see something I might have left on the coffee table, often they completely ignore it or my kids might even tell me something is ‘stupid’ or ‘ugly’, but the 109 Pro literally “turned peoples heads” and generated a few “wows” on first sight.

A headphone that “turns heads”

I think the 109 Pro is the first headphone that got a “3-wows” in my little subjective test, after the initial “wow” that is a gorgeous headphone, I would ask if they want to try it on and would generally get a 2nd “wow” and finally I played some music for them and got that 3rd “wow”.

I do think this is what distinguishes high-quality high-end audio products from other products, everyone can appreciate the looks, the build quality, the comfort and ultimately this is what helps bring people into the audio hobby.

I think together these are the “emotional aspects” of the audio experience deserve credit and credit to Meze they produce some gorgeous, comfortable headphones that have a unique rich / warm sound signature.

Basically, in summary I think the 109 Pro is a complete package for $800. I had been listening to and recently also reviewed to the Meze 104 AER and in lots of way it is a very similar headphone but for 1/2 the price as Meze cleverly gave that headphone a little bit of the magic of the 109 Pro, but the 109 Pro looks more premium and its sound is just a little richer than the 104 AER. I even recommended some EQ for the 104 AEE to get it closer to the 109 Pro. So, if you are chasing that Meze ‘rich’ sound the 109 Pro delivers without EQ.

Meze have always tuned their headphones with a balanced yet unique sound signature, positioning their various headphones cleverly where you get a little bit better build quality and some tweaks to the sound as you move up the headphone range.

What led up to the 109 Pro?

The 109 Pro was built on a rich heritage of Meze building quality headphones:

But before we get into the 109 Pro’s sound quality, let’s start by looking at what you get in the box:

Unboxing and Build Quality

The Meze 109 Pro arrives in a stylish square box featuring a cool geometric design on top:

Everything about the unboxing exudes elegance with subtlety touches like the impression of the headphone on the back:

Inside, you’ll find a well-designed hard-shell carrying case:

The carrying case is very nicely built:

Removing the carry case you can see some documentation underneath:

Finally opening up the case we get to see the 109 Pro:

And overall this is very consistent with Meze’s luxurious packaging aesthetic:

Along with a leather pouch containing two detachable 3.5mm cables—one long and one short.

The Headphone Itself

Meze never fails to impress when it comes to design and build quality, and the 109 Pro continues this tradition:

Inspired by the original 99 Classics, this model elevates the aesthetic further with an intricate spider-design earcup, real walnut wood, and copper-zinc alloy details.

I love the level of detail you get in every aspect of this headphone, for example, the copper mesh over the driver itself is quiet beautiful:

The entire structure is flexible yet robust, ensuring longevity and sustainability every part is easily replaceable, which is a hallmark of Meze’s commitment to long-term usability.

Meze even have a publicity photo showing all the individual components that make up the 109 Pro:

You can see the screws in these photos:

The 3.5mm connectors provide a secure fit and allow for easy aftermarket cable swapping, making it versatile for those who enjoy customizing their setup, but Meze themselves have an excellent boom mic cable which fit perfectly:

While similar in design to the newer 105 AER, the 109 Pro is clearly the more premium headphone:

Comfort and Fit

Despite its relatively compact earcups, the 109 Pro offers excellent comfort.

Replacing / upgrading these earpads is relatively easy as there is a plastic ring around the back of the earpads offering some rigidity and a small lip to secure the earpads:

It has a self-adjusting headband, ensuring a perfect fit without requiring manual adjustments:

The clamping force is just right—snug enough for stability but never too tight.

The velour earpads strike a balance between firmness and plushness, preventing your ears from touching the driver while maintaining comfort over extended listening sessions. And thanks to its lightweight design (375g), you can wear it for hours without fatigue.

I do think both the 104 AER and the 109 Pro offer the right compromise for most peoples heads between super large ear cups and tiny earpads. For example here is the size compared to my Hifiman Edition XS:

Internal Driver Architecture

At the core of its design is a dual-composite diaphragm, composed of three carefully selected materials: a Beryllium-coated polymer for the dome, a cellulose-carbon fiber composite for the driver membrane, and a copper-zinc alloy stabilizer at the center.

This combination optimizes rigidity, damping, and weight, ensuring fast transient response, low distortion, and excellent frequency reproduction.

You can see this driver clearly if you remove the earpads:

The Beryllium coating enhances stiffness while maintaining low mass, allowing for precise treble extension without harshness. The cellulose-carbon fiber blend reduces resonances and contributes to a natural midrange with excellent instrument separation, while the copper-zinc stabilizer minimizes unwanted vibrations, improving clarity and dynamic impact.

Sound Impressions

The Meze 109 Pro is a rich, immersive, and dynamically engaging headphone. Meze are known for having a rich ‘house sound’ but the 109 Pro is probably the most neutral and balanced headphone in their collection. It has a full-bodied midbass and a matching slightly emphasised treble which work harmoniously to create a highly musical and enjoyable yet balanced sound. It can be a sound to fall in love and has helped Meze gather a huge world-wide following.

Bass

The midbass is rich and textured, adding warmth and depth to the presentation. While it doesn’t extend into the * deepest sub-bass* as some planar models do, it provides a satisfying and organic bass response that complements many genres well.

Test Track: “Angel” - Massive Attack

• The bass hits with depth and control, never overpowering the mix but always present.
• Layering and texture are excellent, adding realism to each bass note.

Mids

The midrange is lush, warm, and smooth, characteristic of Meze’s tuning philosophy. Vocals and instruments have a * rich timbre*, making this headphone particularly engaging for vocal-centric music.

Test Track: “Hotel California” - Eagles (Live)

• Vocals sound natural and full-bodied, with excellent texture.
• Acoustic guitars have a realistic bite, maintaining clarity without harshness.

Treble

While some treble enhancement is present, it never gets harsh or sibilant. The upper frequencies add a sense of air and detail, making for a lively yet non-fatiguing presentation.

Test Track: “Bubbles” - Yosi Horikawa

• Percussion and high frequencies sound crisp yet smooth.
• There’s no excessive brightness, but enough presence to keep details engaging.

Soundstage & Imaging

The soundstage is wider than most dynamic driver headphones, providing an open and spacious presentation. Imaging is excellent, allowing instruments to be placed with precision across the stereo field.

Specifications and Measurements

The important specifications here are the impedance and sensitivity which show this is a super easy to drive headphone. While I have been listening to it with some price equivalent amplifiers like the JDS Element IV and the new FiiO K17, it does work exceptionally well with everything from my Macbook Pro and even the Apple USB-C dongle.

Frequency Response

Note: The following measurements were taken with my KB501X soft ear Pinna and a 711 clone coupler. They are available on my measurement database here.

I added a few areas to highlight what sound you can expect from the 109 Pro:

1. Great bass extension
2. Rich sounding mid-bass
3. Recessed 1K-2K region typical of headphones aiming to provide a decent soundstage
4. Great treble which extends deep (balancing that rich mid-bass)

I also measured the headphone with Glasses to see what change people who typical wear glasses might expect:

And, here is a comparison with the Meze 105 AER:

On this graph, I added two areas to note, the 109 Pro has a richer mid-bass (1) and has a fuller more extended treble (2)

And finally with the Frequency Response, here is a comparison with the Hifiman Edition XS and the Modhouse Tungsten:

All 3 are excellent headphones in completely different price ranges with the Meze 109 Pro in the middle but also probably the best built and arguable the most comfortable.

Distortion

I thought it would be useful to check the distortion, specifically for those who want to drive it hard and also maybe use EQ.

As you can see there is minimal distortion even playing over 100dB:

And as a percentage it looks pretty good with around 2% in sub-bass:

Rating

The Meze 109 Pro earns a 5-star Pragmatic Rating due to its exceptional combination of build quality, comfort, and sound performance.

Here is a breakdown:

• Build Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Outstanding)
• Comfort: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Effortless to wear for long periods)
• Sound: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Rich, Engaging, musical, and dynamic)
• Value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Great at its price point, but you could look at the 105 AER something almost as good)

Conclusion

The Meze 109 Pro is one of the most complete headphone packages under $1000. It stuns with its beauty, impresses with its comfort, and delivers a rich emotionally engaging sound.

If you’re in the market for a stunningly crafted and emotionally engaging headphone, one that will impress your family and make your friends jealous, the Meze 109 Pro should be at the top of your list.