Audiophilepure

Meze Audio is a master brand for designing and crafting beautiful headphones. But how about the sound performance of the 105 AER? The new 105 AER is aimed at the casual listener rather than all-in audiophiles who usually invest in equipment. So, the sound presentation is safe, without too much coloration or extension on the polar ends, and it is in an airy and spacious environment.

The cups are surprisingly nice too, the HW600 featuring intricate patterns carefully carved through CNC machining. The headband remains in stainless steel for better torsion resistance, but apart from that, all the other pieces seem to be made of the same aircraft-grade, anodized, aluminum. Pair that with ultra-thick earpads, made of breathable lamb-skin earpads, filled soft-foam padding, a sturdy braided cables with balanced termination, and you end up with one of the most satisfying experiences you could get from a $1000 headphone.

In balanced high gain mode, both devices do not have enough headroom to drive the Diana DZ comfortably without it starting to sound shouty and thin.

It was only when I plugged the Mystic XP1 into its accompanying AC power brick and turned on its M-Power mode did the DZ suddenly delivered the necessary weight and headroom to sound like it was being driven quite well.

M-Power provides up to 1.5W of power at 50Ω which is closer to where the DZ should be but bear in mind the Mystic XP1 becomes a desktop amplifier in the process.

If you need portable power without a power cable the best I can suggest is the Cayin C9 which will give you 1.6W into a 50Ω going balanced plus a few tonal tweaks to fine-tune the Diana DZ which is a plus in my book.

I also really like the new headband design with the “sling”. Gone are the hot zones on the top of your head and the weight now is perfectly spread out over the top of your head, resulting in a very comfortable listening experience. I can listen to the DZ for hours without any discomfort. Do note that your ears can get warmer during longer listening periods, especially with the Ultrasuede pads.

As said, the DZ comes in different versions. The design I like most is the Damascus Forged one. Note that the vegan version of this design has Ultrasuede ear pads, which have a subtle softening of upper frequencies. Abyss suggests going for the stock lambskin ear pads if you prefer to maximize detail retrieval.

The Grado Signature HP100 SE Open Air Headphone is a true audiophile reference headphone and as such it is not forgiving of source nor electronics, yet the musicality and presentation make for an absolutely pleasurable experience, in fact, the Grados seem to lend something to every genre of music whether it was Classical, Folk, Rock, Jazz, Lounge or even stark New Wave like The B⁵²s. I found myself racing through my playlist looking for new challenges, but felt it redundant to catalog every piece I heard as the experience was the same, massive soundstage, blistering speed, savage impact, epic dynamics, and luscious musicality. Like all Grado headphones in my experience, the HP100 SE is extremely efficient meaning though you want an amplifier of a sound quality commensurate with the Grados power is not an issue, in fact, you most likely will want something with a low gain option and a significantly low noise floor to take full advantage of them.