1. Introduction
Meze Headphones is the creation of Romanian designer Antonio Meze – a company that manufacturers high quality audio peripherals and competes with large brands in the field, founded in 2009 in London, UK, the Headquarter being subsequently moved to Baia Mare, Romania.
We find the origin of the designer in the Meze products; the defining feature of Meze Headphones is the manufacturing of every speaker case out of wood. The types of wood used in the manufacturing of the Meze headphones are ebony wood and beech wood.
“Perfect Natural Sound” – Meze Headphones
Official product link:
http://www.mezeheadphones.com/meze11deco.html
2. Packaging and accessories
The 11 Deco model model comes packaged in a white box with small dimensions.
The front side of the box presents in depth the product using a general image of the earphones and also a graph showing the audio frequencies response. In the lower part we find listed the product’s specifications while on the top side we find printed the name of the earphones.
The back side of the packaging is populated by a single general image of the product.
Accessories
The product comes with the following accessories:
– 1x Hard Leather Pouch
– 2x Different size set silicone ear buds/pieces
– 1x Metal Carbine D Ring
3. Specifications
Speaker size: 8mm Neodymium
Frequency response: 17Hz-25 KHz
Sensitivity: 101+/-2dB At 1KHz1mW
Impedance: 14 Ohm
Rated input power: 3mW
Cable length: 1.2m
Plug: 3.5mm gold-plated
Features
– Microphone for calls and voice recording.
– Beech wood grain and pattern varies.
– Comes with 3 sizes of soft silicone ear-tips.
– EVA case for carrying.
– Compatible with iPhone, Android, iPod, MP3, MP4, CD, DVD, MD, PSP
4. Visual inspection
Launched at the beginning of 2014, the 11 Deco model made itself noticed right from the beginning by combining the beech wood with aluminum. Due to each case being made out of wood, each pair of earphones is unique such as a musical instrument.
The name and logo of the manufacturer are placed on the front side of the earphones.
The 11 Deco model uses soft silicon ear-tips and comes accompanied by two different size pairs of ear-tips.
The cable of the earphones is white and measures approximately 1,2m in length, on it we find placed the integrated microphone and the button for stop/play/next. Also the 3.5mm connector used is angled at 45° and is gold plated.
On the middle of the earphones below the ear-tips we find the Left-Right letters for positioning the earphones.
5. Testing
After a few weeks of regular use, I can say that the 11 Deco model rivals with top earphone models. In terms of ergonomics, the soft silicone ear-tips fit very well offering a good sound insulation.
Using 8mm Neodymium speakers, from an acoustical performance point of view I can highlight the following: the bass although quite strong it does not distort the sound and the middle tones are in general not covered by it
Due to the wooden case, the played sound is clear and pleasant, especially the mid & high sounds. Also the acoustic of the earphones fits any type of music, the earphones can be used by a wide range of users.
After many hours of continuous use, the earphones maintained their stability & level of comfort, the silicone ear-tips are comfortable and do not put pressure on the ear.
As a warning note regarding the use of earphones on the street due to the noise isolation being extremely good covering sometimes the ambient noise.
The integrated microphone of the earphones is of high quality from both a build quality & acoustic performance point of view.
The following songs have been used to test the headsets:
– Ludovico Einaudi – Experience
– Gramatik – No Way Out
– Gramatik – Break Loose
– Daft Punk – Give Life Back to Music
– Daft Punk Feat Pharrell Williams – Get Lucky
– Daft Punk Feat Panda Bear – Doin’ It Right
– Glass Animals – Toes
– Alice Cooper – I’m Eighteen
– Lorde – Tennis Court (Flume Remix)
– Desire – Under Your Spell
– Dan Croll – From Nowhere
– T-Rex – Get It On
– Jimi Hendrix – Foxy Lady
– Jimi Hendrix – Purple Haze
– Creedence Clearwater Revival – Fortunate Son
6. Final thoughts
Meze Headphones managed, by combining the modern with traditional, to bring to the market products with good acoustic performance and a minimalist design.
This model can be improved by adding the volume control function directly on the cable of the earphones.
Although Meze Headphones is a local brand it is not well-known in Romania. Being a good alternative to other brands.
The Meze Headphones products can be bought directly from the manufacturer’s website:
http://www.mezeheadphones.com/shop-ro.html
As an update, I have been using the 11 Deco for the past year as my daily driver and they perform just like in their first day of use.
