Meze Audio's 105 AER are nature-inspired hifi headphones

Sound master Meze Audio has announced a new pair of headphones, the £359 Meze Audio 105 AER.

These aren't headphones to wear on the train, and are thoroughly out-of-step with the Bluetooth wireless, ANC and AI trends of today. But that’s what makes the Maze 105 AER special in 2024.

These are open-back hifi headphones for folks who want to sit down and actually listen to music. We imagine they’ll do a cracking job for movies and games too, as the open and spacious sound you get with open-back pairs like this is something you have to experience.

The Meze Audio 105 AER are also a lot more eye-catching than the rival Sennheiser pairs you might buy at a similar price.

Meze says the design is “inspired by bio-architecture and Nature’s balancing act,” and it ends up as a sort-of spider’s web honeycomb design on the outer cups.

The cups are made of tough ABS plastic, to keep weight low, while the additional hardware elements are zinc alloy with a PVD coating. This is where a finish layer is vaporised and applied in a vacuum, before being condensed onto a metal surface, for a perfect-looking and tough finish.

The Meze Audio 105 AER should be vegan friendly too, as their auto-adjusting leather-look headband is polyurethane and and cup pads are soft and breathable velour. No animal hide in sight.

Delving inside, the 105 AER have 50mm dynamic drivers, tuned to combine high fidelity credentials with a little extra oomph in the lower registers.

“A slight emphasis on the bass and sub-bass regions allows for a deeper, more resonant foundation, enhancing the overall sense of immersion and adding a satisfying depth to your music,” says Meze Audio.

The company also says the 105 AER are the lightest open-back full-size headphones it has made to date, at 336g.

They are still heavier than the Sennhesier HD660S2 (260g), but are massively more approachable than the 385g Meze Empyrean II on multiple fronts. That pair costs £2749, for starters.

We know Meze Audio as a brand that combines high-end sound with striking design. And the 105 AER should help bring that sensibility, matched with the most hi-fi style of headphone, to a wider audience.

The Meze Audio 105 AER are available now, for £359.

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