Meze Audio debuts its lightest and most affordable open-back headphones

Romanian company Meze Audio has developed a cultlike following among audiophiles for its selection of uncompromising (and expensive) open-back and closed-back wired headphones. With prices that soar as high as $4,000, Meze’s products haven’t always been very accessible. However, its latest open-back model — the 105 AER — may bring many more folks under the Meze tent. At $399, the 105 AER are the company’s most affordable open-back headphones to-date, as well as its lightest. They’ll be available from mezeaudio.com in early December.

Meze Audio

The 105 AER’s design is a clear evolution from the more expensive 109 Pro ($799), with Meze’s signature self-adjusting headband and generously padded over-ear cushions. Where these new cans carve their own path is by using a different mix of materials and shapes. The 105 AER use cast zinc alloy, stamped manganese spring steel, and polyurethane (PU) leather in the headband design, but avoid the 109 Pro’s use of wood, which may help to explain the weight difference: 11.8 ounces for the 105 AER versus 13 ounces for the 109 Pro.

Meze Audio

Meze says the 105 AER’s 50mm dynamic drivers, which are “rich in detail, versatile and perfectly suited for all genres of music,” have been given a more refined voicing, with a “a slight emphasis on bass and sub-bass capabilities.”

The 105 AER share the 109 Pro’s hi-res audio-friendly and wide frequency response (5Hz-30kHz), as well as their sensitivity (112 decibels SPL at 1kHz, 1 milliwatt). But the new cans have a slightly higher impedance at 42 ohms (versus 40 ohms for the 109 Pro).

As with many of Meze’s other headphones, the 105 AER use a modular design. They can be taken apart and individual parts and components can be replaced or repaired, extending the lifetime of these open-back cans.

The 105 AER come with Meze’s double-sided, 3.5mm Kevlar-coated 1.8-meter (5.9-foot) cable and a hard case.