By Meze Audio was founded in in 2011, when Antonio Meze, who was travelling for business with his Fender Stratocaster, wanted a pair of headphones that he could connect with musically in the same way that he did with his instrument. From there, it’s all history, as Meze Headphones now offers a full line of headphones, both closed and open-back-style, that range from $200 to $4,000 per pair. They are made in Baia Mare, Romania, a midsized town known for mining and The Baia Mare School of Painting.
The Strada is a closed-back headphone that comes in the middle of Meze’s lineup, priced at $799. The Strada shares a lot of its design with the $2,000 Liric headphones (read my review). From a visual perspective, the only obvious differences between the two headphones are the hand-painted green metal around the Macassar ebony wood cups. The Meze Strada uses a dynamic 50-mm driver, it has a frequency range of 5 Hz to 30 kHz, and measures to have a total harmonic distortion of less than 0.1 percent at 1 kHz. This goes along with their 40-ohm impedance, and a sensitivity of 111 dB SPL/mW at 1 kHz. With all that technical information out of the way, let’s dig in to see if the Meze Audio Strada headphones are worth adding to your headphone system.
What Makes the Meze Audio Strada Closed-Back Headphones So Special?
- These headphones are incredibly comfortable. Comfort is something that Meze has really invested in. The ear cups seem to be made with the same materials that the company uses with the Liric, which is more than two times the price of the Strada.
- Meze Audio includes just about everything you might need for listening. The review sample I received included a 1.3-meter braided 4.4-mm cable, and a three-meter soft cable with a 3.5-mm jack. This goes along with an airplane jack adaptor and a 6.3-mm jack adapter as well. The only thing missing is an XLR adapter or a balanced cable with the XLR-ended cable if you want to connect to your headphone amp using a balanced connection.
- Meze Audio’s case will ensure safe travel. The headphones come with a premium hardshell case that will keep your headphones safe, no matter where you take them.
- The passive noise cancellation of the headphones works well. As a work-from-home professional with four kids under the age of 12, it can be helpful to be able to block out some of the extra noise that exists around the house. The Meze Audio Strada did a truly fine job of this. It might not meet the needs of what you want at a busy airport but, for the real-life use of a loud office or home, the Strada headphones did quite well without digital processing in the audio chain.
- Soft ear cups didn’t create discomfort while physically wearing glasses. Some headphones fit so tight to your head that they force your glasses to be squeezed in as well. I didn’t experience this issue with the Meze Audio Strada. I was able to wear my glasses with comfort while I listened with the headphones.
Why Should You Care About the Meze Audio Strada Closed-Back Headphones?
If you’re someone who values comfort as well as performance when listening through headphones, then the Strada sits in a very nice spot. You get excellent closed-back performance, while also having the comfort you might desire when you expect to have long listening sessions while you work or travel. For the wired headphone customer looking for something comfortable, unique, luxurious and high performance, you are barking up the right tree with the Meze Audio Strada headphones.
Some Things You Might Not Like About the Meze Audio Liric Closed-Back Headphones
• The combination of Meze’s choice of green along with the dark wood might not be for everyone design-wise. Meze Audio didn’t play it safe with the choice to go with a mossy yet metallic green color to accent the wood grain of the headphones. There will be some who love it, but I would be surprised if the combination appealed to the masses.
• The headphones don’t fit that well on people with smaller heads. I had my wife try these headphones on to see how well they fit her and, much as with the Liric, she wasn’t able to get a really good fit, even with the headphones at their smallest size adjustment.
Listening to the Meze Audio Strada Closed-Back Headphones
I tested the Meze Audio Strada closed-back headphones while writing the review, using the iFi xDSD Gryphon headphone amplifier (read my review) while streaming music from an Apple MacBook Pro streaming from Qobuz. I used the recently reviewed Meze Liric as a wired headphone comparison. While the Meze Liric is much more expensive, it does offer a look into what you are getting by comparison with the Strada at a lower price.
One of my favorite tracks when reviewing headphones is “Blackstar” (Qobuz 44.1 kHz) from David Bowie. This track comes from his album of the same name, which was released on Bowie’s 69th birthday. He died just two days afterward. This album was recorded while he fought liver cancer and the famed artist used death as a theme throughout the record. What makes “Blackstar” such a joyous listen with headphones is the depths of sound that are explored through the 10 minutes of listening time. It is as avant-garde as you will likely find in modern rock. The Meze Audio Strada showed its unique style in the first part of the track, as you could hear the extra weight in the bass, especially when compared to the Meze Liric, which didn’t push the lower frequencies as much. The Liric did, however, have a smoother handling of the higher frequencies that you get from the wind instruments that are arranged throughout the track.
Another track that is great for testing out headphones is The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” from their 30-track epic White Album (Qobuz 44.1 kHz), circa 1968. One of the things that makes this track noteworthy is that George Harrison brought in Eric Clapton to do one of the guitar solos for the track. As I listened to this track with the Strada, the vocals were very much front and center in the mix and the band was very easy to place as well, with one guitar and the piano to the left, and the bass and the drums to the right. The aforementioned Clapton guitar solo sounded as good as I have heard it, as the Strada was able to handle the higher frequencies with ease.
The last track I used was “Nearly Lost You” by Screaming Trees (Qobuz 192 kHz). This grunge track from 1991 is one of those that just seems to sound better when you turn up the volume. While the Screaming Trees were never the poster child for the Seattle grunge sound, they were one of the pioneers of the genre with the band’s recordings dating back to 1984, and were one of the earlier groups to record on the famed Sub Pop label. While listening to this track with the Meze Audio Strada headphones, the higher frequencies of the guitars came through smoothly, and the drum sound really stood out. Mark Lanagan’s signature vocal style is placed in front of the rest of the track, while the guitar, bass and drums all had their own distinct spaces. When I compared listening to this track with the Strada vs. the Liric, it was the drum sound that really stood out to me. The drums felt like they were pulled a little bit more out in front due to the extra emphasis on the lower frequencies in the Strada model.
Will the Meze Audio Strada Closed-Back Headphones Hold Its Value?
Headphones can be tricky to value in the used market, but with proper care, they can retain their worth nicely. Meze Audio headphones seem to hold a surprisingly high percentage of their value, judging by the prices people are asking for them. Given that, I wouldn’t be surprised if you could recover half your investment after a year or two, depending on your needs. Keep in mind, though, this is a new product from the brand and there are no current comparables, so the perception from the market will have a lot to do with future value as well.
What is the Competition for Meze Audio Strada Closed-Back Headphones?
If you can go up to a little over the thousand-dollar mark, you might consider the Audio Noire X from Dan Clark Audio ($1,099 buy at Crutchfield). These are closed-back planar headphones. From a style perspective, they are, as the name says, very black, which may not fit what some people are looking for stylistically. Dan Clark Audio headphones are well-regarded, but they can be challenging to compare, as the company doesn’t publish that many specs. They are certainly worth checking out but, if you’re a person who wants to know the specs, this might not be the right choice for you.
If you are looking for another set of premium closed-back headphones, you might consider the Focal Celestee ($950). These headphones from this famed French brand feature a 40-mm driver and are easy to drive, with only a 35-ohm impedance, and offer a very similar frequency response at 5 hZ to 23 khZ. Like the other headphones in this price range, they come with balanced and unbalanced cords and a hardshell case. Focal headphones are known for their dynamics, and they have a distinctive look to them, so you would likely find them worth checking out as well.
If you’re looking for something a little lower in price, you might consider the Audio-Technica ATH-WP900 ($699 buy at Crutchfield). These headphones are hand-crafted by Audio-Technica in Tokyo, Japan, and feature solid maple housings, 53-mm drivers, and should also be easy to drive, just like the Meze Audio Strada, as they have an impedance of 38 ohms. With a frequency range that goes up to 50 kHz, these should be worth checking out as a comparable.
Final Thoughts on the Meze Audio Strada Closed-Back Headphones …
The Strada from Meze Audio was a true delight to be able to review. It featured a warm but slightly bass-heavy sound, and definitely had a premium feel, just like its bigger brother, the Meze Liric. I would recommend these headphones to anyone who is looking for closed-back wired headphones with solid passive noise cancellation and who needs to be able to use their headphones for several hours at a time.
