Over-Ear
Meze ELITE ALUMINIUM
88Outstanding
$4000
Full review dataMeze ELITE ALUMINIUM vs STAX SR-X9000: which should you buy?
On aggregated review scores the Meze ELITE ALUMINIUM comes out ahead with an HearWiki score of 88. The full breakdown - sub-scores, specs and what reviewers actually said - is below.
Our pick: Meze ELITE ALUMINIUM - Outstanding overall at around $4000.
Over-Ear
STAX SR-X9000
88Outstanding
$5050
Full review dataScore breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
Meze ELITE ALUMINIUM
Sound9.5
Value6.0
STAX SR-X9000
Sound9.5
Value5.0
Specifications
| Spec | Meze ELITE ALUMINIUM | STAX SR-X9000 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Over-Ear | Over-Ear |
| Price (USD) | $4000 | $5050 |
| HearWiki score | 88 / 100 · Outstanding | 88 / 100 · Outstanding |
| Released | 2021 | 2021 |
| Audio | ||
| Driver | Rinaro Isodynamic Hybrid Array | electrostatic |
| Driver size | 102 mm | - |
| Drivers per side | 2 | 2 |
| Frequency response | 3Hz-112kHz | 5Hz-42,000Hz |
| Impedance | 32 Ω | 145000 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 101 dB/mW | - |
| Wireless | ||
| Multipoint pairing | No | No |
| Features | ||
| Active noise cancelling | No | No |
| Design | ||
| Weight | 430 g | 432 g |
| Detachable cable | Yes | - |
What reviewers said
Meze ELITE ALUMINIUM
The Meze Elite is a premium open-back planar headphone that builds on the brand's flagship heritage with a refined, spacious, and highly musical sound. Its aluminum construction and updated driver array deliver strong technical performance, excellent detail retrieval, and a comfortable fit, making it a top-tier choice for audiophiles seeking a luxurious listening experience. While its price point is steep, the combination of craftsmanship, ergonomics, and sonic maturity positions it as a standout in the high-end segment.
- Pro:Exceptional build quality with premium aluminum materials
- Pro:Spacious and immersive soundstage with excellent separation
- Pro:Smooth, musical tuning that remains detailed and dynamic
- Con:Very high price tag limits accessibility
- Con:No ANC or wireless features for a wired-only design
- Con:Potential bass roll-off may not suit bass-heavy listeners
STAX SR-X9000
The STAX SR-X9000 is a top-tier electrostatic headphone that excels at revealing fine detail, ambient cues, and instrumental nuance, delivering an exceptionally transparent and spacious soundstage. It offers outstanding speed, transient response, and realism, making it ideal for classical and spatially demanding music. However, it requires a dedicated energizer/driver unit, pushing the total system cost far beyond the already steep headphone price.
- Pro:Exceptional detail retrieval and transparency
- Pro:Huge, three-dimensional soundstage with precise imaging
- Pro:Fast transient response and realistic timbre
- Con:Requires separate electrostatic driver unit
- Con:Very high total system cost
- Con:No noise cancellation or wireless convenience
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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