Over-Ear
Meze ELITE TUNGSTEN
88Outstanding
$3999
Full review dataMeze ELITE TUNGSTEN vs STAX SR-X9000: which should you buy?
On aggregated review scores the Meze ELITE TUNGSTEN 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 TUNGSTEN - Outstanding overall at around $3999.
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 TUNGSTEN
Sound9.0
Value6.5
STAX SR-X9000
Sound9.5
Value5.0
Specifications
| Spec | Meze ELITE TUNGSTEN | STAX SR-X9000 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Over-Ear | Over-Ear |
| Price (USD) | $3999 | $5050 |
| HearWiki score | 88 / 100 · Outstanding | 88 / 100 · Outstanding |
| Released | 2023 | 2021 |
| Audio | ||
| Driver | Rinaro Isodynamic Hybrid Array® | electrostatic |
| Driver size | 102 mm | - |
| Drivers per side | 1 | 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 | 433 g | 432 g |
| USB-C | No | - |
What reviewers said
Meze ELITE TUNGSTEN
The Meze Elite Tungsten is an open-back planar flagship that stands out for its unusually easy drivability in its class, pairing moderate impedance with high sensitivity so it doesn't demand extreme amplifiers. Its 102mm Rinaro Isodynamic driver delivers a wide frequency response, low distortion, and a musically engaging, detailed sound, all wrapped in a premium, meticulously crafted build. While it performs well from modest sources, pairing it with a clean, powerful amp unlocks its full technical potential.
- Pro:Easy to drive for a planar flagship, works with a wide range of amps
- Pro:Exceptional build quality and premium materials
- Pro:Very low distortion with high maximum output capability
- Con:Expensive at around $4000, limiting accessibility
- Con:Sound quality scales notably with high-end amplification, so budget setups may underperform
- Con:No wireless or ANC features, purely wired design
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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