I equate Meze Audio's Poet to a performer who understands, who practices great restraint. They’ve the facility and knowledge to impress with chops, but rarely do so if it doesn’t serve the song. This is the highest praise I can offer. I may be wrong, but I think it'll be some time before I hear another headphone I enjoy more.
I'm currently sitting with Meze's middleweight open-back planar magnetic headphone (full report incoming on HG), and this bit above was the last note I scribbled. It brought me back, again, to something that's been on my mind for some time. Some have offered that the Poet is less accomplished than it's more resolving siblings, simply based on its tuning. Ultimately, I find this thinking upside-down. This is the high-end of personal audio, where the majority of headphones (including the Poet) in this price range ($2k-$5k) display incredible measured performance.
Music. Any truth on offer is in its expression, not the mechanics. Dissection kills its subject. That extreme transparency and resolution have become the ultimate measure for the mainstream is no surprise. Within a larger culture obsessed with seeking truth through simulation, this makes sense. No judgment from this listener, but perhaps its time to consider another approach.
Here's to leaning back.
