105 AER

Just to let you know I bought the Meze 105 aer thanks to your recommendation and a bit of research. They are exactly what I was looking for and I love them so thanks again .

Thanks , exactly the info I was looking for

Meze 105 aer. Great headphones. Super comfortable. Sound is like a 560s with slightly more bass. They're just superb.  And they are easily serviceable if needed

I don't know about the blackshark but I can tell you my experience switching from cloud alpha to 560s. At first the 560s seem to have a lot less bass because of the neutral tuning and open instead of closed back build. The bass punchiness is missing. The sound profile is bright, similar to cloud alpha so I enjoyed the sound from the beginning. It was just perfect, no eq needed  The detail retrieval of the 560s, imaging and soundstage were much better. After using them for about 2 weeks they seem to have more bass. The brain tunes in to the new sound. But I still loved the alphas so after a year of 560s I bought a new pair of alphas (I gave the old one away). But... they did not sound as I remembered :)) Bass was muddy, details were missing, treble was further away. You don't notice so much the upgrade as you notice the downgrade after using the 560s for a while. The 560s are excellent headphones. They have superior soundstage, great detail, great imaging, you hear everything from footsteps to whispers. They are audiophile headphones. People refer to them as mid range probably because they have mid range build quality. But for sound I think they can be considered high end. They can trade blows with the hd600 which are high end. 560s has a wider soundstage and an extended bass response.  Music sounds very good. Voices like Enya, or ballades from Roxette sound divine. I really tried to find a difference between 560s and 600 but apart from soundstage they sounded identically. Same voice, same tonality, same dynamics etc. The velour earpads and open back don't cause much heating. The earpads are bigger than usual, they are lighter than most headphones and are really comfortable. They run just fine on a good motherboard audio or a good usb dongle. No separate dac/amp needed. Beside them getting louder you won't notice a quality or sound difference. I also tested hd599, hd600, meze 99, meze 105aer, beyerdynamics dt770, ananda nano and some I can't remember. In the end the 560s for me is the best pair. With a little bit of desire to also get the 105aer. The reason I gave up my alphas was that the earpad's fake leather broke down and I could not find original replacements. Any other earpad alters the sound dramatically because of different sizes. But the 560s share the same earpad with many other sennheiser models so replacements should be easier to find. Also velour should be more durable than pleather. So yes, at 120 eur they are a best buy. I don't think you could get anything better. 

Secret option #3. Meze 105 AER.

Why not? To my hears it has smoother high end, warmer sound overall, nicer low end, and is levels above in comfort. Build quality also worth mentioning, although the Senn are absolutely well built also.

A lot of good recs here. But as you came from a bassy headphone, maybe you prefer that, so I will say add Meze 105 AER to your shortlist, demo it if you can. I prefer a bassy sound and they suprised me when I tried them. So much so I may get a pair. But one to check either way.

Personally the HD600s doesn't sound great to me either. I am not sure about the hype, but the Meze AER 105 are fantastic in a similar price range.

Personally, I wouldn’t jump from the Sonys to a $500 headphone until you know what you like. I’d recommend starting with the Sennheiser x Drop HD 6XX; they’re on sale right now for $180 and they’re a really, really great pair of audiophile grade headphones for you to see if that’s even something you like. Alternatively, the Hifiman Sundara is under $200 right now and it’s a great example of an entry-level planar magnetic headphone. If you’re committed to going all out, I’d recommend the Meze 105 AER at $399 and a JDS Atom Amp+ for $99. Reviews: - 6XX: https://daemonxar.com/2025/01/27/sennheiser-x-drop-6xx-review-seven-years-in-the-making/ - Sundara: https://daemonxar.com/2025/10/26/hifiman-sundara-a-classic-in-open-back-headphone-design/ - 105 AER: https://daemonxar.com/2025/06/05/meze-105-aer-review-another-great-meze-product/

Skip the Beyerdynamics unless you can listen to them first. They’re … very trebly. If you go that route, buy from somewhere with a good return policy AND get the lowest Ohm version you can find. If you can buy them from someone with a better return policy than Hifiman directly, the Arya Stealth is a great gaming headphone around $500 USD. I prefer the Meze 105 AER and 109 Pro personally for music (warmer tune), but any of those will be great. If you really want closed backs (and it doesn’t sound like you do), the best value on the market is the Fiio FT1, an excellent headphone at any price but currently $160 USD. (Their open back sister the FT1 Pro are also excellent). The closed back upgrade pick is the DCA Aeon Closed. Reviews: - Arya https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/02/02/hifiman-arya-stealth-my-new-favorite-objective-open-back/ - 109 pro https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/02/08/meze-109-pro-review/ - 105 AER https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/06/05/meze-105-aer-review-another-great-meze-product/ - FT1 https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/04/17/the-fiio-ft1-a-truly-excellent-budget-closed-back/

I'd recommend the Meze 109 Pro (used, MSRP is $799) or 105 AER (new, $399); both have a really lovely, buttery, warm character and will compare favorably to Sennheisers as well as probably my favorite aesthetic in hifi AND the most comfortable headphones I own. I bought the 109 for myself as a "job stability is awesome" gift right before I got laid off, and they're hands down my favorite headphone of the 100 or so I have right now. I'd recommend the Focal Elex instead but it's been out of production for years and they're a little challenging to source, but they're basically a super-6XX with incredible vocals. Reviews: 109: [https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/02/08/meze-109-pro-review/](https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/02/08/meze-109-pro-review/) 105: [https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/06/05/meze-105-aer-review-another-great-meze-product/](https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/06/05/meze-105-aer-review-another-great-meze-product/)

Great compliment to each other; VERY different tuning and style. The 105 are much warmer, and better for really everything to my ear except maybe just a hair of resolution and detail (though that might be more a function of the XS' spicy-to-me treble). Better bass, better vocal presentation, and a (to me at least) more pleasant treble response. My XS are with a friend on loan because I won't really use them outside of testing anymore; I'm always going to grab the 105/109/6XX for the kinds of listening I do (or the Arya/HE6se v2 when I'm feeling spicy). But yeah; I'm working on a "I want to spend $x, what should I get" post and a bunch of the middle tiers are going to be a planar paired with a dynamic driver and Meze/Hifiman are a great compare/contrast matchup.

I'd suggest either the Hifiman Arya Stealth or the Meze 105 AER in that price range. Arya is incredibly detailed, the 105 is rich, buttery magic. Reviews: [https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/02/02/hifiman-arya-stealth-my-new-favorite-objective-open-back/](https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/02/02/hifiman-arya-stealth-my-new-favorite-objective-open-back/) [https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/06/05/meze-105-aer-review-another-great-meze-product/](https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/06/05/meze-105-aer-review-another-great-meze-product/)

Great sound quality and ANC? Nothing in that price range (though at $180, where they are regularly on sale, the Airpods Pro 2 qualifies). Good enough sound quality and ANC? Anker Soundcore A40, Beats Studio Buds, Moondrop Space Travel.

It's normal for those headphones, neither of which are particularly great to my ears. I think things like the Fiio FT1 ($160, also a closed back) holds its own against the Airpods Pro 2, but it's the only closed back under $500 that I personally think is worth grabbing over the Pro2. The Pro2 are a REALLY good, well-tuned, resolving headphone. Open-backs are generally going to be better for most use cases and at most price points; they vary a lot, but generally if I'm looking for great sound I'm grabbing open backs before closed backs (with some notable exceptions). If you're in the US, the Drop x Sennheiser 6XX are a great deal around $200 and compete with things up to the $500 range (they're a recoloration of the HD 650, which sell for $400+. If you're not in the US, or you want more bass, I'd recommend the Meze 105 AER at around $400. IEMs can be a great value for headphones, if you can comfortably wear them. For pure sound quality, there are a bunch of IEMs in the $20 range that compete with substantially more expensive headphones for detail retreival. I'd grab a pair of Tangzu Wan'er 2's for $20 to see if they're comfortable for you; they're great headphones at that price. Reviews: \- FT1: [https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/04/17/the-fiio-ft1-a-truly-excellent-budget-closed-back/](https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/04/17/the-fiio-ft1-a-truly-excellent-budget-closed-back/) \- 6XX: [https://daemonxar.com/2025/01/27/sennheiser-x-drop-6xx-review-seven-years-in-the-making/](https://daemonxar.com/2025/01/27/sennheiser-x-drop-6xx-review-seven-years-in-the-making/) \- 105 AER: [https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/06/05/meze-105-aer-review-another-great-meze-product/](https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/06/05/meze-105-aer-review-another-great-meze-product/)

The 109 is my all time favorite headphone, so I'll second this. If you don't want to spend that much, the 105 AER is like 90% of the performance at half the price (but also slightly less comfortable). Full review here: [https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/02/08/meze-109-pro-review/](https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/02/08/meze-109-pro-review/)

I snagged a pairf of used 660S2 last week for $250; no complaints so far. I also really like the Meze 105 AER and 109 Pro for a more bassy-than-neutral performance, but I wouldn't call them bassy like Sony's XMs or Beats. Honestly if you want blow your mind bass, you're probably better off getting a pair of good headphones with decent bass response and compatibility with EQ and applying a big ole bass shelf; anything that's incredibly bassy out of the box is probably going to have a bunch of compromises elsewhere.

So here is my journey. Beyerdynamic MMX330 Pro - Sounded nice but super uncomfortable ROG Kithara - Definitely very analytical sounding but sounded how a hospital looks. The peaks hurt my ears so badly and it sounded very open and empty. Music was not intimate at all Meze Audio 105 AER - Slightly uncomfortable and my left ear would rub against the driver. Sound was good but slightly still sharp and hurt a bit on peaks. sound was good but not mind blowing, as it still felt pretty open and empty Dan Clark Audio Noire X - Had it for about a week now, I think it is the one. Super comfortable, best sounding ive heard, super detailed but not empty, its a closed back but has better positional audio than many open backs. They have some sort of system inside called AMTS that makes it sound similar to an open back in terms of expansiveness but it has the intimacy of a closed back. Its my end game i think. And the ear cups are super deep in the back where my monkey ears need it. But obviously this is a headphone not a headset so you do need a separate mic.