Meze Audio Poet review: Not a Laureate candidate
Audiophile brand Meze Audio has a number of headphones beloved by the community, so when it released a set of headphones slightly less expensive than its halo options, many took notice. But how good is the Meze Audio Poet? I took it through the lab and an extended listen to find out.
Who are the Meze Audio Poet for?
The Meze Audio Poet is for audiophiles with very deep pockets, and a strong desire for a set piece at their desk or listening station.
How has this article been updated?
This article was published on December 9, 2025, and this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.
What’s it like to use the Meze Audio Poet?
The Meze Audio Poet is a rather hefty (405g) set of over-ear headphones with a metal and leather build. The Poet has open backs, with a rather stylized grille on each ear cup that does a good job hiding that fact. It sort of looks like a luxury handbag pattern in a way. The headphones have a suspended band design with extremely deep ear pads and very large, ovoid ear cups.
The Meze Audio Poet is a rather straightforward — if very pretty — set of headphones.
Because of the high mass, you may find that long listening sessions become tough on your neck unless you have an excellent fit. Even then, you may want to take some pressure off by reclining in a high-backed chair. While the padding does take the pressure off your head, the overall weight can stress your neck a bit if you’re not accustomed to it.
Included in the packaging is a travel case for the Meze Audio Poet, though it’s unlikely you’ll be taking these monsters out on the town or to someone else’s house. Keeping these cans in this case will allow you to keep them dust-free and clean, but you might want to leave these on a stand instead in order to show them off. These cans belong at home next to a listening station or your computer, as they’re designed to be used in a low-noise environment with a comfy chair.
The hardshell case is a great place to store the Poet for later.
The ear pads can easily be popped off for gentle cleaning, as they’re held in place by magnets rather than flimsy plastic arms and latches. Doing so reveals the metamaterial grille that alters the frequency response of the headphones somewhat, with the Rinaro isodynamic hybrid array drivers behind it. This is quite similar to the drivers of the Meze Audio Liric, and Meze Audio clearly believes that this strategy is the right one to handle their requirements for high-end headphones. It certainly has a lot going for it, but there are very few other headphones out there with this kind of driver outside of very niche applications. That doesn’t mean that there’s something off about them — quite the contrary — but it definitely seems to be limited to very expensive headphones.
How does the Meze Audio Poet connect?
Because the Meze Audio Poet connects to analog sources via a 6.3mm (1/4″) TRS plug, you’ll need an adapter if your source has a 3.5mm jack. This, in and of itself, isn’t a huge deal — but it is something to be aware of. This cable is detachable, so in theory you could get a replacement fairly easily, provided the replacement’s housings fit within the recesses in the headphones where the cable terminates.
The removable cable plugs into angled ports on the bottom of each ear cup. Remember kids, “red” means “right.”
Another thing is the power requirements. With an impedance of 55Ω and a sensitivity of 101dB/mW, you shouldn’t need a lot of juice to get the Poet working as intended. However, there’s a catch. Where most contemporary interfaces and amps have a lower output impedance, the headphones have an odd impedance profile that doesn’t play well with tube or older amps with a high output impedance. Most people will never notice or give a damn, but if you find that treble is extremely quiet, this may be your issue. If you’ve got the kind of dough to blow on these headphones, it should be trivial to get an amp with the correct specifications (i.e., low output impedance).
How well do the Meze Audio Poet block out noise?
Unsurprisingly, the Meze Audio Poet is a relatively poor isolator because… well… it’s not trying to isolate you from your surroundings as much as it is just trying to sound good. While I don’t see people walking around with these headphones on their noggins, I definitely think that the Meze Audio Poet is going to live on computer desks and listening stations almost exclusively. Consequently, isolation shouldn’t matter a ton at home.
Though it looks like a closed-back set of headphones, the Meze Audio Poet isn’t — so be ready for poor isolation.
Just remember that because these headphones are open-backed, anyone around you should be able to hear what you’re listening to if the level is loud enough. If this bothers you, you may be better off looking for closed-back options like the Meze Audio Liric intead.
How do the Meze Audio Poet sound?
The sound of the Meze Audio Poet will be well-received by most, but there’s enough for audiophiles to gripe about that it’s worth hashing out. The Meze Audio Poet does sound good, but I get the feeling that many will elect to equalize the headphones a little bit to achieve the results audiophiles want out of $2000 headphones.
Reviewer’s notes
Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.
Can you use the Meze Audio Poet for phone calls?
The Meze Audio Poet does not have a microphone in its cable by default, so you cannot use it for phone calls unless you’re using an external mic.
Should you buy the Meze Audio Poet?
The ear pads are quite deep, which is good.
If you’re researching the Meze Audio Poet, you’re not looking for something to do it all, and the question of whether or not the headphones are worth your time can only be answered by trying them on yourself. The sound is quite a little… editorialized, but it’s by no means bad. You will, however, eventually get the itch to equalize these headphones, which is mercifully easy to do because they take to it fairly well. The Meze Audio Poet is definitely a product reminiscent of Meze Audio’s other isodynamic driver offerings, but more affordable and a little rougher around the edges. Still, it’s a credible set piece for anyone looking for a showstopper item for their desk, and it definitely will turn heads.
If you want a tool that requires a little bit of tinkering to make it your own, the Meze Audio Poet is a reasonable option for those with a ton of money. However, it won’t be a good buy for those looking for the best audio quality out of the box and don’t care much for aesthetics. But that’s to be expected, as this product is very much aimed at enthusiasts and not the general buyer. I liken the Poet more to a car that you tinker with on your off time rather than drive it every day. Sure, it’s a treat to see the fruits of your labor — but you’re not going to be taking it out for a spin in just any occasion.
Meze Audio Poet review: FAQs
