Meze Audio POET

Meze Audio POET

Open-back planar headphone with the Rinaro MZ6 driver – the Elite’s driver technology in a more compact form

The POET is Meze Audio’s compact open-back planar headphone. It was launched in February 2025 and sits between the closed-back Liric II and the Empyrean II in the Meze range. In Meze’s own words, the aim was a smaller open-back planar that comes close to the flagships in sound. Rinaro Isodynamics developed a dedicated driver for it, the MZ6, a synthesis of the Liric’s MZ4 and the Elite’s MZ3SE.

The look is unmistakably Meze: a magnesium chassis, a steel grille in a copper tone and a titanium alloy headband with a suede headrest. The press liked the POET. Among other awards it won the EISA Award 2025-2026 as premium headphone, the hi-fi+ Award 2026 and the T3 Award 2026 for best wired headphones.

The driver: Rinaro MZ6

The MZ6 is oval, measures 92 × 63 mm and weighs 73 g. Its Parus diaphragm weighs just 0.06 g with an active area of 3,507 mm². The neodymium magnets sit symmetrically on both sides of the diaphragm. As in the Elite, the conductor traces are split in two: a switchback pattern in the upper part for the bass and a spiral pattern directly in front of the ear canal for mids and highs. Rinaro assembles and tests every driver by hand in Ukraine.

It also uses AMTS (Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System), which Meze licenses from Dan Clark Audio. A metal part covers some of the openings in the driver frame and so attenuates peaks in the treble. Meze describes the sound as airy in the vocals, precise in the bass and natural in tonality, with a subtle sparkle in the highs.

Chassis, headband and pads

At 405 g the POET sits between the Empyrean II (385 g) and the Elite (430 g), so it is not a lightweight. The weight is carried by a titanium alloy frame with a wide suede headrest. You adjust the size with rods on the yokes. The whole headphone can be taken apart, and every part can be replaced individually. Meze gives a 2-year warranty.

The ear pads attach magnetically, as on the second-generation Liric. They are made of memory foam, covered in PU leather on the outside and Alcantara on the inside. Meze sells replacement pads separately.

Which amplifier suits it?

With 55 Ω and 101 dB/mW the POET is easy to drive. For 110 dB peaks it needs around 8 mW, which even a good USB DAC with a headphone output can deliver. It does not need a powerful amplifier.

The output impedance matters more. The POET’s impedance curve is not flat, because part of the tuning is done passively. According to measurements by headphones.com and SoundGuys, it audibly loses treble on amplifiers with a high output impedance, such as many tube amplifiers. It sounds most neutral on amplifiers with a low output impedance, for example the RME ADI-2/4 Pro EX or the Ferrum Erco 2.

The POET comes with one cable with a 6.3 mm plug. A balanced cable is not included. For balanced use there is the Meze copper cable with 4.4 mm or XLR, and our Arachne cable in Red Panther. Both have the matching 2 × 3.5 mm plugs on the headphone side.

What the press says

SoundStage! Solo, September 2025 – Reviewers’ Choice

A perfect score for sound: the reviewer describes a wide-open presentation, extended treble, deep and linear bass and very lifelike transients. The missing balanced cable is criticised.

Headfonics, March 2025

A smooth, balanced and relaxed tuning, closest in character to the original Empyrean. Easy to drive. The stage is tall and deep, but narrower than on the Elite and the Empyrean II.

TechRadar, June 2025 – 4.5 out of 5

Superbly built, with excellent instrument separation and fast transients. The reviewer finds the stage a little close.

T3, February 2026 – 5 out of 5

Neutral, detailed and with a large, well-defined stage. Comfortable despite the weight, though the frame is large for very small heads.

Who is the POET for?

For anyone looking for an open-back planar headphone with the Elite’s driver technology at a lower price, listening on a solid-state amplifier or a good DAC with a headphone output. If a very wide stage is your priority, compare the Elite and the Empyrean II. If you mostly listen on tube amplifiers with a high output impedance, a dynamic headphone is usually the better match.

In the box

• Meze Audio POET
• Cable, 2.5 m, Furukawa PCUHD copper, 2 × 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm
• PU leather cable pouch
• Hard case with foam inserts

Technical specifications