Meze Audio ARTA

The Meze Audio ARTA is the brand's new summit-level reference, an open-back planar headphone developed over several years with Rinaro Isodynamics and built around a genuinely new transducer. Meze's own framing says it best: ARTA is meant to be experienced rather than explained. Listeners who sat with it at High End Vienna kept reaching for the same phrase, that it no longer sounds like headphones. Type and Technology At the heart of ARTA is the Rinaro MZ5 HΩ, a High Impedance Isodynamic Hybrid Array and the highest-impedance planar magnetic headphone driver made to date. Operating on a high-voltage, low-current principle, it delivers exceptional signal purity, thermal stability, and distortion figures that read more like electronics than headphones. Angled acoustic blades in the open-back grille diffuse rear-wave energy, cutting reflections for cleaner transients and a more natural, open presentation. Sound Character ARTA is voiced warm-neutral, with a speaker-like presentation rather than a headphone one. The soundstage extends well beyond the head, bass carries real physical weight, and instruments occupy their own space with precise imaging. With THD below 0.05% and maximum SPL above 130 dB, dynamics stay clean and effortless from the quietest detail to full scale. Build and Comfort The design is sculptural, an Art Nouveau-meets-bionic fluidity crafted from precision metals, carbon fiber, and leather, hand-assembled in Baia Mare, Romania. Two sets of magnetic ear pads are included: Duo Angled in lambskin and Alcantara for a richer presentation, and Slim Alcantara for a smoother, more neutral balance. At 495 g with a circumaural open-back fit, ARTA is built for long reference sessions, and every component can be fully disassembled, serviced, or replaced. It ships with a 4-year warranty (2 years standard, plus 2 more when registered on My Meze). Note that ARTA's ear pads use a different magnetic system and are not cross-compatible with the Elite or Empyrean series. Best For Listeners assembling a summit-tier desktop system who want a reference open-back with a speaker-like sense of space. ARTA sits above the Meze Elite as an entirely new tier rather than a replacement, and rewards a capable source: pair it with a desktop DAC and a headphone amplifier delivering at least 200 mW into 225 ohms (500 mW or more recommended). Explore the full Meze Audio lineup to compare. What's in the Box ARTA open-back planar headphones (hand-assembled in Baia Mare, Romania) Duo Angled magnetic ear pads (lambskin and Alcantara) Slim Alcantara magnetic ear pads 2 m silver-plated LC-OFC cable, 6.3 mm single-ended 2 m silver-plated LC-OFC cable, 4-pin XLR balanced Specifications Driver Rinaro MZ5 HΩ, High Impedance Isodynamic Hybrid Array Operating principle Open-back, circumaural planar magnetic Sound signature Warm-neutral, speaker-like Impedance 225 ohms Frequency range 3 Hz to 115 kHz Sensitivity 98 dB SPL/mW (at 1 kHz) Maximum SPL Greater than 130 dB SPL THD Less than 0.05% Weight 495 g Input connector Dual 4-pin mini-XLR Recommended amplification 200 mW minimum at 225 ohms; 500 mW or more recommended Included ear pads Duo Angled (lambskin/Alcantara) and Slim Alcantara, magnetic Included cables 2 m silver-plated LC-OFC: 6.3 mm SE and 4-pin XLR balanced Warranty 4 years (2 standard plus 2 with My Meze registration) Handmade in Baia Mare, Romania