Finding a closed-back headphone that balances premium design, long-term comfort, and audiophile-grade sound is no easy task. In the highly competitive mid-range category, manufacturers are increasingly blurring the line between flagship performance and accessible pricing. The Meze Strada steps into this space as a refined option aimed at listeners who want isolation without sacrificing musicality or craftsmanship. Let’s explore how this closed-back headphone performs in terms of build quality, comfort, and overall sound signature, and whether it earns a place among the best closed-back headphones for serious listening.
What You Get
- Strada headphones
- Hard EVA carrying case
- PU leather cable pouch
- 2x detachable cables
- 1.8m Kevlar OFC 3.5mm
- 1.8m Kevlar OFC 4.4mm
- Quarter-inch adapter
Look & Feel
Meze’s Strada takes on the main design of the Liric and Liric II and brings it to a more mid-budget construction. With its magnesium frame and hand-painted chassis, the Strada maintains the premium feel of Meze’s more expensive headphones, significantly increasing their value. The ear cups are made from a dense Macassar ebony hardwood that has both aesthetic and acoustic properties. Compared to the Liric, the Strada is a bit lighter, and its build doesn’t seem as rigid. However, the Strada still feels like a luxury item, even with its slashed price. In terms of fit, the Strada is as comfortable to wear as the Liric, with its wide open cups, plush cushions, and adjustable headband making long listening sessions a breeze. There’s no pinch, and the headphones are allowed to just sit on your head naturally without any additional pressure.
Design
The Strada uses the same 50mm dynamic driver that Meze’s 109 Pro uses. This driver is returned for its closed-back performance, now sporting other components like a W-shaped composite dome (carbon fiber–reinforced cellulose), a beryllium-coated Torus for improved stiffness and transient control, and a copper-zinc alloy stabilizer that helps absorb vibrations. It has a low impedance, but a moderately high sensitivity, so a good DAC/amp is recommended. I used a Chord Mojo 2 and Fiio QX13 for most of the sound analysis of this review.
- Frequency Range: 5 Hz – 30 kHz
- Impedance: 40 Ω
- Sensitivity: 112 dB SPL/mW at 1 kHz
Soundstage
There are times when the Strada’s soundstage achieves incredible width, and other times when the spatial imaging seems oddly narrow. It’s a very track-dependent response, which gives the Strada a reliable presentation in terms of spatial accuracy. It really depends on the recording whether or not the Strada can expand the soundstage in any significant way. Certain tracks bring out the extensive left-right channel separation, spreading the sound wide, while others center the imaging on height. Both characteristics never quite come together, but there are still consistent qualities that give the Strada a great display.
Instrument separation is very clean, no matter what you’re listening to. Everything is well localized and appears full in its dedicated space. It adheres to a standard level of accuracy with good movement across the stereo field. It’s an immersive space for a closed-back headphone, spreading out instruments all around your head while holding everything in place with clear barriers.
Low End
The Strada has a layered bass resposne that is well balanced and refined. I think most listeners will find this tone to be pretty soft, but the Strada is very dynamic with its low end. Nothing ever punches forward, but there’s a deep layer of sub-bass that is persistent. It’s a very soft and relaxed tone, but you still get a sense of clarity in this bass even with a reserved, neutral timbre. The initial strike on bass notes is quieted, but their presence is still well individualized in the mix. Even with this lean resposne, the Strada is still able to showcase clear power and evenness with its low-end frequency content.
Mids
The midrange is where the Strada establishes its main profile. While clean in timbre and detailed in organization, everything feels very relaxed. It balances itself really well with the bass, but like those frequencies, I don’t get a ton of excitement with the mids. Instruments still sound physical in the mix, and the Strada establishes a lot of room so that the midrange can breathe properly. However, no matter how clear the instruments are, they lack a proper snap to them.
Transients never reproduce any significant velocity, making certain genres come across as slow. If you’re listening to more mellow music genres, then the Strada will really come into its own as far as the mids go. It makes up for its lack of energy with some great resolve, making clean strings and percussive elements appear like they’re being played around you. Everything is smooth and easy-going, which helps complement certain arrangements but isn’t exactly dynamic.
Highs
While the highs have a good presence to them, they share the same laid-back presentation as the rest of the sound signature. This sonic character works well for the treble tone, as harshness is virtually non-existent, allowing for a smoother reproduction of high-end detail. The mid-treble has an impressive bloom that heats up and brings liveliness to the sound signature while keeping the brightness under control. This results in a small tinge of glimmer from cymbals and high notes on a mandolin. It’s a very tight resposne, though, so the highs don’t display a lot of height, and reverb tails don’t taper off ethereally.
Summary
The Meze Strada is a headphone built for listeners who value refinement, comfort, and tonal balance over sheer impact or aggressive tuning. Its elegant construction, plush fit, and thoughtful driver engineering make it one of the more luxurious closed-back headphones in the mid-budget category. Sonically, the Strada delivers a relaxed and spacious presentation with clean imaging, layered bass, and smooth, fatigue-free highs, making it an excellent companion for long listening sessions and mellow genres. While it may not satisfy listeners’ craving for fast transients or hard-hitting dynamics, the Strada succeeds as a beautifully crafted, musically coherent closed-back headphone that carries Meze’s design philosophy forward in a more accessible form.
The Meze Audio Strada is available at Audio46.
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