Meze Audio has announced the release of STRADA, a new closed‑back dynamic headphone engineered for tonal balance, musical intimacy, and long‑term comfort. Built around the advanced driver first introduced in the award‑winning 109 PRO, STRADA refines that architecture for a sealed environment, delivering a full‑bodied, controlled, and effortlessly detailed listening experience.
“STRADA is designed to create a sound that feels instantly magnetic and memorable, a love‑at‑first‑listen experience,” says Alex Balazsi, Acoustic Engineer at Meze Audio.
At the heart of STRADA is Meze’s 50 mm dynamic driver, originally developed for the 109 PRO and now tuned specifically for the acoustic demands of a closed‑back chamber. The goal, says Meze was to preserve the driver’s natural character while enhancing control, isolation, and spatial definition.
The W‑shaped dome is crafted from a carbon fiber‑reinforced cellulose composite, chosen for its exceptional stiffness‑to‑weight ratio. This material reduces resonances and harmonic distortion while enabling the driver to reproduce high frequencies with remarkable clarity and texture.
Surrounding the dome is a beryllium‑coated semicrystalline polymer torus, applied using Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD). This process increases stiffness and durability without adding mass, resulting in faster transient response and improved control. Precisely angled grooves (45.5°) further enhance damping and resonance suppression, contributing to STRADA’s vivid, transparent character. A copper‑zinc alloy stabilizer encircles the membrane to absorb vibrations and reduce distortion even further.
STRADA’s sealed architecture delivers excellent noise isolation while maintaining a natural sense of openness and spatial depth. The tuning emphasizes control and precision.
STRADA inherits the ergonomic foundation of Meze’s LIRIC chassis, combining lightweight construction with a consistent, comfortable seal. Key design elements include:
- Deep memory‑foam ear pads with PU leather exterior and Alcantara‑lined inner chamber
- Smooth, click‑free adjustment rods
- Magnetic ear pad mounting system for easy serviceability
- Macassar ebony ear cup covers for a rich, organic aesthetic
- Hand‑painted magnesium frame finished in a deep metallic green, applied in four meticulous layers by Meze’s in‑house artisans
Every component of STRADA is designed for durability, modularity, and long‑term ownership. From the resilient frame to the removable parts, Meze’s construction philosophy ensures the headphone can be maintained, repaired, and enjoyed for generations.
Specifications
- Driver: 50 mm dynamic
- Impedance: 40 Ω
- Sensitivity: 111 dB SPL/mW at 1 kHz
- Frequency Range: 5 Hz – 30 kHz
- THD: <0.1% at 1 kHz
- Weight: 330 g
- Input Connector: Dual 3.5 mm TS
- Ear Cup Covers: Macassar Ebony, a heavy dense hardwood
- Frame: Magnesium
STRADA will be exclusively available through Erikson Consumer MSRP: $1200.00 CDN