Short answer: the Meze Elite, though neither ranks well in its class. Both are rated 2.7/5 for sound quality (#397 and #396 of 481 over-ear headphones), and the Meze Elite costs $4,000 against $4,999.95 for the Yamaha YH-5000SE, and with sound quality even, the cheaper one is the better buy. Both are rated below 3.0/5 among the 481 over-ear headphones, so if sound quality matters, consider the Dan Clark Audio E3 instead, ranked #1 at $2,299.
Why pick the Meze Elite: Lower mids sit within about 0.5 dB of target, keeping voices and guitars natural. Watch for: Presence sits about 5.2 dB low with a 14.4 dB dip near 9.7 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite.
Why pick the Yamaha YH-5000SE: The open back planar magnetic driver has a 34 ohm, 98 dB/mW load that a phone or small dongle can drive. The catch: In oratory1990’s measurement a deep 16.7 dB dip near 2.75 kHz and a presence band 6.9 dB under target push vocals and lead instruments far back, for a preference score of 52 with 3.88 dB of deviation.
Buy the Meze Elite. Both are rated the same for sound quality, and it costs $999.95 less than the Yamaha YH-5000SE.
Still deciding? The full Headphones rankings cover every ranked option.
Lower mids sit within about 0.5 dB of target, keeping voices and guitars natural.
Headphones.com $4,000.00 eBay
The open back planar magnetic driver has a 34 ohm, 98 dB/mW load that a phone or small dongle can drive.
Amazon $4,999.95 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Meze Elite | Yamaha YH-5000SE | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4,000.00 | $4,999.95 |
| Ranked | #397 of 481 in Over-Ear Headphones | #396 of 481 in Over-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | Over-ear | Over-ear |
| Back | Open | Open |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Planar magnetic | Planar magnetic |
| Drivers | 1 x 102 x 73mm planar magnetic | 1 x planar magnetic (Orthodynamic) |
| Impedance | 32 ohms | 34 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 101 dB/mW | 98 dB/mW |
| Frequency Response | 3Hz - 112kHz | 5Hz - 70kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Weight | 0.8 lbs (372 g) | 0.7 lbs (320 g) |
| Harman Preference Score | 52 (median of 5 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 52 (measured by oratory1990, via AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 3.31 dB standard deviation | 3.88 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -1.34 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.90 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Falls 6 dB below target at 38 Hz (-6.3 dB at 30 Hz) | Falls 6 dB below target at 27 Hz (-5.4 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Built-in Microphone | - | No |
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