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Being an audiophile is not an affordable venture. If you want to be a true audiophile, get ready to see headphones that cost upwards of $1,000 at the least. If you think that going for IEMs (in-ear monitors) will let you escape the high prices, you’d be mistaken. There are some monitors that may as well come with a second mortgage on your house attached. So, when a company like Meze Audio showcases a pair of high-quality IEMs for only $159, you take notice quickly. I was given the opportunity to review the new Meze Audio ALBA.
The audiophile industry is just like any other. If you want better quality, you often need to pay more money. So, if you shell out more money, you’d expect some level of quality, but it’s not always cut-and-dry like that. There are companies out there that charge you a premium just because they can. Sure, their headphones might have a metal design or some special drivers that warp time and space to give you .002% crisper audio. However, they’d cost $20,000 when they perform on the level of $1,000 headphones.
Guess what, we also see the opposite. We see companies offering headphones that can go up against pairs twice or three times their price. They bring the audiophile experience down to a more manageable price point. These are the companies that often go unnoticed by the masses. Most companies overcharging for their headphones do so because their name carries a ton of weight.
Meze Audio might not be as popular as Sennheiser, but should it? Let’s find out in this review.
Table of Contents
Meze Audio ALBA Review: Design
A set of IEMs isn’t like a smartphone; you’re not looking at them as often. So, you wouldn’t think that the design matters all that much, but it’s still nice having a good-looking set of IEMs in your ear. This is why companies spend so much time perfecting the shape and overall design of their products.
The ALBA are shaped like no other IEMs I’ve ever seen. They have an all-around curvy aesthetic to them that I like. They manage to stand apart from some of the other IEMs currently on the market. The monitors have this pleasing irregular shape to them which really makes the design sick out.
I’d say that one of the main defining features of these IEMs is the hole in the middle. There’s a circle in the middle that gently curves downward. It has the text “Meze Audio. Designed in Baia Mare” circling it. It’s hard to describe how I feel about this design feature. It’s one of those design features, that are weird, but they add so much character to the overall design. I’ve never seen anything like it before, and it makes the design stand out.
The overall color aesthetic of these IEMs is absolutely gorgeous. The main body of each monitor has a white, almost pearlescent color to it. It’s super slick, and it’s actually glittery. When I catch it in the right light, I can see speckles dotted throughout.
This color is only made better by the silver accents. There’s a silver ring around the cord port, the hole in the middle is silver, and the part that holds the ear tip is silver. This gives these IEMs a beautiful two-tone look to them.
Rounding out the look, there’s the Meze Audio logo printed on the side of each bud.
Don’t forget the cord
The look of the Meze Audio ALBA doesn’t stop at the buds. These come with a detachable cord, and it’s a sight itself. The wires themselves are coated in a silver lining, and they’re encased in a clear plastic housing. The wires coming from the left and right bud twist until they meet in the middle. After that, they take on this complicated braided pattern until they meet the tip.
The clear and silver cord, coupled with the white and silver look of the actual monitors gives the ALBA this cool and pristine look. It’s not the kind of squeaky-clean aesthetic that we associate with Apple. It’s more robust. There’s more of a “show-offy” and rebellious look to them that I really like.
Overall
I think the design of the ALBA is pretty eccentric and design, and that’s the beauty of it. Meze isn’t afraid to be just a bit odd with its design. The company knows how to make a handsome pair of IEMs, and I think that it struck gold with this design. The ALBA aren’t the company’s only IEMs with this shape. We also see this design with the ADVAR, albeit with a different color scheme. In any case, the ALBA are a beautiful-looking pair of IEMs.
Meze Audio ALBA Review: Build Quality
Just like the design, the build quality of a pair of IEMs isn’t as appreciated as much as a phone’s. All of the typical store-shelf headphones and earbuds that I’ve owned were made from plastic, and that was good enough. However, how long do companies plan on you keeping those devices? I can say that I’ve never kept a pair of cheap headphones more than maybe a year and a half. They’re not meant to last you for years.
When you’re talking about audiophile-grade tech, you’re talking about a completely different kind of product. Premium companies design their products to last you years and years. Thus, when it comes to professional and audiophile equipment, plastic parts give way to metal.
This is what happened with the Meze Audio ALBA. When I pick up these IEMs, my hand is greeted with the cool feeling of metal. These monitors are composed of both zinc and anodized aluminum parts. This makes them lightweight while extremely sturdy. While earbuds are small, enough falls can shake something loose or cause the casing to crack. However, the ALBA are designed to take all kinds of abuse and keep going, and I can feel that.
The difference between these IEMs and typical earbuds can be felt. They’re a little bit heavier in the hand. It’s a slight difference, but when you’re talking about devices as small as these, every ounce or gram of difference means a lot. The ALBA sit rather heavy in the hand. This lets me know that they’re made from quality materials. I feel secure when using them. I know if one happens to fall to the ground, I won’t have to worry about getting a new pair of IEMs.
The same thing goes for the caps around the 3.5mm plug and the dongle. These are all made from metal. Everything about these IEMs just feels premium, and that brings some great peace of mind.
The cord will last
Moving onto the actual cord, it also feels sturdy. The braided design of the cord minimizes the wear and tear you get from bending it. The cord will be bent at certain angles; that’s inevitable. However, it’s designed so that the cord doesn’t bend so drastically. This only lets me know that I’m going to be using these IEMs for quite some time, as Meze Audio gave me a spare cord.
Overall
The ALBA aren’t up there in price compared to other audiophile products, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t feel that way. I feel like I’m grabbing a pair of quality IEMs every time I pick them up. I have no complaints about these monitors at all when it comes to the build quality.
Meze Audio ALBA Review: Audio Quality Part 1
Now, we’ve reached that part of the review. Sure, the design and feeling in the hand are nice, but what about the sound? This is usually a pretty tough question to ask, as everyone listens to different types of music. So, I’ll be taking a two-pronged approach to this section.
First, I’ll be taking a pretty clinical approach to the audio quality. I’ll be talking about different aspects of sound. In the next section, I’ll be going through my experience with some of my favorite songs that I listen to. That will be a more personal approach to the audio quality. So, let’s talk about the different aspects of the sound.
Details
These IEMs have a damn fine-tuned set of drivers because the sound is incredibly detailed. I’ve reviewed many pairs of earbuds as a reviewer, and not of them reached the level of detail that I hear with the ALBA. I reviewed the Beyerdynamic FREE BYRD, and I think that the ALBA blow them out of the water in terms of detail. The FREE BYRD cost almost twice as much as the ALBA.
Everything is so crisp. I can hear every fine detail of each instrument being played. I can hear all of the subtle details in a person’s voice. The difference between these IEMs and more consumer-focused earbuds is the difference between just hearing a person playing a Double Bass and hearing the subtle grit of the bow grinding against the string. There’s just another level of detail that I hear with these.
I think that Meze Audio achieved this level of detail with a tasteful boost in the higher tones. There’s just a bit more attention paid to the higher tones than typical earbuds.
Will the sound be as detailed as a pair of $600 IEMs, not likely. However, the ALBA aren’t far off from IEMs that are a couple hundred dollars more than they are.
High tones
Speaking of the high tones, Meze Audio reached a nice balance with the higher tones. You want to have a nice amount of treble in your audio, but it’s tricky, as too much can make the audio sound shrill. Once that happens, I find that it causes the ears to become fatigued easily. This causes you to take the headphones off just for a break. What’s the point of using headphones that you want to take off?
With the ALBA, I hear a nice amount of treble in the sound, which adds to the overall experience. It makes voices stand out and it also adds to the overall detail of the sound.
I don’t think that it sounds shrill, but there are some songs that come close to that point. It’s mostly with 80s music, I think. I hear a lot of emphasis on high tones with 80s music. Gotta love those twinkly 80s synths and synthetic horns! My ears don’t feel fatigued, but I found myself turning the volume down a level or two at points.
Like I said, Meze Audio paid some attention to the higher tones, and it shows. There are some headphones where it was evident that the company didn’t really take the time to perfect the higher tones. I felt that way when I reviewed the Edifier Neo Buds S back in 2022.
I’d say that the treble in the ALBA is exceptional.
Bass
I feel like this is the only part of the sound that I wasn’t blown away with. Firstly, a little about me, I HATE when companies boost the bass of their audio to the point where it sounds muddy. I know that a lot of modern music is more bass-heavy with big bassy thumps. Many modern audio companies make their equipment to appeal to people who listen to that music. While it’s good for that kind of music, again, it makes the sound come out muddy.
So I appreciate it when companies are more cautious about how much bass they add to their sound. That being said, I think that the ALBA could stand for just a bit more bass. I would listen to some songs that have deep and warm bass, but I just wouldn’t hear it with the ALBA. It would wind up sounding pretty light.
It would hinder the experience just a bit, to be honest. I would have liked to have just a bit more bass to really tie the experience together. It would make the overall listening experience just a bit more immersive.
Mids
Just like any part of the sound spectrum, if the mids are too strong, it can throw off the whole listening experience. When the mids are too much, the audio can sound cluttered. When you’re listening to music, you want to feel like you’re in the middle of the action but not like you’re being smothered.
Just like the high tones, the mids were kept well in check. The audio overall was nice and spacious, so the mids were nicely balanced.
When it comes to the overall balance between the bass, mids, and treble, I think that the audio is pretty well-balanced. The bass is definitely weak, I can’t forget about that. However, Meze Audio didn’t compensate by making any other aspect of the audio too powerful.
Sound stage
One thing that really got me with these IEMs is the sound stage. I think that it’s great. One way I got a good idea of these IEMs’ sound stage is by listening to orchestral music. Each section is arranged in a specific spot. Well, I can get a good idea of where each section is situated just by closing my eyes and listening.
I can really hear the instruments in 3D space, and that adds to the overall immersion. Instruments that are far from the microphones sound far, and instruments that are close sound like they’re right next to my ears.
Overall
Looking at the different aspects of the audio separately, these IEMs excel. They have a fantastic and engaging sound that I rather enjoy. They produce a clean and detailed sound that I haven’t heard from any other wearable equipment I’ve ever used. The sound is detailed, spacious, and encompassing.
The only thing that I would have liked to hear was a little more bass in the sound. Not too much as to make it sound muddy, but just enough to hug the ears just a bit more.
EQ recommendation
While I like the sound out of the box, I did throw an EQ on my phone and computer to help add a bit more bass to the sound. Of course, I conducted the testing for this review without the EQ, so I’m judging them based on their out-of-the-box experience.
However, for my casual listening, I actually use a nine-band EQ on my computer called FXSound (available on the Windows Store). This EQ allows you to set the frequency of each band with single Hz precision.
The bands and settings are 120Hz(+3dB), 250Hz (+2dB), 410Hz (+0dB), 630Hz (-1dB), 1.25kHz (-3dB), 2.7kHz (+0dB), 5.3kHz (+0dB), 7.5kHz (+3dB), and 13kHz (+4dB). I think that helps add some bass to the sound and gives the sound a dramatic characteristic.
Meze Audio ALBA Review: Audio Quality Part 2
In this section of the review, I’ll be picking a selection of songs that I think cover a wide range of audio, and I’ll recount my experience with listening to them. These are songs that I listen to often, so this will be a snapshot of my day-to-day experience with listening to the Meze ALBA.
“She’s Gone” by Hall & Oates (1973)
This song, along with being amazing, feels to sum up that character that a lot of 70s music has. It’s rather warm and mellow with enough strings and electric bass. The warmth of the song overall helps pick up some of the bass that the ALBA are missing.
The sound stage overall plays well with this song. There’s a high hat that sounds so crisp and clean. It sounds like it’s right next to my ear.
I think that this is another great song to test these IEMs’ vocal performance. Daryl Hall and John Oates are singing an octave apart. So, we hear both low and high voices, and they both sound amazing. All of the voices project rather nicely, and I can hear some great details in them.
Later on in the song when the energy really picks up, after modulating twice, everything sounds absolutely beautiful. Nothing sounds too loud or out of place.
“This Is It” by Kenny Loggins (1979)
Moving onto the late 70s, this song has more of an emphasis on high-pitched percussion with several cymbals and maracas throughout. Again, they all sound crisp and amazing.
The bass is a little crunchier than in the Hall & Oates song, but it still has some depth. The sound is nice and warm. The overall sound stage remains spacious and clear.
As for Kenny Loggins’ and Michael McDonald’s voices, they all sound amazing. Again, I can hear some amazing detail in their voices. Everything comes together to create a beautiful sound.
“You Win Again” by The BeeGees (1987)
Now, let’s jump into the 80s. Things changed immensely in this era. Overall, I think that the sound became more high-pitched and crunchy, at least in the pop music space. One thing I noticed is that the basses used were much crunchier than what we heard in the 70s.
This next song is a great one to test out the punch. If you’re familiar with this song, you know about the bombastic crashing percussion that pervades the song. It’s the first thing you hear. Also, there’s a fair bit of higher synth along with some acoustic guitar.
The first thing that stuck out to me was the sound stage. The crashy percussion was loud, but it didn’t feel like it was cluttering the sound. It sounded like it was happening in 3D space rather than right at my ears.
As expected, there wasn’t much bass to the sound, and I felt that some of the higher tones overtook the sound just a bit. It felt just a bit cluttered around the higher mids. This is a situation when I think the EQ would help even out the sound.
The great details and sound stage really carry this song… along with the fact that it’s just an amazing song.
“Feelings of Forever” by Tiffany (1987)
Moving onto a song from the same year, this song focuses on a deeper and more intimate sound. So, there’s a bit more low-end than the BeeGees’ song. While that’s the case, it still has the 80s pop shenanigans like high synth and electric drums.
The bass is deeper and more spacious than You Win Again, and it plays well with these IEMs. Once the chorus picks up, the sound really envelops the ears in a pleasing way. It hits a bit of a sweet spot that picks up for the lacking bass performance of the IEMs.
Again, amazing sound stage. One reason I chose a Tiffany song is that the singer has a pleasingly raspy voice. And, the ALBA are able to convey that nicely. I can hear great details in her voice.
“All I Ask” by Kenny Loggins (1997)
Moving back to Kenny Loggins, but in a different decade, we have some deep (and I mean DEEP) and warm R&B. In the 90s, the music industry brought back much of the warmth that we lost in the 80s, and that’s represented by the synthetic basses that we heard.
In the case of this song, it has a very warm and earthy sound to it. That represents the sound of the album as a whole. There’s some extreme bass in this song, and it’s able to really push these IEMs to their limit. The bass sounds warm and pleasant. It’s encompassing, but it still doesn’t smother me. There’s still some distance with it and all of the other components of the song.
Everything else that I mentioned comes into play here: the sound stage, vocal performance, and detailed sound.
“Magnetized” by Jonny Hates Jazz (2013)
Now, for a more modern song. This is a pretty energetic song, but it’s rather engaging. Overall, I feel like the sound profile of more modern songs has a balance between warmth and high-pitched audio. I think that it’s somewhere between 70s music and 80s music.
I can hear that balance with these IEMs, and I think that it reaches a nice sweet spot for the ALBA. There’s a good amount of bass, mids, and highs. As always, the great sound stage, vocal performance, and details work to make the music sound great.
Overall
The Meze Audio ALBA produce an amazing sound. It’s absolutely beautiful, and they play well with a wide range of music. Depending on the genre, the lack of strong bass can be felt more than with some others. However, the other factors help to compensate and create an amazing listening experience.
Meze Audio ALBA Review: Gripes
There are a few little things with these IEMs that didn’t quite sit well with me, but they’re few. Firstly, the cord is a little short for my taste. I think that it’s plenty long for listening to music on my phone. However, I often find myself using these while working on my computer. I wish there was just a little more slack to move it out of the way so that it doesn’t get in the way of my mouse or keyboard.
Meze Audio ALBA Review: Final Verdict
There are companies that maintain this mile-high wall between average users and people who can burn 10s of thousands of dollars on a pair of monitors. They’re the ones that make becoming an audiophile a scary road to travel. Well, there are companies standing there with a sledgehammer. These are companies that help provide a graceful on-ramp to being an audiophile.
Sure, their headphones might not have some of the bells and whistles that other audio equipment may have, but they do the primary job of all audiophile equipment; they provide an experience that’s better than typical headphones.
Meze is one of the companies holding a sledgehammer and a damn-good pair of IEMs. For the price that’s microscopic compared to most other IEMs, the ALBA provide an experience that’s much better than its price would indicate.
For $159, you’re getting a set of IEMs that have an amazingly detailed sound, excellent control of the highs, a great sound stage, and an overall captivating sound. It lacks in the bass department, but a little fine-tuning with an EQ, and you’re good to go. Most of the time, people use the built-in EQs present in apps for Bluetooth headphones. There’s nothing wrong with a little refinement.
If you’re looking to start your journey to being an audiophile, I’ll recommend two things. #1: I recommend that you pick up the Meze Audio ALBA. #2: I recommend that you keep Meze Audio on your radar because this company knows what it’s doing!