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Since my first experience with Meze and their 99 Classic headphones I have found every product that they offer to hit a wonderful sweet spot for my ears. The warmth and musicality that I experience with Meze had rapidly shot them to the forefront of my personal favorite company’s. Now, they’ve entered the summit class iem category with their Rai Penta, or Heaven/Paradise’s 5 (5 drivers). Some rather big words to have the product to live up to and I was quite excited to take the reigns of putting them to the test.
Spoiler: A little about me
A little about me
I would like to say that first and foremost I am NOT an “audiophile” but rather an audio enthusiast. I listen to music to enjoy it. Do I prefer a lossless source? Yes, of course. But I can still be very happy streaming from Pandora or even my YouTube “My Mix” playlist. I also prefer equipment that sounds the best to me personally regardless of what frequency response it has or rather or not it's “sonically accurate” and I always have and shall continue to encourage others to do the same.
I'm a firefighter for both the civilian and military sector and the cliché of wanting to do this since I was born couldn't be more present with me. I've worked hard over the last several years to earn this position and now it's time for me to work even harder to keep it.
I enjoy fishing and relaxing to audio products and then reviewing them to help others decide on what products would work for them. Few things make me as an audio enthusiast/review feel more accomplished than when someone tells me that I helped them find the type of sound they've always been looking for.
Now, the sound signature I personally favor is a relaxing, warm and sensual sound that just drifts me away in the emotional experience of the music being performed. Yes, accuracy is still important but I will happily sacrifice some of that if I'm presented with a clean, warm sound that can wisp me away into an experience that makes me yearn for more.
My ideal signature are that of respectably forward mids and upper bass range with the bass being controlled but with some slight decay. I like my treble to have nice extension and detail reveal with a smooth roll off up top as to not become harsh in the least. Examples of products that have given me chills and keep giving me the yearning for more feels are (in no particular order) Bowers & Wilkins P7, Oppo PM-1/2, Empire Ears Hermes VI & Zeus XIV, Audeze LCD-XC, Meze Headphones 99 Classics.
Spoiler: Equipment used
Equipment used at least some point during the review
-Sources
-LG G8/HP Pavilion
-Playing Pandora, YouTube, and various format personal music
Spoiler: Disclaimer
Disclaimer
I am by no means sponsored by this company or any of its affiliates. They were kind enough to send me a product for an arranged amount of time in exchange for my honest opinion. I am making no monetary compensation for this review.
The following is my take on the product being reviewed. It is to be taken “with a grain of salt” per say and as I always tell people, it is YOUR opinion that matters. So regardless of my take or view on said product, I highly recommend you listen to it yourself and gauge your own opinion.
The Opening Experience
Spoiler: Why the unboxing's important
Why I feel so strongly about the initial unboxing experience
Please allow me to explain why I feel so strongly about the initial unboxing experience with a product. Maybe it’s due to my southern roots in the hills of eastern Kentucky, but I’ve always been raised under the pretense of when you introduce yourself to someone for the first time you present yourself with confidence, class, character, pride, and competence. You greet the other person with a true warm smile, eye contact and a firm handshake. Anything less or short implies to other person that you either don’t care about them, are too full of yourself, too busy to be bothered by the likes of them, or worse, just generally disrespectful.
As a consumer, I take this same belief to when I open a new product. Why? Because think about it this way. How else can a company introduce themselves to their customers? How do they present their products? Are they packaged with pride and presented in such a way that makes the listener eager to listen to them? Or maybe they’re just wrapped up and placed in an available space. How about the box itself? Is it bogged down with jargon that says look at this, look what I can do. I’m better than anything on the market and here’s why read this and check out that. Or, is the package clean, simplistic and classy? As if saying to the customer ‘Good day, pleasure to meet your acquaintance. Please give me a listen and allow me to show you what I can do and allow my actions to speak louder than my words.’
This is why I feel so strongly about the initial presentation of a product, and I feel it’s truly a shame more people don’t. But with all that aside, let’s discuss how this products introduced itself shall we?
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Construction
Beautiful. Truthfully, I could’ve just left this section with just that one word because it truthfully describes the Rai Penta perfectly but that kinda feels like a cop out. So starting with the frame and working down. The first and unavoidable thing I think one notices about the Rai Penta is the sheer beauty and elegance that the all aluminum chassis bestows. Soft and elegant twists and edging not only makes this iem stunning to look at but wondrously comfortable (as I’ll talk about next).
The horn is also aluminum and differentiates itself from other iems by utilizing 3 individual bores, each being dedicated to their paired drivers respectably. Behind the horn you’ll see 2 ports that aren’t just there for looks. The ports are what Meze calls a Pressure Equalization System (PES) and are used to regulate the internal chamber pressures. Truthfully, I’ve no idea what benefits that offers for I’m certainly no engineer but it is something I can’t recall seeing elsewhere. Lastly and, at least in my opinion, one of the most important features that the Rai Penta possesses is that they utilize detachable cables, MMCX in their case. By default the Rai Penta comes with an unbalanced 3.5mm silver cable but you can purchase the upgraded balanced cable (terminated in 2.5mm or 4.4mm) for $150 from their site if you so choose. As for the quality of the cable itself, I must say that not only does it look stunning but it’s also, seemingly, very durable (I never pinched or did any real durability test during my review so I can only go by its outward appearance). The only thing notable I found is that the cable is fairly prone to tangling but in the same sentence it’s easily detangled so kinda cancels out.
To conclude, the Rai Penta, from horn to termination, is not only build incredibly solid but also elegantly as well. Rai Penta doesn’t just hold the part, it looks it as well. For those who’re considering purchasing this totl iem, in terms of its longevity of service, you’ve nothing to fear.
Comfort
The only other non custom iem that I’ve ever listened to with this level of comfort that I can recall from memory is the RCA CL2 . Consistently I was able to have 4+ hour long listening sessions with the Rai Penta and not have the slightest of ear fatigue. The smooth edging that I discussed in the previous section goes a long way in making these able to be experienced for the long haul. Additionally, Meze included a massive amount of different tip styles and sizes so anyone could comfortably find their perfect tip and fully enjoy the experience the Heaven’s 5 presents to the listener. For those who follow me I’m sure it’s no surprise to any but I swear by the Comply memory foam tips so if using them is an option, it’s likely the route I would choose.
For those who like to travel or be active while listening to your music the Rai Penta also keep up with you there too. The isolation factor of these is amazing. When I listened to these at work I couldn’t hear a darned thing (which sadly had me taking them off because I kinda need to hear things in my line of work), so drowning out the world around you and isolating you to your own Paradise is definitely a perk of these art pieces. Now, for those active users, the Rai Penta also stays firmly in place when I went for a light jog (stopped before sweating). Now, I will say do use these for physical exercise at your own risk because Meze, to my knowledge, doesn’t state these being sweat resistant in any shape, form or fashion.
To conclude, Meze’s Rai Penta is one of the most comfortable pair of iem’s, non custom, that I’ve ever experienced. Also, even my wife with her rather petite ears was even able to comfortably wear these without discomfort of adjustments.
Sound
Before I start this section. It should go without saying but though I link YouTube videos when I’m giving examples, this is for convenience only. If applicable, I HIGHLY encourage you to listen to the music I’m referencing on as high a quality as possible to experience the fullest sound possible.
The part where I’m sure many of you care the most about, how the Heaven/Paradise’s 5 sound. Does the Rai Penta live up to the prestigious name? To me and my ears, they most certainly do, perhaps after I explain them you too will become excited to experience what they have to offer. My first impression when listening to the song “Castle of Glass ” by Linkin Park is that these are definitely a Meze product. The musicality and house sound immediately became familiar to me but yet also a bit different. Though I would still qualify the Rai Penta’s as an overall musical sounding iem, they share the audiophile friendly analytical side as their bigger brother the Empyrean’s do.
As far as overall characteristics, the Rai Penta has some very impressive separation that rivals, or even beats, many equally priced over ear models. A fantastic example is “Daft Punk ” by Pentatonix. Throughout the performance I’m able to easily identify each different vocalist and not once did they mesh together (in the sense of being unable to hear them apart not musicality that they were going for). This video , though a good example, isn’t the best recorded but it came up on my playlist while writing this so bear with it. But the Rai Penta also has a great sense of depth and space. In the aforementioned video you’re sitting a few rows back from the stage and through the Rai Penta’s I’m aware of this fact with makes them even more so disappear in your ears and only leaving the music behind. I can discern the larger drum in the back left while also still hearing the smaller drums that take center stage. The Rai Penta, from my time with them, has shown me that they’re not out to make a statement about showing themselves off but instead showcasing the media you’re playing instead.
Treble
The eyes of the music, an audio products ability to reveal the slightest of detail while staying calm and controlled and never becoming harsh is something, to me, reminiscent of one's own eyes. As with the Rai Penta’s I think instead of eyes, gates would be more appropriate. Listen to one of my favorite pieces from an equally favorite anime, Your Lie In April, “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso ” by Camille Saint-Saëns. My disclaimer I put at the start of all my sound sections definitely apply with this piece but my goodness do I get so much energy and detail and sheer enjoyment out of this piece and the Rai Penta replicates that absolutely flawlessly. Even at the sharpest peaks it never grows harsh nor does it lose control or become strained to obtain those peaks. I stated that the gates make a good representation of the treble on the Rai Penta and I stand by that because it’s only a taste of the rest of the paradise that lies inside their realm.
Mids
My personal favorite area of a musical track, the soul of the music. Here is where the artist, their vocals and their emotions lie. To me and my musical tastes I want a product to allow me to physically feel the emotions that the artist is expressing. Joy, sorrow, anger, anguish, I want to feel it in the music I listen to. This is where the audiophile part I mentioned at the start of this review comes into play. Though the mids are quite neutral, to my ears, they still do a very good job at portraying the emotions I so seek while still maintaining the neutrality that most audiophiles prefer. The songs “Sound of Silence ” by Disturbed and, a new favorite of mine, “Glassy Sky ” by Yutaka Yamada are wonderful examples of how the Rai Penta maintains its musical sound while staying within an audiophiles neutral standards. I use the song “S.O.B. ” by Nathaniel Rateliff to better explain this. Listen to the hands clapping as well as the fingers snapping. Yes you can hear them very well and very clearly but they, to me, don’t have that body and lifelike sound as real flesh hitting together has. This isn’t a pitfall of the Rai Penta’s but instead something that just about all audio products with neutral mids have.
Bass
The heartbeat of the music. Bass is what keeps the pace of the entirety of the musical track and without solid control and power the entire ensemble will die with it. Admittedly, when it comes to iems I rarely get excited with their bass. It’s nothing directly against them but it’s kinda hard to replicate the powerful bass full size cans can create when they don’t have near the size to work with. In regards to the Rai Penta I will say that they possess a very competent and fulfilling level of bass that never left me feeling that a song was empty; on the contrary, I was able to enjoy some fun house music such as Vigiland’s “Friday Night ” and “Pong Dance .” What really impressed me with the Rai Penta’s bass wasn’t just the depth and respectable oomph that it had but its constant control and lack of decay. I really enjoyed listening to rock and house music because the Rai Penta provided the slam that got me the pump that I look for in said music.
To be able to drop to the level of depth that the Rai Penta can then immediately reach the peaks I mentioned earlier in this review doesn’t just showcase the dynamic fortitude but an overall full iem that should satisfy about any audio enthusiasts need.
Conclusion
My final thoughts on Meze audio’s flagship iem the Rai Penta is that it controls as much musical fortitude as it does design elegance. They maintain Meze’s musical house sound while also catering to the audiophiles desire for neutrality. The soundstage is as wide as the dynamics are vast and the fullness of the sound in between granted an experience that lives up to the Rai Penta’s name.
Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.