Meze Audio’s newest single-DD IEM - ADVAR

[ThanatosVI]

Yes, more boosted than the IE600 but still very tight and well defined.

Slightly south means recessed though.
Never heard thr IE600 myself

 

[Ichos]

Slightly south means recessed though.
Never heard thr IE600 myself

Oh I thought boosted!
Let me edit my original post....

 

[Ichos]

So let me rephrase, with a slight emphasis on the bass , mid-bass, a touch forward mids and extended, vibrant but yet controlled treble it should be perfectly suited for rock.

 

[HeadAmpTeam]

We had a chance to collaborate with @Dellwolf to get his thoughts on this exciting new in ear, so far after around 5 hours of listening he says:

ADVAR is a gorgeous single dynamic driver IEM. Adorned with a black chrome and gold/brass finish, it looks absolutely stunning in person. The ADVAR certainly appears to be held to the same high standards of superb craftsmanship that Meze has made themselves famously known for. During our first listening session with the ADVAR, the width of the soundstage immediately grabbed our attention, and continued to impress us the more we listened. ADVAR masterfully balances having a relaxed, airy sound while still remaining impressively technically proficient.

Feel free to reach out to him with additional questions, and keep an eye out for his full review which will be posted later in May! For those of you who can’t wait that long be sure to stop by the DC HeadFi Meet this weekend to hear it for yourself!

 

[ThanatosVI]

So let me rephrase, with a slight emphasis on the bass , mid-bass, a touch forward mids and extended, vibrant but yet controlled treble it should be perfectly suited for rock.

That sounds way better.
And also much more like a Meze signature

 

[Chris Kaoss]

We had a chance to collaborate with @Dellwolf to get his thoughts on this exciting new in ear, so far after around 5 hours of listening he says:

Feel free to reach out to him with additional questions, and keep an eye out for his full review which will be posted later in May! For those of you who can’t wait that long be sure to stop by the DC HeadFi Meet this weekend to hear it for yourself!

Sound intriguing.
Heads up with the FD7/5 ?

 

[gto88]

Sound intriguing.
Heads up with the FD7/5 ?

And zen pro, Any one?

 

[akarise]

I have the Rai Penta but still interested in these. Would love to hear more comparisons if anyone has both!

 

[Dellwolf]

I have the Rai Penta but still interested in these. Would love to hear more comparisons if anyone has both!

I should have a Rai Penta on the way to compare to the ADVAR, Meze sent one out earlier in the week to HeadAmp HQ. I should be able to answer any questions once I receive it. Currently just have the ADVAR.

 

[lesliejazz]

Any comparisons with the Sennheiser IE600?

 

[Ichos]

Any comparisons with the Sennheiser IE600?

I am asking for a little patience...

 

[Ichos]

Reviewer's footnotes....

Advar => Great build quality, very beautiful looking like a jewel, excellent fit comfortable and stress free
Sub bass extension suitable for everything, emphasized bass and mid bass, excellent technicalities, tight and controlled but not perfect, in classical music certain bass instruments sound out of tune and slightly boomy.
Clear mid range and upper bass but a touch of masking in lower bass.
Excellent dynamics and slam, visceral, full bodied
Fast with great timing
Mid range almost perfect, just a touch forward, resolving, articulated, full , wet - very organic and analogue texture, lifelike, coherent , voices and wind instruments sound sooo real.
Extended and resolving treble yet not fatiguing, easy sounding and smooth, good detail retrieval
Very natural timbre for the whole frequency spectrum.
Coherent, soundstage wide and spacious. Good imaging, 3 dimensional with average depth.
Not too intimate, not that far away.
Very natural decay.
Super enjoyable with all kinds of music, a real all rounder.
This is definitely Meze, it plays music and not sounds.
Excellent.
Just add a second cable for free and you got a real winner


IE600=>Bass is more neutral - reference, almost same sub bass extension, excellent technicalities and somewhat better than the Advar.
Much Thinner texture, not as visceral and full bodied, still great dynamics and slam.
Mid range is very similar with the Advar almost perfect.
Great timbre, organic and analogue slightly more dry and leaner.
Better treble extension and deeper detail retrieval but still very smooth and controlled.
Traces of sibilance.
More intimate soundstage , feels more closed and in the head and not as grand and imposing.
Very sharp imaging though.
Better clarity,
A touch more reference sounding from the Advar but still very enjoyable with all kinds of music.
Low range tonality is somewhat better when it comes to low pitched instruments.
The Advar sounds larger, grander and more organic - visceral.
Industrial looks, comfortable and stress free fit but people with larger ears may have some trouble and reach for larger size ear tips.

Rai Penta=>The Advar with much advanced technicalities, a touch more neutral bass, same house sound, slightly better tonality for acoustic instruments.
Very analogue and organic.
Larger soundstage, sharper imaging, greater depth layering, grander.
Enhanced clarity on the whole frequency range.
Excellent cohesion between the drivers.
A real Flagship, Advar is not a giant killer.

For more information stay tuned for the formal review.

Hey @Andykong does this count as a review?

(Footnotes by Petros Laskis 2022)

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

That sounds way better.
And also much more like a Meze signature

Indeed - it's very much what we know as Meze house sound, but leaning towards the fun and vibrant side.

Reviewer's footnotes....

Advar => Great build quality, very beautiful looking like a jewel, excellent fit comfortable and stress free
Sub bass extension suitable for everything, emphasized bass and mid bass, excellent technicalities, tight and controlled but not perfect, in classical music certain bass instruments sound out of tune and slightly boomy.
Clear mid range and upper bass but a touch of masking in lower bass.
Excellent dynamics and slam, visceral, full bodied
Fast with great timing
Mid range almost perfect, just a touch forward, resolving, articulated, full , wet - very organic and analogue texture, lifelike, coherent , voices and wind instruments sound sooo real.
Extended and resolving treble yet not fatiguing, easy sounding and smooth, good detail retrieval
Very natural timbre for the whole frequency spectrum.
Coherent, soundstage wide and spacious. Good imaging, 3 dimensional with average depth.
Not too intimate, not that far away.
Very natural decay.
Super enjoyable with all kinds of music, a real all rounder.
This is definitely Meze, it plays music and not sounds.
Excellent.
Just add a second cable for free and you got a real winner


IE600=>Bass is more neutral - reference, almost same sub bass extension, excellent technicalities and somewhat better than the Advar.
Much Thinner texture, not as visceral and full bodied, still great dynamics and slam.
Mid range is very similar with the Advar almost perfect.
Great timbre, organic and analogue slightly more dry and leaner.
Better treble extension and deeper detail retrieval but still very smooth and controlled.
Traces of sibilance.
More intimate soundstage , feels more closed and in the head and not as grand and imposing.
Very sharp imaging though.
Better clarity,
A touch more reference sounding from the Advar but still very enjoyable with all kinds of music.
Low range tonality is somewhat better when it comes to low pitched instruments.
The Advar sounds larger, grander and more organic - visceral.
Industrial looks, comfortable and stress free fit but people with larger ears may have some trouble and reach for larger size ear tips.

Rai Penta=>The Advar with much advanced technicalities, a touch more neutral bass, same house sound, slightly better tonality for acoustic instruments.
Very analogue and organic.
Larger soundstage, sharper imaging, greater depth layering, grander.
Enhanced clarity on the whole frequency range.
Excellent cohesion between the drivers.
A real Flagship, Advar is not a giant killer.

For more information stay tuned for the formal review.

Hey @Andykong does this count as a review?

(Footnotes by Petros Laskis 2022)

Nice impressions! Agreed on my end as well.

 

[akarise]

Reviewer's footnotes....

Rai Penta=>The Advar with much advanced technicalities, a touch more neutral bass, same house sound, slightly better tonality for acoustic instruments.
Very analogue and organic.
Larger soundstage, sharper imaging, greater depth layering, grander.
Enhanced clarity on the whole frequency range.
Excellent cohesion between the drivers.
A real Flagship, Advar is not a giant killer.

For more information stay tuned for the formal review.

Hey @Andykong does this count as a review?

(Footnotes by Petros Laskis 2022)

Hmm, sounds like I'm not missing out on anything if I already have the Rai Penta.

 

[Ichos]

Hmm, sounds like I'm not missing out on anything if I already have the Rai Penta.

To be honest, if I owned the Penta I wouldn't bother with the Advar unless I would like a touch more bass, mids liquidity and more in my face soundtage