Meze Audio ALBA - A Light in The Shape of Sound

[Tenlow]

It is all about the seal. The bass is snappy with just the right amount of decay, to my ears. I heard some quantity on quite a few songs when called for.

I would agree with that!

 

[Tenlow]

I watched a review on the Alba today on YouTube (which is three weeks old) and the guy in the video (not a very big channel) claimed a couple of times that he's had the Alba for "a couple of months now" which got me thinking how this was even possible since even press samples wouldn't have been out that long, I thought, so I asked him about it. And he has just replied the following:




So, it seems even the "regular" release date end of June/beginning of July was not the initally planned release date. Seems there maybe were a couple of problems with it even before that then...

 

[Kristofa]

I watched a review on the Alba today on YouTube (which is three weeks old) and the guy in the video (not a very big channel) claimed a couple of times that he's had the Alba for "a couple of months now" which got me thinking how this was even possible since even press samples wouldn't have been out that long, I thought, so I asked him about it. And he has just replied the following:




So, it seems even the "regular" release date end of June/beginning of July was not the initally planned release date. Seems there maybe were a couple of problems with it even before that then...

He may have been referring to dropping the video review in May but Meze had a mandatory freeze on all review videos until release date.

 

[Tenlow]

He may have been referring to dropping the video review in May but Meze had a mandatory freeze on all review videos until release date.

Thats not what it sounds like, though („they had a delay in production“ / „it got pushed“).

 

[Miss Mandy]

The Alba were already on my radar, but having tried them out at CanJam yesterday I will definitely be getting a set when they become available. They were so comfortable, more so than any other IEM I’ve tried which I guess is due to their smaller size. The sound was great to me too so I was very impressed overall.

 

[psy472]

I’ve been listening to the Meze Alba for a week and here is my recommendation for those who got it.
First, the Alba may sound airy to dry but that’s because the cables that comes with it is purely for aesthetic and not for sound quality. Buy a better cable and it will sound much fuller with stronger bass.

Secondly, the Alba can’t handle tube amplifiers. The sound just doesn’t come across right and gets more muddle. Best to keep it with SS amp or portable amp.

 

[Tenlow]

I’ve been listening to the Meze Alba for a week and here is my recommendation for those who got it.
First, the Alba may sound airy to dry but that’s because the cables that comes with it is purely for aesthetic and not for sound quality. Buy a better cable and it will sound much fuller with stronger bass.

Secondly, the Alba can’t handle tube amplifiers. The sound just doesn’t come across right and gets more muddle. Best to keep it with SS amp or portable amp.

What would you suggest as a "better" cable?

 

[psy472]

What would you suggest as a "better" cable?

A cheap cable: https://audio46.com/products/queen-of-audio-whisky-silver-plated-in-ear-monitor-upgrade-cable

I’m using it right now and the sound is 20% fuller and deeper with more details. Basically any aftermarket cable is better…

 

[Tenlow]

A cheap cable: https://audio46.com/products/queen-of-audio-whisky-silver-plated-in-ear-monitor-upgrade-cable

I’m using it right now and the sound is 20% fuller and deeper with more details. Basically any aftermarket cable is better…

Cheap is kind of relative, though, when it's half the price of the IEM

I switched to a (really) cheap Tripowin Solstice cable for the Alba btw. Not because I thought the one it came with sounded bad but more because the Solstice doesn't get tangled as easily. Haven't really noticed a difference in sound yet, honestly.

 

[psy472]

Cheap is kind of relative, though, when it's half the price of the IEM

I switched to a (really) cheap Tripowin Solstice cable for the Alba btw. Not because I thought the one it came with sounded bad but more because the Solstice doesn't get tangled as easily. Haven't really noticed a difference in sound yet, honestly.

Ughh been in this hobby for too long and my idea of “cheap” got skewed. Thanks for pointing that out. I am so used to people buying 1k + USD cables that the 70 usd cables are cheap compared to those.

 

[vo_obgyn]

Secondly, the Alba can’t handle tube amplifiers. The sound just doesn’t come across right and gets more muddle. Best to keep it with SS amp or portable amp.

I listened to the Alba using my McIntosh MHA 200 Vacuum Tube Headphone Amp and thought that it sounded good. Not too muddled with my set-up. It did help to use an iFi audio iE Match+ with the tube amp to reduce some hiss, though. I don't use the Alba with my bedroom rig too much, though. At night time, I'll usually listen to the Alba with my hiss free Chord Mojo2/Poly combo which also sounds excellent.

 

[Kristofa]

Has anyone noticed the pics from the review by @SenyorC ? The Albas look grey! I think it looks really cool as grey.

 

[Tenlow]

Has anyone noticed the pics from the review by @SenyorC ? The Albas look grey! I think it looks really cool as grey.

It just looks like that in the pictures, though. It’s the same white. Even the (white) case looks grey in these pictures

 

[Lurk650]

Did some tip rolling and landed on my ePro EP00 horn tips. Great pairing for a little extra in the highs. Also, bought a Tripowin 4.4 cable to use with my Fiio BTR15.

 

[scarfacegt]

My store wont get the albas before 13th september or later. They received message from meze, that they had delivery problems due to an issue with the albas.

Im looking forward to try these against some wireless iems like the Sennheiser mttw4, wich has aptx lossless.