[CrystalGipsy]

I got set of these this week to pair with my recently purchased R5. I already have a set of 99 Classics and love the Meze sound and they worked well on the R5. For iems been using Shure SE425 for about 6 months with a dragonfly DAC and phone, these are so much better. Never got the 5khz hump people have mentioned and I am generally sensitive to this range. They have changed over the last few days becoming warmer and more bass heavy. Hopefully balance out when fully burned in. Overall very happy they are comfortable in ears using comply foam tips and yes they are a bigger to get on but give a better seal for me than silicone. The finish on them is 2nd to none amazing given the cost and I got them on offer too. Don't have an issue with memory wire as been used to it with my Shures.

Anyway they are my go-to iem now and the Shures will be used for BT as got their BT2 adaptor anyway. Which I might try on these to to see how they perform.

Well done Meze another fantastic sounding product that normal people can afford.

 

[forestitalia]

Solo arrived, very happy with the sound, not so quite happy of the original cable; now with a balanced is a better story, Meze should provide it.

 

[CrystalGipsy]

Solo arrived, very happy with the sound, not so quite happy of the original cable; now with a balanced is a better story, Meze should provide it.

Can't say I have any issues with the supplied cable at all.

 

[davidmolliere]

So it took me quite a while but here is my Rai Solo review : https://iem.reviews/2020/05/03/meze-rai-solo/ (right click => new tab to open)

 

[psu85dave]

So it took me quite a while but here is my Rai Solo review : https://iem.reviews/2020/05/03/meze-rai-solo/ (right click => new tab to open)

How do they compare with ISN H40 or Dunu DK2001? Or any other comparisons in its price range. The Solo is one of the few that I can audition locally.

 

[davidmolliere]

Review added here on HF as well : https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/meze-audio-rai-solo.24248/reviews#item-review-23646 (surprised there weren't any other there...)

How do they compare with ISN H40 or Dunu DK2001? Or any other comparisons in its price range. The Solo is one of the few that I can audition locally.

ISN H40 has significantly more bass extension, presence and impact but then again the H40 is clearly the best in that department in that price range and even above among the top dogs. The Solo will give you more details and bass is less prominent in respect to the rest of the signature. The mids are also significantly warmer compared to the Solo and also smoother with less bite in the upper mids section. Comparatively the Solo has more articulate mids and a more forward placement for lead instruments and vocals. Both the bass and mids differences explain why the H40 has more height and depth. Treble wise, while the H40 is just as extended the Solo has more treble energy and bite, the H40 is comparatively smoother.

Funny you'd mention the DK2001 as I am in the process of reviewing The DK2001 also has more bass presence and impact - somewhere in betwen the H40 and Solo - and is also tighter than the H40. Given the DK2001 has more bass presence and impact than the Solo, it's punchier with a snappy attack and great control (more than H40). The Solo is the more "serious" of the three really, and is leaner. The DK2001 midrange is fuller bodied than the Solo, with more power to male vocals, it's not overdone but just enough to bring body and weight. The Solo has more upper mids presence with more bite and overally clarity although the DK2001 is not far behind. Treble wise the DK2001 has just as much lower treble energy has the Solo, with a smoother presentation. Solo has more upper treble presence which provides overall more clarity.

If I had to sum it up, Solo is the energetic, vibrant, articulate reference with the greater clarity while the H40 is bombastic bass fun with warm mids and smooth and refined treble (that last part is distinctive for the typical signature) and the DK2001 is somewhere in between with snappy punchy bass, organic articulate mids and lively yet smooth treble.

 

[psu85dave]

Review added here on HF as well : https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/meze-audio-rai-solo.24248/reviews#item-review-23646 (surprised there weren't any other there...)



ISN H40 has significantly more bass extension, presence and impact but then again the H40 is clearly the best in that department in that price range and even above among the top dogs. The Solo will give you more details and bass is less prominent in respect to the rest of the signature. The mids are also significantly warmer compared to the Solo and also smoother with less bite in the upper mids section. Comparatively the Solo has more articulate mids and a more forward placement for lead instruments and vocals. Both the bass and mids differences explain why the H40 has more height and depth. Treble wise, while the H40 is just as extended the Solo has more treble energy and bite, the H40 is comparatively smoother.

Funny you'd mention the DK2001 as I am in the process of reviewing The DK2001 also has more bass presence and impact - somewhere in betwen the H40 and Solo - and is also tighter than the H40. Given the DK2001 has more bass presence and impact than the Solo, it's punchier with a snappy attack and great control (more than H40). The Solo is the more "serious" of the three really, and is leaner. The DK2001 midrange is fuller bodied than the Solo, with more power to male vocals, it's not overdone but just enough to bring body and weight. The Solo has more upper mids presence with more bite and overally clarity although the DK2001 is not far behind. Treble wise the DK2001 has just as much lower treble energy has the Solo, with a smoother presentation. Solo has more upper treble presence which provides overall more clarity.

If I had to sum it up, Solo is the energetic, vibrant, articulate reference with the greater clarity while the H40 is bombastic bass fun with warm mids and smooth and refined treble (that last part is distinctive for the typical signature) and the DK2001 is somewhere in between with snappy punchy bass, organic articulate mids and lively yet smooth treble.

Thanks for such a detailed response. I appreciate it. Makes my decision tougher, but sounds like I really can't go wrong with any of them. Looking forward to your DK2001 review.

 

[MezeTeam]

Solo arrived, very happy with the sound, not so quite happy of the original cable; now with a balanced is a better story, Meze should provide it.

I assumed you have bought an aftermarket balanced cable to replace the stock 3.5mm cable. 4.4mm terminated? If the stock cable is terminated with 4.4mm connector, will that work for you?

 

[forestitalia]

Yes using a cable with 2.5mm balanced jack. I also have an adaptor from 4.4mm to 2.5mm, so 4.4mm works for me too.

 

[MezeTeam]

I got set of these this week to pair with my recently purchased R5. I already have a set of 99 Classics and love the Meze sound and they worked well on the R5. For iems been using Shure SE425 for about 6 months with a dragonfly DAC and phone, these are so much better. Never got the 5khz hump people have mentioned and I am generally sensitive to this range. They have changed over the last few days becoming warmer and more bass heavy. Hopefully balance out when fully burned in. Overall very happy they are comfortable in ears using comply foam tips and yes they are a bigger to get on but give a better seal for me than silicone. The finish on them is 2nd to none amazing given the cost and I got them on offer too. Don't have an issue with memory wire as been used to it with my Shures.

Anyway they are my go-to iem now and the Shures will be used for BT as got their BT2 adaptor anyway. Which I might try on these to to see how they perform.

Well done Meze another fantastic sounding product that normal people can afford.

The Shure BT2 should work with our Rai Solo, do give it a try, the driving capability of the BT2 is surprisingly good.

By the way, when you use the comply foam, don't push it into your ears directly. As you have aware, they are slightly bigger then other tips, if you push it into your ear every time, it will go in but the extra pressure might shorten the life of the comply foam. I suggest you squeeze the comply tip with your thumb and index finger gently, make it smaller by reducing the air inside the foam tip, put the IEM into your ear and hold it in your ear for couple of seconds, let the foam tip expands in your ear. this will create the best seal.

 

[CrystalGipsy]

The Shure BT2 should work with our Rai Solo, do give it a try, the driving capability of the BT2 is surprisingly good.

By the way, when you use the comply foam, don't push it into your ears directly. As you have aware, they are slightly bigger then other tips, if you push it into your ear every time, it will go in but the extra pressure might shorten the life of the comply foam. I suggest you squeeze the comply tip with your thumb and index finger gently, make it smaller by reducing the air inside the foam tip, put the IEM into your ear and hold it in your ear for couple of seconds, let the foam tip expands in your ear. this will create the best seal.

Yes it works well and sounds great. I already do that with foam tips. I meant the size of the ones I bought are difficult to fit over the Rais earpiece not in my ears. They are extremely tight fitting and require a lot of pressure to get on. Would have been nice to get some in the box for choice.

 

[MezeTeam]

So it took me quite a while but here is my Rai Solo review : https://iem.reviews/2020/05/03/meze-rai-solo/ (right click => new tab to open)

A fantastic review, very informative and thorough, especially on the sound impression section. We are grateful to have your review as the first Rai Solo review in HeadGear.

While the shell of Rai Penta and Rai Solo shared similar shape and design, they are fairly different technically, I would like to take this opportunity to compare them in detail:

(1) The Rai Penta shell is larger then the Rai Solo shell in order to house the extra drivers.

(2) The Rai Penta shell is CNC Aluminum with Anodized surface while the Rai Solo shell is MIM (Metal Injection Moulding) Stainless Steel, so technically the Rai Solo shell is higher density, heavier and very solid.

(3) The Rai Penta shell has incorporated our Pressure Equalization System (PES), this will regulate internal chamber pressure through airflow control. This special feature helped to deliver a fairly nature soundstage (in terms of IEM). The Rai Solo shell on the other hand, is kind of a sealed design, it provide better isolation when compare to Rai Penta.

(4) The internal structure of the shell are complete different. The Rai Penta requires special features to provide separate chambers so that the Dynamic driver, mid-range dual BA and HF dual BA will installed securely and facing the metal sound tubes correctly, this is where high precision CNC comes into plays.

The shells of IEM is almost equivalent to the cabinet of a speaker, it does affect the performance of the earphone significantly. Meze audio spends a lot of times on the design and implementation of the shell, and to the best we know, the Rai Solo shell is one of the highest quality and most sophisticated at its price range.

 

[MezeTeam]

Yes using a cable with 2.5mm balanced jack. I also have an adaptor from 4.4mm to 2.5mm, so 4.4mm works for me too.

So the stock cables are OK, you just want to have a balanced terminated option?

 

[forestitalia]

[/QUOTE]

So the stock cables are OK, you just want to have a balanced terminated option?

Yes, headphones that cost 250$ should have balanced cable and jack.
Every device now, even the cheap ones, have a balanced output.

 

[CrystalGipsy]

Disaster, the phone have started to sound a bit off and I took off the foam tips I have been using and noticed that the grill that covers the earpiece funnel had gone missing on the left hand driver. So it's been open to the elements and likely ear wax. No idea when it came out, hopefully not in my ear as I would have noticed.

@MezeTeam what should I do, contact my retailer only had then a few weeks.