[singingbee]

I ordered last weekend. Received shipping notice today, so delay at his point is pretty short.

Cant wait to hear your impressions

 

[vault108]

I ordered last weekend. Received shipping notice today, so delay at his point is pretty short.

Mine was shipped today too. Next week will be fun. I got P71 in the mail too.

 

[NovaFlyer]

Impression Update at 160+ hours burned in: My RAI Penta keeps surprising me. Sound stage got noticeably wider, and treble got more presence without getting harsh. No sibilance at all. Overall feeling is still relaxed slightly laid back presentation. However, technical difference between RAI Penta and Khan is getting smaller and smaller (yes, Khan still beats RAI Penta in all technical departments but with just a small margin). Considering the price difference ($1099 vs $2399), this is quite an achievement!! Kudos to Meze!!!

I really like the Rai Penta when I listened at CanJam, and I assume that was a relatively fresh IEM. In comparing the Penta to the Solaris there, I was really impressed with the Penta. Would like to read a comparison between a burned in RAI Penta and a burned in Solaris.

 

[chungjun]

I really like the Rai Penta when I listened at CanJam, and I assume that was a relatively fresh IEM. In comparing the Penta to the Solaris there, I was really impressed with the Penta. Would like to read a comparison between a burned in RAI Penta and a burned in Solaris.

Curious, what do you like about the Rai Penta vs the Solaris at CanJam?

 

[frankraindog]

Got mine in the mail. First impression, I'm really impressed about the tonality of voices. Got Andromeda and Solaris on hand to check which I like most, but I'm not the guy for big comparisons , more interested in the music. Music first audiophile if I'm allowed to use darko's term here.some unboxing shots :

 

[Giraku]

Got mine in the mail.

Congrats!! Don't forget to burn in at least 100 hours. You will enjoy the changes.

 

[Blackberry Jack]

Got Andromeda and Solaris on hand to check which I like most, but I'm not the guy for big comparisons

Awesome! Would be nice to see one more comparison of Solaris vs Rai, I really can't decide which one to buy. I had a chance to try Solaris and while it sounded awesome, it didnt fit very well into my ears. If Rai Penta is really close to Solaris in terms of SQ, I'll probably pull the trigger. What bothers me, is that everyone describes its' signature as 'relaxed' - I hope it doesnt sound too soft and that it has enough body and energy for rock/metal genres.

 

[ag18]

Awesome! Would be nice to see one more comparison of Solaris vs Rai, I really can't decide which one to buy. I had a chance to try Solaris and while it sounded awesome, it didnt fit very well into my ears. If Rai Penta is really close to Solaris in terms of SQ, I'll probably pull the trigger. What bothers me, is that everyone describes its' signature as 'relaxed' - I hope it doesnt sound too soft and that it has enough body and energy for rock/metal genres.

I'm a metalhead, and I love mine. For what it's worth, I'm usually a fan of the crips Beyerdynamic signatures (DT-1990, DT-770 etc.). RAI Penta is not as analytical as those, but it's bright, and it packs a punch. Plus, let's face it: most of our style of music isn't recorded very well. I find the Penta handles all the relatively mediocre recordings I throw at it very well. (Think: Arch Enemy, Amon Amarth, In Flames, Gojira, Dark Tranquility...)

 

[Giraku]

Awesome! Would be nice to see one more comparison of Solaris vs Rai, I really can't decide which one to buy. I had a chance to try Solaris and while it sounded awesome, it didnt fit very well into my ears. If Rai Penta is really close to Solaris in terms of SQ, I'll probably pull the trigger. What bothers me, is that everyone describes its' signature as 'relaxed' - I hope it doesnt sound too soft and that it has enough body and energy for rock/metal genres.

REI Penta has full bodied mid and punchy bass after burned in.

 

[NovaFlyer]

Curious, what do you like about the Rai Penta vs the Solaris at CanJam?

Posted my thoughts earlier in this thread at post 153. There are some other great impressions too at posts 152, 154 and 162

 

[chungjun]

Posted my thoughts earlier in this thread at post 153. There are some other great impressions too at posts 152, 154 and 162

Thanks! Found 'em...

Went back to the Meze booth to compare the Rai Penta to the Solaris. To put things in perspective for my comparison, I used an A&K SR15, stock cables for both the Rai Penta and Solaris, and the same silicon tips on both IEMs (got them at Meze, T400, and they fit me very well). I listened a combination of Tidal regular and MQA files; and some 24/192 files.


Both IEMs are great and I think anyone would be happy with them. However, they are some differences from both an ergonomic perspective and a sound perspective.


Ergonomically, the Rai Penta is the better of the two. The fit for my ears is great and very easy to get in / out of my ears and I don’t need to move them, etc. after the initial insertion. They are a lot smaller than the Solaris, and fit almost fully in my ear. Enough so that I think could sleep in then on my side - perfect for long haul flights. As everyone knows, the Solaris is a fair size IEM and on my they do stick out a good amount. Fortunately between the tips and the memory wire on the stock cable, once I get them set properly, they are good to go and I don’t need to fidget with them.


On to sound, the Penta has a more neutral signature as compared to the Solaris, but there is bass and you know it’s there. However, the sub-bass that I get with the Solaris isn’t there. There are some songs I listen to that I can “feel the bass” on the Solaris, but not to the same level with the Pentas. “Unstatic” by Manu Katchè is a great illustration of this. There’s also a slight difference in the highs. The highs are more separated on the Solaris. With the Solaris I can easily discern cymbals in a track while drums are being struck. While I can here that on the Penta, it’s easier to hear on the Solaris. The track I used here is the live version of “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins on Face Value (Deluxe). Another good example of is “Lunatic Fringe” by Red Rider, at the 24 second mark, there’s a back ground vocal of “See you on the other side.” It’s very discernible on the Solaris. While I can hear it on the Penta, it’s not as clear. The other key difference is the soundstage. The Solaris has a greater soundstage over the Penta, it’s a small difference, but still noticeable to me.


I think the Penta is a great IEM, the Solaris is just better. For home use, the Solaris is my choir of the two since I have time to get the fit correct and don’t plan on sleeping on a plane with them. For travel and out and about, I would choose the Penta, since I can easily insert them, there’s no fiddling with adjusting, and they are smaller - fitting fully in my ears so that I could even sleep with them in. As a side note, I tried the new Westone UM50, specifically with travel and sleeping on a plane in mind. The next CanJam I attend I’ll spend more time with the UM50 to compare it to the Penta. I’ll stress here that one of my key requirements is size, sound isolation and the ability to use a bluetooth cable - pure audiophile specs take a backseat since I’m in a noise plane at altitude.


Had a great conversation with @ag18 outside the Meze room on this topic. I know he bought the Pentas and it would be good to hear his thoughts, especially after using them and since he has CIEMs.


Would I buy the Penta, yes. Would I buy the Solaris, I did at CanJam NYC.


Hope this helps.

 

[PhilW]

Got mine in the mail. First impression, I'm really impressed about the tonality of voices. Got Andromeda and Solaris on hand to check which I like most, but I'm not the guy for big comparisons , more interested in the music. Music first audiophile if I'm allowed to use darko's term here.some unboxing shots :

That's a beautiful solution.

 

[Deftone]

Any of that common BA metallic sound in the highs?

 

[jmills8]

Any of that common BA metallic sound in the highs?

Nope but,

 

[Deftone]

Ok I think i need to try some audiophile meditation or Kelno'reem...