[twiceboss]

Hey all, I love what Meze Audio has been doing, the 99s the Empyrean are both fantastic headphones, and I'm starting to get really curious about the Rai Penta.

I have been looking for an 'all-rounder' travel IEM that is durable, fits very well, and is easy to drive (90% of the time I use an AMP/DAC, but somtimes I'll watch a movie or listen to somthing from my iphone/ipad). Usually I lean towards sound signatures like the Andromeda, ones that favor clarity over warmth, but those don't make the best traveling IEMs because they don't fit well, and their SQ can be tiring at times. My only SQ requirements are that the IEM isn't too fatiguing and able to handle any and all genres cleanly and keep pace with metal (which I listen to fairly often).

-Ben

since u have 12t etc, just an idea, penta doesnt sound like the other sets u have. It is mid centric and lifelike presentation for vocals. The highs are just non fatiguing and tuned to be relax but not detail retrieval. U have 12t, no worries about that than since u can swap ur set if u want that highs.

 

[gLer]

Hey all, I love what Meze Audio has been doing, the 99s the Empyrean are both fantastic headphones, and I'm starting to get really curious about the Rai Penta.

I have been looking for an 'all-rounder' travel IEM that is durable, fits very well, and is easy to drive (90% of the time I use an AMP/DAC, but somtimes I'll watch a movie or listen to somthing from my iphone/ipad). Usually I lean towards sound signatures like the Andromeda, ones that favor clarity over warmth, but those don't make the best traveling IEMs because they don't fit well, and their SQ can be tiring at times. My only SQ requirements are that the IEM isn't too fatiguing and able to handle any and all genres cleanly and keep pace with metal (which I listen to fairly often).

-Ben

The only reason I can think of that you’d want a Penta if you have an A12t is because you don’t want to risk traveling with the A12t (very valid reason that would be, by the way). Just know that you can’t compare the sound quality of the two, nor the much better isolation of the A12t. Yes the Penta is more relaxed, but I wouldn’t call it more natural or lifelike. The A12t is just about the top of the IEM tree.

 

[ceeloChamp]

The only reason I can think of that you’d want a Penta if you have an A12t is because you don’t want to risk traveling with the A12t (very valid reason that would be, by the way). Just know that you can’t compare the sound quality of the two, nor the much better isolation of the A12t. Yes the Penta is more relaxed, but I wouldn’t call it more natural or lifelike. The A12t is just about the top of the IEM tree.

Interesting, that’s some helpful information. I didn’t know that it was that closely related to the A/U12t in terms of SQ and EQ. I like the A12t, but I do find them a bit boring and yeah when I’m traveling it’s a bit scary knocking big customs around.

I guess the hunt continues, I was also considering the Xelento or the S-EM9

 

[PixelSquish]

Hey all, I love what Meze Audio has been doing, the 99s the Empyrean are both fantastic headphones, and I'm starting to get really curious about the Rai Penta.

I have been looking for an 'all-rounder' travel IEM that is durable, fits very well, and is easy to drive (90% of the time I use an AMP/DAC, but somtimes I'll watch a movie or listen to somthing from my iphone/ipad). Usually I lean towards sound signatures like the Andromeda, ones that favor clarity over warmth, but those don't make the best traveling IEMs because they don't fit well, and their SQ can be tiring at times. My only SQ requirements are that the IEM isn't too fatiguing and able to handle any and all genres cleanly and keep pace with metal (which I listen to fairly often).

-Ben

The Rai Penta's fit the bill to a tee based on what you describe. I found the Andromeda's to be slightly sterile and not as organic compared to the Pentas, which solved both those problems rather nicely. I find them an amazing all rounder for all genres I've thrown at them so far which is what I wanted at this price point. Something that can handle everything as my playlists tend to wander among genres sometimes.

 

[buonassi]

Remember for those wanting to travel with Penta .... It won't do well on planes buses cars etc. There isn't what I'd consider good isolation. It's pretty open due to the vents.

In fact it's less isolating than all the pure ba models I've owned and a FAR cry from my custom art customs.

Quiet environment only.

 

[ayang02]

Interesting, that’s some helpful information. I didn’t know that it was that closely related to the A/U12t in terms of SQ and EQ. I like the A12t, but I do find them a bit boring and yeah when I’m traveling it’s a bit scary knocking big customs around.

I guess the hunt continues, I was also considering the Xelento or the S-EM9

I would recommend the Rai Solo for a traveling IEM due to its durability and lower cost. It’s made of stainless steel, feels heftier and roughly the same form factor as the Penta, just a tiny bit bulkier. Some people here have issues with the paint chipping away from their Penta shells. Personally, I’ve owned the Penta for 6 months and I don’t have any scratches on my shells but I also don’t travel with them. I also keep them in a Dignis Arca case so the left/right buds will not bang against one another in storage.

Compared to the Penta, the Solo sounds slightly less resolving, is a touch warmer, and in general even more relaxed-sounding. I have just briefly compared the two side-by-side and I feel the vocals on the Solo sit further away from the listener and maybe because of that, the Solo’s soundstage feels larger than the Penta’s. I don’t listen to Metal so I don’t know if this is a good IEM for that genre but in my opinion, both the Solo and the Penta are “all rounders”.

 

[PixelSquish]

Remember for those wanting to travel with Penta .... It won't do well on planes buses cars etc. There isn't what I'd consider good isolation. It's pretty open due to the vents.

In fact it's less isolating than all the pure ba models I've owned and a FAR cry from my custom art customs.

Quiet environment only.

Definitely not the best isolating IEM, but it served me well on a recent long overseas trip on planes (NY to London to Cyprus and back). Haven't tried it on trains yet though. But will be doing so tomorrow.

 

[DavidS11]

Remember for those wanting to travel with Penta .... It won't do well on planes buses cars etc. There isn't what I'd consider good isolation. It's pretty open due to the vents.

In fact it's less isolating than all the pure ba models I've owned and a FAR cry from my custom art customs.

Quiet environment only.

I agree their isolation is not the best for travelling use. It's not that they have bad isolation, it's just not enough for travelling use imho. Sometimes I still struggle even for normal listening environment and I wish they had designed them with better isolation.

 

[Army-Firedawg]

Definitely not the best isolating IEM, but it served me well on a recent long overseas trip on planes (NY to London to Cyprus and back). Haven't tried it on trains yet though. But will be doing so tomorrow.

What tips were you using if I can ask? I found them to be incredibly isolating. I used Comply during my time with them.

 

[PixelSquish]

What tips were you using if I can ask? I found them to be incredibly isolating. I used Comply during my time with them.

I used the symbio W's. I was fine on the plane, and tonight on the train I'll be using Comply. It's not that they are bad, just not the most isolating. It's a small price to pay for the wonderful sound. The magic of a well tuned hybrid IEM is worth having a vent and less isolation IMO.

 

[buonassi]

It's a small price to pay for the wonderful sound. The magic of a well tuned hybrid IEM is worth having a vent and less isolation IMO.

yup, all BA models can't do this good of bass.

 

[gLer]

yup, all BA models can't do this good of bass.

Not all...but you’ll pay a lot more for an all-BA IEM that has better bass, like the 64Audio U12t for example.

 

[Army-Firedawg]

My review is now up, check it out. https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/meze-audio-rai-penta.23896/reviews

 

[kmmbd]

So, finally received the Rai Penta, courtesy of the review tour. I'd like to thank Andy for organizing the tour. First things first, this thing is a looker, and the unboxing experience, while not on the level of Sony, is pretty good.

One thing I've noticed is how tip-dependent the sound is. Having gone through Symbio Peel, Final E-type, Spinfit CP500, and Spinfits, I settled for the medium narrow-bore tips that were included in the package. These are not the most comfortable for me, but they do sound the best to my ears.

The build deserves a special mention. Everything is smoothed out and rounded, Meze has indeed nailed down the art of designing a seamless product. The cables are also really good in terms of build and I have no complaints there.

This thing isn't power hungry at all, but does scale decently with better sources. The sensitivity is slightly on the higher side, but not like Andromedas where every little hiss is magnified.

Now, it's too early to give a proper verdict about the sound, but I can already see why so many feel that it sounds "boring" at first listen. They indeed lack the immediate "wow" factor of the Andromedas, or even the Beyerdynamic Xelento. Part of it is the muted treble response, another "issue" is the intimate soundstage. Imaging however seems rather good so far, so let's see how it all goes. For now, I really like how they handle vocals and string instruments, but cymbals sound a tad bland for my personal tastes. I will get back to it after a week or so with the final review, hopefully.

Some more pictures:

 

[Mr.X Ran]

Thanks! If you can do a quick comparison of Solaris vs Rai, and which one would you prefer - that would be wonderful.

The comparison review of Rai Penta to Solaris I made: