I have always had a strong admiration for the design aesthetics and build quality of Meze products even if I don't always agree with the sound output of their brand of headphones, but their newest and lowest-priced "Alba" is one that I have enjoyed over the past few weeks and I'm going to discuss some of the reasons why in this review.
First off, the product was sent to me to review by Apos Audio. The product retails for $159 USD and is available at this direct link: https://apos.audio/products/meze-audio-alba-iems
Meze Audio is a Romanian company that started off a few years ago. I've reviewed many of their products including their flagship Empyrean headphones and their original IEM flagship, the Rai Penta. All of them have remarkably tasteful and beautiful designs packed with good accessories and quality craftsmanship.
The Alba is no different. I love simple and white designs. If you ever see my house and my office, you'll see that my wife and I really take the modern and simplistic allure of "white" tones in our home decor. So the Alba just fits right in. It has a white and gunmetal shell design with a cool kind of woofer design on the front, and with a white/silver cable and is stored in a white leather zipper case.
The accessories work well and are all small, lightweight, and extremely easy to carry around, while doing their job of protecting the metal shells. I have zero negatives to really point out on the design, fit, and included accessories here.
The Alba also came with a USB-C audio adapter, however I will not be assessing it today. I spent the majority of the listening time with Alba on the Sony Walkman ZX707 and Sony A106. Both of these are Japanese imported versions with no amplifier volume restrictions on them. I also spent a little time with the FiiO K11 R-2R mini desktop DAC/Amp.
Sound Impressions
The Meze Alba has a balanced sound signature that is quite in-line with my preference target curve. There is an elevated bass range that extends deep into the subbass region, with a slight dip in the mids, and a smooth and tempered treble range.
The Alba works very well in all-genre types. I spent a bit of time listening to a variety music from instrumental guitar post-rock, to indie folk, to jazz and new wave. I never felt that the Alba was the wrong IEM for the job.
In boygenius' "The Record" album, the Alba was able to present the indie folk trio's music with grace and the smooth mid-range and treble presentation did not give their vocals a chance to really become strident or sibilant. There's plenty of opportunities on this album too. In the quiet and self-reflective "We're in Love", Lucy Dacus' gritty vocals sound great.
In the Phoebe Bridger's led "Not Strong Enough", the various guitars in this track are clear and have good instrument separation despite being one of the more busy tracks on "The Record." There's occasional times on this song where the bass levels go fairly deep and the Meze Alba has just enough volume down there to give my ears a shake. It's satisfyingly subtle, and not overwhelming.
The Root's classic "Sacrifice" with Nelly Furtado sounds extremely tight on the Alba. Questlove's drumming attack on this is clean, tight, and has both an accurate amount of slam and hits well. Black Thought's lyrical attack is concise and clear, and never sibilant or feeling lost. When Furtado mixes in her vocals, on some headphones, there can be some sibilance, but not with the Alba.
If I had to point to some sacrifices the Alba makes, I'd have to say that it does sound a little lean at times, and that those who want a fuller body may want to look elsewhere. The Alba has a very neutral presentation but with enough dynamics to keep it from being stale.
Final Thoughts
The Alba does everything fairly well. It doesn't have a lot of negatives and compared to many items in its price point, it's quite good. It does face some stiff competition from similarly tuned and lower costing Moondrop gear but you do get a much better looking shell design, in my opinion, and better build quality overall.
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