Meze Alba Review – Adaptable

Comparisons –

AFUL MagicOne ($109): The MagicOne is a single-BA competitor at a slightly lower price. It draws parallels with its compact and comfortable shells. The MagicOne has a slightly brighter and more neutral leaning tuning. Bass impact is lighter with the BA design. It is impressively extended considering, quicker and more defined. The Alba has more bass and better extension. It is slightly more mid-bass forward in terms of tuning and slightly better texturing. The midrange is slightly more upfront on the AFUL and the voicing is more transparent with more of a neutral tone.

The AFUL has better upper-mid extension giving it a more revealing character while the Alba is more forgiving with bigger, more powerful vocals. The treble is more present on the AFUL and a bit more defined. It has slightly better extension and fine detail retrieval. The Alba by comparison is more balanced with a more focused foreground and more natural body and texture. Alba has a slightly larger soundstage. The AFUL has better separation but subjectively the Alba’s imaging is a bit more involving.

Letshuoer S12 ($109): The S12 has a very similar tuning to the Alba. While its planar driver design boasts superior technical performance, this does come at the expense of tonal refinement. The low-end tuning is almost identical up to 1kHz. Despite this, the sound is different with the Alba having more sub-bass power and a slightly more authentic texture. The S12 is slightly quicker and cleaner but also less dynamic. The midrange sees a sharper rise on the S12 while the Alba is more progressive. The S12 comes across as a bit more nasal and strained with smaller vocals, it is more U-shaped.

The Alba has a more natural voicing and better extension in the upper midrange. Both are articulate, but the Alba overall has a far more desirable midrange to my ears. The treble is more even also on the Alba which gives highs more texture and body. By comparison, the S12 is more energetic with more mid-treble presence. It has better background and fine detail retrieval at the expense of note timbre. The soundstage is slightly larger on the S12 but the imaging feels tighter knit on the Alba.

Verdict –

Meze are masters of user experience, that is, at designing products as a whole. I find IEMs such as these may not offer the most outstanding sonic performance but are often the best to live with day to day. The Alba is such a creation. As always, Meze delivers an exceptionally convincing design and ergonomic experience. They carry all the strengths of the Advar, being compact, comfortable and isolating. Sonically, the Alba is easily the best all-rounder we’ve seen from the company as far as in-ears are concerned; outdoing the pricier Advar in this regard too. It is their most balanced, refined and linear yet. The Alba is warm, and coherent but still defined, and well-separated, delivering a tonality that the vast majority will find highly appealing. Technically, the single dynamic driver is capable if not exceptional in any regard. The Alba nevertheless represents one of the strongest overall packages at this asking price with a gorgeous tonality that does the brand justice, making it a personal favourite recommendation.    

The Alba is available from Meze Audio (International) and Mindisc (AU) for $160 USD at the time of writing. I am not affiliated with Meze or Minidiscand receive no earnings from purchases made through these links.

Track List – 

Billie Eilish – dont smile at me

Bob Seger – Night Moves

Courtney Barnett – Rae Street

Cream – Wheels of Fire

Dire Straits – Communique

Dirty Loops – Next To You

Eagles – Hotel California

Elton John – Honky Chateau

Fleetwood Mac – Rumours

H.E.R – I Used To Know Her

Jasen – BYE

John Mayer – Continuum

Kanye West – Ye

Missy Higgins – The Sound of White

Radiohead – OK Computer

TALA – ain’t leavin` without you

The Beatles – Abbey Road

The weeknd – After Hours

Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride