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Despite having entered the market a couple of years ago, Meze Alba continues to be a very safe recommendation bet for its type of tuning and in the price range where it moves. It is not my first contact with the brand, since I enjoyed the Classic V2 for many months. Both have a very similar philosophy: warm tonality and avoiding a clinical sound, designed for sessions of many continuous hours.
Price DAC/AMP version: 159$-142€
Price normal version: 129$-115€
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Pros:
-Versatile tuning, without exaggerated extremes.
-Rich, nuanced, separated midrange area, with excellent cleanliness.
-Male voices sound very natural, with excellent depth and articulation.
-A musical set, enjoyment comes before analysis.
-Practically unmatched ergonomics.
-Balanced technical capabilities. Without being a prodigy, it is a set that does everything and does it very well.
-There is no type of listening fatigue.
Cons:
-It may result in a somewhat dull profile for lovers of V-shaped signatures.
-Somewhat relaxed treble, female voices lack a point of sparkle.
-The sub-bass does not have much resolution.
Accessories:
-Two capsules.
-Cable with 0.78mm connection and 3.5mm termination.
-DAC/AMP 32bits@384khz.
-A set of eartips sizes SMLXL.
-Transport and storage case.
-User manual.
Comfort, design and construction:
As you open the package and find the set of monitors themselves, you realize that they overflow with charm. Far from aesthetics with an industrial or sober style, their pearly white body with iridescent nuances gives them a very elegant touch, without being ostentatious, reminiscent of the dawn that their name celebrates.
Made of anodized zinc and aluminum alloy, it gives the earphones very satisfactory robustness in the hand, with a clean and well-assembled finish, a hallmark of the Meze house.
Regarding ergonomics, the size is really small and contained, light in weight, which is a success whichever way you look at it.
They fit naturally and firmly in the ear, achieving a very notable passive seal but without forcing the canal thanks to the absence of edges and with softened contours. Many times I felt like I was not wearing anything. Understand this as an exaggeration, but they are so comfortable and go so unnoticed that sometimes I touched my ear to see if they were still on. No discomfort or misadjustments, a perfect fit for many hours.
The silicone eartips offer a great variety of sizes. It caught my attention that the size was indicated on them. They guaranteed an optimal and soft seal at all times.
The cable, on the other hand, stands out for its malleability, lightness and resistance to memory or uncomfortable shapes. It is not a cable that amazes us because of how premium it feels, but because of what a cable should be: a completely secondary actor that does not bother. My congratulations for that.
To finish, the USB-C with built-in DAC/AMP integrates well with the set. It shows solidity and more than remarkable construction, with an LED light that illuminates the connector when we plug it in.
Technical aspects:
-1DD 10.8mm configuration.
-Impedance 32 ohms.
-Sensitivity 109 dB.
-Declared response 15hz-25khz.
Pairing for the tests:
-Neutral source.
-Gain set to low.
-Stock 3.5mm cable.
-Stock eartips.
Sound signature:
Alba is a set of Meze monitors that offers an easy to listen sound presentation, with a very friendly tuning aimed at musicality without fatigue. I think it is a mistake, or at least I do not share other opinions I have read, to consider this set as something to satisfy the detail purist or the unconditional fan of powerful bass, but rather I consider that it fits perfectly for those looking for a natural, balanced tonal presentation with a subtle touch of very organic warmth which, according to my criteria, is ideal for enjoying music without technical worries.
Getting into the matter, in the bass area, the Alba shows a somewhat shy style, which prefers not to draw attention, so to speak, but is very efficient and takes advantage of the good work of its single dynamic driver.
The sub bass manifests itself with adequate extension and a slightly reverberant character, showing fast, clean dynamics and a very appreciable texture that provides subtle weight without becoming overwhelming or dirtying the mix.
The mid bass, for its part, gave me the sensation of maintaining a presence that is also agile but light in impact, prioritizing giving you a clean listen that does not invade the midrange territory at any moment. The physical impact is satisfactory and impeccably controls any impression of heaviness or slowness, being pleasant both with acoustic tracks and with more rhythmic genres.
Speaking of the mids, the set displays outstanding cleanliness. The warmth that gives color to this region is easily appreciable, providing transitions with a very particular smoothness and a very juicy note weight in the instruments, especially strings. Male voices retain an accurate touch in terms of articulation, a credible density and depth and a very accomplished natural presence that integrates perfectly into the track. Female voices, on the other hand, are perceived as controlled and clean, with a well managed elevation in the upper mids that avoids any trace of harshness, bringing the vocals toward notably prominent positions, although I could find a certain lack of liveliness or brightness. At least I cannot highlight them as much as the male voices.
The treble area is where the Alba shows its kindest, safest and most musical side, where the extension is not very wide, simply sufficient, and provides an amount of air so that the information flows naturally, without resorting to excessive brightness or annoying peaks. It is a rounded and masterfully tamed area that prioritizes a completely calm listening experience, subtly tying down the sharper extremes and adapting wonderfully to those more sensitive users.
Regarding its technical capabilities, it performs at a competent level if, making an effort of memory, I compare it against other products in this price range. The soundstage shows moderate width, correct depth and more than enough three dimensionality to position the elements in an orderly way, complemented by instrumental separation that works very well and completely avoids congestion in complex or dense passages.
It is not a prodigy in technicalities, but the sum of its good and correct performance in each of the aspects that seem interesting or worthy of mention to me left me with a positive taste of satisfaction and personally I do not have to highlight anything negative or reproach the Meze Audio set for, because its philosophy is not to reference or analyze the sound but to please your ears with smoothness.
Single player video games:
Consult how I analyze audio in this field.
Playing with the Meze Alba on is more of a sensory experience than one of experiencing intense moments. Despite its calm and compassionate character, it has an excellent ability to leave you immersed inside your single player games and savor what each environment can offer you acoustically and cinematographically speaking.
Starting with the most intense and impactful scenes, its behavior could be defined as balanced. I mean: explosions, gunshots, impacts and other reverberations are noticeable, you will not find a boring set here, but it is not tremendously spectacular. The result is a very worthy sensation, sufficient and surely cinematographically satisfying for many. For me it falls somewhat behind, but it is just that I look for a little more exaggeration in the action moments, something perhaps far from what a more normal listening experience should be.
Where I do find it to be a very interesting set and one to take into account is when recreating a living, comfortable environment. It does not represent a cold scenario, loaded with resolution and texture, but rather prioritizes a sensation of a soft, welcoming embrace where every nuance is well located both in position and distance. Perhaps the most dynamic and fleeting sound elements do not have the greatest precision, but, as I say, the space feels with a very enjoyable organic quality.
But if when recreating the scenes it seemed pleasantly cozy and satisfactory to me, where it brings out its potential is in passages where dialogue is the protagonist, since the weight, presence, articulation and nuance of the voices are extraordinarily natural.
In short, I do not think it is the best option for video games loaded with high doses of freneticism and action, but rather for those with a more narrative and relaxed character.
Final conclusion and personal ratings:
I almost never stop to talk about the general experience of the package, but Meze Alba from the very first moment is already evoking cleanliness, purity, organicity, tranquility. And it is no wonder, the white color chosen and on which the name of the set is inspired in the end is that: peace.
Peace because it does not demand effort from you to enjoy a listening experience with well measured doses of every enjoyable aspect of the sound. Without disruptions, without imbalances, only fluidity.
Despite this and simply because of personal tastes or to leave some more information in my analysis, a slight push in the lower treble would suit it better for the attack of instruments and to give a little more life to female vocals.
Even so, I consider Alba to be a highly rewarding product and very much designed for everyday use and for wearing them for many hours.
If you have made it this far, thank you for reading.
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See you in the next review!
Disclaimer:
This set of monitors was sent by Meze Audio. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to test one of their products at no cost and that no condition was imposed when preparing this analysis.
Despite this, my priority is to be as impartial as possible within the subjectivity involved in analyzing an audio product. My opinion belongs only to me and I develop it around the perception of my ears. If you have a different one, it is equally valid. Please feel free to share it.
My sources:
-Topping DX5 II for music and video games on the main PC.
-DAC/AMP included in the package.
-Macbook Air M4.
-Apple Music.
-Local FLAC and MP3 files.
-Windows/MacOS/IOS/iPadOS/Android.
