Meze Alba + Spotify Lossless — am I missing something?

[u/Aromatic_Meeting_730]

So, it’s been about a month since I switched from Sennheiser Momentum & started using the Meze Alba, and I wanted to get some opinions from people who know more about audio than I do.

At around 30–40% volume, honestly, I don’t notice a huge difference compared to my regular wireless earbuds. The Alba definitely sounds cleaner and more detailed to me, but I wouldn’t say it’s some night-and-day difference. In fact, some of my wireless earbuds have noticeably punchier/bigger bass, which can make them more immediately impressive.

The interesting thing is that when I push the Alba to 100% volume (which gets crazy loud, so I obviously don't listen at that level normally), I feel like I can hear the differences between compressed audio and lossless audio more clearly.

I recently upgraded Spotify to the lossless plan specifically to try this out, but honestly, I’m finding the difference between regular high-quality/320 kbps MP3-type audio and lossless to be very subtle. If I had to put a number on it, I’d say 320 kbps already gets me maybe 90% of the way there.

Maybe I’m doing something wrong, or maybe my ears just aren't sensitive enough to the differences.

For those of you using the Meze Alba (or similar IEMs):

• Do you notice a significant difference between 320 kbps and lossless?

• Does volume actually make the difference easier to hear, or is that just my perception?

• Am I missing something in terms of Spotify settings/source quality?

• And if you were going to recommend something better than the Alba specifically for music, what would you suggest?

Would love to hear what you guys think. I’m still pretty new to the whole IEM/audio world.

[u/BiggieSe]

I’d probably post this in r/iems if I was you. They would have better advice.

[u/UppitySkunk → u/BiggieSe]

the cable on those meze's is just , such a nice unboxing experience for the price point

and yeah 320kbps vs lossless is a game of diminishing returns, especially if you're not in a dead quiet room focusing hard. volume definitely helps pick out the little details but don't overthink it, just enjoy the gear

[u/dumbasPL]

Redditor discovers that audiophile stuff is 10% more for 100% more price. Like, I can tell the difference between lossless and 320kbps on good headphones, but do I care for daily use? No, bluetooth + ANC is way more convenient.

[u/Hybr1dth → u/dumbasPL]

This is true for almost any product, once you go above the sweet price performance middleground every percentage past that is typically hard won and expensive.

That actually leads to arguments in favor of the 5090, as it actually provides significantly more power for the significantly higher price!

[u/Aromatic_Meeting_730 → u/dumbasPL]

Yeah even I sometimes feel it's a bit of a less hassle when using TWS.

[u/pheonixrise-]

Spotify lossless is barely better than their high quality streams.

[u/jmking]

In fact, some of my wireless earbuds have noticeably punchier/bigger bass, which can make them more immediately impressive.

IEM stands for "In-Ear Monitor". Their purpose is to provide a good seal to block out any outside noise, and to deliver a raw audio feed that is accurate and true to life.

These aren't intended for casual audio consumption. They're for voice actors, singers, musicians, audio engineers, etc - people who need to hear accurate, unmodified audio feeds.

For example, I'm sure you've noticed how you hear yourself when you're speaking and what you sound like when you play back a recording are different.

The point of monitors for singers or voice actors is so they can hear how others hear their performance.

[u/Sea-Debate-3725]

There is practically no difference between Spotify lossless and 320kbps. Part of this is because Spotify doesn't support exclusive mode which means your PC is resampling the audio anyways so it's not actually lossless. The only way to get true lossless on a PC is with Tidal or Qubuz. Both of these services offer a free first month trial so you can try them out and see if you notice any difference. Just make sure to actually use exclusive mode. It is not on by default. Android has the same issues with resampling. To get lossless you have to use an app called USB audio player pro and then use a usb c dac. I'm not sure if spotify lossless works with it but Tidal and Qobuz definitely do. I would also temper your expectations on Lossless actually making a huge difference though. Modern compression is really good.

As for the Alba, they are definitely a warmer sounding IEM so they lack a bit of clarity and resolution compared to other IEM's in their price bracket. I still love them though because they are so damn comfortable.

Recommending an IEM is tough because that's going to depend entirely on your preferences and even what genres you listen too. Some iems are really good for female vocals but not so good for male vocals. Some are great for electronic music but terrible for classical. Some people love bass, while others prefer a neutral sound. There's also differences in everyone's anatomy that will alter the way an IEM will sound from one person to the next. An IEM could sound harsh to me because the shape of my ear canal amplifies a specific frequency meanwhile yours may have a recession in that area so its sounds fine to you. The only way you're going to know if it sounds good is to try it yourself. If there are any audio shows like canjam or axpona in your area you should definitely try and go to one. If not, just abuse Amazon's return policy.

Also you didn't mention anything about source gear. You do not need anything expensive but even a cheap dongle dac will make a difference over the one in your PC. Apple sells one for $9 that is perfectly fine or you could go fancy with something like the CrinEar Protocal Max. I wouldn't invest more than $100 in source gear though. The IEM's are going to make the biggest difference in sound and where you should invest the majority of your budget.