Meze Alba Review: Premium sound without the premium price tag?

[@Dragoncini]

Nice review, congrats!

[@NorbReviews]

Thank you!

[@rubenviegas6358]

How do they stack the against Dunu Falcon Ultra!!?

[@darrencotter8206]

On my new set, bought directly from Meze, the right hand side cable intermittently falls off, both with the supplied 3.5mm cable and the Meze 4.4mm cable. Therefore, it is the right IEM is faulty, as I’ve tried swapping sides with both cables, with the same issue. I Emailed Meze about this, they wanted pictures of the two-pin socket and cable, which I sent. Then no contact. Poor customer care and build quality.

[@alikhanyeraliyev1881]

Hey this is unrelated but I been binge watching ur videos, they are great video you opened new options for me, could you please help me choose my first ever headphone since I am a student I do have a certain budget but I found models across the web that fit my budget. What I am mainly looking for is for listening to music, for travel, and gym. I do like ANC however sound quality is most important for me I feel here my options 1. Q20i or Q30 2 edifier 820 3. QCY H3 4. Hyper Pro 5. Soundpeats space Many thanks in advance

[@NorbReviews]

Thanks for watching! I responded in your other thread, so I think you should be good ;-)

[@JagadguruSvamiVegananda]

Koss KSC75. 🎧

[@NorbReviews]

@@JagadguruSvamiVegananda The KSC75’s are fantastic value and one of my all time favorites. But I think the viewer was looking for something wireless and closed back. (Using open back with travel isn’t all that great.) Still, I 100% agree they’re fantastic.

[@woakmoment]

overall, how would you say these are for metal/rock music?

[@NorbReviews]

You know, I have to stop cutting out parts of my reviews just because people keep telling me to make them under 10 minutes. (I had a whole section on that specific topic.) Short of it: it depends very much on the mix. I love symphonic rock, so I tested with Epica and Everdawn. Epica sounded amazing, absolutely perfect. I loved it. Everdawn sounded a bit too bright on the high-end for me. Epica relies more on acoustic than Everdawn, which does more electronic, and I think that’s the difference. Overall, I think most rock is mixed to reduce the highs a bit and emphasize the lows some, and so I think these work well for that. But that’s not a guarantee. Got a band in mind? Maybe I can test. (Or if you have a Spotify, KZbin, or Qobuz list, you can post a link.)

[@woakmoment]

@@NorbReviews i mostly listen to melodic or progressive metalcore, so there are much more electronic and distorted tones. bands like Opal In Sky, Erra, and Architects, so perhaps they'd sound a bit strong with the snares, guitar shredding and higher vocals

[@NorbReviews]

@@woakmoment - Listening to Opal in Sky and Erra now. I think this would be OK, though I felt a few areas were a bit too forward. I’d still want to tone down the highs a bit, so these wouldn’t be my choice for that, but they’re not overbearing. (TBH, I’d just use headphones for that kind of metal.) I’d put this more under personal taste than product issues. Side note: searched for Erra on Qobuz and saw this, which I’ll assume is not what you were talking about. open.qobuz.com/album/zq8rmkgeb8e3b (This actually sounds pretty great on the Alba, BTW, but unless you’re into Thai pop, it’s probably not what you’re considering.)

[@NorbReviews]

You know, I just realized something: adding a 10ohm impedance adaptor to the Alba might fix all of this up.

[@gertost]

How are these for trance, rock/metal, pop, electronica, classical ect... ? I listen to a wide range of genres. I like detailed, wide, punchy and a little warm sound. It must be enganging and musical. Not Fatigue. And of course comfortable. The most comfort iems ive had, is the beyerdynamic xelento. A good iem. But to pricey

[@NorbReviews]

So, take this with a grain of salt because everybody’s ears are different. (Also, I actually talked about this in a part of the video I cut because I was trying to optimize for YT, which was a mistake, so I think I’ll just release that as a part 2.) - Acoustic music sounds generally great, with the exceptions I mentioned (men’s voices, some mixes, some percussion) - Electronic was hit or miss. I found some types to be great (lofi, electroswing) and others to sometimes be a little harsh (dubstep, electropop). Didn’t specifically test with trance. - Metal was hit or miss, but Rock was generally good. Comfort-wise, I’ll put this up against just about anything, but everybody’s ears are different. For context, I like the Chu II, thought the Zero:Red was OK, and don’t like the Hexa. Take from that what you will. These are a single dynamic driver, and while it is detailed-and sometimes unforgiving of a mix-it’s not as crisp as good dedicated BAs or planars. Vocals are glorious, but the lower mods sometimes feel little deficient. I consider these musical and engaging because you feel involved with the sound, but I think that’s also a really personal determination. I hope this helps.

[@gertost]

@@NorbReviews Tnx for an really detailed answer. It helps a lot ☺️👍