MEZE ALBA EARPHONES REVIEW

Meze Alba Earphones feature a single dynamic driver and are priced at £159. Is this sleek-looking earphone set to shake up the lower end of the earphone market? Oscar Stewart finds out.

Meze are a headphone company from Romania, they are well known for their over-ear headphones such as the 99 Classics, 109 Pro and Empyrean, and have also had some success with in-ears such as the Advar and Rai Penta. Well, earlier this year they released a new model and it was first shown at High End Munic and it is called Alba.

BUILD QUALITY AND FEATURES OF THE MEZE ALBA

First off, the Alba do not look or feel like your average £159 earphone, the housings are made of a zinc alloy with aluminium parts and they feel like a premium product in your hands. The white finish of the shells sparkles in the light and the 2-pin detachable cable fits perfectly with the earphone’s aesthetic. Speaking of the cable, it is made of silver-plated copper and is supple and comfortable with great strain relief and accents made of aluminium. 

They are not heavy and once you settle on the right ear-tips are comfortable for long listening periods. The shape of these allows for such a comfortable fit, they are one of the few earphones that truly disappear in my ear when in use and I think Meze have done a fantastic job in terms of the comfort of the Alba. These are a purely passive earphone and the single dynamic driver design means that whilst they isolate well, they don’t quite match a sealed balanced armature model. The level of isolation with the right tips is perfect for normal daily use and I never felt myself needing more unless I was in high-noise environments. 

With an impedance of 32Ohms and a sensitivity rating of 109dB/mW @1kHz these do not need anything particularly powerful to drive them, these are designed for portable use on the go. So much so that Meze has included a USB-C to 3.5mm socket dongle with the Alba, this is included in the price and allows people to easily use these earphones with their mobile phone. The included dongle is nicely made and whilst the sound quality isn’t quite as detailed and open as the iFi GO Link, it is perfectly fine for normal outside use. 

In the box you also get an eco-leather carry case alongside 4 sizes of silicone eartips, S, M, L and XL – the addition of XL will please those with wider ear canals. Meze also offers a 4.4mm balanced cable as an accessory for the Alba for an additional £59 – this is great for people like me who use DAPs on the go. 

The whole unboxing experience is excellent! You feel like you have purchased a premium product, yet these only cost £159, which is on the lower end of the budget when it comes to “audiophile” earphones. Meze has done a fantastic job with the materials used and the whole feel of the product, especially the design and comfort, and I can assure you they hold up when it comes to the all-important sound quality too. 

SOUND QUALITY

First off, I did try these with the included USB-C to 3.5mm dongle and it offers up great quality for what it does, it is however slightly warm sounding and introduces a little body to the sound that is noticeable when changing to more neutral tuned devices. As usual, I used my Fiio M15s as a reference player for this review, along with the 4.4mm balanced cable that Meze kindly included with these, it uses the same conductors as the stock 3.5mm cable. 

Once you’ve settled on the right tips, and put these in your ears, you’ll find yourself immersed in the music you have chosen to listen to. The Meze Alba are not here to give you micro-detail in heaps, they’re not here to throw detail at you, they are here for your enjoyment and at that, they succeed. There is something inherently right about the sound of a good single-driver earphone. There is a naturalness and cohesion that many budget multi-driver earphones fail to get right. The great thing about that first listen with the Alba is that you get fullness and body, with the speed and agility of more technical tunings and it doesn’t fall apart the minute a busier mix comes on.

Case in point, Opeth – Harlequin Forest. The guitars have plenty of air and space with plenty of driving power behind them, vocals are well-isolated and never get crowded by the rest of the mix. The bass guitar line is well-defined and articulate whilst the drums crash around you. The sound is never brash, yet it manages to keep up with everything that is going on within the mix. When the song slows in the middle, the softer guitar notes are rendered with nuance, whilst kick drums have great impact and body. The overall signature comes across as well balanced with a slight hint of warmth. The stereo imaging is fantastic allowing you to track instruments across the sound stage with accuracy. Cymbals crash with a crisp note and smooth extension, but they never sound fatiguing whilst steering clear of being too dark. 

The Horrors – It’s A Good Life. Once again the vocals are well-centred with great clarity and tonality, the synths swirling around the midrange whilst the deep bass notes are full yet controlled. These dig deep into the bass without any issues, sounding both full and articulate without ever overdoing it. There is enough bass to satisfy most without it becoming the focus of the Alba. Halfway through the song the bass really kicks in, and these handle this brilliantly, they are effortlessly full without masking any other part of the frequency range. This song sounds brilliant through the Alba with such a fun sound with plenty of detail and air.

Another thing the Alba do well is the way they are fairly forgiving of poor recordings, The Used – Maybe Memories, for example – a full-on track and can come across as a little forward at times. The Alba’s manage to dig out the fun side of this song and portray it in an energetic and engaging way. The treble never becomes too forward, the midrange is controlled without sibilance, and the drums are super punchy. There are some tom hits that come from the left channel that stand out and this it comes down to the Alba’s ability to be articulate, punchy and dynamic, yet clean. 

Now, play some better recordings and they pull out some impressive detail. Ed Sheeran might not be to everyone’s taste, but I See Fire is a fantastic song that through the Alba you get a beautiful rendition of this powerful track. The deep bass provides the foundation for the beat that is once again effortlessly full whilst Ed’s vocals cut through with good tone and clarity. The strings are well-defined and as the intensity grows so do the Albas – these have a big sound to them, handling dynamic shifts without breaking a sweat. 

I’m going to come back to the fact that there is something inherently enjoyable about a good single dynamic driver earphone, the Alba encapsulates this. They have such an enjoyable, punchy, fun, and detailed sound that it’s hard not to love them, especially for £159. 

QUIBBLES

There really isn’t anything to complain about for the money! There may be others that are slightly better on a technical level around this price range however, as a package the Alba are simply brilliant.

CONCLUSION

The Albas really have come to shake up this segment in the earphone market! There are some models out there that may offer up a bit more clarity, or some that give you more bass, yet the Albas do everything to a brilliant standard for their price. These even give more expensive models a run for their money! The build quality is fantastic, the fit is extremely good, and the sound is well-balanced with a subtle warmth to them. 

They can bring out the fun in the songs you enjoy, these are not a boring earphone. It is the impact, dynamics, and control that all come together to create a sound that is highly addictive. These are not simply a flavour of the month earphones; they genuinely do what they do in such a way that few can compete with at this price. 

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality And Features:

Solid build

Great features (USB-C to 3.5mm dongle included) 

Sound Quality:

Punchy and engaging

Well-rounded and simply enjoyable

Value For Money:

Outstanding, few can compete when it comes to the overall package at this price

We Loved:

The fit, the sound quality, and the accessory package

We Didn’t Love So Much:

Nothing to note

Elevator Pitch Review: If you’re looking for an easygoing yet detailed earphone at this price range, the Alba is one of the top contenders. Yes, you might find a little more detail in other models, or a higher driver count, but what you won’t find is this level of sophistication and balance. The Alba manages to be natural, effortless, engaging, and refreshing. This is a single dynamic driver done right! They have a level of coherency and fluidity to their sound that makes them a pure joy to listen to.

Price: £159 / $159 / €159

Oscar Stewart

SUPPLIED BY MEZE 

SUPPLIED SPECIFICATION

Specifications

• Driver: 10.8 mm Dynamic Driver.
• SPL: 109 dB SPL / V at 1 kHz.
• Frequency Range: 15 Hz – 25 kHz.
• Distortion: < 0.1 % at 1 kHz.
• Impedance: 32 Ω at 1 kHz.

Included

• ALBA Dynamic Earphones.
• 1 x 1.2 metre cable, with 2-pin (0. 78 mm) connectors, plus 3.5 mm gold plated jack termination.
• 1 x USB-C to headphone jack adapter (with built-in DAC / Amp).
• 4 x pairs ear tips (S, M, L, XL).
• 1 x Eco-leather carrying pouch.