Meze ALBA – Warm sound like the first rays of sunshine of the day
Romanian headphone specialist Meze Audio's latest in-ear headphones Meze ALBA are certainly poetic in their approach, at least as far as the name is concerned. Alba stands for the first light of day, warm, hopeful and gentle, and this is exactly how these new headphones are intended to present themselves.
- With the new Meze ALBA in-ear headphones, the Romanian headphone specialist Meze Audio wants to address new target groups.
Emotions naturally play a central role when it comes to consumer electronics solutions, but hardly any headphones have ever been advertised as romantically, even poetically, as the Romanian company Meze Audio has done with the new Meze ALBA. These new in-ear headphones are the stuff of rapture.
In Romanian, the term alba is synonymous with the first rays of sunshine of the day, which are warm, hopeful and gentle and symbolise a new beginning. And this is exactly what the new Meze Alba refers to in several respects.
A new beginning
The Meze ALBA is intended to be a kind of new beginning for Meze Audio, as the company now wants to address a new, significantly broader customer base than before and is therefore deliberately setting the price point for these in-ear headphones at an attractively low level, as the company explains.
In addition, and this is probably an even more important point, the poetic description can also be linked to the sound of the new Meze ALBA, as it is intended to impress with a pure, warm and natural sound.
Natural, detailed performance
In order to achieve the promised natural, detailed performance, the developers of the new Meze ALBA rely on a dynamic driver with a diameter of 10.8 mm, which is therefore generously dimensioned. The manufacturer specifies a frequency range of 15 Hz to 25 kHz for the driver in the data sheet, with a sensitivity of 109 dB and an impedance of 32 ohms.
Elegant design inspired by nature
As far as the housing of the new Meze ALBA is concerned, the developers have once again taken their cue from nature and opted for organic, curved shapes using a mixture of zinc alloy and anodised aluminium.
This is intended to achieve maximum robustness, but also maximum comfort thanks to the ergonomic design. In addition, the iridescent colouring gives the housing a particularly high-quality look and gives the Meze ALBA the appearance of a shimmering pearl, as the manufacturer itself once again very poetically puts it.
USB DAC included
It is worth noting that Meze Audio includes a high-quality D/A converter with the Meze ALBA in the form of a USB-DAC for USB-C.
This USB DAC with integrated headphone amplifier, specially manufactured for Meze Audio, uses the same high-quality materials as the cable, which is 1.2 metres long and comes with the Meze ALBA and has a 3.5 mm stereo mini jack on one end and a 0.78 2-pin connector on the other. It is therefore a detachable cable that Meze Audio provides with the new Meze ALBA.
The scope of delivery also includes silicone ear tips in sizes S, M, L and XL as well as a matching transport bag in which all the small parts can be stored in addition to the headphones themselves.
Prices and availability
The new Meze ALBA will initially only be available in white/silver and will soon be available from specialist retailers, according to Meze Audio. The recommended retail price of € 159,- is very favourable.
Getting to the point
Well, it’s a bit cheesy when Meze Audio enthuses about the first rays of sunshine of the day, but if you leave this aside, the new Meze ALBA in-ear headphones from the Romanian specialist are actually a very exciting product, because the features offered here, the elegant design and the proven robust construction make the price appear extremely attractive. Especially as you also get a D/A converter with headphone amplifier to connect the new Meze ALBA directly to smartphones, tablets and notebooks.
| PRODUCT | Meze ALBA In-ear Headphones |
|---|---|
| Price | € 159,- |
| Brand | MEZE AUDIO |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Meze Audio |
| Distribution Austria | Audio Tuning Vertriebs GmbH |
| Distribution Germany | Headphone Company |
| Distribution Switzerland | Timeless Products Schweiz AG |
| More about this manufacturer at HIFI BLOG |
