Closer Examination

Oh wait, there's one more surprise! Meze Audio now also has a 4.4 mm balanced cable option for the Alba, and it was kind enough to send me one of those to use with these IEMs. The version I have here has matching hardware with the stock cable, although the photos on the recently released product page suggest this 4.4 mm cable will look slightly different with a more curved termination housing. Regardless, you now have the option to go for a single-ended 3.5 mm cable (with accompanying dongle adapter) or a 4.4 mm cable to use with your own source. These cables, as with the adapter cable, use four stands of silver-plated copper conductor in a clear sheath, making for a shiny silver set that will match the IEMs well. The hardware on the cables uses aluminium in a gunmetal gray finish, and this certainly looks like a premium IEM cable offering now. The cables are quite supple and non-microphonic, although on the thinner side and can get tangled up if you don't wrap them up properly. I am also not a fan of the pre-formed ear hooks used here, the material is stiffer than I'd like and takes more effort to re-shape if they don't already go around your ears naturally. You will notice Meze branding in multiple place, and the two channels terminate in 0.78 mm 2-pin connectors housed in clear plastic, with a red insert helping identify the right channel. All the analog plugs are gold-plated for oxidation resistance.


If you have seen Meze's Advar IEMs before, be it in person or simply in photos/videos, then the Alba will look similar to you. This is a good thing, as I feel the shells of the Alba make for some of the best fitting and most comfortable IEMs on the market. These are small, curved in all the right places, and designed to sit neatly in the concha with the nozzle directing into the ear canal. The Alba uses metal shells too, which is nice to see, with a mix of zinc alloy and anodized aluminium. The former gets a pearl white paint finish, which is glossy and iridescent on this sample. The newer versions are warmer in color based on photos I've seen, and the central aluminium ring, if you will, seems to jut out slightly. I can't say I prefer how these look compared to the initial batches, but these at least seem to be durable to where customers are unlikely to face any paint chipping/cracking issues.


The metal ring is also hosting the back vent for the dynamic driver, and Meze has taken this opportunity to add branding here since this is what will be visible outwards when the IEMs are in use. There's also the Meze logo on the side and Alba + serial number written on the accent ring around the cable connector, but I think it is fair to say the Alba is one of the better looking IEMs no matter which revision you have. The right side has a red colored housing for the 2-pin connectors for easier identification, with the left side going for clear plastic as with the cable. Get closer and now you will see signs of this being a more affordable set, especially with the small gaps between the various connecting pieces. The nozzle piece is large and sports the front vent, so there is some room for modders to play around with how the airflow to the dynamic driver inside will affect the overall tuning. The nozzle itself is somewhat stubby but, combined with the surrounding area being contoured and the shells being small to allow for a deeper fit, the 6.06 mm diameter at the end should hopefully not pose a challenge to getting a secure fit and seal for most people. The provided ear tips also have a relatively long bore, further helping get a deep fit. There is a metal filter on the end of the nozzle to prevent contaminants from entering the acoustic chamber, this would have been accounted for when tuning the set too.


I do recommend tip rolling in case you have any fit/seal issues with the stock tips. The next step is to connect the cable by carefully identifying the matching channels and orienting the ear hooks around your ear when connecting the IEMs. Doing so is extremely simple since you just push the two pins of the cable connectors into the receptacles in the IEMs themselves. The Alba uses flush-mount connectors, and the round housing makes it easier to get a near-seamless transition from the IEMs to the cable. The gunmetal color on the shells also match the cable hardware quite well, as does the white/silver used on the shells and cable itself.