Meze Audio Rai Solo

The Meze Audio Rai Solo in-ear monitors are packed with a hard shell case, detachable cable, and 8 pairs of ear tips.

Well-constructed in-ears from a rising star in personal audio

Meze Audio is relatively new name in the world of headphones, but I've quickly become a big fan. So I jumped at the chance to audition their Rai Solo in-ear monitors (IEMs). I could sense the company's high level of care and craftsmanship as soon as I removed the lightweight stainless steel earbuds from their packaging. But while the Rai Solo unboxing experience was impressive, the real treat came when I popped them in and took a listen.

Special driver design for clear, powerful sound

Each earbud includes a single driver that uses what Meze calls a "united pistonic motion" diaphragm. Instead of attaching a separate voice coil to the diaphragm, the Rai Solo diaphragm acts as a conductor itself. When it receives positive and negative signals, the diaphragm moves back and forth in a smooth, quick, and symmetrical manner. There's no herky jerky movement that could result in distortion — I heard a refined sound with especially clean vocals and deep, detailed bass. 

Plus, by removing the need for an adhesive, Meze eliminates an extra element that could disrupt the purity of the audio signal. This makes me chuckle a bit because I've met founder and lead designer Antonio Meze. He comes from an engineering background, and one of the first things I noticed about him — along with his good nature and genuine passion for headphones — was his aversion to glue! He told me over and over again that Meze Audio simply doesn't use the stuff to build headphones.  

This exploded view of the driver shows the special diaphragm (second to left) that acts independently for more symmetrical, uniform movement.

The most comfortable in-ear monitors I've tried

Here's something I probably shouldn't admit as a high-end headphone enthusiast: I don't always like how IEMs fit and feel. I know, shameful right? I should always be willing to sacrifice comfort for sound. But I can't get past the strain some of these monitor-style earbuds put on my ears. Sometimes it's how the ear tips fit into the canal and sometimes it's how stiff the cord wraps around my ear — it feels like it is constantly tugging at me or in the way.

Not so with these Meze in-ears. When I found the right ear tips, they slid in easily and avoided pressure points. They stayed secure and didn't move around. Most importantly, when I draped the wrap around cord behind my ears, I didn't feel the dreaded strain.

Plenty of ear tips

Of course, when we talk about fit, it is not all about comfort. There are major sonic advantages to getting a tight, secure seal that doesn't move around. It helps ensure vocals are clear, soundstaging is on point, and the bass is reinforced. 

So Meze includes 8 pair of silicone tips than span three different sizes and three different styles. I found the more traditionally shaped ear tips worked best for me, but Meze also includes two types of double-flanged tips that fit deeper to further isolate noise.