$199.99
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. My listening impressions - mid-range magic and potent bass The Rai Solo are packaged with a hard shell case fit easily in my laptop bag and jacket pocket, and had enough room inside to hold the earbuds with their included cable and 1/4" adapter. Plus I could slip an AudioQuest DragonFly? portable headphone amp/DAC and DragonTail adapter cable in