FAudio Mezzo LE Review

Frequency Tuning Switches

The Mezzo LE utilizes a 3-band tuning switch. The bass, mid and treble ranges can be adjusted via the panel behind each shell. To learn more about these switches, please refer to the chapter which features FAudio’s development story. You can access this chapter by clicking on this link.

Since I often mention these switches when describing the sound, I’ll leave a diagram below to make it easier for you to understand.

The leftmost switch controls the bass, the middle switch controls the mid, and the rightmost switch controls the treble.

0-0-0: All Off / Stock

1-0-0: Bass Switch Active

0-1-0: Mid Switch Active

0-0-1: Treble Switch Active

FAudio Mezzo Limited Edition – Sound

The Mezzo LE is an interesting IEM, it has a distinct tonality compared to more conventional monitors. I believe that one reason for this is that although it is a tribrid monitor in nature, it uses a full-range balanced armature driver as a unifier. I think this is quite clever. Modern problems do indeed require modern solutions. Before we get into the details, let’s take a rough look at the general outline of the sound signature.

The Mezzo LE has a warm sound signature. The bass is big, impactful, and voluminous in quantity. The midrange is slightly recessed compared to the rest of the spectrum. The upper midrange, along with the treble, has lots of energy that enriches the sense of dynamism. The treble is expansive, clean, and resolving.

The midrange, despite being slightly recessed, carries a great amount of detail and feels tonally accurate. The revealing nature of the Mezzo does come with a price. It nit-picks sources and tracks and is not forgiving, at all.

If you take the time to create the ideal scenario, it will surely surprise you. Mezzo’s technical capabilities are impressive. It’s capable of projecting a great stereo image while having one of the thickest low-end response I’ve heard from a flagship in-ear monitor. In the stock configuration (0-0-0), the Mezzo’s bass response can be much more than “adequate” in some genres and on some tracks.

This is where the selection of tips and synergy with the source device becomes very important. What makes the Mezzo LE a special monitor is that despite having such a thick, powerful, and big bass reproduction, it is remarkably clean and tonally accurate across the rest of the spectrum.

Let’s take a closer look at additional configurations.

Testing Equipment: FiiO K9 Pro, Macbook Pro 14″ (2021), Qobuz Studio, Audioquest USB & Power Cables.

Let’s start with the 1-0-0 configuration. Switch number 1, as expected, increases the volume of the bass reproduction by a small margin. There is no significant change in impact and decay. The lower mids sound slightly denser, further enhancing the already satisfying bass response in terms of intensity. This switch has little-to-no effect on 2k and up, according to my ears, at least in my testing scenario.

The 0-1-0 configuration increases the presence of the mids on stage as well as the quantity and extension of the upper mids. With this switch on, I found the mids to have a tonally thinner timbre and the amount of mid-bass, in particular, was slightly reduced. Useful, if you plan to listen to vocal-centric genres. Also works great as an alternative if you find the stock configuration “too warm” for your taste. This is the beauty of having switches, you have the ability to fine-tune the sound to your preference.

When the rightmost switch was turned up (0-0-1), I noticed a refreshment on the stage. I can say that the upper mids and treble frequencies were directly affected and increased in quantity. There is an easily perceptible sharpening in extension and bite.

It is also possible to combine the switches, for example, the 0-1-1 configuration provides a clearer, more resolved, and detail-oriented presentation than the stock configuration. Pairing the switches with the sources will also benefit you in terms of synergy, for example, the K9 Pro ESS Edition that I use on a daily basis is a device with slightly fuller lower mids compared to the SMSL’s D1SE.

I find the Mezzo more satisfying using the D1SE with switch 1 off and the K9 Pro ESS with switch 3 on. This is an example of what you can achieve with them, the only tool you need is time.

Technical Performance

Let’s ignore all the customization options and tuning possibilities and focus on the core fundamentals of the Mezzo LE. Despite having three different types of drivers in a single shell, it is quite impressive that it has no coherency issues. Most of the tribrids on the market face this problem and end up with an unpleasant presentation that we describe as “disjointed” sounding.

Furthermore, there is no saturation in the presentation except for the bass, and as I mentioned before, FAudio has managed to compensate for most of the negative effects that can come with a large and intense bass response with the technologies and smart engineering they use.

Furthermore, the Mezzo LE does not feel sluggish. Even with such a powerful and, in some scenarios, dominating bass response, the Mezzo LE offers a fairly fast PRaT. Additionally, the soundstage is impressive. The projected stage feels wide and deep while offering a good amount of air between instruments.

The 0-1-0 configuration allows it to be slightly more balanced, especially in the midrange to the stock configuration. The 0-1-0 config offers an optimal amount of energy in the upper mid to treble range while staying below the sibilance threshold. Overall, the Mezzo LE is a very capable monitor and could easily serve as an endgame for an audiophile who primarily listens to bass-heavy genres. I haven’t enjoyed listening to electronic music this much in a long time.

Source Selection

SMSL D1SE & SP400 ($1350 USD)

The D1SE and SP400 are a DAC and AMP combination with an extremely clean and flat response. When you combine them with the Mezzo LE and even add a cable like the Effect Audio Leonidas (v1) into the equation, you won’t believe how the sound signature of the Mezzo LE changes. In these testing conditions, the Mezzo LE has tight and fast bass, with about 30 percent less bass quantity than in any other test condition I’ve tried, but with no loss in texture and quality.

The technical capability of the Mezzo LE gets a direct boost from the D1SE & SP400 stack. Both resolution and timbre are affected for the better. The tonal balance improved marginally and this may be my favorite out of all the other equipment combinations I placed the Mezzo LE in.

FiiO K9 Pro ($850 USD)

The K9 Pro ESS is perhaps the best and probably the most sophisticated device FiiO has ever created. Under the hood of this blatant beast are two flagship ES9038PRO DAC chips, eight OPA1612 OP-AMPs, and two parallel THX 788+ modules fed by a toroidal transformer. The texture, quality, and tightness of the bass will be hard for any future competitor to the Mezzo LE to match. Compared to the SMSL stack, this combo offers a much warmer signature that is suitable for bass-dominant music genres.

Topping G5 Portable DAC & AMP ($300 USD)

If you are looking for a quick and cheap getaway after spending all the budget on the IEMs, this is your best bet around this time of the year. Its full review will be posted on Headfonia and I most certainly recommend you to read this one as it is hands-down one of the best portable DAC & AMPs in the history of portable DAC & AMPs. The G5 is clean, transparent, powerful, and resolving.

It has plenty of power to power anything from 8 ohm to 600 ohms and it can do it on battery. SQ-wise, combining it with the Mezzo results in a flatter, technically superior presentation to any DAP in my inventory. (M3XR6’2020M11PLUS ESS)

Comparisons

Vision Ears VE7 (€1850 EUR)

The Vision Ears VE7 is my go-to in-ear monitor. I review all source devices, amps, and anything else I can plug the VE7 into. It is responsible for all-things Headfonia, so I am well acquainted with its signature. The VE7 is a highly resolving monitor that has a great tonal balance so it is a good tool for evaluating audiophile gear. It retails for more or less the same as the Mezzo LE.

The two monitors have very different sound signatures and target audiences. First of all, from an entertainment factor point of view, the Mezzo LE is a much more enjoyable IEM. It has a much bigger, more impactful, and more rounded bass response and does a satisfactory job with the rest of the frequencies, which rules out the VE7 if you are a bass-loving audiophile. If you are after the perfect tonal balance, impressive resolution, and all things technical, the VE7 would be my go-to. The point to consider here is which genres you prefer. If you mainly listen to EDM and its variants, the Mezzo LE will make you very happy. The VE7 won’t be able to replicate the amount of slam Mezzo LE offers.

However, with the right combination, you could get Mezzo LE to act as a well-rounded monitor, as in the SMSL example above.

ThieAudio Monarch MK2 ($1000 USD)

The Monarch MK2 is the best tribrid I’ve heard in the year 2022 and I have good reasoning for that. The Monarch MK2 offers excellent coherency and tonal balance for a tribrid. It is a capable IEM that packs a good punch and performs above its price tag. You may be wondering why it is here, let me explain. The Mezzo LE and the Monarch MK2 are similar in many ways.

Both have a clean and spacious presentation with a punchy, impactful bass response. If you are a Monarch MK2 user and you want to upgrade, the Mezzo LE is one of the best IEMs to answer the “what’s next” question in your mind. The Monarch MK2 has slightly less bass quantity, more prominent mids, and a similar, energetic treble compared to the Mezzo LE. The Mezzo’s technical capability is greater, and the ability to fine-tune it to your liking is an added bonus.

Last Words

Today, we have reviewed the FAudio Mezzo LE, which was released by FAudio after about 3 years of R&D and limited to 588 sets for their 7th anniversary. There were many things that impressed me with the Mezzo, but I must say that the most important of these were the unique technologies FAudio developed and the impressive performance of the proprietary switch system.

Not to mention FAudio’s excellent craftsmanship and attention to detail. The Mezzo LE packs the deepest, most powerful, and most impactful bass I have ever heard from an IEM and that is very impressive in my book.

Page 1: FAudio, Mezzo Limited Edition

Page 2: Packaging & Accessories, Tone-Master Cable, Design, Build & Fit

Page 3: Tuning Switches, Sound, Technical Capability, Source Selection, Comparison, Last Words

4.4/5 - (262 votes)
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Long time Tech Enthusiast, an ambitious petrol-head, Yagiz likes his gadgets and always finds new ways into the tinkerer's world. He tries to improve anything and everything he gets his hands onto. Loves an occasional shine on the rocks.

4 Comments

  • Reply November 1, 2022

    Samuel Williams

    Great read, thank you. I have a Monarch MK II and I plan to upgrade to this one.

  • Reply November 1, 2022

    Lincoln Asparagus

    Fantastic review thank you yagiz. I checked the Music teck website to purchase Mezzo but it is out of stock.

  • Reply November 14, 2022

    Jorge Costa

    How good is this set with prog rock, metal and alternative rock?

    • Reply December 22, 2022

      EM

      Fantastic, just listening to Procupine Tree (Athens 1995) and sound is like beeing live at the concert. I do not listen to metall so not able to judge on this.

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