Today, we take a look at the incoming Meze Audio Rai Penta. A new hybrid five driver IEM from the brand that brought us the award winning Empyrean.
This is part of our Picture Sunday series, where we take a quick look at some products in the review cycle. You can find all previous Picture Sunday posts here.
In just a few years, Meze rose from a Romanian unknown brand, to one of the top players in the market. With two headphones only, that’s no small achievement!
The Meze 99 Classics still is one the best available choices in its price range, and the Empyrean even became my top headphone choice in the 2018 Headfonia Awards.
So when the brand announced a new top of the line IEM – the Rai Penta – I directly booked a place on the hype train.
Meze Rai Penta – The design
Like it or not, aluminium IEM is a thing. FiiO has the FH5, BGVP the DMG, Noble the Encore and now Meze has the Rai Penta.
It’s made of full aluminium, all CNC-milled polished and anodized to unsure the shell won’t age with time. The black coating is lightly blue-tinted and the logo has been CNC-machined on the face plate, that’s why it also has some depth. Like the Empyrean, it’s full of small details that make the design look this great.
On the inner side of the Rai Penta, you can find two small holes. The upper one is the Pressure Equalization System (PES) and allows the regulation of the internal chamber pressure. But, the design itself separates this system from all the vents I’m used to see.
Seriously, look at this picture and tell me you don’t find it amazingly cool !
The general look is more conservative, even more if you’re used to the extravagance of the FH5 or the Encore. The curves are subtle, the outward shape blends nicely with the whole setup, but I think it’s a bit too shy overall. That said, comfort is top notch so I can’t really complain apart from that.
Meze Rai Penta – A quick view
I won’t talk much about sound, since there already is an upcoming review from Lieven. I’ll just give you a glimpse of what you are about to get with your Rai Penta.
The IEM is a hybrid. As the name implies there are … 5 drivers ! One dynamic driver and four balanced armature to cover the whole human frequency response, and more. Meze says the Rai Penta can go from 4Hz to 45kHz, so bring out your latest DAP and Hi-Res files.
It’s a three-way crossover IEM as shown in the nozzle, expect clean separation and good layering. The impedance is low at 20 ohms and the sensitivity is set at 110dB, so take your time when you have to choose your source. I’ve done most of my listening with the Cowon Plenue L, a very very good match.
Last but not least, the cable bundled with the Rai Penta is very very good. I’m usually not to concerned for what cables are concerned, but I really liked the sound of this one. I even switched my usual CIEM cable with this one, for good !
Either way, you’ll have to wait for Lieven review for real sound impressions, but these will be up very soon.
