"A Veritable Bargain in Terms of the Trickle-Down Design"
The Rai Solo in-ear monitor from Meze Audio is built for entry-level audiophiles and is designed for one purpose only. It is intended to introduce you to the transcendental experience of listeinng to music and discovering the magic of sound. The Rai Solo features what the company terms a "fun-neutral sound tuning" in an attractive hand-brushed, sintered steel shell.
"The Rai Solo feels like a veritable bargain in terms of the trickle-down design, manufacturing learning and premium presentation of their bigger brother," reports Matty Graham in his headfonia.com review for November 5, 2019.
"Fantastic Value for Money"
The Rai Solo was born from Meze Audio's vision to offer entry-level audiophiles a solidly built and great value IEM. It boasts ergonomic design, a sturdy stainless-steel driver shell, and a refined dynamic driver. The strongest correlation between the Rai Solo and the much higher priced flagship Rai Penta is the similar shape of the IEM. The use of Metal Injection Molding technology for the body of the Solo made it possible to have a very complex inner shape made in mass production with great accuracy.
"If you’re looking for a clear, energetic, open sounding IEM with strong technical foundations and a touch brighter than reference tuning then the Solo will provide fantastic value for money," notes davidmolliere, head-fi.org, May 6, 2020. "If you own a warm DAP or source or are willing to EQ you can shift its signature easily into a slightly warm and fuller sounding reference IEM without losing its clarity and energy."
"While retaining a fairly balanced signature overall, there’s still plenty of pep in the presence region, giving this product a sense of airy, sparkly and bright energy that can be addictive to some, for long listening periods," writes Matthew Jens in his March 30, 2020 review for stereonet.co.uk. "This balanced yet bright signature does wonders for the soundstage as well, giving just enough depth to enable some out-of-the-head experiences, as well as having pinpoint imaging and no detectable channel imbalances."
Exclusive Unified Piston Motion Driver (UPM)
In a traditional electrodynamic driver, the voice coil lead wires are glued to the back side of the thin membrane of the driver. This is the major factor of the 'unbalanced vibration' that is characteristic shortcoming of traditional driver technology due to the presence of these wires.
Meze Audio's new Unified Piston Motion (UPM) driver eliminates this shortcoming by using a totally different approach. The membrane itself is electrically conductive and, therefore, no wires are attached to the diaphragm. The result is a symmetric pistonic motion through its entire movement, without disturbance from any unbalance created by wires. The main benefits of the UPM driver technology are low Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), clear mid-range, and outstanding reproduction of low frequencies.
Vibration Reduction System
Stainless steel is an extremely rigid material with low resonance. Therefore, it delivers minimum interference to the sound-producing vibration created by the driver unit. In terms of audio performance, these advantages contribute to a clean and dark background with well-defined imaging. The shape of the shell enclosure is also important. The specially conceived shell architecture of the Rai Solo further dampens vibration from the driver unit.
Lends Itself to Long Listening Sessions
The driver shell has excellent ergonomic qualities, too. The more comfortable the IEM, the better the listening experience. Serious audiophiles will spend hours on end engaged in their music. Meze Audio designed the Rai series in-ear-monitors to deliver comfort and prolonged listening sessions, allowing for a truly immersive experience for you and your music. Attention to details in the extreme is the reason for the comfortable listening. Round, soft edges are designed to embrace the natural curves from one’s ear and to fit perfectly.
Works with Any Device
The Rai Solo works effortlessly with any device due to its low impedance and high sensitivity. But to truly enjoy the full potential and advantages of its special driver we recommend the use of a DAP or a DAC if you want to use your phone as a source.
High Quality Cables Included
Included with the Rai Solo are 1.3m MMCX braided cables made of silver-plated copper custom wires and terminating in a 3.5mm plug. The cables are terminated on the other end with industry standard MMCX connections, which make the cables detachable and replaceable at any time.
Also included are a protective hard case, three pairs of soft silicone ear tips, three pairs of double flanged ear tips, and three pairs of deep insertion double flanged ear tips.
