MEZE AUDIO ADVAR IEM

Meze Audio has fast become a major player in personal audio, with their headphones and in-ear monitors becoming reviewer and end-user favourites. The company, founded in 2011, is based in Romania, and also has a loyal user base in the pro audio world. Founder and chief designer Antonio Meze has stated the company is determined to bring state-of-the art sound combined with high-end industrial design. Based on the number of awards they have won, it seems they are well on their way to fulfilling that mission statement.

Meze Audio has a wide variety of products in their lineup. We received a pair of their Advar IEMs to evaluate. The Advar is a premium single-dynamic driver IEM and is exceptionally well- made, with a classic style and painstaking attention to detail. Even the packaging is second to none, with the feel of a bona fide luxury product. As we unpacked the Advar, it was like opening up a box within a box that contained a fine Swiss watch. A pair of Advar IEMs retails for $699.

The first impression is that the craftsmanship is of outstanding quality . The housing is made of stainless steel that has been polished to resemble enamel. Near the base of the nozzle is a vent, and on the back of the nozzle is a bigger, more noticeable vent. The single driver the Advar uses is a 10.2mm dynamic driver. A beautiful 3.5mm jack-terminated MMCX silver-plated copper cable is standard.

I found the fit to be excellent, and several pairs of silicone tips are included. I also found isolation to be well above average. Perhaps not full-on noise cancellation, but there is a very good if not excellent seal from outside noise.

LISTENING

We used the Advar in a variety of environments, but mostly with a Klipsch Heritage Headphone Amp and DAC. It proved to be an excellent pairing, tonally and ergonomically. We also used the Advar with our iPhone with lossless files, and while mixing multi-track musical projects with various Tascam mixing boards.

Everything about the Advar experience is of the highest calibre, and the audio performance is no exception. An IEM with good dynamics, coherency, and resolution is what we seek. Indeed, the Advar has a very well-balanced, easy to enjoy character.

We cycled through a large variety of music to evaluate the Advar, and we did put it through its paces. We enjoyed everything from classic German progressive rock, affectionately known as Krautrock, to acoustic jazz, classical, and many genres in between. One thing we can state up front is that we never experienced listening fatigue, even after hours of use.

TREBLE

High frequencies are clean and extended with tons of detail, but they did not seem “bright” or forward to our ears. Essentially, the treble had great energy, but also great balance and smoothness. Cymbals were beautifully rendered, with no unneeded sizzle. The balance between the treble and midrange was virtually ideal. It can be quite jarring to hear disjointed transitions between highs and mids, and Meze has avoided this completely.

BASS

The Advar bass performance is quite natural and smooth, yet impactful. The dynamic driver's definition and control are satisfying. The Advar provides low-end punch while always keeping it under control. There is no bass spillover into other frequencies that we could detect.

There is also a nice low-end texture, and the ability to follow low-frequency instruments like bass guitar or cello top shelf. The mid-bass to midrange transition is super smooth, and the mid-bass and sub-bass balance is spot on. Overall, the Advar's bass performance was flawless for our taste, especially considering its price point.

MIDRANGE

The mids were in the Goldilocks zone, just right. The midrange is where most of the tones and timbre live in the music, and the Advar really latched onto this. It made voices, strings, and pianos sound natural, smooth, and balanced.

The midrange of the Advar really had a clear, transparent, and detailed presentation, offering a highly melodic experience while also having superb resolution and great detail retrieval. In fact. the micro-detail resolution was quite remarkable. The Advar midrange ultimately is fluid, very natural, and to our ears sounded like a good pair of classic British BBC-style monitors.

SOUNDSTAGE

The Advar, with just one driver, provides excellent stereo imaging and instrument positioning, with very good sharpness and focus. It is not surprising that the Advar can even be used for mastering or mixing, as it is true to the source, with reasonable limitations and low colouration. The soundstage in general is quite satisfying, and panned instruments occupy realistic points in the mix.

TIMBRE

The Advar's timbre alternates between a tube-like warmth in the low to lower midrange and a palpable presence in the upper midrange to higher midrange. The end result is good accuracy and clarity in the upper bands along with a beefy mid-bass thump. Additionally, the traditional single dynamic driver design adds richness to the overall sound The Advar's basic timbre is often warm and classic, with excellent musical framing.

FINAL NOTES

Meze describes Advar as "a piece of visual and sound art,” and we happen to agree. The shells, made of stainless steel, are manufactured using metal injection molding and CNC finishing. We quite like the mesh that seals the nozzle as well. When handling these IEMs, you feel you are holding a durable professional product. For us, the mass was just right for a solid feel while in use. The shells never fell out of ears, not even once, and the supplied cable was just the right length.

We found the Advar very easy to drive as well. We never felt we had to push the volume knob up too high, and we never experienced clipping or distortion. Even our iPhone 13 Pro had no issues achieving a very comfortable listening level. The same applies to our Mac Book Pro, just using the headphone output jack and Audirvana for playback.

We can also see why Meze Audio has an established user base in the pro audio world. Mixing and mastering tracks for a friend’s musical project proved to be a pleasure with the Advar. Our mixes were accurate when we switched to monitors, and the smallest EQ adjustments were accurate. The Advar’s excellent handling of tone and texture was just as important in this environment.

In the end, the Advar proved to be dynamic, balanced, robust, and most importantly, fun to listen to. There was no shortage of energy, but no hint, to our ears, of edginess, bloat, or serious frequency tilt. The attention to detail is commendable. The folks in Romania clearly wanted to impress with sonics, build, and pride of ownership.

Conclusion

The Meze Advars are mini works of art and a captivating display of contemporary industrial design. In the end, we found the sonics to be smooth, rich, detailed, and very engaging. We loved the feel of these IEMs in our hands and in our ears. For us, the Advar is worth the asking price, and well suited for numerous applications.

In our estimation, Meze's design is a success. Advar distinguishes itself from its rivals with a wonderful high-end audio experience. It successfully completes every task given to it with good technical performance, a clear and conclusive character, and a balanced and enjoyable sound. It's simply naturally-flowing and velvety. Very highly recommended.

Product information

Driver: 10.2mm Dynamic driver
Frequency range: 10 Hz - 30 kHz
Impedance: 31 Ω
SPL: 111dB/mW
Distortion: <1% at 1kHz

Included with purchase

1x Hard case pouch
5 pairs (SS, S, M, L, LL sizes) Final Audio Type-E ear tips
1x MMCX SPC 1.2 m cable to 3.5 mm gold plated jack
1x MMCX removal tool
1x Cleaning tool
1x User manual

MANUFACTURER

Meze Audio

https://mezeaudio.com/products/advar-bundle

AKRM

MEZE AUDIO ADVAR IEM - REVIEW