Meze Audio ADVAR

Hi all, and welcome back to The Audio Neighborhood! We’ve got the Meze Advar into the channel for review. This is a relatively new IEM from Meze that comes in at $699 dollars. The price is steep, but it is constructed well. Nevertheless, can the sound keep up? Let’s… get inToit!





Like I said already, the Advar is a relatively new edition to Meze’s IEM line up, and it is constructed well. I reviewed the Rai Solo from Meze a while back, and I’ll place a link to that review here for those that are still intersted in that one as well.


*click here for my prior Meze Rai Solo review!





Like the Rai Solo, the Advar also uses a MMCX connection, which allows for the IEM to swivel in one’s ears so that they can achieve a more comfortable fit. The cable is composed of a silver-plated copper, and terminates in a straight, 3.5mm plug. The preformed ear hooks, although aggressively curved, are quite comfortable, and the braided cable is generally soft to the touch, without taking on any form of memory from use. I’m glad Meze ditched the memory wire that some of their older cables came with.





The shell houses a 10.2mm dynamic driver that Meze claims is true to their house sound. The driver material is not mentioned in any of the promotional materials, and I find this a bit suspect for an IEM in this price range. Nevertheless, the stainless-steel shell is gorgeous; however, and ergonomically sculpted to fit precisely and comfortably in the ear. I was originally worried that the stainless-steel housing would weigh too much, and have a tendency to fatigue the ear or sag within it; however, this IEM is seriously tiny, and any weight disappears in my ears when in use. The deep chocolate colored paint job has a glossy, enameled look to it, which seems thick and potentially durable to wear. Gold accents are utilized throughout. The Meze logo is painted in gold on the side, the nozzle is gold, and the MMCX connecters- and the covering for the port of the driver is gold as well. The overall aesthetic is sophisticated, luxurious, and pleasing.





As part of the Head-Fi tour which provided the Advar to the channel and made this review possible, Meze included a 4.4mm upgrade cable. For all intensive purposes it was similar to the stock cable in terms of build, just terminating in a balanced, straight, 4.4mm connection rather an unbalanced, 3.5mm one. By the way, both cables were 1.2 meters in length. The box also included a leather, hard-shell case, 5 pairs of Final Type E ear tips, a MMCX removal tool, a cleaning tool, and a user manual. In the course of my testing, the included Final Type E ear tips were my preferred tips for this set, and I didn’t really feel much of a need to swap them out. I also didn’t really notice a heck of a lot of difference in the performance from the single-ended cable to the balanced one, and would probably just stick with the cable that came out of the box if I were to purchase this set for myself.





The sound, both is, and isn’t commiserate with the price of the Advar. The Advar does keep up with other IEMs around the $700 price point and below, but I still think the Advar is somewhat over-priced regarding its general resolution and level of detail. What I mean is that I recently reviewed the Moondrop Variations, and the Advar isn’t quite the articulative set that one is. It also wasn’t as mid-forward or richly detailed in the mids as the Final Audio B3 was when driven off a proper source. The Advar does have pretty good detail for a single dynamic though, it’s just not going to keep up with standout electrostatic drivers or BA’s in a head-to-head listening session. Where the Advar does excel with its presentation is in the melodic and delicate nature of its detail. In comparison to the B3, it’s note weight is thinner in the mid-range, and its treble is less consistent in its extension. The bass weight of the Advar is more appropriate, dynamic, and definitely engages the listener more; however.





Returning to sourcing, the Advar is also much more sensitive to run in comparison to something like B3, which is uniquely insensitive for an all BA-driven set. On high output impedance amplification, I picked up more hiss on the Advar than B3, and more than I would have expected for a single dynamic. With that said, it’s also not the most sensitive set either, and I could not detect the hiss for the most part during playback, but again, it was just more than I would expect from a single dynamic. This could be rectified with an IEMatch from iFi on both the Gold Note DS10 Plus and the Geshelli Archel Pro, but this also seemed to dull the Advar’s energy a bit. In the end, I ultimately went back to just running them unadulterated off these devices, as I preferred their presentation that way. But, it was dead quiet when driven off the the Drop THX AAA 789, the Hiby FC3, the Periodic Audio Rhodium DAC, and other playback devices of a more standard affair. Even so, the Advar did scale notably with higher-tiered amps and DACs; even if it didn’t often expose poorer reproduction equipment. In other words, the Advar was impressive to listen to off of just about every device, but still showed noteworthy gains when paired well and driven appropriately.





Another strength of the Advar came from its staging. Uniquely, the stage here is eerily spherical; depicting as much depth as it does height and width. I wouldn’t describe the stage as huge, but its above average and has a good dimensional quality to it. Although the center image is sharply in focus at all times, peripheral detailing could haze-up upon occasion. This included peripheral vocals, which were notably fuzzy or more non-descript at times compared to the main vocals. The Advar could also become confused and cluttered on busier tracks, even though it showed great separation on most tracks- especially simpler ones. Transients were mostly excellent, but mildly sluggish in its character, here or there; which was particularly apparent amongst frequencies in the low-end. Instrument distinctiveness and placement was simply outstanding; however. Listening to the Advar, I felt like I was on the stage with the instrumentation, and could take a walk around each instrument’s player; like I was in a slow-motion music video or something. The stage is “sneaky good” on the Advar, and I think this will be a subtle characteristic, which will attract a lot of listeners to purchase it.





Tonality is mildly warm, and somewhat subdued, with a striking, refined and almost indirect punch to the impact of its notes. In this way, it is in alignment with Meze’s house sound- especially their more traditional presentation. Yet there’s also just the slightest bit of reverb and a certain delicateness that is usually only found in Meze’s more expensive gear. The general performance brings to mind the descriptors: alluring, balanced, and romantic. It is captivating, charismatic, and relaxing; smooth and soothing. I could listen to the Advar for hours.





In terms of the sound profile, it is rather interesting. To the ear, things sound mostly even upon first listen, but after some time, and in comparison with other IEMs, one begins to notice certain subtleties; which won’t be for every listener, but also give the Advar its unique voice and character.





The bass digs decently deep, but rolls decidedly after 37 Hz or so to my ears. There’s still a decent amount of sub-bass and low-bass presence, but it’s also notably lower in presence in an IEM who’s bottom-end is already a step behind most of the mids and treble. It also doesn’t quite have the low-end resonance, push, or punch of other Meze products. The bass here is striving more for balance than dominance. Low-end dynamics are audible and informative, but more assistive than the star of the show. Still, the bass is refined, warming, lush, looming, mildly woolly, and chocolatey. Its presence is just lacking a wee bit; here or there, but then again, so are the dynamics, at least, to a certain extent. It’s also not the most detailed bass in the world, but there’s just enough detail to keep up with the rest of the presentation. I’d characterize the overall bass performance of the Advar as harmonic and assistive- like adding a low-G-string tuning to a Ukulele. If you don’t know what I mean by this, have a glance at some videos on YouTube to find out more.





This mids on the Advar are also well executed, but early mids (before 2.5K Hz or so) suffer in comparison to central and upper mids. So, while a “sucked-out” effect does occur in the early mids to a mild extent, this also creates breathing room for the bass to trail off; so there is minimal bloat to the overall sound. Even so, some will find early mids lacking on this set, as the biggest dip on this set occurs in this region of the Advar’s sound. Nevertheless, overall detail and clarity of the mid-range should not be questioned, as its overall sound is smooth, detailed, and informative to its listener.





The treble is smooth and articulate too. I will point out that there is a pretty steep dive at 9K, but this doesn’t appear to overly detract from the treble’s capability. But that as it may, it does sound elegantly rolled because of it, and more mellow than brilliant. With that said, there is also quite a bit of energy in the presence and early brilliance regions, and a pretty large hump in the air region with an apex around 15K. This adds more excitement than air to the ear; however, and doesn’t go so far as to sound aggressive in anyway- keeping these both listenable and engaging for long-listening sessions. Another way to put this would be to say that the air is sneaky, but not prominent.





But, to wrap things up, the Meze Advar is a superbly constructed, well-thought-out IEM, that’s as pretty to look at, as it is to listen too. I received the Advar as part of a Head-Fi review tour, and they arrived just as beautiful and unspoiled as if they hadn’t been handled by 5 other people previously. As such, I expect that they will be a rugged set as well for those that need rough rider in this price range.





Speaking of the price, this is a luxury product, and as such, you’re paying a bit of a luxury tax with the Advar. Even so, it does sound great! And it is now one of my IEM’s around its price. With that said, given the sound quality here, I’d expect to pay a bit less- even considering the Meze luxury tax. If one could snag an Advar for between $449 and $549, it would be a hell of a deal, and definitely worth it at that price-tag, even if I think it’s a bit overpriced as it stands. To put it in perspective, these are competing more with IEMs around the $500 dollar price bracket- with IEMs like the Final Audio B3 and Moondrop Variations rather than more expensive sets. But, don’t fret, as there may be hope for a potential price drops on these in the future. If history is any indicator with their in-ear- monitors, Meze has tended to release their IEMs at a higher price initially and then offer their customers deals later on in some form or another, at least, every now and then. So, keep an eye out for a deal, as, at $699, I’d say this would have to be the particular sound for you to take the plunge on this one.





In sonic summary, the Advar’s sound sets a darker mood. It’s warm and it punches deeply. Yet, the Advar is also mellow and smooth- with enough air and energy to maintain interest, but not so much so as to dissuade longer listening sessions. For a pleasing single dynamic, it’s definitely one to keep an eye out for, especially for those that love the Meze house sound.

Check out my YouTube video of the Meze Advar!

Disclaimer:

Meze kindly lent me the Advar, their latest IEM in exchange for my honest opinion. I am not affiliated with Meze to any extent.



'Meze sound', intro:

Admittedly I really like Meze 'house sound' in general, which I would describe as natural, musical and engaging as opposed to an analytical studio approach. Their journey originally started with the 99 Classics and Empyrean, but some of their later creations like the Liric deviates a little bit from that initial smooth and warm sonic world that caused a splash in the headphone universe back in 2015 by the 99 Classic and in 2018 by the Empyrean.



I used to own the Empyrean for about two years, I loved its warm, organic and engaging sound. At the same time, I can see why someone would want more details and less of a mid-bass hump from Meze's first flagship headphone. The Liric, while I think is a great portable closed back headphone, was not quite to my liking due to its leaner and brighter tuning. I loved its flatter bass response with good sub foundations, but to me the treble occasionally came across as bity, sharp. I bought the Elite earlier this year and I absolutely love them to this day. In my opinion the Elite retains the musical engagement factor of the Empyrean but elevates it to a true top of the line performance level. The ultimate Meze headphone has more of a reference tuning, and it is technically much more capable thanks to the thinner diaphragms in its transducers.



After this short overview in Meze's headphone stable, let's talk about their IEMs. IEMs are usually not quite my cup of tea, but still have some experience with them from entry level up to some £3000 pairs. I also tested the Rai Penta which I liked in general but was not utterly impressed by its price/performance ratio.
The Advar has piqued my interest based on its sheer look, I think they are simply gorgeous. In my opinion it is safe to say that Meze is industry leading when it comes to build quality and comfort, but to me the Advar's design stands out even in Meze's line up. It is rare when audio gear makes me want to own them based on look only. (Other subjective examples are the Sennheiser HD598 and DNA Stratus amplifier.)



Design, comfort:

As I mentioned above, I think the Advar looks and feels gorgeous. They are surprisingly small but have a good weight which makes you feel you are holding gemstones. I am not very much into IEMs, prefer open back headphones by a good mile. I usually struggle with comfort/seal on IEMs, but the Advar sits in my ears easily, they are perhaps the most comfortable non-custom IEMs I have ever tried. They are instantly in the correct position with perfect seal even with the stock tips. I think this easy comfort is mostly due to the small size and perfect weight of these IEMs.



Sound:

Since I do not own any DAP or portable gear right now, most of my listening was done on the Chord Hugo TT2. I know, it is not the typical source for these IEMs, but hopefully my findings will still give a good picture to some readers. I also tried them on the Questyle CMA15, but there the Advar sounded a little drier, so I much preferred them on the Hugo TT2.

General observations:

I was immediately surprised by how pleasant and engaging the Advar sounds. This is by far not a reference tuning; it is not a neutral studio monitor. For that kind of sound there is the Rai Penta, in case you still want to retain something from the Meze smoothness but with a flatter tuning. The Advar is slightly V shaped, with generous but not overwhelming bass and a sparky but never sharp treble. The mids are nice too with good texture, but they take a small step back in the overall presentation. The Advar was tuned for a fun musical enjoyment, and it was done tastefully.



Bass:

Bass on the Advar is plenty, but it does not bleed into the mids. For the price I would say the bass is relatively well controlled, however tightness and clarity are something that will improve with higher end in ear monitors. Bass extension is good, separation is alright but not superb. It is a smooth, velvety kind of bass that still hits hard from those large, 10.2mm dynamic drivers. I enjoyed this fun but not overdone bass very much, but after longer listening sessions (1-2 hours) on some tracks it started to become too much in quantity for my taste.

Mids:

Due to the V shaped sound, mids are a little bit recessed compared to the rest of the sound. This is most obvious when you listen to solo singers in a band. The singer is definitely a step behind compared to what I am used to with other headphones or IEMs. Not to a disturbing degree, but it is noticeable. The sound is still organic though, quite well textured and detailed but not too upfront.

Treble:

There is certainly a treble emphasis on the Advar which some listeners might find unpleasant based on what ranges of the upper frequencies they are sensitive to. I am usually quite treble sensitive and prefer a smooth and natural treble, for this reason I was not too keen on the Liric. On the Advar I had no treble issues at all. The treble tuning on the Advar certainly injects a little brightness and air up top, but in my opinion, it is quite necessary on an IEM that is mostly warm and smooth. To my ears the Advar has found a good balance with its treble tuning which polishes the overall sound impression and makes all frequencies sound as a coherent whole.



Technicalities:

The Advar's sound is not about technicalities, but it doesn't mean they are not on the same technical level as other competitors in their price range. For many people this level of resolution and detail retrieval will be plenty enough and won't need to pursue £1000+ IEMs to hear improvements in this department.
Soundstage is also on the more intimate side, which can improve quite significantly with higher-end IEMs.
All in all, I think the Advar delivers on a technical level that you would expect from a £649, musically tuned IEMs.



Conclusion:

Even after being used to higher end open back headphones, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the very pleasant sounding Advar from this still relatively young Romanian company. I could easily see myself keeping the review unit and sliding them in my ears every now and then for some sweet musical enjoyment. The Advar to me is like sucking on a couple of high-quality artisan Swiss chocolate cubes after a nice dinner. Maybe I wouldn't want them all the time, but when I am in the mood, they can be thoroughly enjoyable. And it is just a bonus that I think they are also well priced for what they are. Well done Meze and thanks for the review experience once again.

The Meze Advar have been loaned to me as part of a tour very kindly organized by Andy Kong here on Headfi. The conditions were that each member of the tour could keep the Advar for 10 days and then post a review/impressions within 14 days.
Other than that, no specific requests were made, in fact, the exact words used were “You have complete freedom to write up your sharing or impression as long as it represents your true feeling and opinions toward the product.”

Therefore, my review will be as unbiased and sincere as possible (as always), but it hasn’t cost me anything to try out these IEMs.

You can visit the official page of the Advar here: https://mezeaudio.com/products/advar



Intro…

Let me start off by mentioning that the dates that the Advar arrived unfortunately were while I was taking my summer vacation. They actually arrived on a Wednesday and, due to some delays on making it home, I didn’t get chance to pick them up until the Monday when I arrived back at work. As I mentioned above, the tour rules were 10 days, so I had wasted 5 of them before I actually got to listen to them.

However, my first days back at work are always spent catching up on emails and other administrative work that has built up in my absence, so that involves days of uninterrupted sitting at a desk, a perfect time to listen to the Advar.

Before moving on (finally) to the important part, let me just mention that the Advar are a set of IEMs that feature a single 10.2 dynamic driver per side, retailing for just under 700€ here in Europe. I am a fan of dynamic drivers and also a big fan of Meze in general (I still feel they make some of the best looking headphones out there), so I may actually be more biased than I said at the beginning



Presentation…

As this is a tour unit, I am obviously not the first person to open the contents, so I won’t go through the whole unboxing process but I will say that it is nicely presented.

In the box we get the IEMs, underneath which we find a user manual and a very nice transport/storage case. The case may be a little on the large size but I have to say that I really like it, along with the multiple compartments it has on the inside to keep the multiple items that I like to carry (such as the Go Blu etc).

Inside the case we find the 3.5mm single ended cable, a cleaning tool, an MMCX removal tool (which is also a keychain) and a set of FInal E tips in multiple sizes.

In the shipment there is another smaller box included, containing a 4.4mm balanced cable, identical to the 3.5mm cable in the main box, which is not included with the usual retail package.



Build and aesthetics…

I have yet to see anything made by Meze that didn’t look good (in my opinion of course) and yet to hold anything by Meze that didn’t seem to be well built. The Advar are no exception.

I have said on multiple occasions that I am not a fan of gold and the Advar do use gold (or more of a brass) coloured highlights, I actually think they look rather good on them. I can’t say that these are the most beautiful IEMs that I have ever seen but at the same time, I must say that I do like the overall aesthetics, even if they do collect more fingerprints than I would like.

The build quality is what I would expect from Meze. These have been through multiple peoples hands, being shipped all over Europe, and while I have no doubt that everyone on the tour has taken good care of them, they show no signs of wear and tear that is common on so many demo units.

The shape of the shells is a shape that I have become very fond of lately, fitting my ears well and making them extremely comfortable for me.

My only negative would be the use of MMCX connectors but as I have said with other brands, if the connectors used are of good quality (that these certainly seem to be) then I don’t have too much of an issue. The inclusion of the MMCX removal tool is also a positive in this regard.



Sound…

*As always, all tracks mentioned are clickable links that will allow you to reference the track in the streaming service of your choice

No matter how good the build is or how good they look, the important thing is how they sound, and I think this may be the most polarizing part of the Advar. I have managed to not know much about them before testing them (as I always try to avoid creating expectations due to reading/watching reviews) but I do know that some people really like them and others, well, let’s just say they don’t like them quite as much. Personally, I am in the first group, those that like them. In fact, I enjoy them much more than I thought I would, but I am getting ahead of myself now so I’ll break it down into my usual pattern.

First let me say that, as always, detailed impressions were formed using the iFi Gryphon and the balanced cable, although I did listen from various other sources also. I also tried various tips (I didn’t try the ones included as I already have the same model tips, so there was no need) and I have to say that my favourites have been the Azla Crystals. The tips included (well, my set of tips that are the same type) made things a little too hot in the higher ranges for my personal tastes and I found that the Crystals balanced the signature a little more towards my personal preferences.

Speaking of preferences, here is the graph of the Meze Advar in comparison to my personal preference target. Although I have repeated this many times, I will say it again, my target is just a guide and not a “be all / end all” in regards to what I like.



Subbass is more than present enough to please those who look for that low end rumble. “Chameleon”, my usual go to for this, is very impressive in the lowest ranges as the rumble is there but it never seems to be out of control. “Royals” is a track that is not the cleanest of subbass but the Advar keeps it together nicely and makes the track actually sound much better than I am used to.

Midbass is very clear and articulate, surprisingly so. With modern recordings such as “Don’t Start Now”, there is a clear boost to midbass but it does not affect any of the other frequencies negatively. The same goes for EDM, suchs as “I Fink U Freeky” or “Sun is Shining”, bass hits are clear, well defined and do not interfere with the lower mids.

Based on the graph, I would have expected the upper mids to be more absent, struggling to bring vocals forward, yet that is not the case. For the majority of the vocal and acoustic instrument focused music I listen to, I found the vocals to be very clear and present, without seeming to suffer for presence at all. Even tracks like “Bombtrack” provide good clarity on vocals, even if they are not quite as forward as on other mid forward sets.

A track I like to use to test the forwardness of vocals is “Make Noise” as Busta Rhymes' voice is pushed to the back of the mix in the recording, making it difficult to appreciate at times. While the Advar doesn’t push it forwards, it also doesn’t hide it completely, meaning that the vocals are actually intelligible, even if they are not present enough in the mix (again, this is a recording issue).

Up in the higher ranges is where I find the issues with the Advar. The extension is good, as is the sense of air, however, those higher frequencies can be a little harsh, depending on the track. For example, “Smooth Operator” by Sade, presents too much emphasis in the higher ranges of the percussion, making parts of the track seem too bright. The same happens with simple acoustic tracks, such as “Sugar (Acoustic)”, where parts of Francesco Yates’ vocals are just a little too hot in the upper ranges.

Taking my usual sibilance test track, “Code Cool”, it is quite easy to notice that things are just a little too sibilant, however, I actually notice more the upper brightness on the percussion than on her voice. Sibilance is present, more than it should be, but it is not painful, just too bright.

Details I find to be very good on the Advar, even if they are not the most detailed IEMs I have ever heard, they are still impressive, helped a lot by the soundstage and imaging. The soundstage I find to be way above average for a set of IEMs and the placement of the details is very good. This works together to make things sound detailed without actually pushing those details in your face. The timbre of vocals (and instruments in general) also works in favour of this, making for an impressive sound stage and presentation.



Isolation may not be the best, especially in the lower ranges, but it is much better than I would expect from such a wide and opening set of IEMs. I can’t see these being an issue if used in circumstances with average noise, although they will suffer on a plane or train, due to those low rumbles.



Conclusion…

I have to say that I am impressed by the Meze Advar, I find them to be a very capable and pleasant set of IEMs, except for one thing, and that is the additional brightness in those upper ranges, making certain music a little too harsh. Yes they are a bit above my usual bass level preferences but the clarity and definition of the bass makes up for it, and although the upper mids seem to be a little too tame on paper, that wasn’t my experience when listening.

I am not sure if more experimentation with tips (or maybe even a tuning filter) would tame that treble slightly but I did try a bunch of tips and none really seemed to improve it over the Crystals that I based this review on. Unfortunately I had limited time with these IEMs so I didn’t have more time to experiment.

Other than that, I personally can’t fault the Advar. The timbre is great, they have good details and performance, I find them very comfortable (maybe not quite as comfortable as the IE600 but very close), they are well built and I like the aesthetics.

All I can say is that I am grateful that I had a chance to try out these IEMs and Meze are still high on the list of manufacturers that impress me.

As always, this review is also available in Spanish on both www.achoreviews.com and www.youtube.com/achoreviews

All FR measurements of IEMs can be viewed and compared on achoreviews.squig.link

All isolation measurements of IEMs can be found on achoreviews.squig.link/isolation