Meze Audio Rai Solo

The Meze Audio Rai Solo in-ear monitors are packed with a hard shell case, detachable cable, and 8 pairs of ear tips. Meze Audio is relatively new name in the world of headphones, but I've quickly become a big fan. So I jumped at the chance to audition their Rai Solo in-ear monitors (IEMs). I could sense the company's high level of care and craftsmanship as soon as I removed the lightweight stainless steel earbuds from their packaging. But while the Rai Solo unboxing experience was impressive, the real treat came when I popped them in and took a listen. Each earbud includes a single driver that uses what Meze calls a "united pistonic motion" diaphragm. Instead of attaching a separate voice coil to the diaphragm, the Rai Solo diaphragm acts as a conductor itself. When it receives positive and negative signals, the diaphragm moves back and forth in a smooth, quick, and symmetrical manner. There's no herky jerky movement that could result in distortion — I heard a refined sound with especially clean vocals an...