Thanks to Meze and @Andykong for arranging the loaner tour for the Meze Liric. Below are my impressions. Just to let you all know where I am coming from…started on the headfi journey about 8 years ago, when headphones became a necessity to enjoy music in the presence of our infant children. The LCD-2 with the schiit bifrost and lyr was my first setup, and fast forward now, have cycled through the usual suspects in the dynamic, planar and estat cans, and have settled mainly on estats as the first love and planars as the mistress. I am an open-back kinda of person, but do have the LCD-XC as my lone closed headphone.

I was interested to see if the Liric would unseat the XC as my go-to closed can, so this review will be based on that question.



Meze does not disappoint with build quality. I had the Empyrean before, and the Liric has the same luxurious feel and look. It is solid and smooth in its cup motions as well as the height adjustments. It comes nicely packaged with a case. I found the cables to be adequate but a little too reminiscent of the Hifiman HE1000 and Susvara surgical tubing type of feeling. The connectors are well-made, look good and connect smoothly.



Comfort-wise, it is light, nicely balanced on the head with an adequate but not too tight clamp. Compared to the XC, it feels like a feather, and you won’t be threatened by its weight for longer sessions. The XC is heavy, although it doesn’t bother me as I am usually on a recliner when I am using it. The earpads are soft and so, overall, comfort-wise, it is all good.



OK, how does it sound? I drove the Liric straight from my RME ADI-2 DAC. The sensitivity is high, so you don’t need a monster of amp to run it. Overall, I would say it has a warmish neutral tuning. There is certainly no lack of bass, but those who are looking for a neutral tuning may find the bass a tad strong. This may be my own bias, as I prefer estat headphones and the bass on estats are less pronounced and thick in general vs dynamic and planar cans. For a closed headphone, I find the soundstage width to be pleasantly adequate. I think it is wider than my LCD-XC. The XC is a more neutral can with a little more emphasis on the treble side vs the Liric. The Liric does not fatigue, but those who look for or enjoy a stronger treble presence may find they would want to eq a little. Having said all that, for someone who just wants a musically and warmish closed headphone, the Liric is a good choice. The warranty is a solid 2 years and transferable. The build and its looks are great. Easy to drive and non fatiguing planar sound.



So, is it worth to pony up the $$ for it. In the grand scheme of closed headphones, it is on the pricier side, but if you want to only own 1 closed headphone, and have the means, I would recommend it. Best if you can audition it, but if you can’t, the transferable warranty allows you to move it to another owner easily. As for me, I think I will keep my XC at this time, as I slightly prefer the more neutral sound of the XC, and I am attached to the wooden cups. I also only use closed headphones about once a month, and so inertia wins at this time. I do wish my XC was as comfortable as the Liric, as they are super comfy and light and can be used on the go while the XC is a stationary type closed headphone.



Thanks again Meze and @andyk!

Firstly, thanks to Meze for allowing me to participate in the loaner program. Lots of great reviews and photos of the Neo. I will provide a review based on my 40 something year-old ears whose favorite headphones currently are the Audeze LCD-XC and Hifiman HE-6. For a fairer comparison, for mid-fi closed headphones, I have the Denon D600 and Oppo PM-3.

For its price, the Neo is really great value if you are looking for a durable, handsome, very comfy, darker, dynamic driver, bass heavy headphone with in-line controls. Compared to the planar PM-3, it is more comfortable and more bass-tilted. However, it does not fold flat and therefore is a little bit more bulky to transport…however, the case is very nice and like most headphones, you do need to unplug the cable to store it in the case. It works well out of my iphone 6 and to be honest, it sounds the same out of my Fiio X5 3rd gen. The Denon D600 is more V-shaped if you enjoy that, while the Neo is more balanced comparatively. I have also tried it out on my desktop amps, and again to be honest, I don’t think it scales up too much….perhaps, I don’t have golden ears.

The fit is fantastic, as it is a self-adjusting mechanism and I figure it would fit most heads, and the headphones themselves are extremely light. I can wear them all day without any discomfort.

So, what is the downside…none really, especially if you enjoy the bass-tilted sound. If you get a chance to try it and you like the sound, the value is unbeatable. If you are not sure, because it is not too pricey, it would be worth a gamble to purchase them and give them a go. If it does not work out, resell them later without much monetary loss.

Thanks to Chord and Craig for organizing the Hugo2 tour in Canada. There have been many excellent photos and reviews on the Hugo2 already on Head-fi. I would like to first provide the context of my review, so that readers can benefit maximally from my comments, and also not to be misled either. I am a late 40s guy who enjoys the headphone experience that have a pretty flat FR, but also enjoy and am probably more tolerant of the more pronounced treble. I am not well-versed in the audio/headfi terminology and tend to use plain language to describe my experience. I have owned and still own a variety of planar, dynamic and electrostatic hps and accompanying DACs/amps, but the rigs I use the most are the HDVD800, Oppo HA-1 and Gungnir (non-multi bit)/Bryston BHA-1. As for headphones, the main ones are the HD800, LCD-XC, and Oppo PM2.

Well, in a word, the Hugo2 is transparent. It does not colour what is coming into it. I tried various combinations of DAC/AMP with the Oppo HA-1 and HDVD800, and at the end of the day, the Hugo2 provides to me more clarity than the other 2 desktop setups. So, in what matters the most, the Hugo2 puts out the most details, and will let your headphones dictate how you want to experience your music. I thoroughly enjoyed the Hugo2 with my main headphones, more so than the Mojo (from memory) that I had before. The Hugo2 is also solid to feel and hold.

For a desktop setup, it is nice and small as you can see from the photo. I am not sure how many of us would truly use it as a transportable, and it is too big as a portable for most. So, I would say it is certainly a desktop replacement for those looking for one. I was feeding it with a Fiio X5 and Sonos connect as well.

As you have heard from others, the controls on the Hugo2 are unique and for some, the lights on it at night may bother some, but they do have a lower level setting. Personally, I did not hear any difference between the filters, but that may be because I don’t have golden ears. The output power was certainly sufficient without any discernible distortion or clipping.

The remote control is fantastic for volume control as I usually listen to my music at night with lights out and eyes closed. That by itself is a great selling point as not all DAC/AMPs have a remote. I did not use the Bluetooth feature, but stuck to optical and coaxial and they worked flawlessly.

The one downside is the price of admission. However, if you are going to replace your desktop rig and space is a premium, look no further…you also then have the ability to transport it at minimum in your house, and if so desired, perhaps to work. I am seriously considering selling my 3 rigs and replacing it with the Hugo2….but honestly, I just like having lots of toys…and so, probably 3 toys are better than 1 for me. Having said that, the rational thing to do is get the Hugo2, save money, save space and enjoy the music.